TV Talk: Ming-Na Wen voices character in ‘Gremlins’ series; ABC, CW set fall schedule

Actress Ming-Na Wen, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, said she was drawn to a voice acting role in the animated prequel series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” by her love of sci-fi and the show’s 1920s setting.

The series uses serialized storytelling to introduce young Sam Wing (voice of Izaac Wang), who will grow up to be the grandfather who refuses to sell Gizmo to Billy’s (Zach Galligan) dad at the start of the 1984 movie.

“I thought that was a great take in figuring out who this mystery man was and how he came to have the Mogwai,” Wen said in a Zoom interview last week, clad in a CMU shirt. “It really expands on the Chinese culture and all the mythologies that weren’t really explored in the original film.”

The 10-episode “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” debuts Tuesday on streaming service Max, which changes its name from HBO Max on that date.

The series capably walks a fine line: It’s not too scary for kids — it’s less intense than the original “Gremlins,” which ushered in the PG-13 rating — but sophisticated enough not to bore adults. “Secrets” depicts the first meeting between Sam and Mogwai Gizmo (AJ LoCascio) and offers a backstory on the Gremlins’ origin.

Wen gives voice to Sam’s mom, Fong Wing.

“She’s very good with the Chinese medicines, very rooted in healing and wanting to take care of people,” Wen said of Fong Wing. “I grew up with Chinese medicine. My mom was a nurse in China so I really understand and believe a lot of it. So I was able to incorporate all that and my 20-plus years of being a mom.”

The end of season one leaves decades unexplored between the series and the first movie. A second season is already in production. Might it explain how Sam and Gizmo get to America?

“That would be fantastic,” Wen said, hedging. “Maybe there could be some flash-forwards. We’re living in a storytelling forum where there’s a lot of magic, right? So we could travel through time.”

Whatever Wen knows about the possible return of her “Hacks” character in the show’s third season or another appearance by her Fennec Shand character in a future “Star Wars” story, she’s sworn to secrecy.

“I hope they get to explore Fennec more,” she said. “She’s my dream ‘Star Wars’ character.”

So far, Wen only has a “Gremlins” cup, but her collection of Fennec Shand “Star Wars” paraphernalia continues to grow. She even has the Fennec Shand sunglasses.

ABC’s fall

ABC unveiled a realistic fall schedule that’s almost entirely unscripted shows, acknowledging the writers’ strike probably won’t end in time to get scripted programs in production for September premieres.

ABC will hold summer series “Press Your Luck” for fall, shifting “Generation Gap” to 8 p.m. Thursday with “The Chase” at 9 p.m. starting June 29.

Here’s ABC’s strike-ready fall schedule with just one new series (in bold):

Sunday

7 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”

8 p.m. “The Wonderful World of Disney”

Monday

8 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”

9 p.m. “The Golden Bachelor”: An elderly bachelor looks for love among women who have “a lifetime of experience.”

Tuesday

8 p.m. “Celebrity Jeopardy!”

9 p.m. “Bachelor in Paradise”

Wednesday

8 p.m. “Judge Steve Harvey”

9 p.m. “Abbot Elementary” (encore)

9:30 p.m. “Abbot Elementary” (encore)

10 p.m. “What Would You Do?”

Thursday

8 p.m. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”

9 p.m. “Press Your Luck”

10 p.m. “The $100,000 Pyramid”

Friday

8 p.m. “Shark Tank”

9 p.m. “20/20”

Saturday

7:30 p.m. “College Football”

For after the writers’ strike, ABC ordered just one new series for 2023-24:

“High Potential”: Kaitlin Olson stars as a single mom who helps a seasoned detective (Daniel Sunjata) solve crimes.

ABC renewed most of its current lineup, including “The Conners” and “Not Dead Yet,” but has not made decisions on the fates of “Home Economics” or “The Rookie: Feds.”

ABC still has five pilots in contention, including “Good Doctor” spin-off “The Good Lawyer.”

The CW fall

It’s unclear at this point where The CW will exist on the Pittsburgh dial after WPCW-TV declined to renew its affiliation with the network, but executives seem confident it will land somewhere. In a Thursday Zoom press conference, I asked if The CW will accept a digital subchannel position; CW president Dennis Miller — not the Pittsburgh native comedian — did not answer the question.

Under new owner Nexstar, The CW will rely largely on foreign imports, many from Canada, and series that already played elsewhere domestically (“61st Street,” “Children Ruin Everything”). “Walker” will hold until midseason, and no decision has been made on “All American: Homecoming,” “Gotham Knights” or “Superman & Lois,” although “Superman” may have an edge as it was included in the network’s sizzle reel.

Here’s what to expect this fall (new series in bold):

Sunday

8 to 10 p.m. “I Am” films: Feature documentaries about global icons (Patrick Swayze, Chris Farley).

Monday

8 p.m. “All American” (pending writers’ strike resolution)

9 p.m. “61st Street”

Tuesday

8 p.m. “Son of a Critch”: Canadian middle schooler comes of age in 1986.

8:30 p.m. “Run the Burbs”: Vietnamese-South Asian family becomes the heart of their cul-de-sac.

9 p.m. “Children Ruin Everything”

9:30 p.m. “Everyone Else Burns”: British import about a proselytizing religious family.

Wednesday

8 p.m. “Sullivan’s Crossing”: From the producers of “Virgin River,” a neurosurgeon (Morgan Kohan) returns to her hometown, a campground run by her estranged father (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”)

9 p.m. “The Spencer Sisters”: Lea Thompson (“Back to the Future”) stars as a mystery novelist who solves crimes with her cop daughter (Stacey Farber) though they are often mistaken for sisters.

Thursday

8 p.m. “FBoy Island” (encore)

9 p.m. “FBoy Island”

Friday

8 p.m. “Penn Teller: Fool Us”

9 p.m. “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

9:30 p.m. “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (encore)

Saturday

8 p.m. “Masters of Illusion”

8:30 p.m. “Masters of Illusion” (encore)

9 p.m. “World’s Funniest Animals”

9:30 p.m. “World’s Funniest Animals” (encore)

Down the road, The CW is producing a spin-off of former TNT show “The Librarians” called “The Librarians: The Next Chapter.”

‘Schmo’ again

TBS will bring back the original hoax reality series, “The Joe Schmo Show,” which previously featured three Pittsburgh Schmoes during its first three seasons. Already filmed, the show’s original creators executive produced (Cat Deeley replaces Ralph Garman as host).