Erin,

For what it's worth, as a physical therapist who has worked with all sorts of patients and other medical practitioners, the tendency of therapists and medical practitioners is to follow the patient's lead in many respects.

When patients are seemingly more interested in something other than their condition,therapy or treatment, then conversations tend to involve what the patient is interested in, and/or something other than their therapy.
I'm not saying that it is wrong to do that from either the practitioner's or the patient's side, because I've had some wonderful and enlightening conversations as both a patient and as a practitioner, especially when talking about a particular condition or treatment for the um-teeth time seemed to be of no benefit.

Maybe when you see your new physiatrist, try to hold your focus on your therapy and ask some specific questions about how you can improve your situation if they seem distracted. If you do that, you are more likely to get a better outcome, with greater involvement from them with respect to taking you seriously, than the experience that you had with your PTs and conversations about a TV show.

I hope things go really well for you and the relationship that you build with your new physiatrist, that you get some beneficial therapy and that you feel better soon. It has been such a long haul for you.
Hang in there

With love, Erika