It absolutwly can be small talk.

Small talk is a low stakes way to build rapport without exchanging any information that is intimate, vulnerable, or confrontational.

Talking about the weather is boring small talk. I hate boring small talk very much, but small talk in general is important for building rapport with people you don’t know well enough to be vulnerable with.

Talking about pop culture, like [TV SHOW] or [LOCAL TEAM], are also small talk.