You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I was always a fan of 鈥淢urphy Brown鈥� and am looking forward to the series reboot this fall. However, I notice on all the promos for the show鈥檚 return that all the characters are there except Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough). Has he decided not to reprise his character? That would leave Murphy with three nuts 鈥� Corky, Frank and Miles 鈥� and no common sense! I also think that Phil and Eldin both passed away several years ago. Will they be replaced?
A: Jim Dial is 鈥渁 retired newsman, but he does find a compelling reason to return to the gang for a short time,鈥� series creator Diane English has said, according to TVLine.com. (Kimbrough, 82, reportedly declined a full-time gig with the show.) Robert Pastorelli, who played Eldin, died in 2004; Pat Corley, who played Phil, died in 2006. I do not know of any plans to replace Eldin. In the new show, Phil鈥檚 bar will now be run by his sister Phyllis, played by Tyne Daly. Besides Daly and the returning Candice Bergen (Murphy), Faith Ford (Corky), Joe Regalbuto (Frank) and Grant Shaud (Miles), the show will feature Jake McDorman as Murphy鈥檚 now-grown son Avery and Nik Dodani as Pat Patel, the team鈥檚 social-media director. The show arrives on Sept. 27, with a first run of 13 episodes.
Q: I have watched Kevin Costner in so many movies and really enjoy his acting. I鈥檝e watched 鈥淵ellowstone鈥� three times. I鈥檓 very disappointed. This program has no excitement, which I would have expected. I鈥檓 so sorry, but I鈥檓 afraid this will not be renewed.
A: I hate to add to your disappointment, but Paramount Network has renewed 鈥淵ellowstone鈥� for a second season.
Q: Loved 鈥淪uccession鈥� on HBO. Will it be back?
A: Yes. HBO ordered a second season of the family-and-big-business comedy-drama shortly after the first one began. Look for new episodes in 2019.
Q: I have a question for you about Perry Mason and Della Street. I watch all their shows again now that they are on MeTV and am wondering how romantically involved they were. They are always together for everything they do but never real romance. Why is that? They make a perfect couple and it seems they are.
A: According to the book 鈥淚cons of Mystery and Crime Detection鈥� and other sources, there were suggestions of a romance going back to the Erle Stanley Gardner novels that led to Perry Mason films and, most famously, the 1957-66 series and subsequent TV-movies starring Raymond Burr as Mason and Barbara Hale as Street. There were even times in the books when Mason proposed marriage, only to be told, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you need a wife, but I know damn well you need a secretary who鈥檚 willing to go to jail occasionally to back your play.鈥� The book also notes that Gardner thought Mason would lose his sex appeal if he married Street 鈥� but that there were plenty of TV hints of something more than a professional relationship.
Q: Do you think 鈥淐ode Black鈥� is coming back?
A: That may be a mystery worthy of Perry Mason. I mentioned about a month ago CBS had cancelled the series. More recently, though, CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told reporters that 鈥渨e鈥檇 like to figure out a way鈥� to bring it back 鈥� if, that is, the finances could be worked out. But Deadline.com noted that the options on all the actors have expired, so new deals would have to be made. And one of the stars, Rob Lowe, called Kahl鈥檚 comments 鈥渘on-specific鈥� and 鈥渇uzzy.鈥� That said, there are also hopes the show could find at least find a home on a streaming service. But at this writing there鈥檚 nothing definite.
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