You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Was the last season the final one for 鈥淩ay Donovan鈥� or is it coming back? The way the last season ended seemed as if the show might be over.
A: The fifth season of the Showtime series certainly hit some hard notes at the end. But there is a 12-episode sixth season planned for air this fall. Susan Sarandon, who recurred as studio head Sam Winslow last season, will be back, this time as a series regular. And the show鈥檚 location will shift from Los Angeles to New York City. Showrunner David Hollander some time back said, 鈥淣ew York is exciting. Fashion, media, finance, theatre, culture. It鈥檚 going to present new challenges for Ray Donovan, which mean new opportunities for us as dramatists.鈥�
Q: Is there another 鈥淧oldark鈥� season in the near future?
A: There is. PBS鈥檚 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� will begin showing the British drama鈥檚 fourth season on Sept. 30. Be careful if you go searching for information online, since the season has already aired across the pond and has what one report called a 鈥渉eart-rending鈥� finale. But that鈥檚 not the end of the line, since a fifth season is reportedly in the works for telecast in 2019.
Q: What happened to Shalita Grant on 鈥淣CIS: New Orleans鈥�?
A: The actor who played Sonja Percy on the CBS drama has left; her last new episode aired in April. According to Variety, Grant and the series 鈥渕utually agreed鈥� on her leaving. When her departure was announced in January, her manager told the entertainment publication that it was 鈥渏ust time for a change. This is about moving on to the next great thing.鈥� You can see what she鈥檚 up to these days on Twitter, as @ShalitaGrant.
Q: What happened to 鈥淢ozart in the Jungle鈥�? We started watching because everyone was raving about it. It was a great show and won a Golden Globe. Will anyone pick it up?
A: The comedy based on Blair Tindall鈥檚 memoir, and made for streaming on Amazon.com, was cancelled after four seasons and a total of 40 episodes. The Hollywood Reporter said the cancellation came from a new boss at Amazon who want to 鈥渟hift away from niche indie projects and deliver broader, big-budget swings in an attempt to land the next 鈥楪ame of Thrones.鈥� The four seasons of 鈥淢ozart鈥� are still on the Amazon site. I do not know of any plans to make more.
Q: Could you please tell me if 鈥淢om鈥� is coming back?
A: The CBS comedy starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney begins a new season Sept. 27. Janney, by the way, recently received her second Emmy nomination as lead actress in a comedy for her work on the show. She has won two previous Emmys for 鈥淢om鈥� as supporting actress 鈥� because, well, the Emmys can be weird. She has seven Emmys total, along with an Oscar (as supporting actress, for 鈥淚, Tonya鈥�).
Q: A movie was made based on a novel written by Frederick Forsyth in collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber called 鈥淧hantom of Manhattan.鈥� The movie was shown on TV about 10 years ago but to my knowledge it hasn鈥檛 been rebroadcast. Any reason why information about this movie isn鈥檛 available?
A: It is, but under a different name. Forsyth first wrote a sequel to 鈥淭he Phantom of the Opera鈥� for Webber, who had had a huge success with 鈥淧hantom.鈥� But their collaboration stalled. Forsyth used his ideas in a 1999 novel called 鈥淭he Phantom of Manhattan.鈥� Webber later returned to the project with other writers, calling it 鈥淟ove Never Dies.鈥� That production鈥檚 website lists Forsyth as one of the collaborators, but he has reportedly indicated he deserved more credit than he received. In any case, 鈥淟ove Never Dies鈥� premiered in 2010 and a production was filmed in 2012. The film has reappeared on TV from time to time, and it is on DVD and Blu-ray.
