You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Is Dylan McDermott going to be on “Law & Order” and “FBI”?
A: This answer begins with the announcement recently that Julian McMahon, who played Jess LaCroix on “FBI: Most Wanted,” has decided to leave the drama, reportedly for “additional creative pursuits.” That led the show to hire McDermott, recently seen as the villainous Richard Wheatley on “Law & Order: Organize Crime.” (The “FBI” programs and “Law & Order” shows all come from the same producer, Dick Wolf.) As Variety noted, McDermott’s “L&O” storyline has been coming to an end, freeing him up to appear on “Most Wanted” after McMahon departs later this spring.
Q: Will Damian Lewis be back on “Billions”? I watched the first episode this season and he’s not on. I only watched for him.
A: Lewis, who played Bobby Axelrod on the Showtime drama, left the series at the end of its fifth season. He told the New York Times last year that he had signed up for five seasons and after that long “It’s difficult to keep mining (the character) creatively. … We know who he is.” Lewis had also faced a personal tragedy, the death of his wife, actress Helen McCrory, last year from cancer. He maintained to the Times that McCrory’s death did not factor into his “Billions” decision – with the show having long prepared for his departure – but it has led to his staying close to home in London with his two teenage children. (His final appearances on “Billions” were mostly done remotely for that reason, the Times said.) He did not close the door on “Billions” forever: “There’s an opportunity maybe for me to return. … But for now, broadly speaking, Axe has been vanquished.”
Q: What is the significance of the apostrophe in “NCIS Hawai’i”?
A: The spelling in the title of the CBS drama is said to be one Hawaiians themselves prefer. But that is not an apostrophe in the name. It’s a mark called an ‘okina. For those of you prizing details, here is the explanation from the University of Hawai’i website: “The Hawaiian language uses two diacritical markings. The ‘okina is a glottal stop, similar to the sound between the syllables of ‘oh-oh.’ In print, the correct mark for designating an ‘okina is the single open quote mark. The kahako is a macron, which lengthens and adds stress to the marked vowel. For example, 'pau,' depending on placement of ‘okina and kahako, can mean completed, smudge, moist or skirt.”
Q: Is Vanna White planning to retire from “Wheel of Fortune”? Pat Sajak's daughter is appearing in mini-promos for the show and it was mentioned that she visited Vanna in her dressing room to "chat" about the show. Is she being groomed to take Vanna's place when the time comes?
A: I can’t see far in the future, and both Sajak and White have contracts through the 2023-24 season. Maggie Sajak is the show’s “social correspondent,” who on the “Wheel” website describes her job as “the opportunity to bring an insider’s look at the show with new behind-the-scenes features, interviews, videos and insights.” While she was a letter-turner at one point when her dad had surgery and White filled in as host, Maggie seems to have plenty of other options. Her “Wheel” info says she “graduated from Princeton University, finished a postgraduate program at Columbia University, and is currently attending law school.” She’s also done some country-music singing.
Q: Please find information on a British show called “A Touch of Frost” starring David Jason. Will it ever return?
A: The series ended in 2010. According to the BBC, Jason decided Frost had become “a little long in the tooth” and it was time to end the show.
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