You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Will “Jack Ryan” be back anytime soon?
A: The adventure series starring John Krasinski as the Tom Clancy creation will begin its third season on Prime Video Dec. 21. In the new season, the show says, “Ryan is working as a CIA case officer in Rome, when he is tipped off that the Sokol Project, a secret plan to restore the Soviet Empire, is being resurrected more than 50 years after it was thought to have been shut down. Jack embarks on a mission to confirm the intelligence, but things quickly go awry, and he is wrongly implicated in a larger conspiracy.” Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly also return.
For those of you keeping track, Ryan has been played onscreen by Krasinski, Chris Pine, Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin.
Q: What happened to Murray, the dad on “The Goldbergs”? I heard last year he got into some trouble but I don't know what he did. He missed some episodes, then this year they killed him off. I also know the actor has a character on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” so I wonder if he'll be on for the new season.
A: Jeff Garlin, who played Murray, departed the ABC comedy following three years of investigations of his on-set behavior. The great Maureen Ryan of Vanity Fair said in December 2021 that people told her they felt “demeaned and disrespected multiple times” by his language on set, as well as touching and hugging people who did not want that from Garlin, and other behavior. But in an interview with Ryan, Garlin clearly did not get that what he did was a problem. He left “Goldbergs,” but he is reportedly set for the next season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which should arrive next year. And in September, according to the Los Angeles Times, Garlin announced that he had bipolar disorder and “sometimes it’s just too much to deal with. I’m doing the best I can.”
Q: Why isn't Anthony Anderson on "Law & Order" anymore?
A: "I wanted to go off and create more shows like 'black-ish,' create things that I have ownership in, and do something a little bit different," Anderson told Entertainment Tonight in July. He specifically mentioned a drama called "Miraculous" that he was pitching. A couple of months later he told CinemaBlend that he was open to returning to "Law & Order" at some point, that he loved working on the show but "wanted to test the waters and see what else was out there."
Q: One of the most enjoyable shows I have seen with amazing characters was “Lilyhammer.” I believe it ran three years and then stopped. Any hope of more seasons?
A: For those of you tuning in late, the Norwegian comedy-drama originally starred Steven Van Zandt — also known for “The Sopranos,” the E Street Band and SiriusXM’s wonderful Underground Garage channel — as a gangster relocated to Norway in witness protection. (The spelling in the title refers not to the city of Lillehammer but is reportedly a reference to the gangster's pronunciation of the city, and to his dog, Lily.) Made first for TV in Norway then licensed by Netflix, it ran for 24 episodes in 2012-14 before the streaming service decided to stop funding it. The What’s on Netflix website said “something was simply missing from season 3 and frankly, it jumped the shark.”
Q: When will Season 2 of HBO's "The Gilded Age" come out?
A: There's no specific air date yet, beyond it being in 2023.
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