You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Last year a new show debuted on PBS called “Miss Scarlet & The Duke,” which I liked a lot, about a young female detective in England, will it be on for a second season?
A: It will, on “Masterpiece” on Oct. 16. PBS says that in “six high-octane new episodes, aspiring detective Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips, 'Peaky Blinders') competes for cases, trades jabs, and even partners with her longtime friend/rival, The Duke (Stuart Martin, 'Jamestown'), as their relationship delightfully and maddeningly simmers on.”
Q: Is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of the 1950 movie “Sunset Boulevard” being made into a motion picture? If so, will Glenn Close portray Norma Desmond?
A: There’s no movie yet, but people keep trying. There has been talk on and off for more than many years about bringing the “Sunset” musical to the screen. (Close won a Tony Award in 1995 for her performance in the Broadway version.) In an April 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Close said the movie was ready to begin production, that “we’re just waiting to get the final money together and to be given the final green light. I hope we’re shooting it later this summer.” Later that year, though, Webber told Variety that the production had stalled. Still, he said, Close “has been absolutely doggedly trying to get it made.” In May of this year, she told Variety, “We’re getting closer.”
Q: Can you tell me if the game show “The Hustler” is ever coming back?
A: After two seasons, ABC decided not to continue the show hosted by Craig Ferguson.
Q: When does the fall season of “Jeopardy!” begin?
A: The new round of telecasts starts Sept. 12. And before you ask about the hosting situation with Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, here’s how executive producer Michael Davies explained it awhile back: “Ken will kick off the season in September, host the inaugural Second Chance competition and the heavily anticipated Tournament of Champions … His initial hosting run will take us through December. In the meantime, Mayim will host ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ on ABC in primetime [beginning Sept. 25]. When she takes over from Ken in January, the current plan is to have her host a couple of new tournaments as well as the Jeopardy! National College Championship and as many weeks as she can manage with her other primetime commitment to ‘Call Me Kat.’ We know you value consistency, so we will not flip flop the hosts constantly and will keep you informed about the hosting schedule.”
Q: I watched the final episode of “Animal Kingdom” on TNT and just hated it! Are they going to do another show to continue where they left off? There were too many holes in the ending.
A: There have been no plans announced about a continuation or a sequel to the series. Last year, TNT general manager Brett Weitz told Deadline.com that the “Animal Kingdom” finale was “so brilliant” and the kind of thing “we want to continue to do.” But in May, after TNT’s parent company WarnerMedia merged with Discovery Inc., Weitz left his job. And Deadline has reported that the merger has found TNT shifting from original scripted programs to “unscripted entertainment fare and sports offerings while continuing to rely on acquired content.”
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