You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: We like “Blindspot” and have not seen anything about its return. Is it coming back?
A: The thriller starring Jaimie Alexander will be back with its fifth and final season, but I have not seen an airdate yet. While the network says “midseason” on its media site, published reports have put it at this summer, and with 13 episodes in this concluding go-round.
Q: Will there be a third season of “The New Pope” on HBO?
A: Possibly. While the network has not yet renewed the drama, series creator Paolo Sorrentino has thought about completing the trilogy started with “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope.” He told IndieWire: “I have another season in my mind. I don’t know if I will do that. I should find time to do that, and I should convince HBO in order to do that. I have a new idea for a third season, but it’s a crazy, crazy idea so I don’t know if it’s easy to realize. It’s an idea completely outside the Vatican — it’s really different.”
Q: Brendan Fraser has apparently deserted Hollywood and his fans with his decision to curtail his movie career. He is a natural and I especially enjoyed his role in the remake of “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Any chance to he could be persuaded to return to Hollywoodland?
A: While there have been times when Fraser stepped away from acting — see his GQ interview from 2018 for an abundance of details — in recent years he has worked plenty, mainly in TV projects including “Trust” (a miniseries based on the same story as the big-screen “All the Money in the World”), “Condor” and “Doom Patrol.”
Q: Could you please tell me if “Magnum P.I.” is coming back?
A: CBS has said that the Jay Hernandez version of “Magnum” “will return in the spring after ‘MacGyver’ concludes its season run.” I don’t know when exactly that will be, especially considering the program juggling caused by the coronavirus. (For example, see the update at the end of this column.)
Q: In the ’60s there was a TV show I watched as a kid with a flying superhero (I believe) who wore a cape and goggles and flapped the cape as he was flying. He also took a pill from a ring on his finger to help him fly (I also believe) and they played a theme song also. It has been driving me crazy for MANY years! I know you can help me with the name of the show and the character’s name.
A: After the humorous prime-time version of “Batman” became a hit in 1966, networks looked for comparable shows. The reference book “Total Television” mentions the 1967 efforts “Captain Nice” on NBC, with William Daniels as a police chemist who gained superpowers from a secret formula, and “Mr. Terrific” on CBS, with Stephen Strimpell as a guy who took a pill that gave him superpowers for an hour. Your show, based on our follow-up conversation, was “Mr. Terrific.” But neither it nor “Captain Nice” proved super in the ratings, and their TV runs were short.
Q: I love the show “Bluff City Law” with Jimmy Smits. Will it be back?
A: Very unlikely. As I mentioned in a previous column, NBC has aired all 10 episodes that were made and did not ask for more — especially after the ratings dropped considerably in its early showings. If you want to revisit the show, you can find those 10 episodes; Hulu, Amazon and NBC.com all list them.
Mailbag update: I mentioned not long ago that “Hawaii Five-0” was going to end with a two-hour finale on April 3. That has changed as part of the many adjustments networks are making since the coronavirus outbreak. What had been a two-hour “Five-0” finale has now been split into an hourlong episode on March 27 and a second, concluding hour on April 3.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfelsgmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.
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