You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I just watched what I think is the last episode of this season of “New Amsterdam.” I really like this show. Will there be a second season?
A: Keeping track of prime-time TV shows in a season is a challenge. The number of episodes can vary enormously, from half a dozen to a couple of dozen. A series may take an extended break during a season, proclaiming — as you may have been seeing lately — that the episode leading into the break is a “fall finale” or “winter finale,” complete with a dramatic moment to make you more desperate for the show’s return. Thus the “New Amsterdam” episode Tuesday was at once the drama’s fall finale, complete with shocker, and just the ninth episode of a season in which NBC expects to air a full 22 episodes. Expect it to return for more of its current, first season on Jan. 8.
Q: Is “Project Runway” scheduled to be back on? And on a regular cable channel? We were told that the show was going back to Bravo. Then I saw Heidi Klum inform us that she was no longer hosting. Will Tim Gunn continue as mentor? I really like the show.
A: The design competition will be back on Bravo in 2019, but without Klum and Gunn. They announced their departure from the long-running series in September, taking instead a deal with Amazon for a new fashion-oriented show that will reportedly both showcase designers and make their goods available via the online retailer. In their absence, the show is being presented as a reboot, recalibrating “for a new generation of fashion enthusiasts.” Model Karlie Kloss is the new host, with “Project Runway” Season 4 champ Christian Siriano taking over as mentor.
Q: I have watched reruns of “Bonanza” and they don’t play the original theme song. Do you know why?
A: Whether you hear the theme depends on which episodes you are watching. The ownership rights to a bunch of “Bonanza” episodes ended many years ago, meaning anyone could run them or put them on DVD without paying for them. But the rights to the theme song remained intact, so those public-domain episodes do not include the theme, substituting generic music. At the same time, though, far more episodes were not so freely available and still have the theme song. When I checked out an episode on TV Land recently, it had the theme, while a telecast of a rights-free episode on another network did not. Be wary, too, of DVD packages, many of which simply bundle those public-domain telecasts, sometimes in cheesy fashion. Better to look for the higher-quality “real deal” official sets, whose packaging promises the original music and other elements.
Q: Are the shows “Superior Donuts” and “Living Biblically,” which were on TV last season, coming back? I really enjoyed both, especially the actors chosen to play the fun characters.
A: “Superior Donuts” certainly had an excellent ensemble, including Judd Hirsch and Katey Sagal, and a noteworthy pedigree, since it was derived from a play by award-winning writer-actor Tracy Letts. Still, after two seasons, CBS decided not to keep the comedy going. “Living Biblically” also had a good cast but did not live past its first season.
Q: I love the show “LA to Vegas.” Will it be back?
A: No. Fox grounded the airline comedy after a single season.
