The Waltons
I have a little confession to make. Growing up an only child in upstate New York, I often envied the busy, full house of TV's The Waltons, an Emmy-winning, Depression-era drama that ran on CBS from 1971-1981 and spawned several reunion movies, the last airing in 1997.
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Bones
Always a popular (if sometimes contentious) topic in my Ask Matt forum, Fox's Bones refutes any notion that its heart isn't in the right place in this week's ultimately touching episode (9/8c). Ralph Waite (forever Papa Walton to many of us, though nowadays better known as Jethro's dad on NCIS) makes a welcome return as Booth's grandfather, bearing some unwelcome news that has the very pregnant Bones (Emily Deschanel) wondering how best to reach ...
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David Boreanaz, Eric Dane, Alex O'Loughlin
Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
Is it true that Ralph Waite will be back as Booth's grandfather on Bones? — Liza
ADAM: Indeed it is. In fact, he'll return in an episode that will feature three generations of Booth men. We'll actually see Booth's dad via an extremely emotional flashback to Booth's childhood. (Hint: It has something to do with those baseball stadium seats Booth moved into his apartment last season.)
Will Mark try to win Lexie back on Grey's Anatomy? — Jane
NATALIE: No. "With all the philandering over the past few seasons, people have...
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Brian Dietzen
NCIS' assistant medical examiner Jimmy Palmer can't stay lovably dim forever, right?
"I wanted the character to grow a little bit and learn a bit from what he's been doing the last seven years in autopsy," Brian Dietzen tells TVGuide.com of his character's growth this season. "Jimmy's always kind of been the bumbling guy who's a half a beat behind. We don't want to lose any of that, but ... if this guy hasn't learned a thing since the first season, he'd get canned pretty quickly."
Fall TV: Get scoop on all your favorite returning shows
Jimmy will start on that path in Tuesday's episode, when a handful of interns are called into help with a kidnapping investigation. Unfortunately for Jimmy...
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Mark Harmon
The uncovering of skeletons from Jethro Gibbs' past left his father in danger in NCIS' Season 7 finale. As Season 8 begins, everyone close to Gibbs may have a target on his or her back.
Executive producer Shane Brennan tells TVGuide.com that Gibbs Sr. (guest star Ralph Waite) will be front-and-center through the first episode and that his actions will give viewers an idea where Gibbs (Mark Harmon) gets his fighting spirit.
Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows
"It's a big opening," Brennan says. "I advise every fan of the show to sit down and watch that first minute. It's explosive. We finish up that story, and we'll get back into showing NCIS as the team it's always been."
The bad news, however, is that Gibbs' team members feel threatened ...
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When NCIS returns this fall, viewers won't have to wait long at all to see exactly what happens to Papa Gibbs.
"We pick up the show right where we left off, and I advise every fan of the show to sit down and watch that first minute. It's explosive," executive producer Shane Brennan tells TVGuide.com. "Ralph Waite is front and center all the way throughout the episode."
Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows
But as you can see in this exclusive first look at Season 8 after the jump, Gibbs Sr. isn't the only target on the Reynosa Cartel's hit list...
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NCIS
On Tuesday's holiday episode of NCIS, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) will get a special visit from his father (guest star Ralph Waite), and the family connections won't stop there.
Check out photos of the NCIS cast
Waite, 81, first visited the CBS hit procedural in Season 6. This time around, he will exhibit some unusual behavior that leaves Gibbs perplexed as he and the team investigate the possible hate-crime killing of the son of a retired colonel turned preacher.
Even though the episode has Christmas themes, Rocky Carroll warns that it's not exactly a heartwarming hour...
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Robert Wagner
Robert Wagner will guest-star as Tony's father in the 150th episode of NCIS, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Tony and his dad will reunite in the episode, which is slated for January.
Rena Sofer lands at NCIS
An added layer to the casting is that...
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Lost, House and NCIS
Senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your burning questions. Be sure to direct any new seekage of spoilers to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
I have this nagging feeling that Lost from here on will focus on the Oceanic 6, at the expense of the people - my Sawyer included! - left on the island. Please tell me I'm wrong. - Lauren
Matt: I take great pleasure in telling you that you are wrong. I then laugh derisively in your general direction. Have no fear, Lauren, the left-behinders will get plenty of air time. In fact, a (probably well-tanned) setsider tells me that Elizabeth Mitchell, for one, has never had more to do and as such is busier than a one-armed paperhanger. But is she getting busy with Your Sawyer? That's the question.
After "The Kiss," can we expect a House-Cuddy romance to bloom? - Mandy
Mickey: As I learned the hard way one hot summer night in July 1987, a kiss does not necessarily equal a relationship. Then ask yourself ...
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Ralph Waite and Mark Harmon, NCIS
From Tina Morrison in Sicklerville, N.J....
Cheers to Ralph Waite for his performance on NCIS. What a pleasant surprise to see "Pa" from The Waltons after so many years!
Read the rest of this Cheer — and discuss and vote on it — after the jump.
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