Mega Buzz on House, SVU, Reaper, True Blood and More!

Every week, senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich, Mickey O'Connor and Tim Molloy satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.

I have to wonder if the psych hospital in the House finale was also a hallucination.  It was pretty strange how the street and parking lots were empty.  And it looked like he was going to one of those hospitals from the 1940s. — RSmith
MATT: How Vanilla Sky! But nope, sources assure me that House's rehab stint is the real deal. And that hospital's more retro than you think. Greystone Park State Hospital (in Morristown, N.J.) made its debut in 1876 as the not-so-subtly named New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum. The hospital has tended to such patients as singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, and until the Pentagon was built, it boasted the largest foundation (674,000 sq. feet) of any structure in the U.S. I'd try to book a TVGuide.com Q&A with the building, but fear I'd be stonewalled. 

Now that Reiko Aylesworth has been dropped from ABC's The Forgotten, could SVU bring back her ADA character, Erica Alden, from Season 1? —Walt
MICKEY: It's an interesting idea, but a very well-informed source tells me that Aylesworth will not be returning to SVU. Instead, it's looking more likely that the new ADA will break the "young and female" mold — and they're looking at some big names. 

I am super upset that Reaper was canceled. The finale was great but totally left us hanging. What's the "greater good"? Is there any chance we can get some answers or a continuing story in maybe a comic book? If not, any word on where the writers were planning on going in Season 3? — Gerald
TIM: Reaper star Bret Harrisontells us he saw hints in the finale that Andi (played by Missy Peregrym) "was going to probably be a reaper in the next season." The story will survive as a comic book, but don't put your faith in talk of the show surviving in syndication: "[That] is a no-go," says Tyler Labine, aka Sock. "It's not officially, officially dead, but as far as everyone is concerned, it's over." As for whether Bret and Tyler would be interested in a Reaper movie, look for our full-length interview soon. 

Have you heard anything about Fox's Mental?  We are enjoying it but have a feeling it won't stick around. —Merrily
MATT: Mental's ratings dipped after the premiere, but the entire 13-episode freshman run should unspool as planned. On the heels of the late David Carradine's compelling appearance in this week's episode (which was somewhat offset by swimsuit model Estella Warren's "performance" as his daughter), John Pyper-Ferguson (Brothers & Sisters) and Spike Feresten (playing himself) will guest on June 23, while Willie Garson (Sex and the City) turns up July 3, when the show moves to Fridays. 

Can you tell me where to find the music from True Blood? — Patti
MICKEY: I'm guessing it was the show's brilliant opening credits that seduced you with its Southern Gothic gumbo of sex, religion and Jace Everett's "Bad Things." You can buy the soundtrack on Amazon.com or iTunes, but I'd hold off until you hear Christian pop singer Amanda Jane's version of "Jesus Asked Me Out Today," which appears in the second episode of Season 2. It's heavenly.

When does Showtime's Californication return? And do we know yet how Rick Springfield fits into the new season? — Jackie
TIM: Season 3 of the David Duchovny series returns sometime late this year, with rock icon Rick Springfield playing a rock icon named Rick Springfield. The (hopefully fictionalized) Rick Springfield of the show is so debauched he makes Hank look like a Jonas brother. We can't actually say what he does in the pages of the script we've seen, but it involves butter, candle wax and... OK, that's as far as we can go. 

If the cast of Dollhouse is going to stay intact, does that mean Miracle Laurie will be back, too? Mellie/November is my favorite character. — Katy
MATT: You and I are likethis when it comes to Mellie. Alas, we should both prepare for heartbreak. Though the Dollhouse scribes don't return to their Smith Coronas until next week, an insider tells me that since Paul negotiated Mellie's freedom from the Dollhouse in the Season 1 finale, "It would seem that Miracle's storyline has come to a close."

Do the kids on Glee do their own singing? — Jamie
MICKEY: Hold up there, Jamie. Who says they're "kids"? Fox has invested a lot of time and money into these sophisticated animatronic karaoke machines fitted with shiny hair and the latest mall fashions and they will not have you dismissing them in this manner. Ahem. Series creator Ryan Murphy told me that everyone in the cast had to submit to both acting and singing auditions. That said, to my ear the studio recordings sound "enhanced." For example, I only counted six people singing "Don't Stop Believin'" in the pilot episode, not 36. 

I just watched the season finale of Without a Trace, and was curious: Were the photos they showed at the end actual missing persons that have been found due to the show spotlighting real cases? — Sonia
TIM: You're close: They were pictures of all the missing characters from the show's past season. But Without a Trace could easily have featured real people. The FBI says five people, most of them children, have been rescued as a direct result of the show highlighting their cases at the end of episodes. "We found it extremely useful as an avenue to ... have the general public assist in the location of these people," said FBI spokeswoman Michelle Goldschen. And yet still CBS canceled the show. Really, CBS: How many missing children has Cold Case brought home? 

I know that Richard Dean Anderson is appearing in an episode of Stargate Universe, but will we see Amanda Tapping, too? Is there going to be a small Jack/Sam moment waiting for us? I also have a question about the Stargate Atlantis TV-movie — will Elizabeth be in it? — Hilla
MATT: Hilla, you're being a bit greedy hoping for SGU to stage such a reunion ... but in this case, you're in luck. As a source tells me, "If it's quality Jack/Sam time you're looking for, you won't be disappointed." However, you may be disappointed by the following. Atlantis boss Joseph Mallozzi tells the Buzz that while the first draft of Stargate: Extinction is done and is now being fine-tuned, "I'm sorry to say the character of Elizabeth will not be making an appearance."

I love Nurse Jackie already. What's coming next? — Kalleigh
MICKEY: I bet you're wondering if Jackie ever gets caught, right? The answer is yes. Also, look for Swoosie Kurtz and Blythe Danner to show up in a future episode — as ladies with direct ties to the All Saints ER.

A few weeks ago NBC was in bed with a new comedy from Debra Messing, but there was no mention of it at their upfronts. Any news there? And with all this talk of NBC's "split seasons," does that mean that most of the shows are only getting 13-episode orders? — James
MATT: NBC is still listing the Messing project as "in development," so there's some hope on that front.  As for the episode counts for NBC's returning shows, Heroes scored "around 19" (to air consecutively), Law & Order is back for "at least 16" and Chuck and Southland are thus far booked for 13 apiece. The Office and 30 Rock, meanwhile, secured full seasons, though the latter won't premiere until the SNL Weekend Update Thursdays have run their course. Blerg.

Matt's Mega Rave: Robert Knepper as a Heroes villain? Katie Sackhoff working for CTU? And William Fichtner as an Entourage producer remaking a '90s series a la 90210? Whatever got into the Hollywood water supply this past week, add more of it, because I'm raving about these recent casting decisions — so much so that I'm concerned they'll be balanced out by, like, Spencer Pratt joining Chuck.

Tim's Mini Rant: Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab is incredibly watchable and on Lovelines he gives good advice, so I hope he isn't really trying to woo Lindsay Lohan to Rehab at the same time he's publicly speculating on her health. Lohan tweets the truth when she says, "REAL doctors talk to patients in offices behind closed doors." If he's really worried, why not privately offer help?

Mickey's Micro Riff: Is it August 16 yet?

Reader Quote of the Week: "If the lead actor were a doctor and did what Jackie did (flushing ear, giving money away, taking drugs to get through a shift, having sex on the job, having a relaxing fancy lunches, etc), we'd say he was a hard-working, deserving hero. Because Jackie is a female nurse who is committed, competent and strong, people are already complaining about her. Double standard." (ImThatGirl, weighing in on the "naughty Nurse Jackie" debate)