Mega Buzz: Five-0's New Face, Modern Sexpionage, and a Blue Bloods Shooting

Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.

Have you heard anything more about the new character on Hawaii Five-0? — Mark
ADAM: The show is still on the lookout for what's now being described as a young version of Jack Ryan from The Hunt for Red October. (That doesn't rule out the ladies though, as we're hearing the character could very well be a woman.) Further, we'll first meet the character as part of a protection detail enlisted for McGarrett. But we'll soon learn that he or she also has a score to settle with Wo Fat.

Will Phil and Claire role play again this Valentine's Day on Modern Family? — Ron
NATALIE: Remember when Claire lost her trench coat to the escalator?Well, it won't go much better for Bixby, Clive Bixby (Phil's seductive alter ego), when a hotel room-key handoff goes awry, and another woman gets an Austin Powers-like surprise from Phil.

Anything good coming up on Blue Bloods? — Lisa
ADAM: When Frank gets shot (yes, shot), his kids kick things into overdrive trying to find the assailant. More surprising will be that their main suspect has a history with Frank, and his attack is of the eye-for-an-eye variety. Revenge is a dish best served cold, like nearly 40 years cold.

I can't wait for Hot in Clevelandto return. How will Elka (Betty White) secure her release? — Michelle
NATALIE: It's not Elka we should worry about.Our favorite caretaker, who was arrested in the Season 1 finale, won't be in jail long. But Joy (Jane Leeves), on the other hand, will run afoul of immigration officials and face deportation. Since this is a sitcom, she finds a man to "play" her fiancé so she can stay in the country. The catch: He's a local homeless man with a love of opera and a disdain for squirrels — and both character quirks are equally creepy.

What's ahead for Kevin and Scotty on Brothers & Sisters? — Alexandra
ADAM: The couple will move forward with becoming foster parents, but it won't be easy — or safe. We hear the show is looking to cast a twentysomething Latino man whose menacing presence will seriously complicate Kevin and Scotty's life. Eeek!

Any scoop on Nikita's Alex now that she's staying at the agency? — Harry
NATALIE: An upcoming mission will find Alex on a date with a wunderkind techno kid who is developing a device that will make the iPhone look like an eight-track. (Maybe it'll have better luck with AT&T's network!) The mission takes a turn for the worse when Alex has a run-in with the head of the Russian sex trade ring into which she was once sold.

What can you tell me about CSI: NY? — Tracy
ADAM: The show has finally found a woman for Dr. Sheldon Hawkes. Spartacus: Blood and Sandbabe Lesley-Ann Brandt will play an old friend who reconnects with Hawkes after being kidnapped in a February episode. "It's someone he knew from the past, even before he was a pathologist or crime investigator," executive producer Pam Veasey tells us. "It's time that he start a relationship, or at least have the idea that there's somebody out there that he enjoys company with."

Desperate Housewives scoop? — Stephanie
NATALIE: Gaby is going to a dark place. I hear she will become obsessed with that Grace look-alike doll she bought to compensate for her absent biological daughter. It worries Carlos so much that he sends her to therapy.

So, is that Bonesspin-off ever going to happen? — Jeff
ADAM: There were some production delays, but it's still on. In fact, I hear that the pilot, which focuses on Walter Sherman, an eccentric, paranoid former military policeman who has an innate ability to find things, is scheduled to begin shooting in early February. While Dr. Brennan finds Walter intriguing, there's no love lost between him and Booth from their time together in Iraq.

Any scoop on Cougar Town's Jules and Grayson? — Michaela
NATALIE: Ellie wants to prove to Jules and Grayson that raising a baby isn't easy. (Why, you ask? Very good question.) Anyhow, when she makes them take care of Stan for a night, it doesn't go exactly as planned. Don't expect to see any inept diaper-changing scenes. But you should expect to see Stan and Grayson in matching PJs.

I miss Sons of Anarchyalready. Can you tell me if Unser is really going to retire this time? — Cory
ADAM: Even though Unser has pulled this Brett Favre routine before, executive producer Kurt Sutter says that (like Favre?) this time it will stick. "Him leaving that gun and badge on the desk is him stepping away from the job," Sutter says. "I think in that moment, Unser [realized] his future is really more intrinsically tied to the Sons than it is to his law enforcement. ... He's really important to the show and he'll be around. I think we'll find another role for him in the town — he still owns his trucking company!"

It seems like Erica is becoming a better leader on V. Could the Fifth Column have a chance at defeating the Visitors? — Sam
NATALIE: Erica will make some major missteps as the leader of the Fifth Column this season. "The [mistakes] have a massive effect, and people get hurt," Elizabeth Mitchell tells us. But she'll learn from her mistakes. "Some other things that she does are quite effective," she says. "As the season goes on, she's willing to risk more and more."

Adam's Mega Rave: Castlestarted the new year on the right foot.Laura Prepon's introduction as Nikki Heat made for one of this season's funniest episodes. Nathan Fillion was at his bewildered best when Castle started seeing double.

Natalie's Mini Rant: What was with that useless countdown of numbers in Monday's How I Met Your Mother? The episode was a perfect balance of drama and comedy, but the numbers seemed a weird fit for an episode that also killed off Marshall's father.

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail Adam and Natalie at mega_scoop@tvguide.com or drop us a line at Twitter.com/TVGuide
(Additional reporting by Kate Stanhope)