Mega Buzz: Scandal's Big Mystery, Prentiss' Minds Return and Dead's New Threats

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

Do you have any Scandalscoop not related to Mistress-gate? — Jennifer
NATALIE: Mistress-gate could actually be the least of the worries for Olivia's team and the White House when the season's overarching mystery is revealed. The cast adamantly agrees that this is one of the biggest scandals in the history of the show. And if you don't believe them, find out what happens to Cyrus when he discovers the truth: "Somewhere in the first couple episodes, Cyrus is transported to a very ominous location for a very ominous meeting in a trunk of a car," Jeff Perry teases. Dun-dun-DUN! 

I'm so excited that Prentiss is back on Criminal Minds! Details! — Ashley
ADAM: Prentiss' return is still being worked out, but with JJ in jeopardy, it's not too far-fetched that the BAU might call on Prentiss for help. Or could she appear in flashbacks? As previously reported, the episode will reveal the truth about what went down between JJ and new section chief Cruz (Esai Morales) during her time in the State Department. "We're going to use different perspectives to show what was going on at that time. ... That [old] case will inform our current case," showrunner Erica Messer tells us. And how will fans react to the reveal? "It might change how you view JJ," Messer says.
I'm so excited for the return of The Walking Dead! What can you tease? — Danny
NATALIE: Things are very different at the prison when the series returns: Rick is no longer a leader. He's also no longer crazy, but that doesn't mean that he's handling his newfound position well. In fact, he'll come across a fellow survivor who has also done terrible things to survive that will make him realize that there may be no redemption. But the group will have bigger fish to fry when old-school issues become major problems in this new world.

Is there any chance of Grissom popping up in CSI's 300th episode? — Selena
ADAM: In the flesh? Nah. But the episode, which flashes back to a 14-year-old case, does feature a full-circle shout-out to the man who started it all. "[The writers] pay a very sound and beautiful homage to [Grissom]," Jorja Fox says. Speaking of Grissom, how is Sara handling the couple's separation this season? "Sara is too young to sleep alone," Fox says. "As painful as it is to not be with Grissom anymore, the idea of also being with the ghost of Grissom is really lonely and alienating." Does that mean she'll be sharing her bed with someone else? Not exactly. "Sara is always going to be in love with Grissom. She's always going to pine for him and her heart is always, in a certain way, going to belong to him," Fox says.

I want some Mer-Der scoop on Grey's Anatomy, please! — Sarah
NATALIE: As promised, Derek will explore brain-mapping later this season, but that could create trouble since he and Meredith are struggling to balance their personal and professional lives. "We've been watching him step back a little bit in the name of Meredith and letting her shine right now, and then he's going to get pulled into something that's a little too exciting for him to ignore," executive producer Shonda Rhimes tells me. "It's going to make it harder for him to step back and be a stay-at-home dad." Also, did you see this?

How bad is it going to get between Barney and Robin on How I Met Your Mother now that we know that he saw her and Ted at the carousel? —Jason
ADAM: Believe it or not, not that bad. HIMYM boss Carter Bays tells us that it will just be one of the few "hiccups" — along with those flash-forward cold feet — they experience along the way to holy matrimony, and will be resolved quickly. "Ultimately, Barney and Robin are in love. I wouldn't worry about them being tested," he says. "It's their wedding weekend. They've passed the test."

When will Neal and Emma be reunited on Once Upon a Time? —Anna
NATALIE: It's going to be a while, Anna. We actually won't even see Neal & Co. this week, but Episode 3 will bring us back to the Enchanted Forest. "Neal is going to, come hell or high water, get back to Neverland," executive producer Edward Kitsis says, but Adam Horowitz adds that there will be a "wrinkle" in their story that will be revealed soon. Thankfully, Neal will find help in Robin Hood, who will repay his debt to Rumple via Neal. "Robin Hood's story is just beginning," says Kitsis. "We're airing in two 11-episode pods. You're going to get a little more into him in the beginning of this year, but we're definitely going to get a lot of him in the second half. He's a character we're really excited about because he's a thief, but he's a thief with honor." Does that mean I was right?

Got any SVUscoop? -- Lisa
ADAM: Have you been thinking, "Boy, Detective Rollins could really use a boyfriend"?  Executive producer Warren Leight has! "We'll have an episode where Rollins has a relationship with someone she's met at Gamblers Anonymous," he says. But this coupling might be doomed before it even starts. "[It's] what they call the 13th step — when you join a 12-step program and then a guy who's been in the program for a while hits on you and starts dating you," Leight says. "She'll be in a 13th-step relationship, and those are often not healthy ones."

Are Sheldon and Amy finally going to take steps forward on The Big Bang Theory? — Micah
NATALIE: Surprisingly, yes, but it comes at an inconvenient time for Amy. For the woman who's been itching to take the next step, she sure doesn't act like it when Sheldon tries to play her arm candy and he ends up getting hurt over it... literally.

What's Carrie going to do now that Saul has betrayed her on Homeland? -- Taylor
ADAM: Although Saul seems to have had good reason for his actions, as you might imagine, Carrie won't be too pleased. She'll first take out her fury on a newspaper reporter who wrote the story about Carrie sleeping with Brody, but that only makes matters much, much worse. In fact, it will force Saul to take even more drastic action that could potentially sever his relationship with Carrie forver.

I love that Aidan showed up at the end of Revenge! What's his plan? — Rhonda
NATALIE: He and Victoria are definitely cooking up a scheme. "You will see a delicious relationship between him and Victoria in the first few episodes," showrunner Sunil Nayar tells us. "Our goal was to define him better and he's very much his own man with his own agenda that we'll reveal as the season goes on. He's the holder of many secrets, but nobody knows his ultimate secrets, so he's the man of mystery. For Victoria, knowing what he meant to Emily and to Conrad and examining the relationships he has, Aidan provides for a mysterious asset that Victoria has to figure out how to use."

How will Danny take to being single again on The Mindy Project after his nasty split from Christina? -- Grace
ADAM: He will definitely start playing the field again. "Danny is excited to get back out there," writer and star Ike Barinholtz tells us. "He goes a little slow at first because I think he's a little beaten up." But just when Danny maybe starts to find some happiness, his ex (played by Chloe Sevigny) will rear her head again. "We have not seen the last of Christina," Barinholtz says. "She will come back ... to kind of torture him one final time."

Adam's Mega Rave: The Breaking Bad finale wasn't flawless, but like Heisenberg's 99-percent-pure blue meth, I'll remember the series overall as being about as close to perfect as you can get.

Natalie's Mini Rant: I'm pretty sure that 2 Broke Girlshas given up on trying: trying to make stealthy genital jokes and/or trying to be a good show.

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 Joyce Eng, Sadie Gennis, Robyn Ross and Kate Stanhope)