Mega Buzz: Scoop on Grey's, NCIS, Chuck and More!

Every week, editors Mickey O'Connor and Adam Bryant answer your burning questions. Want some TV scoop? Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.

Some are saying that Meredith will sleep with Alex on Grey's Anatomy. Please tell me it isn't true. I'm freaking out! — Kate
ADAM: First off, we're not going to identify Alex's hookup, but we will help narrow down the list of candidates. Take a deep breath, Kate: Everything's going to be fine. Meredith and Derek's marriage by Post-It will not be torn asunder. Callie's eye won't be wandering back toward the men's side of the locker room either. "Callie and Arizona get a little sexy soon," says Jessica Capshaw, who plays Arizona. "We see a little girl-on-girl action. America was asking for it and America got it."

We know about the new, kung-fu-enhanced Chuck — what's going on with Sarah this season? — Karen
MICKEY: Yvonne Strahovski tells us that Sarah's role will change significantly this season. She'll go from being Chuck's caretaker to something akin to his boss as he gears up to be a real spy guy. Chuck's training will bring to light new information about Sarah's start in the biz, including her real name. But will it be anything as mellifluous as "Yvonne Strahovski"? I doubt it!

Any scoop on NCIS? — Asif
ADAM: Rena Sofer's possibly recurring guest role begins in the first post-holiday episode (Tuesday, Jan. 5). She plays Margaret Allison Hart, a hard-nosed attorney with an ax to grind against Gibbs. She'll cross paths with the team when her client is suspected in the death of a Navy pilot. And since it's the holiday season, a bonus tease for Tiva 'shippers: Tony and Ziva will take a trip overseas together.

Any SVU scoop? — Melanie
MICKEY:A February episode caught my eye because of its guest stars. Not only will former Alias spy mommy Lena Olin appear as a crafty corporate attorney, but Richard Burgi (Desperate Housewives horndog Karl) will play her client. The episode is filming this week in New York City, which just might keep him away from Wisteria Lane, if you catch my drift.

Is Addison going to have a real love interest this season on Private Practice? — Kathleen
ADAM: "There's some more romance with Addison," says Taye Diggs. "I can't tell you who, but there's a possibility of her entertaining another gentleman caller." From the sound of it, Addison is going to need the distraction. "This is the season where everybody comes to the end of their rope," Diggs adds. "You'll see a lot of characters dealing with a lot of really stressful situations. Some of the characters will break down."

I heard Paul Wesley (Stefan from The Vampire Diaries) will be on 24 this season. What can you tell me about his character? — Jean
MICKEY: Hey Jean, guess what? He actually already has appeared on 24; you probably just didn't recognize him because he wasn't famous yet. Wesley played Stephen, Kim Bauer's husband, and will reprise the role this season, much to the delight of tween political thriller fans everywhere.

With Claire at the carnival on Heroes, have we seen the last of Gretchen? — Justin
ADAM: Nope. Madeline Zima tells me she will definitely be back. But Zima was very tight-lipped about how Claire Bear's little field trip will turn out. The future doesn't seem rosy. "I think [Gretchen] knows it's a mistake," Zima said of Claire's decision to stay behind with Samuel and his band of carnies. "She's only doing it because she knows Claire can't physically get hurt. That's the way she rationalizes it. The best and most pure act of love is just letting someone go and letting them do what they feel they must."

I'm not buying that this new guy on Greek is just an old friend of Rebecca's. He's up to something, isn't he? — Pam
MICKEY: Very perceptive, Pam. Spencer Grammer tells us that Joel (Mad Men's Sam Page) definitely has an ulterior motive: "He encourages Casey to go to law school and helps her realize the things she wants to do," she says. "When Casey realizes that Cappie isn't as excited about the future as she is, there might be something that happens with Joel." Translation: Joan Holloway Harris' husband is throwing a wrench in the Casey-Cappie works.

Any scoop on the absolutely brilliant Sons of Anarchy? — Patricia
ADAM: We definitely saw this coming: Chief Unser will step down from his post next season. How will Deputy Chief Hale handle being in the top spot? "Unser came to understand... that you have to create relationships with these gangs and turn the other way sometimes and set parameters," creator Kurt Sutter tells me. "You can't go by the letter of the law or you're f----d. Hale [will] have to learn those lessons and how much he's willing to bend."

I'm going through True Blood withdrawals!  Any scoop to hold us fans over until next season? — Lynn
MICKEY: How's this? Grant Bowler, who you know as Lost's freighter captain and Willy's beloved Connor on Ugly Betty, has just signed on to Season 3 to play Coot, the leader of a werewolf biker gang. Correct me if I'm wrong, bookies, but Coot sounds like a splicing of several weres from the Sookie Stackhouse novels, right?

Any scoop while we wait for Leverage's return next month? — Holly
ADAM: When the show returns on Jan. 13, the team (which now includes Tara, a new grifter played by Jeri Ryan) will try to take down a sweatshop with connections to Chinese mobsters. Their way in? The sweatshop's boss really wants to be a designer, which throws Nate & Co. into a hilarious Fashion Week caper.

Is Cougar Town going to turn into a romantic sitcom? I hope not! — Bobby D.
MICKEY: I'm guessing you saw the Thanksgiving episode, in which everyone but the turkey revealed feelings for Jules. Executive producer Bill Lawrence tells me that he likes when shows get "really messy," but promises that Cougar Town won't play the "will-they-or-won't-they?" game.

Adam's Mega Rave: Cheers to TNT for venturing outside the realm of butt-kicking lady-cops and action dramas to make Men of a Certain Age. Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula are terrific, and Ray Romano's vulnerable performance and the show's witty-but-realistic writing make this mid-life career choice anything but a crisis.

Mickey's Mini Rant: To paraphrase the immortal Joan Jett, I hate myself for loving Jersey Shore.

Reader Quote of the Week: "Your move, Joanna Kerns." — bobby-j, upon hearing that TV mom Meredith Baxter is a lesbian 

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail Mickey and Adam at mega_scoop@tvguide.com or drop us a line at Twitter.com/TVGuide.

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(Additional reporting by Natalie Abrams and Robyn Ross)