Mega Buzz on 24, CSI: NY, 90210, Lost, NCIS, Fringe & 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. 

Will Kim Raver return to 24 since ABC didn't pick up her new show? — BrightEyez
MATT: I see where you're going with this. Since Season 8 is set in New York City, you're hoping Jack and Audrey will rendezvous, Sleepless in Seattle-style, atop the Empire State Building. Well, put a pin in that dream for now. For starters, you should be with me in wanting Jack with Renee, not Audrey. Beyond that, ABC's Inside the Box pilot is undergoing retooling/technically still in play, so Raver might not exactly be available. But one Kim you can plan on returning is Jack's daughter — sources tell me Elisha Cuthbert has already filmed scenes for Day 8's first few hours.

What can you tell us about CSI: NY's decision to hire a new CSI? — Karla
TIM: The show recently sent out casting notices for the new series regular role of Kaye Sullivan, a young, attractive risk-taker whose personality has elements of Lindsay, Dr. Peyton Driscoll and ADA Natalie Greer (played for two episodes by Heather Mazur). How do we know? Because the audition script prepared for prospective Kaye Sullivans consists of dialogue spoken by those familiar characters. 

Is 90210 ever going to have a summer season like the original did? — Karen
MICKEY: Not this summer. But Season 2's premiere episode (which is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8) will reintroduce us to the Beverly Hills Beach Club. As for the boys of summer, there will be plenty come fall. In addition to Teddy, both Annie and Naomi will have summer flings with which to deal, by which I mean "drop them like third-period French." Their hastiness won't be good for either of them. 

I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Mitchell and can't wait for her to go back to Lost. Do you know when V's 13 episodes will finish shooting? Might Elizabeth be back only for the second half of Lost's final season? — Carry
MATT: Mitchell's V-Lost conflict is not one of just time but space, seeing as V shoots in Vancouver, 6 1/2 hours from Hawaii. That said, V starts production in early August, while Lost doesn't start up again until the end of that month. And now that we know that Lost's final season has been extended to be 18 hours, and there's a slightly better chance that Juliet will spend some QT with her Romeo, Sawyer.

I became a fan of Southland during its short run on NBC last season.  Do you have anything on what we can expect in Season 2?  Will we get more insight into Officer Sherman's relationship (or lack thereof) with his father? — Jocelyn
TIM: Southland's writers baited very beautiful little traps to draw us back each week, and Ben's backstory is among the most alluring. We'll definitely find out more about the dynamic he shares with his big-shot defense lawyer dad, as well as whether Det. Clarke survived that out-of-nowhere shooting. I'd follow this show to hell — or even to Friday night, as the case may be. 

What is going to happen to Desperate Housewives' Tom and Lynette? Is Tom going to go to college? Is Lynette going to tell everybody before it's too late? — Eryicka
MICKEY: Lynette's pregnancy will be a central issue this season, a mole tells me, and it explains why Tom will probably not be playing Hacky Sack on the quad any time soon (was that just me?). Instead, the Scavos' twist of fate will position him to be among the first of the show's cast to interact with a colorful new family moving to Wisteria Lane. Imagine Adriana pronouncing the word "hardwood," and you're halfway there. 

I am super-excited (pun intended) about Brian Austin Green appearing on Smallville! Is there is any chance he will be on for more than two episodes? — Gabriela
MATT: At this juncture, BAG has been tagged for only the first two episodes of Season 9. But your query allows me to share this scooplet about Metallo's small-screen origin tale: The producers tell me that soon after mild-mannered John Corben begins his "Daily Planet" gig, "his fate takes a horrific twist that will change his destiny forever." Hmm, would that be Prof. Emmett Vale's cue? 

I'm thrilled that a new season of The Cleaner has begun, but where is Kevin Michael Richardson? I don't recall an exit storyline for my favorite dude, Darnell. — Fiona
TIM: Your favorite dude, sadly, is off the show, cold turkey. This season will focus less on the team and more on William Banks, Benjamin Bratt's character. But you can catch Richardson — or at least hear his voice — in a small film called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It's some kind of Dutch indie comedy, so good luck finding it in theaters.

Please tell me we'll see more of Jasika Nicole on Fringe this season. — Ryan
MICKEY: Telling people what they want to hear (even when it isn't true) hasn't ever really served me well. Just ask my mom... and my shrink... and my parole officer. They know. So I can't say that Astrid will be "crossing over" to bigger storylines in Season 2. And while the addition of a female FBI agent would appear not to bode well for Astrid, I'm told that she'll continue to play an important role on the Bishop-Dunham-Bishop World-Saving & Intramural Softball Team. 

My sister-in-law and I are having an argument about NCIS. I say Tony and Ziva have never had sex; she says she saw an episode that suggested they did. Help me win a bet. — Nancy
MATT: I've always wanted to resolve a "wager" question; free steak dinners are always nice to come by. Your in-law apparently got duped by "Under Covers," a Season 3 episode in which Tony and Ziva, posing as married assassins, made like rabbits for the benefit of the hidden cameras in their hotel room. I think it's safe to say, however, that they never actually did it — if only because of the fist to the groin Ziva dealt her improv-happy scene partner.

Are Gossip Girl's Serena and Nate going to hook up anytime soon? — Jennifer
MICKEY: Methinks someone — cough, Jennifer, cough — is getting a bit stalkery with this question. At least initially, the answer is (still) no, as Serena and Nate will both be getting BIZ-AY with new love interests in the fall: S. will be courted by a prince among men, while Nate will be busy wooing this lady. (In case you were wondering, JoAnna Garcia will be busy asking herself, "I got canceled for this?") 

Please give me some scoop on the new CBS show The Good Wife. — Karen
MATT: My advice to those anticipating this new drama? Don't let yourself get bogged down by the Canterbury's Law comparisons. Yes, Julianna Margulies is again playing a lawyer, but this show is a totally different animal, one filled with really nice tugs of the heartstrings. On top of that, the ensemble is sweet, from Chris Noth (as the good wife's imprisoned husband) to Titus Welliver (Deadwood, Lost), who has been promoted to recurring status as the political animal who replaces Noth as state's attorney.

Tim's Mega Rave: Kudos to CNN's Jeffrey Toobin for saying one of the most brutally honest things anyone has said about the death of Michael Jackson: As amazing as the King of Pop was, many of the people around him were among the sleaziest on the planet. As we spend the next several years watching supposed spokespeople and fake friends leech off Jackson's legend, we'd be smart to treat anything said about him with skepticism. The first question for anyone who gets in front of a camera to describe the singer's mindset should be this: When's the last time you actually spoke to him?

Matt's Mini Rant: As a member of the Shippan Ave. Charlie's Angels Fan Club (which was founded by myself and two childhood pals), Farrah Fawcett's passing struck a personal chord. It also made me lament that, such showcases as Extremities and The Burning Bed aside, the talented Texan was not often enough allowed to put Jill Munroe behind her and shine — and that is a loss for all of us.

Mickey's Micro Riff: They should just call it Real World: Free Clinic.

Reader Quote of the Week: "Although his life took a series of bizarre twists and turns later on (to put it kindly), I always thought he was incredibly talented, and hoped that one day we'd see him channel his abilities into something great again. I'm saddened now thinking about how that day will never come." (KatsMom, reacting to the sudden passing of Michael Jackson)

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail Matt, Mickey and Tim at mega_scoop@tvguide.com or drop us a line at Twitter.com/TVGuide. The question you don't ask is a question we can't answer!