CSI: Miami, Fringe, Gossip Girl and More!

Adam Rodriguez, CSI: Miami; Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl; Chris O'Donnell, NCIS: Los Angeles

Adam Rodriguez, CSI: Miami; Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl; Chris O'Donnell, NCIS: Los Angeles

Since CSI: Miami's Adam Rodriguez is joining Ugly Betty, that cliff-hanger must not have worked out very well for Eric Delko, huh? — Jimmy
ADAM: Oh, ye of little faith, Jimmy. Eric Delko may be wandering around the Florida Everglades, but he's definitely still alive and even has a little more story to tell. "I didn't want to leave it on that note; I felt that would be cheating the fans," Rodriguez tells me. As a result, he'll appear in seven more episodes to give Delko a proper send-off. And for all you Calleighko 'shippers, yes, they will get closure.



As the title of the season finale hinted, will there really be two of everything this season on Fringe? — Matt
MICKEY: We posed this question to Blair Brown, who plays the cybernetic corporate shark Nina Sharp, and she thinks that's pretty much accurate. There are two realities, after all. But here's a question: How can Dr. Bell live over there? Why hasn't he bumped into his other self? We have no idea, but did Brown say too much when she revealed that Nina Sharp and William Bell can never be in the same room at the same time? Think about it.

Will NCIS: Los Angeles have the same comic zing as its predecessor? — Susan
ADAM: If NCIS is Coca-Cola, then NCIS: Los Angeles is clearly Diet Coke. Linda Hunt definitely adds some humor to the mix, but overall the new show lacks the quirkiness of the mothership. Maybe Chris O'Donnell's G. Callen will lighten up a bit once he stops sleeping on the sofa.

Does Gossip Girl plan to give Chuck and Blair a fair shot as a couple this season? And what about Nate and Serena? Can we expect a build-up for them? — Fernanda
MICKEY: As Monday's premiere demonstrated, C. & B.'s love is a many-splendored (read: twisted) thing. Its success or failure won't follow any logical path. No Serena for Nate, as he'll be otherwise occupied with guest star JoAnna Garcia, who plays Texan heiress Bree Buckley. "I invested in a lot of lip balm and a spray tan, and just prepared myself to make out all summer," Garcia says of filming her four-episode stint. She compares their affair to that of Romeo and Juliet. "It's very poetic and lovely," she says. Oh, happy dagger!

What can you tell me about Claire's new college roommate on Heroes? — Justin
ADAM: "She's really the first person that [Claire has] been able to let in on her secret, somebody who's really a confidant," Hayden Panettiere says of Madeline Zima's Gretchen. "But that's a very delicate balance that can easily, you know, fall apart." One not-so-delicate way the show might screw it up? Forced girl-on-girl sexual tension! I blame Katy Perry.

Will we ever see Jane Lynch sing on Glee? — Melissa
MICKEY: That would be something, right? Though series creator Ryan Murphy has said that all his actors had both singing and acting auditions, we've yet to hear anything but biliousness issue forth from Sue Sylvester's golden throat, and we're probably not going to. But she will dance! "I dance with Matthew Morrison, who is a terrific dancer," Lynch tells us. "We do a Lindy hop, and I flip him like a little girl. I kind of play the boy."

Any Castle scoop for the new season? I'm really hooked on this show. — Corlando
ADAM: Have you heard that Debi Mazar recurs as Castle's book agent starting in October? Well, apparently their relationship hasn't always been strictly business. "She had some romantic moment in the past with him and that starts something. That's all I'll say," Mazar teases. Sorry, Det. Beckett.

What do you know about Dollhouse's little Battlestar Galactica reunion? — Campbell
MICKEY: Jamie Bamber appears in the season premiere as an arms dealer who falls prey to Echo's charms, and before the episode's end he'll share at least one explosive scene with former BSG comrade Tahmoh Penikett. Meanwhile, Dr. Saunders' finale revelations have left Whiskey with a lot of questions — namely, can she go out on a date? Can she choose with whom she'll have sex? The answer to both appears to be no, and that sends her on a journey of sorts.

What can you tell me about the new season of Lie to Me? — Christina
ADAM: It's a good thing the show bumped Mekhi Phifer up to series regular, because come Episode 2, his character will save the day when guest star Garret Dillahunt takes Lightman & Co. hostage.

What's coming up on Californication? — Althea
MICKEY: It breaks my heart to say this, but Hank's charming daughter Becca (the adorable Madeleine Martin) is going to turn into a real pill this season after Karen decamps for New York. It seems that Hank's permissiveness will backfire when Becca's demeanor starts matching her goth appearance.

I can't wait for John Lithgow's Trinity Killer on Dexter! Got any teases? — Valerie
ADAM: Not only does Trinity kill in threes, but he also kills in three very distinct ways. And because he's so fond of cycles, his string of Miami murders will echo the locations of his similar killing spree there 30 years prior.

Will Amy Poehler's Leslie ever find love on Parks and Recreation? — Josh
MICKEY: Will Leslie find a "soup-snake" like her spiritual partner-in-idiocy Michael Scott found his Holly? Who would Poehler like to cast as Leslie's love interest? "Either Wesley Snipes or President Jimmy Carter as himself," she jokes. In the meantime, a little bird tells me that comedian Louis C.K. will join the cast for several episodes as a police officer who takes a shine to Leslie. "She's not used to having that kind of attention," Poehler says. "And she likes it."

Mickey's Mega Rave: True Blood's season finale was a dense hour packed with short bursts of revelatory scenes that showcased the fine ensemble of the HBO series, which won a Creative Emmy for casting this week. Among those deserving special praise are Jim Parrack as mama's boy Hoyt, Dale Raoul as his controlling mother Maxine; and Carrie Preston as the ever-beleaguered single mom Arlene. It was nice to see these often-underused characters come to the fore for a moment.

Adam's Mini Rant: Yes, Kanye is a tool, but at least his antics distracted everyone from how terrible a host Russell Brand is. His shtick was identical to that of last year's VMAs, when it was also a miserable failure. At least they had the good sense to keep him off stage for most of Sunday's show.

Reader Quote of the Week: "Leno just made my life so much easier. Now I know what I will be watching: Castle on Mondays; The Good Wife on Tuesdays; Eastwick on Wednesdays; The Mentalist on Thursdays; and Numbers on Fridays. — zoot, on Leno's timeslot competitors