Q: I've been watching "Kevin Can Wait" and was wondering what happened to his wife from last season. I obviously missed the episode where she passed away.
A: CBS has become a network where TV spouses don't make it through the summer. Lately, questions about what happened to Kevin Gable's wife on "Kevin Can Wait" have been running second only to questions about what happened to Danny Reagan's wife, Linda, on "Blue Bloods." (To recap that answer, Amy Carlson, who played Linda, decided to leave "Blue Bloods" after the end of last season, and the new season began in the aftermath of Linda's death in a helicopter accident. In other words: There was no "Linda dies" episode, however much fans believe they deserved one.)
On "Kevin," the show's makers decided to bump Leah Remini up from guest star to series regular opposite Kevin James; the two actors have a devoted TV following from their long run together on "The King of Queens." With Remini on board, the show decided to drop Erinn Hayes, who had played Kevin's wife, Donna. That led to Donna's demise.
But — and here's where "Kevin" fans were confused, ticked off or both — while one CBS executive promised that Donna's passing would be treated with "dignity and respect," the second-season premiere had Kevin briefly feel the loss of Donna when a piece of mail arrived for her, then reveal that she had died more than a year ago, and that was it. No cause of death was offered. Maybe she was in that helicopter with Linda Reagan.
It's 'Elementary': Show will return
Q: Can you tell us what happened to one of the best "thinking person's" shows on TV, "Elementary"? I'm hoping it will return soon!
A: CBS has ordered another season of the modern-day Sherlock Holmes drama. But it is not in the lineup for the fall, and at this writing the network does not have a date set for its return.
'Babylon 5' not on Blu-ray
Q: I believe that "Babylon 5" is, hands down, the best series so far in the sci-fi universe. The entire series was planned out in advance, and there was a great continuity from one season to the next. Any chance we'll ever see it come out on Blu-ray?
A: The series, which originally aired in the '90s, has a passionate following. And fantasy shows such as this often get released and rereleased for home viewing in every possible format because devoted fans will buy them all. But from what I have read in various discussions of the series, it may never get to Blu-ray because it would take a lot of expensive technical work to make the show look OK in high-definition. That said, if it became clear that money could be made, I'd expect the release of a series. But that does not appear to be the case at this time.
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