Q: I do enjoy all the "NCIS" shows on CBS, but I'm missing "God Friended Me" on Sunday night, which was a refreshing change of pace from many of the others. Can you tell me if it has been moved? Is it still in one of the main time slots?
A: When big events come to television, a couple of things happen. One is that competing networks pre-empt their regular programming or put on reruns, rather than risk a new episode getting missed while people watch the big event. And, of course, the network with the big event pre-empts its regular shows to make room.
Sunday — generally the most-watched TV night of the week — is often home to major specials, so both of the things I mentioned have happened to "God Friended Me." It's not in CBS' lineup on Jan. 19, when the NFC Championship was on Fox. It's not on Jan. 26 because CBS has the Grammys that night, or on Feb. 2, when the Super Bowl is on Fox. And it's not on Feb. 9, when the competition is the Oscars on ABC. Then, on Feb. 16, CBS has a new episode of "God Friended Me" listed.
Secret agent man
Q: Do you have any info on the actor who plays Aaron Rodgers'/Patrick Mahomes' "agent" in the State Farm commercials? He's funny.
A: That's David Haydn-Jones playing Gabe Gabriel, the sports agent competing with State Farm agents for the attention of Rodgers and Mahomes. The Canadian actor is also known for a recurring role on the series "Supernatural" and for a long list of credits you can find on imdb.com. If you like his performance in the State Farm TV ads, the company also has tweets of Haydn-Jones' in-character commentaries. Or follow him on Twitter at davidhaydnjones.
E-mail brenfels@gmail.com.
