Television Q & A: ‘Psych,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and more

11/4/2012

Q: Is this the final season for Grey’s Anatomy? I was surprised that Eric Danes was taken off the show, as well as the actors who played Lexie and Teddie. Christina has left the hospital, so there are not many of the original cast members left. It would be a shame if this were the last season.

A. We don’t know yet whether this will be the final season of Grey’s Anatomy. There has been no announcement to that effect and the cast is signed through a 10th season — taking the show to May, 2014 — so it seems likely it will continue.

Q: I really looked forward to Saturdays and the levity of Psych. Is there any chance they will bring it back to any channel?

A. Psych usually airs on a weeknight, but maybe you have seen reruns on USA or in syndication on a Saturday. New episodes of Psych will return to USA on Feb. 27.

Q: Are Suits, Franklin & Bash, Covert Affairs, Alphas, and Burn Notice no longer being made? I only see repeats if and when they are on.

A.: The reality is that cable shows usually run in short batches of 10 to 13 episodes, often in summer, with the occasional four to six-episode “winter season” on some cable networks. Just because you don’t see a show doesn’t mean it’s canceled; it often means it’s a seasonal program and we’re not in the right season.

Suits and Franklin & Bash are summer series. Both have been renewed and will be back next summer.

Alphas has been airing original episodes for several months and just wrapped its season on Oct. 22.

Covert Affairs has been airing regularly, too, with a new episode that aired on a recent Tuesday that was directed by series star Chris Gorham.

Burn Notice returns with new episodes on Thursday.

Q: Will Dogs in the City be back? I hope so — I loved that show!

A.: CBS considers Dogs in the City a summer series and the network has not announced its plans for summer, 2013 yet. Ratings for the first season were OK, but the audience tended to skew older, so it’s a toss-up whether it will get a second season.

Q: Can you tell me what the closing song was on the Oct. 18 Person of Interest episode? It sounds like the Black Keys, but I’m not sure.

A.: You are correct. It was “She’s Long Gone” by the Black Keys, according to the show’s CBS publicist.

Q: How do the networks know how many viewers tune in to their shows?

A.: The Nielsen Co. measures TV viewership by selecting a representative sample of viewers and extrapolating broader viewing trends. Boxes are hooked up to “Nielsen family” TV sets to record what they watch. Networks and local stations buy the ratings data and use it to set ad rates.

The Block News Alliance consists of The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rob Owen is a staff writer for the Post-Gazette.

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