You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Could you please tell me what happened to two shows that were really funny, "Kevin Can Wait" and "Man with a Plan"?
A: "Man with a Plan," the comedy with Matt LeBlanc, will be back for a third season Feb. 4. The Kevin James comedy "Kevin Can Wait" was canceled after two seasons. Fans did not respond well to the cast overhaul between the first and second season, when the actress playing Kevin's on-screen wife, Erinn Hayes, was dropped from the show and her character killed off.
Q: Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on "The Beverly Hillbillies," looked so much like Marilyn Monroe. Did she do other work besides that show?
A: Douglas had guest roles in a couple of dozen TV shows before "Hillbillies" hit in 1962, among them a memorable episode of "The Twilight Zone." During the "Hillbillies" run, she had a substantial movie gig opposite Elvis Presley in "Frankie and Johnny." After the sitcom ended in 1971, she had a handful of parts but also spent time selling real estate, recording gospel albums, writing a book and appearing at various fan events. She was 82 when she died of pancreatic cancer in 2015.
Q: We watch "The Five" on Fox News Channel, but what happened to Kimberly Guilfoyle? She was on every night.
A: Guilfoyle left the network last summer. Reports at the time said she had engaged in inappropriate behavior, which her lawyer denied. According to the Huffington Post, she had also lobbied vigorously for Fox News chief Roger Ailes as he was being sued for sexual harassment; Ailes was ousted from the network and Guilfoyle's actions "caused a rift among women at the network." But Guilfoyle still has some big connections. Before leaving Fox she had begun dating Donald Trump Jr., and they campaigned together before this year's midterm elections. She is also a vice chairwoman of America First Policies, a pro-Trump group.
Q: I remember a TV movie from over 40 years ago that was a remake of "It's a Wonderful Life." It had Marlo Thomas as the main character. I thought it was very well done and looked forward to seeing it every year, but I don't think it was ever shown again. What can you tell me about it?
A: The movie, "It Happened One Christmas," premiered in 1977 and aired a couple of times after that. It gender-flipped some of the "Wonderful Life" story, with Thomas as a variation on James Stewart's role in the original. Reaction to it has varied _ some fans on the Turner Classic Movies argue it's better than "Wonderful Life," at least one site claims when the earlier film became more widely available, interest in the remake waned. In any case, "It Happened" has not made it to an authorized DVD that I know of _ and I won't recommend the bootlegs _ but Amazon Prime has it streaming.
Q: We are binge-watching "Ray Donovan." Love it. We are on Season 3, so how many more can we look forward to?
A: The current season of the series is its sixth.
Q: Why aren't reruns shown in order, which would make it easier to follow the story?
A: The people buying reruns often want to have the best loved episodes of a series in the package they buy and do not worry about chronology. In addition, cable channels such as USA Network will create themed sequences of episodes, tying together ones about a specific character or event so make them more promotable. It has long been pointed out that, in the age of serialized programs, out-of-order telecasts can be annoying, especially if you never saw shows in their original order. But commerce often beats art. There are even notorious cases of networks premiering episodes in the wrong order.
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