You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I remember during the summer, Fox heavily promoted a new cop-buddy show with Jessica Alba, called "L.A.'s Finest" so I thought. Now when I watch "L.A.'s Finest," it's not a comedy buddy show and Alba doesn't seem to be in it. What am I missing, and where is Alba?
A: There is indeed a show on Fox called "L.A.'s Finest," and it does costar Jessica Alba. She and Gabrielle Union play police partners operating in what Fox called "the universe of the Jerry Bruckheimer 'Bad Boys' franchise." That is, Union's character, Syd Burnett, is the sister of Marcus Burnett, Martin Lawrence's character in the "Bad Boys" movies. (Union first played Syd in "Bad Boys II.") The TV show aspires to the action-and-comedy mix of those movies, even in details. Alba's character is Nancy McKenna, i.e. the partners are named Syd and Nancy — an allusion to the notorious Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. And the episode titles are all taken from the names of movies.
The two seasons of the series premiered on Spectrum TV's Originals on Demand channel, where you can still find both seasons. Fox picked up the rights for broadcast, to fill one of the gaps caused by pandemic-related production delays. It has been airing the first season but has not yet scheduled the second.
Q: Many months ago, I read that Chris Meloni was having his own show as his Elliot Stabler character from "Law & Order: SVU," starting in September. I can't find it. Do you know where it is?
A: NBC did indeed announce "Law & Order: Organized Crime" for its fall lineup, with the show set to air on Thursday nights following "SVU." In it, NBC said, Stabler "returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. However, the city and police department have changed dramatically in the decade he's been away, and he must adapt to a criminal justice system in the midst of its own moment of reckoning."
But while "SVU" will return Nov. 12, "Organized Crime" has been delayed until 2021. Part of that is undoubtedly because of the effect of the pandemic on production. In addition, in October the series' showrunner left. And Deadline.com reported that "a decision was made to take extra time crafting the new series ... (and) there has been extra scrutiny on portraying police work on TV following the death of George Floyd and the national unrest it sparked."
Q: I have a very curious question. I recently watched an old episode of "Little House on The Prairie" about the Winoka Warriors. There is an actor named Brad Wilkin, who played the role of a blind teenager named Tom Carlin. I Googled him to see what he would look like now. There was a picture of what he looked like then. It also stated that he was born in 1995. That can't be possible because this episode that he appeared in was in 1978 and he also appeared in the Waltons in 1973! Something just doesn't add up at all. Is it possible that there are two actors with the same name? Makes no sense to me.
A: The Brad Wilkin born in 1995 is an Australian rugby player. Brad Wilkin the actor is significantly older. These days, he goes by Garratt Wilkin and is known for leading the Parrotheads, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. You can read more about him and see pictures at www.theparrotheads.com/about-garratt. By the way, his bio on the website refers to that "Little House" role as "one of his finer parts."
Q: Can you please tell me what happened to "The Twilight Zone" and "The Invaders," two of my favorite shows, and to Roy Thinnes and Rod Serling. I read that Jordan Peele is taking over "The Twilight Zone." Is this true?
A: "The Twilight Zone" has had many incarnations, even though host, narrator and driving force Rod Serling died in 1975. The most recent version, done for streaming service CBS All Access, has had Jordan Peele as host and an executive producer for two seasons so far. That follows the original, Serling-hosted series in 1959-65, the big-screen movie adaptation in 1983 (notorious for an accident that killed three cast members), and several previous TV revivals. By the way, CBS All Access has the Serling original as well as the new Peele episodes.
"The Invaders" originally aired on ABC in 1967-68 and starred Roy Thinnes as a man trying to prove there were aliens disguised as humans on Earth; he reprised the role in a 1995 "Invaders" miniseries. Now 82 years old, Thinnes is reportedly retired from acting; his screen credits ended more than a decade ago. You can see more about him at roythinnes.com.
