Q: Will Season 2 of “Downton Abbey" be on Netflix or DVD before Season 3 airs?
— Caryl Klug, Milwaukee
A: At this writing, Netflix remained a question mark on the matter, though Season 1 episodes are available there. The acclaimed drama featuring Emmy winner Maggie Smith is, however, available on Hulu Plus.
As for DVD, Season 2 has been available since February ... but if you didn’t get it for Christmas and you want to see it before Season 3 starts in America, you’d better hurry. PBS is scheduled to begin airing those episodes — with new cast member Shirley MacLaine — Jan. 6. There’s also a limited-edition DVD set available, combining seasons 1 and 2.
Q: Is there any chance of “Waking the Dead" making a comeback? It was one of my favorites.
— Carole Sacks, Ferndale, Md.
A: There’s always a chance — witness “Dallas," though that comeback took two decades — but for now, at least, production on the crime drama starring Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston and Wil Johnson has ended after nine “series," as television show seasons are referred to in its native England. That’s a healthy run for any program, and there’s nothing to say that the BBC — and, in turn, BBC America — won’t decide to revive it at some point. As of this time, though, there’s no talk of it.
Q: I have become addicted to the program “Last Resort," and now I understand the network has decided not to renew it. Is there an address available where I can communicate my request to renew it for next season?
— Joe Conrad, Stuart, Fla.
A: Via the Internet, at abc.go.com, there’s a section of the site labeled “Contact Us." Via regular mail: ABC, Programming Department, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521.
Q: Was David Giuntoli of “Grimm" ever cast as Dr. Kroger’s son on “Monk"? He was heavily in costume and makeup, but he did look like a younger David.
— Rob Bloom, Columbus, Ohio
A: That role actually was played in a couple of episodes by Cody McMains, whose other TV credits have included “The Closer," “Desperate Housewives" and “90210."
Q: When will “Mad Men" return to television?
— Jan Davis, Kingman, Ariz.
A: The series is in production now on Season 6, and AMC hadn’t specified an on-air start date as of this writing. Season 5 began last year at the end of March, and the previous seasons all started in midsummer, so we’d expect the new one to begin somewhere in that range.
Q: Talking about children on sitcoms this season, are Hope on “Raising Hope" and Maddie on “Ben & Kate" sisters? They sure look a lot alike.
— Connie Johnson, Milwaukee
A: They aren’t, but the actress who plays Maddie, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, has two sisters, Mary-Charles Jones and Lillian Ellen Jones, who played trick-or-treaters in the Halloween Eve episode of Fox’s “Ben & Kate." On the same network’s “Raising Hope," the title role is shared by twins Baylie and Rylie Cregut.
Q: Can you please tell me whatever happened to the actress who played Harriet Oleson on “Little House on the Prairie"?
— Don Brown, Annapolis, Md.
A: Katherine MacGregor, also known by the nickname Scottie, left television after playing that famously snoopy, self-promoting character. She then returned to her stage roots by focusing her abilities, also including writing and directing, for the children’s theater group known as the Wee Hollywood Vedanta Players.
Q: What happened to “Shark"? Is it coming back?
— Barbara Peters, West Palm Beach, Fla.
A: Since “Shark Tank" already has been airing (usually on Fridays) on ABC this season, we’ll assume that you truly are referring to the CBS series “Shark" that starred James Woods. That program last aired in May 2008, so this long after, it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s not coming back.
After two seasons of the drama that featured Woods as a defense attorney-turned-prosecutor, the network canceled it. If you’re a Woods fan, he’ll be seen next in the action movie “White House Down," slated to be released in June and reuniting him with fellow “Any Given Sunday" co-star Jamie Foxx.
