Click here to submit your question to Rob Owen

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about the cancellation of "Blind Justice," the future of "The West Wing" and the "Gilmore Girls" season finale.

As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

---

Q: I passed a WPXI news van set up to do a remote broadcast last night (5/12). I watched the 11:00 news to see what the story was -- turns out it was an attempt to burglarize the home of an elderly couple in Washington County by luring them outside with a made-up story.

So my question is: Why set up a live remote at 11:00 for a story that was obviously taped earlier in the day? And, why broadcast in front of the Knight's Inn in Bridgeville (misidentified as Washington County) when the location has nothing to do with the story?

- Lynn Lira, Baldwin Borough

TV stations always do live shots in the dark where you can't see what they're standing in front of, often a location where news happened many hours earlier. It's pointless, but it's become an industry convention.

As to the location issue, I posed this question to WPXI news director Corrie Harding, but he did not respond.

---

Q: I wasn't able to watch "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" until the last couple weeks. What's up with Jamie Sheridan's eye patch? Is he ill?

- Rita Journic, Pittsburgh

According to an NBC publicist, Jamey Sheridan had Bell's Palsy.

"It's more common than people know and almost always curable," she said. "He will appear in three episodes with the eye patch. His last episode with the eye patch was Sunday, May 15th."

---

Q: I realize all new show promos are intended to make a show look terrific, but some of the upcoming FX shows look like real grabbers. Is FX onto something after the success of "The Shield"? They seem to be right on the edge with gritty and shocking characters in tough situations. "Rescue Me" looks like it will attract the same audience as "The Shield." Any advance reviews coming?

- Dan Arl, Brentwood

"Rescue Me" isn't new. It aired its first season last summer and we reviewed it at the time (I liked it, especially the more episodes I saw, and thought star Denis Leary finally found an appropriate TV vehicle). As to "Over There," the new Steven Bochco-produced drama set during the war in Iraq, FX has not yet sent out review copies, but that's not stopping some people from passing judgement on it already, decrying the show as insensitive for depicting a current military operation in a fictional drama series.

---

Q: I really enjoy "The West Wing." I felt that last season was a good bounce-back season and I'm looking forward to what comes next. However, I'm disappointed to hear that it is being moved to Sunday evenings. Is that the kiss of death from the network? As much as I like "The West Wing," football comes first. Thus, I suspect that the new slot will further diminish what I presume are already diminished ratings. Also, am I correct in presuming that the budget cuts also signal that the end is near? I would think that the struggling network would look at the new administration on the show as an opportunity to "go 'Law & Order'" and try to score big by re-working "The West Wing."

- Nate Downs, Pittsburgh

"West Wing" is definitely near the finish line and moving it to Sunday at 8 definitely signals its best days are in the past. The budget cuts will necessitate cast changes with new, cheaper actors coming in to replace the show's veterans. That said, I think NBC does have some chance to "go 'Law & Order'" as you suggest, but it would never work as well on a serialized, character-driven show like "West Wing." The reason it works on "L&O" is because that show is a procedural that gets viewers to invest in each week's plot, not its characters.

---

Q: ABC canceled "Blind Justice?" Were the ratings that bad?

- Jennifer Lunt, Kaiser Hollow Heights, PA

It ranks No. 66 season-to-date in household ratings, in the ballpark of some other canceled shows (NBC's canceled "Hawaii" is No. 70), and I suspect its young demo ratings were not good either. Plus, it was such a tired show, a throwback '80s and early '90s dramas. I don't blame ABC for cutting it loose.

---

Q: I read in the Post-Gazette yesterday that NBC has decided to wait until mid-season to air new episodes of "Scrubs." Any thoughts on this decision? Also, what are the chances that they will air this season's episodes as reruns throughout the summer? I missed the season finale, (AND was taping a different show on the VCR) much to my disappointment!

- Marie Kelly, Swissvale

"Scrubs" has never been a ratings-winner, so I'm just thankful to get it back anytime next season. As for reruns, I haven't seen an NBC summer schedule yet, so I don't know if it will rerun.

---

Q: I'll miss "Jack & Bobby," but thought they wrapped it up nicely. It got me wondering, though -- what, in your opinion, are the best shows that only lasted a single season?

- Sue Bell, Bloomfield

Hmmm, good but tough question. First show that comes to mind is "Partners," a Fox comedy that aired in the early '90s and was unfairly pegged as a "Friends" rip-off. The reality is, it was too smart a sitcom for Fox (the same problem that plagues "Arrested Development" today).

I'm sure if I gave it more time I could come up with other dramas, but the first to come to mind is Fox's "Pasadena," a serialized drama with a murder mystery at its core. Fox shot 13 episodes, but I think only four or five aired in fall 2001. I still wish a cable network would pick that one up and show the series in its entirety.

---

Q: Why did I miss the conclusion of the last scene of "Gilmore Girls" season finale? My TiVo shut off at the end of an hour, but the scene between Luke and Loreli was not over.

- Billee Maier, Murrysville

A WB publicist acknowledged the show ran long by 27 seconds, just enough so you missed Lorelai proposing marriage to Luke, a key cliffhanger element. The WB has always been bad about alerting TV critics so we can alert viewers to run-overs, and this is just another example of that. The WB says it may rerun the finale in the near future. If they bother to tell me, I'll get a note in the PG.

---

Q: Are there going to be new episodes of the HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm"? I've seen all of the old episodes over and over on HBO comedy. (They air every night at 7:30.) I'm ready for some new ones.

- Marcy, Pittsburgh

Yes, there will be another season, but not until late this year or early 2006.