Submit your question to Rob Owen

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Glee," "Mercy" and new HD channels carried by Comcast. As always, thanks for reading, and keep the questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

Q: Lately, I have been noticing more and more actors with tattoos. Christopher Meloni and David Boreanaz are two that come to mind. Are they real tattoos? Or just temporary tattoos for the characters they are playing?

-- Diane, 56, Arlington

Rob: Both of these actors have real tattoos.

Q: My wife and I have been trying to find the program "Glee" but have been unable to locate it in the TV Week section of the paper and/or the daily TV listings. What channel and at what time is it on?

-- Glenn, Whitehall

Rob: At the moment, it's not. "Glee" is in production on new episodes that will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. beginning April 13. Because of all the musical numbers that require rehearsal and choreography, "Glee" is a particularly time-consuming show to produce. I was on the set last week and will have a report on the series closer to when new episodes air.

Q: I was wondering what happened with Jennifer Morrison's character on the show "House." Is she going to return as Dr. Cameron or has she been let go? I think she is the only character that ever stood up to House and we need that in the storyline occasionally. Could you find out if she has moved on in her career or if she is just taking a few episodes off then coming back? Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to find this information out for me.

-- Richard, 63, Monroeville

Rob: Morrison will return as Dr. Cameron in an episode later this season although it sounds like a one-shot appearance and not a return to a series regular role.

Q: Sitting watching "Mercy." Has NBC it picked up for next season?

-- @wfmud1977 via Twitter

Rob: Not yet but its chances may be improved by all the holes in NBC's schedule with the cancellation of "The Jay Leno Show."

Q: What do you think of the way NBC has treated Conan O'Brien in this shakeup at "The Tonight Show"?

-- @Marty2634 via Twitter

Rob: I've written about this a fair bit in recent weeks. Now that it's all done, I think NBC gave O'Brien a most sufficient severance. But I think what you're asking is how NBC treated him up 'til then.

I maintain that NBC's original sin came in 2004 when they made an advance pact to retire Jay Leno and install O'Brien as host of "The Tonight Show." NBC should not have made that promise, which would have allowed O'Brien go to another network at that time. His style of humor was never going to be a good fit for "The Tonight Show" especially following someone as middle-of-the-road as Leno. Giving Leno a prime-time show only compounded the odds stacked against O'Brien. NBC's mismanagement ensured "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" was doomed to fail.

My favorite analysis of this whole debacle was the notion that Leno vs. O'Brien was a metaphor for Baby Boomers who won't retire already and get out of the way of Gen Xers.

Q: Trying my darndest to keep the "Dollhouse" storyline straight in my head. Do you think I'll need to re-watch "Epitaph One" again!?

-- @AmirKenan via Twitter

Rob: It probably wouldn't hurt. The series finale, titled "Epitaph Two," airs tonight at 8 on WPGH and it picks up the story from the unaired first-season finale that was included on the season one DVD set.

I'll admit I've been confused at times during this more complex, serialized season of 'Dollhouse," but I still prefer it to the lackluster first half of season one. I still think "Dollhouse" is one of producer Joss Whedon's lesser efforts, but the show has been especially strong in the two most recent episodes with some surprising twists. I'm looking forward to seeing how Whedon and company wrap it up.

Q: What's the latest on the status of "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency" getting a second season? I read a while back that one of the creative people connected with the show had died, which further complicated the chances of its renewal.

-- John, 51, Green Tree

Rob: HBO says no decision has been made. But I have to think the longer we go without a decision, the less likely the show is to come back. We'll see.

Q: Do you know what program Julie Benz from Murrysville will be in on TV?

-- Randy, Plum, via Facebook

Rob: Benz, who until recently was a co-star on Showtime's "Dexter," begins an arc Sunday on "Desperate Housewives" (9 p.m. ABC). She'll play a stripper who becomes friends with Susan (Teri Hatcher).

Q: On Sunday there was Kevin Benson giving the weather in the same morning broadcast that Scott Harbaugh reports on the weather. Just wondering why that happens in the same show.

-- Pauline, 72, Brockway

Rob: Only Benson is reporting live.

"This is something we've done for while. Scott tapes an extended forecast. Usually gives a first look at weather trends two to three weeks in advance," explained news director Mike Goldrick in an e-mail. "For example, in early December, he took a first look at whether we'd have a white Christmas. He's not actually here on weekend mornings, unless we have severe weather."

Q: What's the point of Comcast giving the City of Pittsburgh two of each HD channel but no new ones? All the 800 series channels are HD channels that are already there. For example, KDKA-HD is 212 and 802 on Comcast. They are same channel showing the exact same programming.

-- Dante, 28, Pittsburgh

Rob: This is temporary and all the 200-level channels will relocate to the 800 neighborhood by late February or early March. We reported earlier this week on dozens of new HD channels that Comcast has added. Feel free to print this, cut it out and keep it near your remote control:

TV columnist Rob Owen's Tuned In+ is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.