Q: After seeing the episode recently of Doctor Who on the deserted planet, I thought that was the first episode of the new season. But I cannot find more information about it.

A: Planet of the Dead was a more or less self-contained installment of the long-running series; the show's official website, www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho, refers to it as a special rather than part of a season. It will be followed by another special, The Waters of Mars, later this year. Then will come The End of Time, a two-parter marking the end of David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor, as well as the end of Russell T. Davies' run as writer-producer on the show. But the program will go on, with Matt Smith appearing as the 11th and latest Doctor in 2010 and Steven Moffat taking over as head writer. As for the previous Doctors, they were played, from 1963 to 1996, by William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker (still a personal favorite), Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. When the series returned in 2005 under Davies, Christopher Eccleston took on the role for a season, followed by Tennant.

Q: Mental, about a psychiatric ward, showed this summer. The lead quit on the last episode. Will the show return anytime?

A: It's not clear. The Aug. 14 telecast used up the last of the 13 episodes of the show commissioned by Fox, and I have yet to see an announcement of more being made. But the show may last because it has a good shot at profitability; though set in the United States, Mental was made in Colombia and sold in more than 30 other countries.

Q: One morning I saw the last five minutes of Frasier. He was leaving Seattle and his family and told them he was going to San Francisco, but when the plane landed, the pilot said ``Welcome to Chicago.'' What did I miss?

A: You missed a switcheroo. We were led to believe that Frasier was heading from Seattle to San Francisco for a new job. But he decided instead to go to Chicago, following a woman he had gotten involved with in Seattle. Whether he stayed in Chicago, or later moved on to San Francisco, was left to the viewer's imagination.

Q: In the earliest of the M*A*S*H TV series, there was a fourth occupant of the ``swamp'' tent, a black cohort of Hawkeye and Trapper John. Suddenly he was there no more. What was the occasion of his leaving, who was he and what has happened to him since?

A: Oliver Harmon ``Spearchucker'' Jones was a carryover character from the movie M*A*S*H, where he was crucial to the 4077th's football fortunes. Fred Williamson played him in the movie, Timothy Brown in the first season of the TV series; both men had also played pro football. He disappeared from the series after a few episodes as the show focused more on other characters. Brown went on to other roles, notably in Nashville, which, like the M*A*S*H film, was directed by Robert Altman. According to a 2005 story on the Philadelphia Eagles website, former Eagle Brown worked 12 years for the Los Angeles County Probation Department before retiring to Palm Springs, Calif.

Q: Is there any chance that Hack will come back? That was a great show. I just found some reruns. I don't know the actor who plays the defrocked police officer, but he is really good and I see him in hardly any shows anymore.

A: Hack ended in March 2004 after two seasons on CBS. I know of no plans to bring it back. The star, David Morse, has been a frequent presence on TV, including as Dr. Jack Morrison on St. Elsewhere and as George Washington in HBO's John Adams, and in movies like The Hurt Locker, Disturbia and 16 Blocks.

Q: The actor who played the brother on The Patty Duke Show looks familiar. Has he appeared in anything since then?

A: Paul O'Keefe played the younger brother of Patty Lane, the American ``identical cousin'' of Cathy Lane, both played by Patty Duke. That was his main screen credit; he was also in a 1999 reunion movie. By the way, the complete first season of The Patty Duke Show will be released on DVD on Sept. 29.

Q: I was wondering whatever happened to the TV shows Windfall, The Eleventh Hour and Fear Factor. And I heard that MADtv is ending. Why, and will another network pick it up?

A: The first three shows you asked about have completed their network runs. MADtv has ended a 14-season run on Fox; according to Variety, the show ``barely escaped cancellation in recent years'' but the makers have publicly hoped to find a place to make new episodes. Still, I have not seen any announcement of a revival.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@