New Partners Arrive to Lend a Hand on ‘Criminal Intent’
By Jay Bobbin
Q: What happened to Goren and Eames on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”? Are they ever coming back? Why were they taken off? — Barbara Rhodes-Bridges, Chicago
A: We received numerous messages along this line in the days after the first Chris Noth-Annabella Sciorra episode of the NBC series. Hopefully by now, the questions have been answered for most people, but just in case . . . Goren and Eames, as played by Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, are still part of the show. Those characters are alternating episodes with the team now played by Noth, who originated his Mike Logan role on “Law & Order,” and Sciorra.
However, the two investigative teams will be together in a “Criminal Intent” story that’s being planned for a November broadcast. Besides freshening up the show a bit, a reason for the new co-stars’ presence is to provide a break of sorts for D’Onofrio, who had a widely reported case of exhaustion during production of last season’s stories.
Q: What ever happened to Jane Pauley’s show? It was very interesting, and I have always liked her. — Hilda Cicone, Ocala, Fla.
A: Although Pauley has had a national following ever since her “Today” days, her own weekday talk show evidently wasn’t the vehicle for her, based simply on the ratings. That was the main factor in the cancellation of her program by its studio, NBC Universal, after only one year (in fact, even before that year was up). The company is going to try again next season by giving “Will & Grace” co-star Megan Mullally a weekday program that will be more celebrity-driven than Pauley’s.
Q: Who is the actress who plays the new head nurse on “ER”? I know I’ve seen her on television before, but I can’t place her. What other series did she star in? — Maxine Lee, Baltimore
A: She’s Kristen Johnston, who became an overnight star in the mid-1990s and earned two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of alien Sally Solomon on the NBC sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun.” She hasn’t done a lot of work on film since ending that show and starting her current “ER” tenure, but she did appear in Mike Myers’ last two “Austin Powers” movie comedies. She’s also featured in the forthcoming movie version of the Comedy Central series “Strangers With Candy.”
Q: Is the actor who plays Grissom on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” the same actor who played Pat Garrett in the movie “Young Guns”? — Joel Foss, Grand Forks, N.D.
A: Actually, it was the 1990 sequel “Young Guns II” in which “CSI” star William Petersen played Garrett. In the original “Young Guns” (1988), Patrick Wayne — one of the sons of John Wayne — had the part.
Q: I taped all of the segments when A&E Network ran “Into the West” recently. I thoroughly enjoyed them up until a segment when I found the sound had not recorded. Can you tell me when it will air again? — Gail Clark, Tallahassee, Fla.
A: Just to set the record straight on which network it was, TNT actually ran the Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries. At this writing, we don’t know exactly when a repeat is planned, but there’s sure to be one eventually. In the meantime, you can rent or buy the entire program if you so choose, since DreamWorks Home Entertainment released it in a beautifully packaged DVD set at the start of October.
Q:My favorite TV program during the 1950s was “77 Sunset Strip.” Has it, or will it, ever be shown on television or be available on DVD? — Janet Bowersox, Perrysburg, Ohio
A: The classic private-detective series — which starred Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith and Edd “Kookie” Byrnes — is being repeated Mondays on cable’s AmericanLife TV Network (formerly known as GoodLife TV Network). Since it was a Warner Bros. show, Warner Home Video has the rights to it, but no DVD plans have been announced.
Q: We are addicted to the vintage “What’s My Line?” series on Game Show Network. The show has been running in the middle of the night, and we’ve been taping it. Is it available on DVD? — Melissa Whelan, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
A: Not in and of itself, but certain episodes can be found in interesting places. For instance, MPI Home Video recently released the first season of the late-1960s “The Doris Day Show” in a DVD set also including two “What’s My Line?” episodes in which Day appeared as the “mystery guest.” Especially intriguing is that those shows are from different phases of her career — first when she was known principally for her singing, then when she had established herself as a Hollywood star, around the time of her screen version of “The Pajama Game.”
Q: Is Tracy Smith of the Saturday edition of “The Early Show” related to Harry Smith? — Sheila Barron, Brockton, Mass.
A: Although they both work for CBS News, and basically on the same program — since Harry is one of the weekday “Early Show” anchors — they aren’t relatives. However, Harry’s wife also is in the broadcasting business; he met sportscaster Andrea Joyce when they worked together at a Denver station in the early 1980s. They have two sons.
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