Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS: Tony & Ziva, Ghosts, Reginald the Vampire, Chicago Fire, Star Trek: Discovery, Fire Country, WCTH and More

Who’s gonna help out NCIS‘ #Tiva? Will Reginald the Vampire have a bloody good cliffhanger? Is Abbott Elementary romance locked and loaded? Read on for answers to those questions and many more! (You can and should email brand-new Qs to InsideLine@tvline.com.)

I am looking forward to seeing Ziva and Tony in their new NCIS show. Any new scoop? –Rosemary
In case you thought we made up the “British nanny/bodyguard role” when dreamcasting Perdita Weeks, know that NCIS: Tony & Ziva is indeed in the process of casting such a character. The Paramount+ offshoot’s ensemble will also include a Russian hacker extraordinaire (of course), a French Interpol liaison and #Tiva’s tweenage daughter Tali herself, to ideally be played by a French-American ingenue.

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Seeing Nicole Kidman on the AFI special made me realize we haven’t heard much about her Kay Scarpetta series. Any updates? –Glynis
Prime Video’s series adaptation of the Patricia Cornwell crimesolver, which got a series order some 16 months ago, is set to begin filming in Nashville this September.

Loving Chris McNally’s performance as Lucas on Season 11 of When Calls the Heart. It’s been a dark and heavy season that we hope will end on a positive note for him. After last year’s devastating heartbreak, Lucas fans are ready to see him embark on a new journey finding his new great love. Can Chris give us hope that S11 will hint at that possibility of that happening for him in S12? We need a reason to stick around, we want our dose of happiness, positivity and romance for Lucas Bouchard! –Elba
I got your Q in front of McNally himself, who wrote back, “Thank you for tuning in for the 11th season of When Calls the Heart! While I can’t say the end of this season hints at Lucas embarking on a journey that’s specifically for his next great love, I can say it hints at him embarking on a journey towards something he loves greatly. The end of the season leaves his tea cup filled with renewed energy and ambition, ready to spring into Season 12, and time will tell what that particular journey may bring.”

Does Reginald the Vampire Season 2 end closed, or is there a massive cliffhanger even without renewal news? –Ivan 
Who better to field this Q than showrunner Harley Peyton? “There is, and I’m not kidding about this, a reveal and cliffhanger that is so big we were absolutely certain the network wouldn’t let us do it,” Peyton shares. “They did.” (Reginald the Vampire‘s Season 2 finale airs July 10.)

Any updates on any SWAT returns for next season? –Sandra
Showrunner Andrew Dettman did tell TVLine last month that he doesn’t foresee Kenny Johnson or Alex Russell returning as series regulars, since “we want to be true to the stories we’ve told.” That said, “It’s very likely that Alex will be back to direct, since he did such a nice job for us” on three previous occasions.

Will we ever learn more about Stella Kidd’s parents on Chicago Fire? –Amaani
“We established in Season 5 that her parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her aunt and uncle,” showrunner Andrea Newman reminds, “but there is definitely more in her family story to be revealed. Stay tuned….”

Is there any chance that CBS will air Yellowstone Season 4 over the summer? –Brenda
Though CBS thus far has provided a second window for the Paramount Network hit’s first three seasons, there are no plans at this time to broadcast Season 4.

We’ve seen Abbott Elementary’s Gregory and Janine get very close to getting together before and even kissing, and then they kind of backed away from it in the past. Are they actually going to be in a relationship next season? — Emma
Even in the wake of the events of this past season’s finale, “I can’t say that they’re going to actually be in a relationship,” Tyler James Williams told TVLine. “But I can say that they can’t stop-start anymore. Wherever this train is headed is where it’s headed. It just may not be as linear as people expect.”

Is there any update on the last season of Handmaid’s Tale and when it’ll be premiering?! I need a happy-ish ending for June and Nick! –Lindsay
There just might be a path to happy-ishness for June and Nick, given how “despondent” Luke is in the wake of the Season 5 finale, O-T Fagbenle told me. “Things were really looking up [for Luke and June] — I thought we were going to get out of there! — but now he’s crushed,” Fagbenle shared at the end of our recent Presumed Innocent talk. “I’m so fascinated to see what the writers come up with” for the Hulu drama’s farewell run, he said. “You get all these instincts about how the series might play out, and they always go and surprise you.”

Now that a sequel film has been greenlit for Practical Magic, is Max’s Rules of Magic prequel series that was announced back in 2019 still in the works? –Patrick
From what I hear, the Max series’ status technically remains unchanged, though a sequel film happening will very likely slow its progression.

Will Shemar Moore ever return to Criminal Minds? It would be pretty sweet to see him back on there if only for a guest appearance. –Cathy
The vibe I got from showrunner Erica Messer is that if former BAU member Derek Morgan ever does resurface, it would be for personal, and not professional, reasons. “At this point, what could bring anybody back” — Reid and Matt included — “would be an emotional draw versus any case work,” she told me.

I know Star Trek: Discovery will have aired its last episode by the time this comes out, but I have to ask since nobody seems to know: Why were Emily Coutts and Oyin Oladejo in so few episodes of Season 5, and then only briefly? Detmer and Owosekun are great characters and it would be nice if we could have gotten confirmation that they are together. –Irene
We delivered your valid Q to showrunner Michelle Paradise. “Oyin Oladejo and Emily Coutts are wonderful. We love them so much and we would have had them for the whole thing if we could,” she said. Alas, “They have other projects that they’re working on and scheduling-wise, it wasn’t working, so our challenge was, ‘OK, we’ve only got them for this many episodes. How do we honor those characters?,’ because we know they’re beloved.” For example, though the two didn’t appear in Episode 5, “they’re given the task of taking the Enterprise back to [Federation headquarters], which felt like an immensely important responsibility — one that they had earned,” Paradise noted. “It was really a balance of using them as much as we could when we had them and then really working to honor the characters and their journey and their advancement.”

Do you have any word on if there will be any more of The Makery on Peacock? My kids love the show, but I can only put the same episode on so many times before they revolt. –Connie
Eep, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but there are no plans to produce additional episodes of the Brooke Henzell-hosted crafts program.

I am rewatching Gen V, and Marie exploding Cate’s arm was such a spontaneous and horrific act to save Jordan. Any idea how that will change Marie and Cate next season? –Dee
As EP Michele Fazekas explained it, that bold, in-the-moment display “was another example of Marie’s power evolving, and for sure it impacts their relationship! Remember, we’re going to have a whole season of The Boys (currently streaming) between our first and second seasons, so things are going to be different in ways you won’t expect.”

My question is on a show rarely covered on the site, but here goes anyway: Any news on FBoy Island/Lovers and Liars? –Brian
Given the two shows’ meager numbers — Lovers and Liars got pulled from the scheduled/burned off on the CW app with three episodes to go — I’d be surprised if either gets renewed. As CW entertainment chief Brad Schwartz recently observed to Deadline, “FBoy Island was something that didn’t work, and kind of pointed to maybe being too young for broadcast.”

What will happen to Fire Country‘s Manny, now that he’s been arrested for assault? –Mer
Showrunner Tia Napolitano told me that when Season 3 opens this fall, “We won’t know right away” how things will shake out for Manny. “We’re really going to walk this legal process of, ‘How does this go? What are the charges, what are the potential options…?’ The law has been alerted, so he’s going to have to deal with that, and we’re going to live that with Manny.”

Will we see the opening of Jay’s restaurant next season on Ghosts? — Karen
As co-showrunner Joe Wiseman notes, Jay and wife Sam “both have a lot going on still. Jay’s trying to get the restaurant up and running, and Sam has the book she’s writing with Isaac, so that’s something we’re going to continue to track in Season 4.” But perhaps taking precedence, storytelling-wise, “We want to meet their families and really get to know them a little bit more,” says co-showrunner Joe Port.

Is there any truth to the rumour of an extra Season 2 episode of Yellowjackets before we get season 3? –Oliver
Yes, we told you about the “bonus” episode a little over a year ago, but there are no updates on it as of yet.

I’ve become addicted to the first two seasons of Five Bedrooms, an Australian show streaming on Peacock in the U.S. There are at least two more seasons on Australian Peacock and I keep waiting for them to become available in the U.S. Can you find out anything about this? It ended on a cliffhanger and I’m desperate! –Marian
I am hearing that there are no plans at this time for U.S. Peacock to stream those other seasons.

Do YOU want scoop/have questions about a favorite show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com! Questions plopped in Comments will not be considered and may count against your final score. (With additional reporting by Vlada Gelman and Keisha Hatchett)

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