Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Rob Kerkovich (he plays Dominic’s roommate on Chasing Life) has landed the series regular role of Sebastian Voll, the morgue assistant on the upcoming spin-off series NCIS: New Orleans, which debuts on September 23 on CBS. (Andy Swift and Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Actress Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) has landed the female lead in the upcoming Netflix series Daredevil, based on the Marvel Universe character. She will play Karen Page, the longest-running love interest of Daredevil’s alter ego Matt Murdock. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

TV TRAILERS

Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Will there be more fallout from Juliette and Jeff’s hook-up on Nashville? Please tell me it won’t break up her and Avery! — Nat

Ausiello: Downside: I hear Juliette will likely find herself with child (a move that would mirror Hayden Panettiere’s still-unconfirmed real-life pregnancy) when Season 3 picks up, but by whom? You’ll recall, she knocked cowboy boots with both Jeff and Avery near the end of the season. Upside: Both Ms. Barnes and her producer boyfriend will have plenty of songwriting fodder for months to come..

Question: Could I please have some scoop on Scandal? —Kyle

Ausiello: The Season 4 premiere, airing Thursday, Sept. 25 (now at 9/8c), will pick up “about two-and-a-half months later,” Shonda Rhimes tells us — effectively spanning the time from Election Day to Fitz’s second inauguration.

Question: Have you heard any possible spoilers for season 2 of The Blacklist? —Robert

Ausiello: Showrunner Jon Bokenkamp confirms that Peter Stormare will absolutely be back as Berlin, effusing, “He has been and will continue to be great” in that role. And when we asked about Tom’s unclear fate, he hedged that it “will be confirmed during the season,” one way or the other, “though I don’t exactly know when.” (Something to think about: Bokenkamp let slip that for one brief, hot second, the writers imagined Tom would one day be revealed as No. 1 on the Blacklist, yet ultimately decided he wasn’t worthy. Hmm.)

Question: Anything for my favorite shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Once Upon a Time? —Niky

Ausiello: S.H.I.E.L.D. producers are typically mum on details for Season 2, even when it comes to how much time will have passed since Coulson was appointed Director of TFOKAS (The Former Organization Known As S.H.I.E.L.D.). “There is a jump,” EP Jed Whedon allows. “It might be a little skip, it might be just a hop-skip-jump…. But yes, a little time has passed.” As for an overall theme for Season 2, EP Maurissa Tancharoen shares, “There was a word that came up a lot towards the end of the season — evolution — and that is something we will be exploring.”

Question: Any word yet on whether B.J. Britt will be a full-time member of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Season 2? —Olivia

Ausiello: According to exec producer Jed Whedon, Triplett “will be around a lot” when the ABC series returns on Tuesday, Sept. 23 (now at 9/8c). Chiming in on how Britt instantly sparked with fans (as well as Miss Simmons), EP Jeph Loeb says, “You always have hope for characters, then when people ‘pop,’ you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s cool’ and you steer toward that.”

Question: Any Chasing Life scoop? Preferably about which guy April will choose? — Kate

Ausiello: I hope you like love triangles, Kate, because this one’s going to be playing out for a long time — and it looks like the balance is shifting in Leo’s favor. “There’s going to be a wedge driven between Dominic and April before she tells him she has cancer, and it has nothing to do with Leo,” star Italia Ricci says. (A little bonus scoop hidden in there: She does eventually tell Dominic about her cancer.)

Question: Anything on Downton Abbey Season 5? —Andrea

Ausiello: Mr. Bates and Anna won’t be dealing with anything “as heavy as last season’s [rape] storyline,” previews the latter’s Emmy-nominated portrayer, Joanne Froggatt. “I don’t think anything can come close to that, really. But, at the same time, the clouds haven’t fully parted. Understandably. There are still some trials and tribulations for Anna and Bates but there is some happiness too.”

Question: I was wondering what White Collar‘s final-season storyline will be about. —Michael

Ausiello: Sounds like a Q perfectly tailored to the show’s perfectly tailored leading man Matt Bomer. “It revolves around the greatest crime ring in the world, which is a group that actually exists, called The Pink Panthers,” he explains. “Neal is trying to become a mole in their organization in order to get his freedom from the FBI. Old characters come back and new characters are introduced. Drama ensues.”

That’s it. Enjoy!