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Question: It’s great to see Jesse Spencer getting a powerful storyline on “House.” Any news on how he’ll cope without Cameron? —Angela
Ausiello: Not well. In the Nov. 23 episode — the first sans Jennifer Morrison as Cameron — he loses it and punches House in the face! “Chase is very clearly off his game,” says a “House” insider, “and struggling with the loss of Cameron.” What prompts the fisticuffs? Apparently, Doc Crankypants unfavorably compares him to his far prettier, smarter wife, and Chase blows his top and decks him!
Question: Jesse Spencer has been amazing in the current arc on “House,” but I’m worried this storyline is setting up his eventual exit from the show a la Jennifer Morrison. Any word from your mole? —Carol
Ausiello: My mole assures me that you’re just being paranoid. Jesse’s staying put. (For now at least.)
Question: There’s a Diet Raspberry Snapple at stake for this one: Is Jane Lynch ever slated to sing on “Glee”? —Andi
Ausiello: The only thing Sue will be singing in the near future is the blues. According to a “Glee” insider, she’s finally going to see some real repercussions for all her plotting to take down the New Directions. THIS JUST IN: Lynch wants Sue to sing, too!
Question: I’m having intense Peter MacNicol withdrawal. Will he be back on “Numb3rs” soon? —Brigi
Ausiello: Yes, but there’s a catch: You won’t actually see him. MacNicol is heading back to the “Numb3rs” set in a few weeks to direct an episode. His on-screen return, meanwhile, won’t take place until the end of the show’s now-shortened season
Question: Please give us some scoop on Alex and Izzie on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Is there any good news for them coming up? I’m dying here! —Rachel
Ausiello: My new BFF Shonda Rhimes says there are “some shocking things” in store for the newlyweds during the second half of the season. “The next part of (their) journey,” she teases, “is going to be pretty interesting.” I don’t know about you, but I get a little scared when Shonda throws words around like “pretty” and “interesting.”
Question: Is it true that the first season 2 episode of “Southland” features a convict (apologies in advance) defecating on someone? If so, I can maybe understand why NBC took a pass. —Adam
Ausiello: According to “Southland” co-star Michael Cudlitz, the poop rumor is a load of crap. “When I heard that I was trying to think of what that was or what it could have been,” he says. “I’m not really sure what they’re talking about.” There was something about that story that didn’t smell right.
Question: Please, please, please let me, let me get what I want. Perhaps a “Big Love” scoop? Or just anything fantastic that you’d like to say about anything? —Ava
Ausiello: My 2009 custom-made holiday card has just been shipped off to the printer and it’s genius! I’ll have more details on that soon. In the meantime, here’s some “Big” scoop: You already know that closet case Alby is getting a boyfriend this season named Dale (played by Ben Koldyke). But what you may not know is that the show won’t shy away from depicting their steamy love affair. Short story shorter: Alby’s going to get laid. A lot.
Question: Love Sons of Anarchy! Does Opie finally figure out who really killed his wife? —Cindy
Ausiello: In episode 11, Tig makes a shocking confession about Donna’s death — and Opie goes on a solo mission to seek revenge. In other news, Opie officially starts a romance with that porn star from the Caracara studio. At least I think you’ll be happy. Truth be told, I’m way behind on the show and I have no idea what I’m talking about. The spoilers are accurate, I just don’t know what any of ‘em mean.
Question: Any scoop on “Sons of Anarchy” now that Jax is “going nomad”? I don’t even know what that means! —Chris
Ausiello: That makes two of us! I’m equally as lost about this next scoop: My “S.O.A.” mole assures me that after Gemma makes her reveal, it’ll seem pretty obvious that Jax is back in the gang and not going anywhere. Sounds juicy! (Is it?)
Question: You’re not allowed to say someone is dying in the Nov. 19 episode of “The Mentalist” and then leave it at that. It’s unethical! Just a little hint? Pretty please with a Smurf on top? —Ally
Ausiello: Did I say someone dies? My bad. Several people die.
Question: Do you not like “FlashForward” or something? There has yet to be one single iota of a scoop about the show. Could you please give me something to chomp on? —Stephanie
Ausiello: I like “FlashForward” just fine. The problem is I don’t love it. And if last week’s living room showdown between Joseph Fiennes and Sonya Walger’s future lover is a preview of the kind of painfully heavy-handed schlock to come, I may have to bail soon. The good news? This week’s episode is supposed to be a vast improvement. I hear we may even find out the significance of the Blue Hand.
Question: Any chance that “Smallville” will segue into a new series called Metropolis? —WAM
Ausiello: If there was, executive producer Kelly Souders would know about it. And it sounds like she doesn’t. “There’s nothing official that I know of, but who knows? It’s hard to say goodbye to this franchise. It’s the show that keeps on going.” Hmm… I think the key word there is “official.”
Question: Any chance we will see Michael Rosenbaum return as Lex on “Smallville”? —Stacie
Ausiello: Rosenbaum recently met with the “Smallville” writers, but, sadly, it was just to shoot the breeze. “He came by the writers office a couple weeks ago,” says Souders. “We all love him. The crew and the cast love him. We would love to have him back. We’re constantly talking to him trying to figure out if there’s a way. And believe me, we will keep fighting that fight until the final episode. And I know he’d love to come back, too.” Wait, if he wants to come back, and the show wants him back, what’s the hold-up? “He’s doing other projects, so the timing of things is always a little tricky,” says Souders. “Things have to get planned way in advance. And if he’s locked into something, even if at the end of the day the schedule works out, you often don’t know until you’re already shooting. But I’m believing that the ‘Smallville’ stars will align at some point. Whether it’s this season or (a possible 10th season), my gut wants him back so desperately that I’m going to believe it’s going to happen. I can’t think of a better way to (end the series) then by bringing him back.”
Question: When can we expect to see the return of Perry White on “Smallville”? —Dee
Ausiello: “We have a story that we would love to tell with Perry,” says Souders. “But (Michael McKean) is in a Broadway show right now. So he’s not exactly available at the moment.”
Question: In regards to your “Supernatural” spoiler last week, do Sam and Dean switch bodies with each other or with different characters on the show? There’s a debate going on right now about it. Can you clear it up? — Barb
Ausiello: You “Supernatural” fans certainly love to mass debate, don’t you? Well, allow me to set the record straight before you all go blind: Sam and Dean switch bodies with each other and a couple other characters.
Question: Any scoop about this week’s “Fringe”? If the previews are any indication, it looks like a keeper. —Al
Ausiello: Even gravel-voiced, stone-faced FBI agents have a softer side. And we get to see it when the usually serious-as-a-heart-attack Broyles gets embroiled in a case from the past that has a special personal meaning for him, so much so that he even steps on a few inter-agency toes to solve it. Contaminated cosmonauts and conspiratorial cover-ups abound. Plus, who knew the “Intelligence” in “Central Intelligence Agency” was extraterrestrial? (OK, I kinda did.)
Question: There’s a rumor going around that Melina Kanakaredes is getting killed off “CSI: NY” in the very near future. True? —Jess
Ausiello: False. My NY mole tells me that Melina will be around all season.
Question: Got any “Dexter” scoop? P.S. Rita seemed to back to her normal self at the end of the last episode. So could you maybe spare the “annoying Rita” talk? —Maddie
Ausiello: I can’t and here’s why: Rita the big fat nag returns this Sunday when she guilt trips Dexter into escorting the kids on a camping trip. Girlfriend needs to either accept the fact that her husband has a higher calling that involves killing bad people or simmah down now.
Question: Do you have any “Dexter” news? —Christina
Ausiello: In this Sunday’s eppy, the Showtime smash will boldly go where it has never gone before. I’d go so far as to call it a game-changing event.
Question: Any word on how Navid reacts to Adrianna’s bisexuality on “90210”? —David
Ausiello: He reacts like you’d expect an ex-boyfriend to react: like a big ol’ ass. “Navid is a little freaked out about it,” says exec producer Rebecca Sinclair. “He’s like, ‘Whoa, what did I do? I just turned my girlfriend gay! What does this say about me!’”
Question: Hey! Got any scoop about my favorite sophomore drama, “90210”? —Sarah
Ausiello: Hey! I do. There’s a catfight coming up between Naomi and another female character that will put Alexis and Krystle’s legendary lily pond brawl to… OK, it’s not as good as that one, but it’s still pretty damn memorable.
Question: The season premiere of “Friday Night Lights” almost had me in tears. Are things going to get better for the East Dillon Lions? —Nena
Ausiello: I’ll say this: The game they were shooting last month when I visited the set was not nearly as lopsided as the massacre you witnessed in the premiere. And it definitely didn’t end in forfeit. You may want to keep a hanky handy though. There’s an episode coming up that will have you crying like a teething baby without a piece of plastic to bite down on. (Hint: Said episode features a funeral.)
Question: Any news about “Lie to Me”? —Nicole
Ausiello: There’s a big episode coming up on Monday for Mekhi Phifer’s Agent Reynolds where we learn that he’s been hiding something in his past from the rest of the group. And as we all know, nobody hides stuff from Tim Roth, so expect some sparks to fly.
Question: Please tell me you have some new info on “Scrubs.” I am dying to know what is going on — especially with the season premiere now only a month away! —Matthew
Ausiello: John C. McGinley says the new grad school setting has “reenergized” the show. “We could go on for three or four more years,” he told us at last night’s 2012 premiere. “Dr. Cox has become an instructor at a medical school and he has a whole new set of people to torture. Per usual, he adds just enough sugar — a teaspoon — so you don’t hate him entirely. We tend to stick to the school for most of the episodes and see way less of our personal lives. My (TV) wife, Christa Miller, is now shooting ‘Cougar Town,’ although she graces us with her presence in episode 4. Jordan makes an appearance and it is quite funny.”
Question: As of today, I’m addicted to “Chuck.” Got anything good to hold me ’til March? —Susan
Ausiello: As of today? What the hell took so long? Also, get with the program: Chuck will probably most likely maybe possibly be back in January. I usually don’t reward procrastination and ignorance with red hot scoop but I’ll make an exception just this once. Zach Levi will make his “Chuck” directorial debut with episode 9, titled “Chuck vs. The Beard” and guest-starring “Drew Carey Show” grad Diedrich Bader.
That’s a wrap! Please submit questions/comments/anonymous tips to ausielloscoop@ew.com. Thanks for playing! (Additional reporting by Keith Staskiewicz and Carrie Bell)