Q: "Sons of Anarchy," which just ended its run, was one of the most sexually explicit and violent TV series I have ever watched. Can you total up a "body count" of all the people who were eliminated over the entire series?
A: I don't have enough fingers and toes. And even if I did, there's a chance someone from SAMCRO would chop a few off. But I can tell you that there are more than 100 characters who die in a poster that one "SOA" fan made of life and death on the show. And that, the fan warns, "is not a complete and exhaustive tally of every single person that died in the show. Only primary, secondary and some tertiary characters are represented. Anyone killed in bulk or in a way that didn't significantly affect the story is not included." You can see the poster at http://bit.ly/1xWg3kd.
Don't be blue over 'Hill Street'
Q: My husband and I enjoyed watching "Hill Street Blues" and "thirtysomething." Any chance that we will see them again?
A: Both dramas have been released in their entirety on DVD, so you can binge-watch them all you want. Amazon.com's Instant Video service, Hulu, Xfinity online and iTunes have three "Hill Street" seasons (out of seven) and all four of "thirtysomething" available.
Cops and docs will return
Q: Please tell me that "Rizzoli & Isles" and "Royal Pains" will soon be returning.
A: The police drama starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander will be back on Feb. 17. "Royal Pains" will be back, but I haven't seen a return date. Last year, USA Network ordered two more eight-episode seasons of the medical series.
Not always in season
Q: Why do "Major Crimes," "Blue Bloods" and "Hawaii 5-0" have such a short span before they go to repeats? "Major Crimes" debuted in mid-November; the finale was Jan. 13, and it won't return until summer.
A: With shows such as "Blue Bloods" and "Hawaii Five-0," a full TV season consists of about 22 episodes. But a TV season runs more than 40 weeks, so there will be times when shows will be in rerun or pre-empted for other programming.
"Major Crimes" had 19 episodes in the just-concluded season, but TNT ran a block of episodes, then took an extended break before running more. That has happened on cable for some time but also occurs on broadcast TV. The assumption is that fans will come back after these breaks. Then there are the shows that simply don't make many episodes. That may be to keep the storytelling tight, or because of actors' availability, or showrunners don't think it's economically feasible to run it for long. Then they try to convince you that the short run is a good thing by calling the program an "event."
E-mail questions (with name and address) to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
