TV Q&A: Streaming shows a sign of change

Q The Netflix series "House of Cards" is to start filming this spring. How do you feel about the fact that the show will not be on TV? Since it isn't broadcast on TV, will it be excluded from Emmy nominations?

A The world is changing, and we must change with it.

The first Netflix series, "Lilyhammer," is eligible for the Emmys, according to John Leverence, Emmys senior vice president of awards. The Emmys made broadband programming eligible in 2006. Shows must have a certain duration to avoid being entered as a short, and they must have at least six episodes. "Lilyhammer" is eligible on both counts, and "House of Cards" will be, too.

Now that there are devices that allow us to watch on a TV screen the programs we're streaming to our computer, I have no problems with it. It takes a few more steps, but it's still the same as watching a show on, say, HBO, which, like Netflix, is a premium service you pay for above and beyond broadcast TV or regular cable.

'Where's Lunch?' piques curiosity

Q At the end of "Everybody Loves Raymond" reruns, there's a question, "Where's Lunch?" Then a disembodied hand puts down an appetizing plate of food that seems to change with every episode. What's that all about?

A It's an example of a production-company vanity card. These appear at the end of many prime-time shows, but rarely are they ever-changing. A few are, including the ones that executive producer Chuck Lorre writes weekly for his shows ("Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory," "Mike & Molly") and the faces that show up in the vanity card at the end of "Raising Hope" each week.

Q I enjoyed AMC's "The Killing," and I understand that it's returning April 1. I wondered, though, after watching the last episode if the ending was changed so that the story could continue for another season after AMC saw how popular it was. What do you think?

A The ending you saw was the one producers always intended. While some TV fans got bent out of shape about the finale, it was obvious in January 2011 -- before the show began -- that viewers probably wouldn't get a conclusion to the "Who killed Rosie Larsen?" story when executive producer Veena Sud refused to answer a direct question about a resolution, saying, "We're going to organically follow the story, and whether or not it gets solved at the end of the season is a mystery."

Say goodbye to Jillian Michaels

Q Please tell me that Jillian Michaels is no longer on the weekday show "The Doctors." She really doesn't belong on that show.

A According to the New York Post, she's no longer on the show.