Rob Owen

Pat Monahan of Train appeared on a recent episode of “Hawaii Five-O.”

Train frontman on ‘Hawaii Five-O?'

Q: On a recent “Hawaii Five-0,” I could swear that the bad guy was played by Pat Monahan from Train. I could not see the credits; they were too small. If it wasn’t him, it was his twin. Can you find this out for us?

A: You are correct. According to CBS’s description, Pat Monahan from Train did appear in the Feb. 18 episode.

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Photo by JOE LEDERER
Norman Bates moves into his new home in “Bates Motel,” airing Monday on A&E.

Check into ‘Bates Motel’

A&E reopens “Bates Motel” to retell the story of Norman Bates in an intriguing prequel series that creates an expanded Bates family and setting as it seeks to explain how a teenage Norman eventually went psycho.

The story of Norman Bates has been told many times since the original 1960 “Psycho.” There were two big-screen sequels (1983 and 1986), a 1990 TV movie prequel and a 1998 remake. There was even a 1987 TV movie, also called “Bates Motel,” about a friend of Norman’s from the psych ward who inherits the Bates Motel and reopens it after Norman’s death.

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CBS
Dennis Quaid stars as Sheriff Lamb on “Vegas.”

‘Vegas,’ ‘Golden Boy,’ ‘Evening Shade,’ more

Q: What happened to “Vegas”? I really enjoyed that program. It appears to have been replaced by an over-hyped “Golden Boy.” Will “Vegas” be returned later?

A: Until Thursday afternoon, “Vegas” was scheduled to come back on the CBS schedule Tuesday this week.

But on Thursday CBS announced that “Golden Boy” will remain in the 9 p.m. Tuesday time period and “Vegas” will be shunted off to 8 p.m. Friday beginning April 5.

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RICHARD CARTWRIGHT/CBS
Michael Chiklis and Paul Ben-Victor star on “Vegas.”

Producers still betting on ‘Vegas’

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — CBS’s “Vegas” returns in April after more than a month’s pre-emption, moving to a new 8 p.m. Friday time period.

For “Vegas,” the last batch of episodes of the season — beginning April 5 — may be the show’s last chance to convince CBS executives to renew the freshman drama for a second season.

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‘Shawshank’ getting overkill on AMC

Q: Enlighten me. “Shawshank Redemption” is a great movie. That said, how come AMC has been running this film back to back to back almost EVERY DAY? Do they have no other films in the archives, or is there that much demand for a 1994 movie?

A: I think that particular film has always done quite well ratings-wise, which could explain it. AMC certainly has plenty of films to choose from. When I checked the schedule after getting Donn’s question, I only saw two airings over 10 days, so I can’t say why the film may have aired multiple times before that in the same week. An AMC publicist did not respond to a request for comment.

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‘Law & Order: UK’ shown in U.S.A.?

Q: We are fans of “Law & Order: UK” (on BBC America, I believe). Has this been renewed? Will we be able to view it in the U.S.?

A: British TV works differently from American TV. On American TV, programs air fairly consistently year-to-year. On British TV, that’s not always the case.

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History
A woman is about to be stoned when Jesus, played by Diogo Morgado, intervenes in “The Bible,” a miniseries beginning today on History.

Miniseries tries to stay true to spirit of the Good Book

History’s “The Bible” would be more accurately titled “The Bible’s Greatest Hits (Sanitized for Your Protection).”

But give the 10-hour, five-part program credit for being up front about its intentions. Today’s premiere (7 p.m.) begins with this get-out-of-jail-free disclaimer: “This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the book.”

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CBS
Theo James and Chi McBride star in “Golden Boy,” premiering Tuesday on KUTV Channel 2.

‘Golden Boy’ offers interesting tweaks to cop genre

The CBS cop drama “Golden Boy” does not reinvent the police show, but it does give it some interesting tweaks that make this new prime-time entry significantly better than many broadcast-network series.

“Golden Boy” is more complex than what viewers often see on many CBS hourlong shows. It does not display the verisimilitude of, say, TNT’s “Southland,” but “Golden Boy” offers more sophisticated storytelling than CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” or “Criminal Minds.”

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CBS
Johnny Galecki (background), Jim Parsons, and Simon Helberg star on “The Big Bang Theory.”

‘Big Bang Theory’ sticking around?

Q: If the ratings for “The Big Bang Theory” stay at or above the current bar through the 2013-2014 season (final season as contracted), would you expect CBS to sign on for a few more years?

A: Absolutely. A hit the magnitude of “Big Bang” is hard to come by. The question is, will the cast be game to return? My bet is it will be.

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National Geographic Channel
Billy Campbell portrays Abraham Lincoln in the television film “Killing Lincoln,” based on the best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly.

Nat Geo airs ‘Killing Lincoln’

National Geographic Channel sticks its pinky toe into the waters of scripted programming with this weekend’s premiere of “Killing Lincoln” (6 p.m. today with rebroadcasts to follow), based on the book by Martin Dugard and Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly.

Although the book was criticized for some inaccuracies — a reviewer for the official National Park Service bookstore at Ford’s Theatre initially recommended the book not be sold at that site due to inaccuracies that O’Reilly says have been corrected in subsequent printings — the Nat Geo movie is a thoroughly entertaining, exciting docudrama.

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Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein are featured on TLC’s “The Little Couple.”

‘Little Couple,’ other shows coming back?

Q: Will the TLC series “The Little Couple” be returning?

A: Yes, it will be back in April, but no specific premiere date has been announced.

Q: Can you tell me when the new seasons of “Episodes,” ‘‘Web Therapy” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will start?

A: This question arrived the same day Showtime announced that “Web Therapy” will be back in the summer, but “Episodes” won’t return for a third season until early 2014.

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TV Q&A: What's going on with '666 Park Avenue'?

Q: Sunday evening I looked forward to watching “666 Park Avenue,” which was listed to air a few Sundays back. Instead of “666,” another program was shown. Why did ABC change this? Will “666” never be shown again?

A: ABC canceled “666 Park Avenue” in the fall due to low ratings, but had been planning to let it play out until all the episodes aired. But ratings continued to tumble, so the network yanked it at the last minute. It’s possible that ABC might burn off the remaining episodes this summer, but there’s no guarantee that will happen.

 ABC
Anthony Edwards stars in “Zero Hour,” premiering Thursday on KTVX Channel 4.

'Zero Hour' so dumb it's funny

PASADENA, Calif. — ABC proved with “Scandal” that a TV show doesn’t have to make a lick of sense to be popular. Now the network ups the ante with “Zero Hour,” a valentine to even more bonkers programming.

In the first “Zero Hour” episode (7 p.m. Thursday, KTVX Channel 4), there’s a kidnapping, Nazis, Rosicrucians, an object hidden beneath a cathedral, a baby with crazy eyes and possibly clones of Anthony Edwards. Also: Clocks, lots of clocks that tick-tock ominously.

None of this is to say that nuttiness can’t be fun. It clearly can. But a program completely devoid of any hint of realism has to be approached differently.

Jeff Daniels stars as news anchor Will McAvoy on “The Newsroom.”
HBO

‘The Newsroom,’ ‘V’ returning?

Q: Can you tell me when the new season of “The Newsroom” will begin?

A: HBO has not yet announced a premiere date, but it’s expected to be this summer, most likely in June, the same month it premiered in 2012.

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NBC
Steven Pasquale plays neurosurgeon Jason Cole and bad boy Ian Price in the new NBC series “Do No Harm,” premiering Thursday on KSL Channel 5

Jekyll & Hyde tale gets ridiculous twist

Time for another attempt to reinvent “Jekyll & Hyde,” this time with neurosurgeon Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, “Rescue Me”), who is only himself from 8:25 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. Overnight he turns into a troublemaker called Ian Price, who is, frankly, a lot more fun to watch.

Cole has kept Ian in check for many years, but in the pilot episode of NBC’s “Do No Harm” (9 p.m. Thursday, KSL Channel 5), Ian returns to wreak havoc. He’s like the Incredible Hulk on a timer.

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