TVLine Spoilers about Season 7 

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Send any/all of the above to 

Ausiello: Franchise virgin Michael Chiklis will be playing “a strong man who’s married to Angela Bassett[\'s character],” exec producer Ryan Murphy told us at Thursday’s Critics Choice Awards, where he was honored with the Louis XIII Genius Award. “He has scenes with Angela and Jessica Lange and [onscreen ex] Kathy Bates. I love the part because it’s really written to be quite vulnerable, which is something I think Michael does so well –  the strong man who’s vulnerable. I’m very excited to see [him] tussle with all those great ladies. And he’s really up for it, really excited about it.”

 ahead of Season 7 due to the “creative direction” of the character James. It seems based on Sunday’s premiere that James, now played by Nathan Parsons, will be a love interest for Lafayette. Was Luke uncomfortable with the same-sex paring? —Nate

Ausiello: Grimes’ rep insists James’ Season 7 storyline “was never actually fleshed out in advance of him fielding a few film roles which 

co-star) “ultimately exercised his out clause to pursue these other projects as opposed to anything having to do with [his

] storyline.” HBO, meanwhile, is standing by its original statement that, “The role of James [was] recast due to the creative direction of the character.”

Ausiello: A new woman is about to enter Patrick Jane’s (professional) life. The CBS drama is casting the series regular role of Michelle Vega, a rookie FBI agent who is a student of combat and weaponry and is unfazed by high-pressure situations (such as when the show awaited that 11th-hour renewal).

Question: Any news on whether Caity Lotz will return to

Ausiello: As Colton Haynes (who plays Roy) reminds, Sara “gave up her jacket” to sis Laurel before rejoining Nyssa and the League of Assassins in the season finale. But hey, that’s nothing a trip to Wilson Leather Goods can’t fix, right? “I think we’ll definitely see Sara back,” Haynes ventures. “I’m not sure how soon, but obviously, when she does, we might see different facets of her.”

Ausiello: Instead of scoop, I’ve got Hayden Panettiere’s Season 3 wish list — which you will accept and enjoy! “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss [shooting scenes with] Chip [Esten],” the actress confesses. “We were together so much the first year, and when you get to know somebody that well as an actor, it allows you to really delve into things in a way that is very free and real and raw. In Season 2, I didn’t get to see him all that much.” Panettiere says she still marvels that

Nashville‘s audience embraced the Juliette-Deacon relationship as it transitioned from romantic to platonic. “This is a man who Juliette had sexual relations with, who is now more of a father figure, and it’s not weird, it’s not uncomfortable,” she notes. “You didn’t lose any respect for either one of them for doing it — which is really wild.” On the ickier side of Juliette’s relationship spectrum, Panettiere is pretty sure there’ll be more fallout from her character’s one-night stand with lecherous record exec Jeff Fordham. “That was a pretty big mistake for Juliette to make with a pretty dangerously disliked character,” she reasons. “I would be surprised if [the writers] just let that go or resolved it very quickly.”

, Auggie has found himself in handcuffs at least once. Any hints as to what kind of trouble he’ll get into this season? —Rhiannon Ausiello: Female trouble —

‘s Amy Jo Johnson makes her debut as Hayley, an investigator with the National Counter-Terrorism Center who takes a shine to Auggie. But first and foremost, “Hayley comes into the show in a spy story-related capacity,” previews executive producer Chris Ord. “So [that] will collide and make their relationship something more than just romantic.”

Ausiello: Do I ever, Lakshana. I know fans have been concerned about Kat Graham not returning to the show next season, following Bonnie’s trip into oblivion with Damon, but the series vet assures us we have nothing to worry about. “She is [back next season], but I don’t know in what form or for how long,” Graham teases, adding that she was “just as shocked as the next person” when she first heard about the ending. “I’ve been on the show for five years, and I cried when I watched the finale.”

Question: We’ve heard a lot about Malia and Stiles on

? What will her relationship be like with her dad? —Deb

Ausiello: Well, Deb, if you guessed either “awkward” or “difficult,” you’d be right on the money. “Peter is the guy who Malia has heard nothing but horrible things about from Scott, Stiles and Lydia,” Shelley Hennig explains. “I’m sure there’s a part of her that thinks, ‘This is my dad, I can’t ignore him,’ but then there’s also another part, telling her, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ There might be a bit of a struggle with that.” I say “might” is an understatement.

important meeting, Dr. Kadar resurfaces (whether Lourdes likes it or not!), the nature of the “black hornet” ET is revealed and a pair of someones will share a first kiss.

 the time. My question concerns Andy McNally and Sam Swarek from

 —are they ever going to find their way back together? —Sarah

Ausiello: Series Creator Tassie Cameron assures us that the twosome is “not keeping their distance from each other. They’re just taking it slow.” Meanwhile, Nick will have a “a bit” of a hard time seeing his ex with Sam in this Thursday’s episode. “But they’re all professionals and Nick is a very, very stand-up guy,” says Cameron. “He’s a pro, and he’s not going to let it wreck his professionalism.”

would be brilliant — like, will Chris Vance be back at any point as Casey? –Michelle

Ausiello: “It’s all about scheduling,” Vance aka Rizzoli’s baby daddy told us recently, just before heading off to Morocco, the Czech Republic and other far-off locales to resume filming

(which bows on TNT this fall). “I’m shooting way across the world, but we’re trying to resolve it. There’s no reason there shouldn’t be [an encore].”

Question: Please tell me we will see Patrick J. Adams on

Ausiello: No word on Adams’ Jesse, but EP Graeme Manson is hoping to bring back another popular character — clone romancer Cal (played by

thesp Michiel Huisman). The one (rather significant) obstacle? Notes Manson with a laugh: “[He\'s] one busy actor.”

Ausiello: Look for Callie to forge an “instant connection” with her surprise half-sister Sophia, previews the actress’ portrayer, Maia Mitchell, adding, “As an older sister, she absolutely wants to protect this girl — she can see that she is going through some tough stuff and maybe is a little lonely. She’s really trying to find a balance between staying true to her family and the Fosters, [and] also looking after this girl, who is obviously needing her right now. It’s a balancing act.”

Hannibal‘s recent finale going to turn the NBC drama into an entirely different animal in Season 3? —Lenny

Ausiello: A different animal like the endangered Ortolan Buntings that Dr. Lecter drown in Armagnac and ate whole with Will? (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist revisiting that disturbing image.) In all seriousness, though, expect the show to journey to Europe next year, according to series star Hugh Dancy. “It’s definitely in the cards,” he teases. “I mean, obviously Hannibal’s taken off, and Will is going to be in some way on his trail. So, I do think we’ll be on the road a bit.” Dancy also points out that because the show uses Thomas Harris’ books as its template, “It’s hardly a spoiler to say that Hannibal ends up incarcerated. It’s just a question of how we get there.”

Question: I’m dying to know anything about Season 6 of

. This is one of my favorite dramas! Anything we need to know? —Ben Ausiello: I’m told all series regulars will be back for the 13-episode sixth and final season, something that was

a foregone conclusion. The reason the show’s renewal came down to the wire last month was because NBC, in an effort to trim costs, wanted to cut back the cast’s episode guarantee, triggering protracted, somewhat tense renegotiations. Ultimately, an “11 of 13″ arrangement became the compromise. And if any member of the cast balked at those terms, they were free to walk. Luckily, none of them did.

Question: Even though she was barely used, I was bummed to hear that Zoe Jarman was not returning to

full-time. What are the chances she will pop in as a guest star? —Joyce

Ausiello: The chances sound pretty good! “Zoe is one of those actresses that kills anything we give her,” raves exec producer Matt Warburton, who says her status change was primarily a “budgetary” issue. “We love [Betsy]. We love her in our world, and we want her here as much as possible.”

That’s a wrap! Please send questions, comments, and anonymous tips to askausiello@tvline.com. (

Additional reporting by Kim Roots, Andy Swift, Michael Slezak, Vlada Gelman and Scott Huver

I call bull on Grimes saying he left to pursue other projects, especially when he SPECIFICALLY said that he left because he wanted to work with Deborah Ann Woll and the storyline wasn’t going to allow him to do that. Did he think we’d not remember this?

Actually DishNation had the deets on this and Ausiello hinted at it previously, back in December. His agent of course has to keep his client working, too bad the guy is what he is.

I feel bad for his agent. What a headache! In the end though, I don’t mind. I think Nathan Parsons is an upgrade. :)

Word. His statement at the time was all about not getting the storyline he wanted (eg sexy times with Deborah Ann Woll), not “scheduling conflicts”. Silly boy, this is the Internet. We never forget.

Of course, if he’d been smart he’d just have left it as “schedule conflicts” from the get go. He wasn’t that memorable and many didn’t know who he was. That interview made it much more notable than it otherwise would have been.

Now we know Luke Grimes is a homophobe, so we’re better off with the recast.

Yep. Probably why he left Brothers & Sisters too.

That word. I don’t think you know what it means.

That didn’t take long. It is possible for someone to be uncomfortable sharing a kiss with someone of the same sex without using a word that makes them sound like they *hate* all gay people. The words “racist” and “homophobe” get thrown around way too liberally on the internet. Not every vaguely negative personal feeling or reaction towards something necessarily warrants likening it to a hate crime.

And, by the way, I too would be disappointed if I thought I was going to get to spend a full season having super-happy-funtimes with Deborah Ann Woll only to find out, not so much… no matter who the alternative. hehe

I’m just making an educated guess based on the context, but it sounds like the powers that be wanted each main cast member to be in less than all 13 episodes in order to save money (as in, any given episode might be missing a main cast member or two) and they compromised on 11 episodes. As in, each main cast member will appear in 11 out of the 13 episodes.

They’ll be in 11 episodes of 13. They’ll each miss 2 episodes.

“11 of 13″ means that each cast member will only appear in 11 out of the 13 episodes of the season.

I really like The Fosters but I am getting a little tired of the Callie woes.

This is where I disagree with you (for the first time ever). I think Callie is great as the teen protagonist here and Maia Mitchell imbues her with something just makes me want to root for her. Besides finding a new family and sister is hardly a woe. There will be angst, undoubtedly, but there is hope in this storyline. And I appreciate that this show doesn’t tie everything in a neat and tidy bow and have her go all valley girl teen. It’s more realistic and I love all the concurrent storylines involving both the kids and adults, they all tie in and bounce off each other well.

I second the hope that Patrick J Adams comes back to Orphan Black!

First we need Orphan Black to come back. There’s been no news yet about it getting a third season, and its an expensive show to make.

It would be a crime not to renew Orphan Black. It’s one of the most innovative shows on TV.

it’s getting renewed. No worry there. It’s a Canadian show and considering the global acclaim it’s getting, it’ll get renewed. And then some. The tv system doesn’t work the same up here as it does down there. I’m not concerned in the slightest.

No, Hayden. Deacon and Juliette WAS weird…and gross. We just choose not to think about it. That said, they should definitely have more scenes together now!

Totally agree. He’s nearly 25 years older than her! Was so grossed out there. I was so happy when that relationship transitioned to more of a father/daughter one, they’re cute in that capacity.

Yeah I’m fairly sure most fans did not like the Deacon/Juliette pairing. But now that a decent amount of time has passed I do appreciate their friendship.

That first kiss better not be Ben and Maggie. F’ing gross.

“Felicitys” Amy Jo Johnson?? She was barely on that show.. Are we forgetting her long run on “Flashpoint”? Or even “Power Rangers”.. both of which she was more central to than she was to Felicity.

Does this mean Sara won’t be a regular this year? I really like her, but there are so many characters, especially with the four new people who are coming. I still hope they do a small arc with Sara and LOA flashbacks at some point this year though :)

A new FBI recruit with combat and weaponry skills on The Mentalist? Sounds like the perfect match for Cho! He needs a love interest.

I really like Michiel Huisman, but I currently could not care less about Cal. He’s a prop, not a person. He’s there when Sarah needs him, doing whatever she needs him to do without question. He disappears when she doesn’t need him, even when that means being separated from the daughter he started bonding with. He has no relevance to the plot, except when he shows up in the finale and has magically cultivated the exact needed contact entirely off screen (deus ex machina anyone). So I would not be sad if his schedule didn’t work out and Cal disappears. But if he does come back, for the love of god give him a personality besides being Sarah’s lap dog. He’s a fantastic actor, give him something to do!

Can’t wait to see Jane and Lisbon exploring a relationship on the Mentalist!

Don’t know why NBC is being such a pain about Parenthood! Networks should realize that it seriously irks fans when they leave us hanging and don’t end shows properly! Yes, that ,sometimes means using the entire cast or taping an extra couple of episodes but loyalty should be a two way street!

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough fans for NBC to care that much about. People have to remember that TV is a business: not that many people watch parenthood, which means that it’s not getting much attention (read: money) from advertisers. The show needs that money to keep going. No money = no show. It’s very easy to look at NBC as the bad guy, but they’re just doing the best they can. We should be happy we’re even getting season 6 at all.

Parenthood – does that include Haddie?? And would it include her girlfriend Lauren? I hope so.

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