Spoiler Room type TV Show

Want scoop on your favorite shows? Then come hang out in the Spoiler Room, where I attempt to satiate your need to find out what’s coming up on TV. If you want spoilers on a specific show, send Qs to my Twitter: @NatalieAbrams.

Gimme Scandal scoop! — Chandra

How’s this for cryptic: One of our regulars will be getting a new love interest this season that will definitely surprise you. (The picture above may or may not be a clue.)

Blindspot scoop, particularly on Zapata. — Edwin

Now that we all know Zapata has been working for the CIA, I can exclusively reveal that Chad Donella will stick around as CIA deputy director Jake Keaton in a recurring capacity this year. As Zapata’s direct superior, Keaton continues to be an unreliable ally for the FBI, walking the line between hurting and helping them in the interest of furthering his own murky agenda.

How will James and Lena handle working together on Supergirl? — Micah

They’ll certainly be butting heads over leadership style (more on that soon!), but we’ll also finally get to see how James feels about Lena as a Luthor. “That’s complicated,” Mehcad Brooks tells me. “Being who James is, he tries to give everybody a second chance or fresh start. However, there’s always this skepticism in the back of his head. She’s a Luthor. Is she purposely doing this or that? James is probably the most skeptical of all out of everyone. The rest of them don’t know Lex, at least not the way I do.”

When are we going to see Zari on Legends of Tomorrow? — Daniel

You won’t have to wait much longer as she’ll be introduced in episode 3. But not all of the Legends will be on board with her joining the team, chief among them: Zari herself. “She’s not an obvious choice to join the Legends, and to be part of a team,” Tala Ashe tells me. “In the early episodes, you’re going to see that she’s fighting the narrative of being a superhero, but also being part of a team and trusting people because I think that’s something that has burned her in the past. Because of her upbringing, it’s not something that she easily adheres to. She is brilliant in that sense and says what’s on her mind, and it’s a different tone to bring to the group of Legends. She shakes them up and challenges their mission.”

Any chance for some This is Us scoop? — Carson

Next week, the show takes us back to the late ’80s for a time when the Pearson household had its fair share of drama: Rebecca’s mom comes to town for an unexpected visit, and a bout of chicken pox is running through the family. Mandy Moore teases that Rebecca’s disapproving mother proves to be a “pain in the #@!” (Okay, she actually just said “neck,” but it sounds like she’s quite a nuisance in the episode.) “It’s actually kind of odd that she decides to take it upon herself to come and lend a helping hand when that’s never really been our relationship before,” Moore says. “We don’t go home for holidays anymore. We’re our own little unit, the five of us.” Well, get ready for the sixth wheel to make plenty of squeaking.

I read that this week’s episode of Great News is especially timely. What should we expect? — Breanne

Expect to see Tina Fey leaning into her inner Jack Donaghy to play Diana in scenes where she takes advantage of her position at the network to make her employees (including Carol!) uncomfortable. And though the episode had been written long before this week’s news cycle surrounding Harvey Weinstein, much of what the staff says in it applies to any harassment case. But don’t worry if this all sounds too heavy for a comedy series: The show mines humor out of Katie’s realization of who her mentor is — and the final act delivers a kooky twist in the vein of 30 Rock.

Anything on Nathan Riggs on Grey’s Anatomy? — Kara

He’s surprisingly MIA for much of Thursday’s episode, but that’s because the hour really focuses on Amelia’s brain surgery. However, both characters will be involved in scenes that will 100 percent make you cry this week. Oh, and totally unrelated, but we’ll find out that Greg Germann’s Dr. Koracick is connected to someone else at Grey Sloan.

Any hints on what’s really going on on that island in The Exorcist? — Jaime

Here’s a clue from showrunner Jeremy Slater: “Part of the fun of this season is realizing that this demon may have been around for a while and that the people we’re seeing now may not have been its first victims.” If you’ve been watching closely, you might have formulated your own theories on what happened to Nicole Kim, Andy’s late wife — and you should definitely question the circumstances of her death going forward. “Did she sense something a year ago? Was she driven to do something against her will?” Slater explains. “Those are questions we’ll be asking.”

Do you have any Lucifer scoop on Ella? — Annabeth

Yes, the show will be delving more into what makes Ella tick this season. “We’re digging into her, actually,” EP Ildy Modrovich says. “We’re about mid-season right now, breaking the episodes, and we’re getting to dig into her family backstory a little more in this year. We’re getting to know Ella and why she is as positive as she is and the strength, where she got that strength.”

Mark Consuelos was perfectly cast as Hiram Lodge on Riverdale. Any scoop? — Garrison

Hiram will make a very interesting power play during next week’s episode that will, hmm, make you question Hermione’s choices — and it only gets worse from there. Let’s just say that Hiram’s reach runs deep.

This week in TV: Really looking forward to the new season of Arrow.



That’s a wrap on this week’s Spoiler Room. Don’t forget to tweet your Qs to @NatalieAbrams.

Additional reporting by Shirley Li and Dan Snierson.