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

Question: Grey’s Anatomy scoop, please! —Allison

Ausiello: The show is admitting the rarest breed of Grey’s Anatomy character this spring: an honest-to-goodness Big Bad. According to sources, Shonda Rhimes & Co. are looking for a Caucasian actor in his mid 40s to play a new doctor who is “appealing, charismatic and charming” — in other words, a total freakin’ catch. The twist? He’s has a “manipulative, scary dark side.” The MD (which in this case stands for maniacal demon) will appear in this season’s final four episodes and could return in Season 14. Now, I’ll just say what everyone is thinking: Could this be Jo’s husband?! BONUS SCOOP: Tonight’s episode ends with a fairly momentous *u*.

Question: I see you attended the premiere of The Good Fight on Wednesday night. Don’t leave us hanging — what did you think?!

Ausiello: My formal review will arrive in the coming days (after I screen the second episode, which just hit my desk). But here’s what I can tell you in the meantime: It’s good. It’s too soon to say if it’s Good Wife good, but, judged on its own merits, the premiere is a really solid hour of television, boasting expectedly strong performances from franchise vets Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo as well as newbie Rose Leslie, whose Maia is essentially the Alicia of the story. Now for a few very mild spoilers: Josh Charles’ late Will makes not one but two “cameos” in the opener, at least three F-bombs are dropped (and not all of them by Baranski’s Diane) and the opening title sequence is quite, ahem, smashing.

Question: Any hope of a romantic reunion for Jane the Virgin‘s Jane and Rafael now that Michael is out of the picture? —Alicen

Ausiello: Jesus Christ, his body is barely cold. Are you heartless?

Question: I’m still inconsolable after Michael’s death on Jane the Virgin. Anything you can tell me about next week’s episode to make me feel better? —Samantha

Ausiello: If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering how long it’ll be before Jane starts boning Rafael. Well, based on what I’m hearing about Monday’s episode, you may have to wait a while. Turns out Rafael spent the intervening three years doing time and doing a new lady (who may or may not have a Friday Night Lights connection and who may or may not be featured in this photo here).



Question: Are we ever going to meet Max’s parents on 2 Broke Girls? —Jessica

Ausiello: Actually, we almost met Max’s MIA mom this season. In fact, producers quietly began casting the role with an eye toward introducing her this winter, but the idea was scrapped. Actually, it was postponed, likely until next season.

Question: Anything on The Walking Dead? —Doug

Ausiello: In Sunday’s midseason premiere (AMC, 9/8c), Rick and Team Alexandria for the first time in a long time have a goal that goes beyond survival — defeating the Saviors. So it no longer feels to them — and shouldn’t feel to viewers — like they are in an endless tunnel with no light at the end of it, showrunner Scott Gimple tells TVLine. That goal is “where the light comes from. Now they know the way out of the tunnel, and they are fighting for that — and fighting to get ready to fight. That brings life back to them.” BONUS SCOOP: Sunday’s episode features one of show’s coolest zombie sequences ever that could revive a certain dance craze.

Question: I’m very much looking forward to House of Cards Season 5, but there’s been no mention of whether Paul Sparks will be back as Thomas Yates. I love him on the show and I really love him with Robin Wright’s Claire. —Jason

Ausiello: I agree with you on all counts, so you can probably imagine how excited I am to confirm to you right here in Ask Ausiello that Sparks will indeed be back in Season 5. Even better, the supremely underrated actor makes the “announcement” himself via the below Emmy red carpet video that I’ve been keeping in my back pocket until closer to the show’s May 30 return. In the below clip, Sparks also responds to my concerns about House of Cards pressing forward without creator Beau Willimon at the helm.

Question: Got anything on Empire? —Nikki

Ausiello: Jamal is getting a major new love interest before Season 3 wraps. An attorney by day and aspiring musician by night, Lawrence also (naturally!) is hiding a dangerous secret. We’ll first meet him in the show’s two-part finale, and he will definitely be back in Season 4 (perhaps even as a series regular).

Question: Longtime reader, first time writing in. I love Switched At Birth except for one thing. Am I the only one completely over Bay and Emmett? Anyway, got any scoop you can share about this final season? —Karissa

Ausiello: Regina’s hush-hush May-December romance is not going to remain hidden from her daughters for long. “Secrets always get blown, and usually at big events where you don’t want them to get blown,” executive producer Lizzy Weiss teases with a laugh. “[Bay and Daphne] do find out pretty soon. Regina has kept a lot of secrets from the girls, and she knows that that’s never a good idea. But she also is protective of her privacy and worried they’re going to judge her. So she is treading a little delicately in trying to balance being honest with them and [finding] the right time” to tell them about her new guy.

Question: I decided to start the One Day at a Time reboot and became immediately obsessed. Any word from Netflix about a second season? —Eric

Ausiello: It hasn’t been made official yet but, yes, there will be a second season. My guess is it’ll be announced within the next two weeks.

Question: Any Supernatural spoilers? —Maria

Ausiello: Misha Collins confirms what co-showrunner Andrew Dabb previously told TVLine about there being another big Castiel episode in the pipeline. “Particularly getting close to the end of the season, things heat up dramatically for Cas,” Collins previews. “The pursuit of Kelly and her spawn turns into a transformative experience for Castiel, and that is meant with every possible type of entendre. We’re going to see a new iteration of Cas coming up.”

Question: Big Jaha fan here. Why haven’t we seen much of him on The 100 this season? –Jake

Ausiello: Funny you should ask, Jake, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of your favorite character next Wednesday (Feb. 15). After this week’s explosion, Clarke and the gang are getting pretty desperate to save their people — perhaps even desperate enough to turn to Isaiah Washington’s character for support. The question is: Can he be trusted? (Also, you can’t really blame him for laying low, considering he was basically the cause of last year’s ALIE catastrophe.)

Question: Any scoop on the upcoming Law & Order: SVU episode where the D.A.’s office is hacked? Any hint on what sort of secrets about Barba will be revealed? —LaShawna

Ausiello: Without spilling exactly what it is, I can say that a secret so big and career-threatening is in play that Barba can’t even turn to Benson for support. Instead, he’ll choose a course of action that is, arguably, quite ill-advised.

Question: Congrats on your book! Can’t wait to read it. Now my question: The one thing This Is Us has taught me, besides to hydrate and stock up on tissues before watching, is to dissect every scene for hidden, potentially spoilery details. I couldn’t help but focus on the position of the kids at the memorial service for Jack. Kate was furthest away from Rebecca, and Randall was closest to her, both of which I expected. But I was genuinely surprised to see Kevin holding Randall’s hand. (I thought Kevin and Randall would be on either side of Rebecca). Is there something there or have I just gone too far down the rabbit hole? —Fran

Ausiello: My money’s on the rabbit hole option. What does everyone else think?

This AAnd That…

♦ I’m working on an Emmy story that involves our girl Lauren Graham and a certain gold statue. And I’m telling you this with the hopes that you will pressure me to write the damn thing because, well, I’ve been dragging my feet — and when you see the story, you’ll understand why.

♦ Remind me to tell you the story about the A-list movie actress whose reps are apparently so ashamed their client is “slumming it” on the small screen that they are refusing to make her available to outlets that exclusively cover television.

♦ Word on the street is that Alan Ball’s new untitled HBO drama series now has a title: Here, Now.

That’s a wrap! Please send questions, comments and anonymous tips to askausiello@tvline.com. (Additional reporting by Vlada Gelman, Dave Nemetz and Andy Swift)