Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS: LA, She-Hulk, Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, Young Justice, Resident Alien and More

I read that She-Hulk had hoped to use Spider-Man, but couldn’t. Any idea what their plan was for Peter Parker? –Neil
Actually, the Disney+ series had no designs on the webslinger himself, who of course is tangled up in that Sony/Marvel gray area — “We knew innately that Spider-Man was a no-go,” head writer Jessica Gao made clear to me. Instead, the hope was hoping to play with adjacent characters. “We thought maybe some of the other characters in Spider-Man might be fun to bring into our world,” Gao explained, “but we were told pretty early on that that was impossible, so we didn’t really go too far down the road. We just had a couple of Spider-Man supernerds in our room who dare to dream!”

Is there any news, one way or the other, about a Young Justice Season 5? –Morris
HBO Max from go had only ordered a single season of the onetime Cartoon Network and DC Universe series, and that plan has not changed. There are currently no plans for a Season 5, I am told.

Any scoop on upcoming episodes of Resident Alien? –Karen
In the weeks to come, Harry’s hunt for the alien baby will lead to an unlikely partnership. Also, Dr. Ethan Stone’s fate takes yet another dark turn!

Do you have any fun teasers of what will happen on Abbott Elementary this season? –B.J.
We just spoke to executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker at the HCA TV Awards, and they said to expect to see in Season 2 (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 21) more of where characters live, and maybe meet new relatives and friends outside of the school environment. Bonus teaser: “We do have some special guest stars that I think will surprise people, specifically in the premiere,” Halpern previewed.

Any updates about when Magnum P.I. might start to shoot again?? –Fran
Although some cast have faked us out with their socials (Perdita!!!), I am told that the cameras on Season 5 of the CBS-turned-NBC procedural actually won’t get rolling until mid-September. (And no, there is no premiere date/time slot yet.)

According to your Password review, there are eight episodes but 10 celebrities? If each episode is the same celebrity for the entire episode, are we not seeing two guests this season? –Philip
I looked into your #mathing mystery, and the answer is… the eighth and final episode, airing Tuesday, Sept. 13, features an all-star lineup, playing for charity.

Anything on the last two episodes of Animal Kingdom ever? –Sheryl
Not to put too fine a point on it, but s–t’s getting real on the TNT drama. In this Sunday’s “Exodus,” we get a pretty clear indication of what Craig, Deran and J plan to do following Pope’s jailbreak. But we also get a pretty clear indication that not all of them are going to get to do what they plan to do. Oh, and if you think you hated Smurf before, just. You. Wait. This episode is going to make you realize that you never even understood the meaning of the word “loathing.”

How many episodes will Days of Our Lives have when it moves to Peacock? They telecast over 200 a year on NBC, Monday through Friday, but how many episodes will they stream? –Janis
Fear not, the format and frequency of episodes won’t change with the sudser’s Sept. 12 relocation to Peacock.

Do you have any info on whether there will be a Season 3 of Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi? If so, when might it return? –Will
Season 3? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Taste the Nation is renewed for a yet-to-air second season — that was a four-part “holiday edition” that aired last November — but a premiere date is not yet set.

Barely six weeks and counting until Ghosts Season 2! Any last teasers, maybe about my favorite, Alberta? –Joss
Fans of the CBS hitcom will “absolutely” learn more about Alberta in Season 2, premiering Thursday, Sept. 29 (now at 8:30/7:30c). “We see online that people are clamoring to see her in the jazz club, singing, and we want that, too,” EP/co-showrunner Joe Wiseman told TVLine. “She also has mentioned Al Capone a couple of times, and while we haven’t come up with any specifics, I feel like there’s a lot of people who would like to see some storyline with him in the room. So that’s something we’re talking about.”

Do you know if The Bureau of Magical Things will have a Season 3? –Jay
A rep for the Aussie drama — whose first season, at least, aired Stateside on TeenNick — would neither confirm nor deny the possibility of a third season, telling TVLine, “We like to keep our options open.”

Have you heard any rumblings about the status of Nickelodeon’s Warped? Looks like it was cancelled, star Anton [Starkman] removed the show from his Instagram bio. With the cancellation of Side Hustle, it seems they could be cleaning house. –Drew
Indeed, I hear that Nickelodeon will not be moving forward with a third season of Side Hustle or a second season of Warped — though both shows can currently be seen on Nick On-Demand, and Side Hustle will hit Paramount+ next month.

If The Orville does get a Season 4, is it safe to say Giorgia Whigham/Lysella be a series regular? –Geoff
“That’s a tough one, because I don’t know. Season 4 is a blank slate,” says series boss Seth MacFarlane. And while Lysella surely won’t be returning to Sargus 4, “The question is, ‘Is she Gillian Hicks in Star Trek IV, or what’s the story there?'” says MacFarlane. “It’s tough to chart what exactly what a Season 4 would be, because when we started writing Season 3, half the stuff that happened — the shifting of the Alliances, the Kaylon becoming an ally, the Moclans becoming enemies — I never could have predicted. It’s just something that came about in the writers room over time. Certainly we set up threads this year, and most were pretty obvious, that lend themselves to payoffs in a Season 4, but how everything intertwines and evolves and develops…. I don’t even know if we’re picked up!”

AJ Buckley posted on Instagram that SEAL Team returns September 12th, then took it down. Would you mind finding out when Season 6 starts, please? –Jen
The Paramount+ series surely isn’t premiering on a Monday (let alone the day of the Emmys), but I’d watch for an official date reveal soon.

How will Marco’s decision to take Luca affect each character in The Cleaning Lady Season 2? –Laura
“Marco’s decision to take Luca will have unexpected consequences that will effect each of our characters in deeply profound ways,” exec producers Melissa Carter and Miranda Kwok tell Inside Line. “And while our family will pull together to face the new challenges ahead, they will never be the same again.”

Want scoop on a favorite show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com! Questions left in Comments will not be read and may very well count against your final score. (With additional reporting by Vlada Gelman, Keisha Hatchett and Charlie Mason)