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TV Media Weekly | February 23 - March 1, 2019 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: In early 2018 there was an ABC series called "For the Peo- ple." At the end of the last show I saw an announcement saying the show would return in the fall. It hasn't returned, so what happened? A: Wow, have I got good news for you. Not only is "For the Peo- ple" coming back, against the odds, but it's coming back soon. The ABC series, a legal drama set in "America's most prestigious trial court" (according to the offi- cial description), will return for its second season on March 7. Whatever news you saw saying it would be back in the fall misled you — this return comes almost exactly a year after the show's de- but in 2018. It's possible that there was talk at one point about pro- moting it from a winter show to a fall show, but that would have been before the ratings were in. That brings me back to the odds I was talking about: many expect- ed "For the People" to be canceled after its first season due to low rat- ings — it averaged just 2.54 mil- lion viewers, placing it 21st out of ABC's 26 unscripted shows, below some of the shows the network canceled. Q: What's Cote de Pablo been doing since she left "NCIS"? A: So far, Cote de Pablo has been dabbling in other TV (including the 2015 miniseries "The Dovekeep- ers" and the failed 2016 pilot "Pro- totype") and in film (namely the 2015 drama "The 33" and the up- coming indie pic "Seneca"). But to most, she's still the artist formerly known as Ziva David in nine seasons of "NCIS" from 2005 to 2013. Thus, her most interesting project is the TV series she's devel- oping with fellow "NCIS" departee Michael Weatherly. (Weatherly, of course, played Anthony DiNozzo in "NCIS" from 2003 to 2016.) De Pablo and Weatherly will serve as executive producers of "MIA," about a newly minted ho- micide detective struggling "to keep her personal life from inter- fering in her first undercover as- signment in Miami." No cast has been announced yet, which at least leaves open the hope that de Pablo will also be playing the detective. It's less likely that Weatherly will have a screen role as well, only be- cause he's busier at the moment. He's had a bit more post-"NCIS" success than de Pablo, including another hit series that's still ongo- ing — CBS's "Bull." However, his network bosses might be willing to adjust "Bull's" schedule to give him some extra time for the new show, since "MIA" will be on CBS as well. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media L ife can be stressful, and weekends are supposed to be the time to unwind. Of course, there are often more things to do on the week- ends than there are hours to do them, but that's where a show like "The Kitchen" comes in: an hour or two once a week of guilt-free television, a chance to hang out with some of the friendliest chefs on TV. "The Kitchen" kicks off with a special two-hour episode on Saturday, March 2, on Food Network. Despite the double- length runtime, the episode is jam-packed with the hosts cel- ebrating some of their favorite flavors, with a little bit of help from viewers. As usual, "The Kitchen" is anything but formal, and the dishes that the hosts show off are full of down-home good- ness. Sunny Anderson whips up an easy-to-make baked pan- cake that's loaded with tasty toppings and finished with a decadent lemon maple glaze. Later on, she prepares a dish that's a viewer favorite: smoth- ered French onion chicken thighs. Meanwhile, Katie Lee shows off a dish that the show's behind-the-scenes crew loves to dig into, a fantastic Thanksgiving pot pie. The double-stuffed episode also features some guest stars, with comedian Michelle Collins ("Gossip Queens") hanging out with Geoffrey Zakarian, who shows her how easy it is to make traditional Hungarian- style stuffed cabbage. That's not all for Zakarian, as the ac- claimed chef later shares a dish that combines flavors that "The Kitchen" viewers love. He pre- pares creamy polenta with wild mushrooms and watercress on a plate, and serves it with a stunning European bass as the protein. That's a lot, and it's just scratching the surface of what the two-hour episode has in store. There's also a round of Tool Takedown on the schedule, a new recipe for pizza crust that uses chickpeas, and four different ways of making a des- sert that's gone viral. There's always lots going on in "The Kitchen," and this week's episode has so much packed in that the hosts had to double the episode's size. Take some time to unwind this weekend with "The Kitchen," airing Saturday, March 2, on Food Network. 'The Kitchen's' friendly hosts make it easy to unwind 10 | Cooking this week Moore's Home Health 2 x 2" Family Health Clinic 2 x 1.5" White Lilies N Paradise 2 x 1.5" Jeff Mauro, Sunny Anderson, Geoffrey Zakarian and Katie Lee in "The Kitchen"

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