Mega Buzz: Fringe Death, Castle's Morning After and a "Damaged" Grey's Couple

Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com or tweet them to @adam_bryant or @NatalieAbrams.

Got any scoop on the final season of Fringe? — Samuel
NATALIE: Anyone who's been lulled into a false sense of security that September's premonition of Olivia dying in every timeline already came true last season might be in for a rude awakening this year. We're not saying Olivia is definitely going to die — please, no! — but executive producer J.H. Wyman was certainly coy about it. "There will be death in the final season," he says. "Whenever there's a war, there are going to be casualties. I think they're going to be unexpected." Yes, that sounds like multiple deaths to us too!

Now that you've seen the Castle premiere, what can you tell us about "the morning after"? — Brittney
ADAM: Based on Castle and Beckett's post-coital glow and hilariously giddy morning chatter, it sounds like their (possibly kinky?) night won't soon be forgotten. But it also won't soon be replicated. Just when the couple seems ready for Round 2 (or Round 4, if you ask Castle), a comedy of errors will foil their plans — and force Beckett to do a bit of a walk of shame.

Hey Natalie, what did you learn from your Grey's Anatomy set visit, specifically about Christina and Owen? —Selma via Twitter
NATALIE: Cristina will not handle the crash well, with Kevin McKidd calling her "deranged, crazy" and likening her to a "wild animal." "Owen's feeling very helpless and very out of control," he tells us. "It's going to be Owen striving to win her back... they're definitely the damaged couple, but they seem destined to be together."

I'm excited for Kathyrn Erbe to come to SVU. What can you tell me about her visit? — Jessica
ADAM: Although Erbe's reprising her role as Detective Eames from Criminal Intent, she is now working with Homeland Security as part of a joint task force investigating terrorists. She'll meet up with Benson & Co. when the terrorists are connected to a sex-trafficking ring. Executive producer Warren Leight (who ran CI for several seasons) says he was struck by the characters' similarities. "These are two women who had long-term partnerships with difficult guys," Leight says. "These are two people who've been underestimated — who've worked just as hard, just as long —and people don't quite get how good they are." But those people will have ample opportunity to see what they've been missing: Leight promises Erbe will be back at least once later in the season.

Got any fresh dirt on Bones? — Nick
ADAM: Sounds like serial killer Christopher Pelant isn't the only cocky murderer Brennan will be up against this season. In an upcoming episode, she'll go head-to-head with a smug, blue-collar head of a crime-scene-cleaning company. When he is suspected of murdering his company's biggest rival, the gruff know-it-all tells Brennan she'll never find enough evidence to convict him because his job forces him to be so good at cleaning up dirty work. We're betting he's all kinds of wrong.

I love Modern Family's holiday episodes. Will they be doing anything this year? —Janie
NATALIE: Not only will we get a New Year's Eve-centric episode, but the Modern Family producers are taking another crack at Halloween -- and another haunted house. "When Phil accuses Claire of not being scary on Halloween, she turns all her attention to giving him the scare of his life," executive producer Steve Levitan tells us.

Why must The Mentalist bring back Cho's love interest Summer? I don't like her! — Ellen
ADAM: Don't worry, Ellen: Summer (guest star Samaire Armstrong) won't be back until around midseason. Before then, you'll get to see a whole new side of Cho when he becomes the leader of the CBI SWAT team! "Of all our guys, he's the one to go in first and kick in the door and to actually get physical with people," executive producer Bruno Heller tells us. But his promotion may come with a price. "When you have a hammer in your hand, every problem looks like a nail," Heller warns. "Being addicted to thrills is a very dangerous road to go down in the long run because you have to keep upping the ante."

Will we actually get to see Mrs. Wolowitz this season on The Big Bang Theory? —James
NATALIE: The producers have been pretty insistent that we will not see her, sadly... or fortunately. However, we will meet her new male companion. Yes, while Howard has been in space, Mrs. Wolowitz has been getting her own world rocked by someone very familiar to her son. (Seriously, thank goodness we'll never have to see the actual coitus, as Sheldon would call it.)

Have you heard anything new about Psych? — Ebony
ADAM: Looks like the Santa Barbara Police Department is about to get a makeover. The show is casting a new oddball (think Paul Reubens or Alan Cumming) who is brilliant at turning dysfunctional departments into top-notch law enforcement institutions. That's bad news for Shawn and Gus, whose lack of professionalism bewilders their new overseer. Do we see unemployment in their futures?

What's coming up on Parks and Recreation? —Harold
NATALIE: Let's all mourn the loss of Entertainment 720 one last time... done? Good, because Tom has moved on. "We're going to have a new business that he starts this season," Aziz Ansari tells us. "That one will go a little bit better because he learned so much from the mistakes that he made with Entertainment 720, of which there were many." Here's hoping this means Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz) will be back to help!

Got any intel on Covert Affairs? — Jacob
ADAM: Wanna know what's in the file on Annie that Lena gave Arthur before she shot her and Simon? We hear that it'll help Lena wipe her hands clean of the shooting, while simultaneously implicating Annie in some wrongdoing. "[The file] puts Annie in a bit of a gray area with the committee," co-creator Matt Corman tells us. "The whole thing has been well-thought-out by Lena."

Happy Endings scoop, especially on Dave and Alex! —Jo
NATALIE: Worried that she and Dave becoming complacent in their relationship, Alex will try to spice things up a bit. But when Dave counters with something really special, they'll both end up in handcuffs. (No, not like that!) To wit: Why is Jane being arrested as well?

Adam's Mega Rave: Breaking Bad's always been visually arresting, but the two amazing montages in Sunday's finale were just pitch perfect. I particularly loved the ironic song choices (special props for the use of "Cyrstal Blue Persuasion"), which played sweetly even as the visuals depicted Walt's monstrous alter ego Heisenberg coordinating the death of 10 men and taking his meth operation global. Few shows could make something dark and twisted seem so beautiful.

Natalie's Mini Rant: Awkward's Jenna Hamilton didn't choose Matty or Jake... WTF? For the record, #TeamJake #YoureWelcome

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail Adam and Natalie at mega_scoop@tvguide.com or drop us a line at Twitter.com/TVGuide

(Additional reporting by Joyce Eng and Kate Stanhope)