Will Jim Nantz still lead a sporting life?
Q: Is Jim Nantz leaving sportscasting completely? – Dan Morrissey, via email
A: No. Though the CBS Sports veteran decided to end his 32-season run of calling NCAA games to give himself more family time – especially during the intense tournament period when many games are compacted into a short span – he continued to broadcast golf’s Masters earlier this month, right after the college basketball season wrapped up. Ian Eagle will succeed Nantz in the hoops-related role, but Nantz also will remain a member of CBS’ team covering the NFL. In fact, not long ago, he signed a new contract to keep going with his football duties.
Q: How many “Angels” were there after Farrah Fawcett on the original “Charlie’s Angels”? – Stephanie Williams, DeLand, Fla.
A: The actress then billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors was succeeded immediately by Cheryl Ladd, playing Kris Munroe, the sister of Farrah’s Jill. Ladd stayed for the rest of the ABC series, but Kate Jackson eventually left and was followed first by Shelley Hack as Tiffany Welles, and then by Tanya Roberts as Julie Rogers during the show’s final season.
Q: It’s nice when the “FBI” shows all come together for one story. Why doesn’t that happen more often? – Roger Patrick, via email
A: It’s largely a matter of logistics, since not only does the filming of the three CBS shows have to be coordinated in such instances, it has to happen across two continents. “FBI: International” actually films in Europe, while “FBI” and “FBI: Most Wanted” are made in the New York area. That means arranging the schedule for whatever cast members might need to go overseas, not only for the given story, but also to accommodate any other adjacent episodes of their own shows that also involve them.
Such was the case with “FBI’s” Jeremy Sisto for the recent crossover, since he filmed on location in Rome and had to be absent from the parent “FBI” set for a while. Executive producer Dick Wolf tends to intermingle his NBC “Law & Order” and “Chicago” shows more often, but the casts of each of those franchises generally share the same city, making such an undertaking a bit easier (though by no means “easy”).