Tony Bennett had a long relationship with TV

Q: I was so sorry to learn of the death of Tony Bennett. Did he ever do a TV series? – Jane Baldwin, via e-mail

A: While he didn’t star in a weekly show himself, he did pop up occasionally on other people’s series, often playing himself if not an extremely close variation of him. Among those were “77 Sunset Strip,” “The Doris Day Show,” “Cybill,” “Entourage,” “Blue Bloods,” “Evening Shade,” “Suddenly Susan,” “30 Rock,” “The Simpsons” (in voice only, of course) and “Saturday Night Live.” When Bennett appeared on television, it often was in a musical context, expectedly, His specials with Lady Gaga earned huge praise in the later years of his career, and besides being a frequent talk-show guest, he teamed up with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Carol Burnett and Lena Horne, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Glen Campbell and Jackie Gleason on programs over the years.

Q: I heard that “Magnum P.I.” will be returning sooner than expected. Is that true? – Bob Franklin, Reading, Pa.

A: It is … giving fact to the speculation we made several weeks ago in this column, when we posed the thought that NBC might move up the final round of the Jay Hernandez-starring reboot, given what that network’s programming needs might be based on the show-business strikes that have held up production of many shows. Anything that’s ready these days is getting definite consideration, so it’s really not much of a surprise that “Magnum” is being called back off the bench as a season with many fewer scripted series begins. The last two seasons of “Magnum P.I.” were filmed back-to-back, so the final 10 episodes are available to be shown this fall, when they are slated to be on Wednesdays starting Oct. 4. It seems unli\kiely that this would earn the show another renewal – after NBC “saved” it following CBS’s cancellation – but at least there is some new material still about Magnum and his inner circle that’s still to be seen.

Q: With “Billions” now back on the air, how long will it be until the planned spinoff shows begin? – Jeremy Pine, via e-mail

A: That’s a great question, with a good chunk of the answer dependent on when writers and actors get back to work. If anything, “Billions” is a series that demands intricate writing, and that’s sure to be a prominent trait of consequent shows in the Showtime franchise. “Millions,” “Trillions” and “Billions: Miami” may have new characters, but the original premise still is bound to be baked in … and that will take some time, and even more time given the status of the entertainment industry in recent weeks and months.