Gail: Hi, everybody -- especially all you David Caruso fans who freaked out at the suggestion (in a plug for this chat on the Entertainment page) that he might be going somewhere. Not to worry. But thanks for asking, and I'll get started.

jkplummer: Wats up with D.Carusso?

Gail: Nothing. Although he once, famously quit "NYPD Blue," he is staying put in his scenery-chewing role as Horatio Caine on "CSI: Miami." Horatio's life did appear to hang in the balance in the season finale, and I hear Caruso was so concerned that fans would think he was dead that he wanted publicists to call around and make sure TV critics all knew that wasn't the case.

Matt B: GP;

Is it happening again? You'd think the weekly meeting of Shelly Long, Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards, David Caruso (circa 1995)...and others...would have sent William Peterson a letter telling him not to quit a hit TV series. What's going on there? Is there a demand for William Peterson to star in movies or is he really taking time off to "be with his family"?

While Cowboy Curtis, errr, I mean, Laurence Fishburne is a good actor, will people take to him on a weekly basis?

What other famous TV actors left the medium for the greener pastures of movie stardom only to fail?

Matt

Gail: Here, from Matt, is the question that created the mini-frenzy about David Caruso. It's actually a William Petersen question, and it refers to the fact that he'll leave "CSI" this season after helping to create the show and serving a producer. He'll depart as a regular at midseason, although he promises occasional returns. I think Petersen is probably established enough -- and, more to the point, rich enough -- not to really have to worry about his career path. He's a quirky guy, likes to do theater, and I'm sure he'll keep busy. I don't think there's a dark secret involved.
However, Grissom is really the key to "CSI" to me. I have drifted away anyway, and with him gone, I might just give it up. No reflection on Laurence Fishburne, who could be great.

garricks: Hey, Gail,

What happened to ’Til Death? I didn't see Kat Foster or Eddie Kaye Thomas anywhere in the premiere! Are they still attached to the show? (And don't judge me, there was nothing else original on and I had it on for noise while I did something else.

And regarding Do Not Disturb, please tell Jerry O'Connell to stop playing comedic cads...and Niecy Nash to go back to Reno 911. Do Not Disturb is DOA and should never have been made. Yikes.

Gail: "Til Death"? Seriously? I like Brad Garrett (in fact, I'm interviewing him next week for a comedy appearance here), but this show just doesn't do it for me. However, those people of whom you speak are still in the cast and are in next week's episode.
If you can believe it, the premiere of "Do Not Disturb," which wasn't the pilot, was actually about 50 percent better than the pilot. Yikes. Jerry O'Connell should really stick to drama. I didn't think Niecy Nash was that bad, in the grand scheme of bad.

DH: NBC.com has America's Got Talent on at 7:00 p.m. tonight. I already
have my DVD recorder set up to tape at 7:30 (based on the weekly Post
Dispatch's TV guide) so I have to remember to change the time.

Gail: The printed TV listings that come with (some) Sunday papers is printed at least 10 days in advance. Networks make very late schedule changes -- and that's why printed listings are a dinosaur. You're doing the right thing checking on the times for shows that really matter to you.