Mega Buzz: A Cuddy Return on House? Plus: Glee Lovers and a CSI Exit

Lisa Edeslstein, Lea Michele, Marg Helgenberger Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questionsto mega_scoop@tvguide.com.How will House deal with Cuddy's absence? Is there any chance Lisa Edelstein will come back to shoot a proper ending for her character? - BethADAM: Though the show's one-year time jump will skip Cuddy's exit from Princeton-Plainsboro, creator David Shore says the show won't overlook it altogether. "There's going to be an acknowledgement, but it's not going to be a big story about her because unfortunately we don't have [Lisa]," he says. Does Shore think he will ever get to write Cuddy a proper send-off? "Down the road, that might be more appropriate. It didn't seem right now," he says. "Given that she was gone, we decided it was better to not just have her come back to leave again."Will Finn and Rachel be happy when Glee returns? - Joshua NATALIE: Yes! "You pick up with them as a couple," Lea Michele tells us. "I have a feeling that they're just going to be settled this year. They did talk a lot about Rachel in the final episode of last season, of her wanting to go to New York and not knowing where he's going to go, so I think that's going to be a lot of the issues between them this year, and not so much of the Rachel/Puck and Finn/Quinn stuff." Gearing up for a possible career on New York City's Great White Way, Rachel will join the school musical this season.I know people are excited about Ted Danson joining CSI, but nobody's talking about Marg Helgenberger's exit. What do you know? - TammyADAM: Executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Don McGill tell us that, although they're still hoping that Helgenberger will stay, they have been working on her character's swan song since the end of last season. "The final case that Catherine will be involved in will actually put her and her family and the people that she cares about in jeopardy," Mendelsohn says. "Catherine won't just take it lying down, for sure. She'll take matters into her own hands and get to the truth. It will be Catherine, action hero."Since the Grey's Anatomy residents are now taking on solo surgeries, how will Alex handle that? - Pearl NATALIE: Alex was never great with solo surgeries (see: the elevator power outage of Season 2), but his status as a social pariah may actually work in his favor. "I think he's going to apply himself a lot more this year because he's not going to have a personal life," Justin Chambers says. "He's done with the relationship thing for a while, with what happened with Lucy. No one wants to talk to him because he's a rat, so he's going to concentrate on being a better doctor."Got any good scoop about Ziva on NCIS? - RodneyADAM: Cote de Pablo tells us that she wants to move away from the stories about Ziva's father and introduce some motherly love to her backstory. Executive producer Gary Glasberg does too. "Ziva will be dealing with a Middle Eastern family and the matriarch of the family connects with her in a really interesting, personal way," Glasberg says. "Sounds like Ziva will need the support based on Glasberg's other plans. "Someone from her past who we haven't met before is coming forward," he says. "[In addition,] Ray will probably come back halfway through the season, and they will intersect."Thanks for the scoop on How I Met Your Mother. Got anything more on Barney and Robin? - Harold NATALIE: If you liked this, then you'll really love the Barney and Robin dance number! "The premiere is very much about Barney possibly pursuing Nora and Robin wondering how to deal with these feelings she has that are resurfacing for him," executive producer Craig Thomas tells us. "Ultimately, it explodes into this dance number at [Punchy's] wedding that clears the entire dance floor, and they have this big, epic Dancing with the Stars kind of moment, that we're hoping America will want to watch more than DWTS and tune into our show instead." Count us in!What's the latest on Sweets and Daisy on Bones? - MeganADAM: "Daisy is definitely a part of Sweets' life," John Francis Daley tells us, and we can confirm Daisy will appear early in Season 7. But Sweets may have bigger fish to fry. "He is more active in the investigations because Brennan is slightly less able to go on the scene and get herself into dangerous situations," Daley says. "So, you're going to see more of Booth and Sweets working together as FBI agents." Even better, creator Hart Hanson tells me that for the first time ever, Sweets will be packing heat! [Cue the Aerosmith song.]How is Fringe going to handle Peter never existing? - Amanda NATALIE: Au contraire, Amanda! Peter did exist, according to the man who plays his father, John Noble. He says the final scene of the season finale, in which the Observers appear to negate Peter's existence "was a slight teaser in the wrong direction, because Peter did exist, but Peter died as a child; both Peters died as a child." As a result, the Season 4 premiere might remind you of It's a Wonderful Life, as we'll find Walter in a familiar predicament. "When we meet him in Season 4, he's still insane, locked into the lab with guards, and mad because he's never had Peter to bring him out of it," Noble says. "He won't have had that motivation to repair himself, so he's quite mad and neurotic and obsessive-compulsive. He's agoraphobic, so he won't go out of the lab."I'm really hoping you have some NCIS: Los Angeles scoop? - ThomasADAM: How's this? In an early Season 3 episode, all the agents will be forced to swap partners! "Hunter puts us in this situation... and it screws up the whole dynamic," Eric Christian Olsen tells us of the super-covert mission. "Deeks ends up with Sam... and [he's] really trying to jostle for position, because Sam's the man. He's the Navy Seal, but Deeks is like, 'No, I got this!'" Anyone care to take a guess who wins that battle?Will Damon and Elena go on the hunt to find Stefan on Vampire Diaries? -Sarah NATALIE: They will both attempt to find him, but one is certainly trying harder than the other. "Damon loves his brother, he can't deny that anymore, but at the same time, his relationship is building with Elena in a very nice way, so that maybe he's not trying as hard as he should to find Stefan," executive producer Kevin Williamson tells us, adding that Damon will feel guilt over that. As for Stefan, the ripper lifestyle will lend for some serious life contemplation on his part. "Will he ever be able to come back and how will Stefan and Elena save him if they do? It's really going to be about the journey for Stefan: What's Klaus up to? What's Klaus' use for him? It twists and turns in a bunch of different ways that are surprising."What can you tell me about Jax and Tara in the new season of Sons of Anarchy? - DanielleADAM: The couple seems happier than ever when reunited after Jax's 14-month prison stay. Perhaps that's why Jax feels the need to make Tara a promise that we're almost certain he'll be unable to keep.The fall TV scoop is great! But what's this about Modern Family going to a dude ranch? - TimNATALIE: It's another family vacation... and another family competition! Phil tries to one-up Jay in the quest to be the best darned cowboy in the whole Pritchett-Dunphy clan. To ensure victory, Phil practices before they leave for vacation. Can we all just hope his practice outfit includes chaps?Natalie's Mega Rave: After Tara's girlfriend left Bon Temps, we thought True Blood's resident weepy victim would regress into her default behavior: self-sabotage. Instead, she joins forces with the witches to take down the vampires. While we love the vampires, a vengeful Tara is good television.Adam's Mini Rant: FX president John Landgraf recently told critics that if he hadn't canceled Terriers and Lights Out, he wouldn't have been able to make American Horror Story. I think he made a bad trade.Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows?E-mail Adam and Natalie at mega_scoop@tvguide.comor drop us a line atTwitter.com/TVGuide