On the case of - and for - "CSI: Miami"

Q: Is "CSI: Miami" in trouble, maybe about to be canceled? Since it moved to Sunday, I have not been able to record the program; it always comes on late. -Grady Stewart, San Antonio

A: It"s not on the verge of cancellation at this writing, but admittedly, football overruns haven"t made scheduling easy for David Caruso"s CBS crime drama. On one recent Sunday, the prime-time lineup was shifted so late by football coverage, that evening"s scheduled "CSI: Miami" episode was scrapped completely - likely to appease local affiliates that wouldn"t have been happy about their late local news being pushed into the wee hours during a ratings sweeps period. The situation is bound to improve once the NFL season ends.

Q: What ever happened to the show "Live With Regis and Kelly"? I have looked for it, and it is not on anymore. -Marc Ryder, Noble, Okla.

A: Perhaps it isn"t on in your market, but the weekday program remains very much in production - and is still one of the powerhouses of national television syndication. Because of that, it"s a bit baffling that someone in your area wouldn"t carry it ... so we"d suggest checking again or inquiring of your local stations about it.

Q: What happened to the series "Rubicon"? My husband and I finally found a show to watch together aside from "Boardwalk Empire." Please tell me when it will resume. -Carol Fine, Plainview, N.Y.

A: It won"t. AMC decided to terminate the show after one season. One of the network"s other series, "The Walking Dead," may have been the partial cause; that show has drawn impressive ratings of a size that "Rubicon" didn"t approach, so AMC may be clearing the way (and the budget) for the next project with the potential to score that big.

Q: One of my very favorite Christmas movies is "The Gathering" with Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton. I have not seen it aired in several years. Has it ever been released on VHS or DVD? -Melanie Christopher, Denver

A: Copies of a released-years-ago VHS edition of the Emmy-winning, made-for-ABC 1977 drama still can be found by shopping the Internet. More recently, Warner Home Video issued a DVD edition, but it"s available only by direct order from the company"s Warner Archive initiative (www.wbshop.com).

Q: What happened to the program "Extra" with Mario Lopez? -Betty Wallen, Stuart, Fla.

A: As with the earlier question about "Live! With Regis and Kelly," the entertainment magazine show remains in production and is seen around the country. If it isn"t appearing in your area, that"s because none of the local stations currently have the rights to it. That"s the nature of syndication; an individual station has to buy and air the series, rather than it being provided to many stations that all schedule it at the same time via a network.

Q: Months ago, I watched a show called "Who Do You Think You Are?" several times. Different celebrities followed their roots back a number of generations. Will it be on again this season? -Kathleen Cragun, Issaquah, Wash.

A: Yes, it will be back for a second round, though NBC hasn"t specified exactly when. "Friends" alumna Lisa Kudrow is the executive producer of the show; the first season"s episodes took her on a journey through her geneaology and did the same for Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, and spouses Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

Q: Please tell me what the phrase "Unsub" means on "Criminal Minds." They use it so many times in each episode, it is distracting. -Nancy Hursh, Ponca City, Okla.

A: It stands for "Unknown Subject of an Investigation." That should explain why it"s used so much on the CBS series, since virtually all of the team"s cases involve them searching for someone yet unknown to them.

Q: Can you tell me if there are any plans for more of the "Damages" series? -John Howe, Garden City, N.Y.

A: As mentioned here previously, two more seasons of Glenn Close"s former FX drama series have been ordered by the satellite service DirecTV. They will be shown there exclusively; no start dates have been set yet.