Television Q&A: Is there news from the front about 'The Undeclared War'?
Published in Entertainment News
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Is there any chance there will be a second season of “The Undeclared War”?
A: Yes. The thriller starring Simon Pegg will begin a second go-round on Peacock on Aug. 27, according to published reports. Collider.com says the new season is “set in 2024 as the elite Malware Department at GCHQ deals with the aftermath of a devastating Russian cyber-attack.”
It’s part of a long journey by the series, whose first season aired in 2022. After a long pause, a second season was ordered in 2025, and here it is at last.
Q: How many actresses played the Bradley sisters on “Petticoat Junction.”
A: Six. Widow Kate Bradley’s three daughters — Betty Jo, Billie Jo and Bobby Jo — were first played by Linda Kaye (later billed as Linda Kaye Henning), Jeannine Riley and Pat Woodell. Henning, the daughter of series producer Paul Henning, was the lone constant among the actresses. Riley and Woodell were later replaced by Gunilla Hutton and Lori Saunders. Then Hutton was followed by Meredith MacRae.
Nor were those the only cast changes in the show. A major one came when Bea Benadaret, who played Kate Bradley, passed away late in the show’s 1963-70 run. To replace her the show added June Lockhart as Janet Craig, a town doctor.
Q: “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” was a tremendous show in the 1980s starring the resplendent Blair Brown. I have never been able to find it on any streaming service or on DVD. What gives?
A: This creation of brilliant writer Jay Tarses was much admired, but not much watched. A comedy-drama about a divorced, 30-something woman, it first aired on NBC in 1987-88, then produced new episodes for Lifetime in 1989-91. Blair Brown was Molly, “smart, self-determined, given to outbursts of song and blessedly complicated,” as one writer put it; Brown was nominated for the best lead actress in a comedy five times, although she never won; the series also had several writing nominations.
So why isn’t it easily seen? In a 2017 interview with Deadline.com, Brown said the show “never got the rights to the music. All the songs that I sang, they never got the rights. So it’s in a vault somewhere and will never see the light of day.” Well, at least not in an ideal form. There are episodes of varied video quality on YouTube.
Follow-up: In a recent column, I said that the Cold War series “Ponies” had not been renewed for a second season but “signs point to one.” Wrong. Peacock decided not to continue the series. Deadline.com said the decision “does not come as a surprise — while the series drew acclaim with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and also scored well with regular viewers (83%), ultimately there weren’t enough people watching to justify a renewal.” The show “can still end its run on a high note with major nominations as the show and its stars are considered solid contenders in the comedy categories at the 2026 Emmys,” Deadline said. The nominations announcement will be on July 8.
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