Question: What is the status of the “Vikings” series on the History channel? Will it ever be repeated or shown again? Is the series over or ended for this year or season?

Answer: The series has completed its second season, which consisted of 10 episodes. A third season, also of 10 episodes, has been ordered for 2015. At this writing the second-season finale is available on History.com along with recaps of earlier shows. You can also find the first two seasons online at Amazon.com and iTunes, but with a fee for viewing. The first season has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. And on History.com you can keep an eye on the listings for reruns.

Q: Are any of the children of Harry Selfridge on “Mr. Selfridge” still alive?

A: For those of you tuning in late, Harry Gordon Selfridge was the real-life retailer played by Jeremy Piven in the public-TV drama “Mr. Selfridge.” The real Selfridge, who died in 1947, had five children born between 1891 and 1901. Four of them have died. I could not find a record of the death of the fifth and youngest, Beatrice. But if she is still alive, she is about 113 years old.

Q: What happened to “Major Crimes?” Is it not going to be on anymore?

A: The crime drama began a new season June 9 on TNT.

Q: Can you give me some background on the man who played the teacher husband of the FBI agent on “The Blacklist?” Where can I see him again?

A: That's Ryan Eggold playing the murderous and still mysterious Tom Keen (if in fact that is his real name) on the NBC drama starring James Spader and Megan Boone. He is a native Californian and, in addition to acting, a musician. He was on the TV series “90210” (the sequel to “Beverly Hills 90210”), Dirt and, in a recurring role, “Entourage,” as well as films including “Tyler Perry's The Single Mom's Club.” He is also in “Lucky Them,” a new film with Toni Collette. And we may not have seen the last of him on “The Blacklist.” Yes, Liz (Boone) shot him and he appeared to have died. But then why wasn't his body still there when the police arrived at the scene?

Q: The contestants on “Jeopardy!” have a tremendous amount of knowledge about a great many subjects. Are they given a manual to study before the contest that helps them know the answers?

A: Don't you mean “that helps them know the questions?” (Sorry, I had a picky Alex moment there.) In any case, there is no manual. As regular viewers know, even some of the best contestants have demonstrated occasional knowledge gaps. Arthur Chu, for one, admitted to a lack of sports info. Having a manual would reduce the chance of surprises, and offbeat categories. The Akron Beacon Journal's resident “Jeopardy!” veteran, features editor Lynne Sherwin, said that contestants prepare with almanacs, history books and other references, and by closely watching the show to see what topics come up often. For example, she said that if there is a category about languages, it's a good bet that one of the questions will be, “What is esperanto?”

Q: I recently saw a movie called “The Cutting Edge” starring D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly. What else have they done? And my friend says they made two “Cutting Edge” movies. Is that right?

A: Since that movie premiered in 1992, both actors have compiled long acting resumes. Kelly was most famously in the first season of “The West Wing” and a regular on the drama series “One Tree Hill.” Sweeney was seen recently in a recurring role on “Two and a Half Men,” as Larry, the boyfriend of Lyndsey (Courtney Thorne-Smith). There have been three sequels to “The Cutting Edge,” though none focuses on the two original characters. They are “The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold” (2006), “The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream” (2008) and “The Cutting Edge: Fire & Ice” (2010).

Rich Heldenfels is a staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal. Write him at Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44328 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

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