Zumapress.com via Newscom “The Americans,” which stars Keri Russell, is returning for a third season.

Q: I really enjoy “The Americans.” Will it be back for another season?

— Steve Carson, Fayetteville, N.C.

A: It will indeed. FX has renewed the espionage drama starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys for a third round that will consist of 13 episodes, likely starting early next year. In the meantime, Season 2 isn’t over yet, though it’s getting there; its finale will be shown May 21.

Q: Please explain why the seasons of “Dallas” are so short.

— Maggie DePue, Columbus, Ohio

A: The main reason is that it’s a cable series. As has been mentioned here numerous times, the seasons for such shows typically are shorter than they would be for broadcast network series. With that said, Season 3 of TNT’s “Dallas” isn’t over yet; it was planned for a midseason break, so when it ended last month, that was only the season’s midpoint. It’ll be back in August.

Q: I am a big fan of “Gone With the Wind,” and there was a miniseries titled “Scarlett.” Why has that not been shown again?

— Dixie Elmore, Washington, W.Va.

A: We can’t speak to why it hasn’t been repeated — every network makes its own decisions, even Encore, which has rerun such miniseries as “The Thorn Birds” and “Shogun” in relatively recent times — but the good news is that “Scarlett” isn’t out of sight completely.

The made-for-CBS 1994 drama, starring Joanne Whalley as Scarlett O’Hara and Timothy Dalton (post-James Bond) as Rhett Butler, can be found online for purchase on both DVD and VHS tape … but we should mention that in the case of the DVD version, it’s not inexpensive in certain instances. It was issued in 2001, so it’s been out of print for a while.

Q: I’m glad to see “Mad Men” back. Why did AMC decide to break up its final season into two chunks rather than running all the episodes this year?

— Brian Thomas, Buffalo, N.Y.

A: For one thing, the network wanted to get as much mileage as possible while it still had the show …something AMC is becoming known for (see: “Breaking Bad”). For another, it was a benefit to executive producer Matthew Weiner and the cast and crew in terms of scheduling.

We spoke with Elisabeth Moss, alias the show’s Peggy Olson, just before the drama’s April return. At that point, those involved were just going back to start filming the final set of episodes that will be shown next year. Whatever the finale turns out to be, Weiner and company had that extra time to get it ready, a relative luxury that “Mad Men” has earned.

Q: I enjoyed the recent special about Turner Classic Movies’ 20th anniversary. Who was the actress Robert Osborne was shown writing out questions for?

— Sally Anderson, Port Orange, Fla.

A: That was Luise Rainer, a winner of best actress Oscars for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) and “The Good Earth” (1937). She was 100 years old at the time she did that interview at the inaugural TCM Classic Film Festival, and as close as Osborne was sitting to her, she couldn’t hear him — partially because her hearing aid was broken. The solution was that he patiently — and, we must add, smartly — waited for a marker and something to write on, and the conversation continued from there.

Q: When are they going to settle on a day and time for “Rake”?

— Sheila Burton, Grove City, Ohio

A: “They,” as in the programming executives at Fox, have settled on it … but you won’t be happy about it: no day, no time. The Greg Kinnear-starring adaptation of an Australian show had a “soft” premiere and got softer from there, causing its move from Thursdays to Fridays. It got softer still in its ratings, so Fox ultimately played off the final episodes on a Saturday night.

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