Photos via Newscom“Good Morning America” meteorologist Ginger Zee, left, is expecting a baby boy in December. The latest bullet point on the extensive television résumé of actor James Brolin, right, is a role on the CBS show “Life in Pieces.”

Q: When is Ginger Zee supposed to have her baby?

— Joan Curtis, Boynton Beach, Florida

A: The meteorologist for ABC’s “Good Morning America” and her husband, Ben Aaron — a former reporter for New York’s WNBC-TV who’s now a co-host of the syndicated program “Crazy Talk” — are expecting their child to arrive in December. It’s been revealed that they’ll be welcoming a son.

Q: It’s nice to see James Brolin back on television in “Life in Pieces.” How many other series has he done?

— Mary Smart, Wheaton, Illinois

A: There have been several of varying durations, but among the major ones, the first was ABC’s “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” (1969-76) — in which former 20th Century Fox contract player Brolin (who’d had several relatively minor roles on “Batman”) won an Emmy and a couple of Golden Globe Awards as motorcycle-riding Dr. Steven Kiley.

He also had a healthy run as the title site’s manager on the ABC drama based on Arthur Hailey’s novel “Hotel” (1983-88), and he worked for that network briefly again in the 1995 search-and-rescue-team saga “Extreme,” which also starred a pre-”Modern Family” Julie Bowen. Additionally, Brolin had a three-season run in the syndicated “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” … and of his notable guest roles, he played the Florida governor who was a political opponent of President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) on “The West Wing.”

Q: There was a series on WGN America, “Manhattan,” about the making of the atomic bomb. Is it due to return anytime soon?

— Cathy Grady, Southern Pines, North Carolina

A: In case you haven’t found it already by the time you see this, it’s back. The drama has just started Season 2 on Tuesdays with a major new cast addition in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” alum William Petersen, playing a military officer brought in to oversee the scientists working on the Manhattan Project. The show also returned on the strength of a recent Emmy win, the first ever for its channel, for its opening title sequence.

Q: Did Wesley Snipes ever do a TV show before “The Player”?

— Mike Jeffries, via email

A: Though many people — including some at the network — believed when the NBC action-drama was announced that it was his first series, it isn’t. Before he cemented his movie stardom, he co-starred in a very short-lived (roughly one month) 1990 ABC show titled “H.E.L.P.,” a fire-department drama whose producers included “Law & Order” mentor Dick Wolf. Also in the cast were a couple of actors who would go on to much greater series success, David Caruso (“NYPD Blue,” “CSI: Miami”) and John Mahoney (“Frasier”).

Q: I was pleased to see the return of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” but after what seems like just a few weeks, it’s gone again. Were the ratings that bad?

— Mike Adamkosky, Columbus, Ohio

A: Though the Fox revival’s ratings admittedly weren’t in the “blockbuster” category, it wasn’t a matter of that. A certain number of episodes was ordered for the summer season, and those all aired. At this writing, it hadn’t been determined yet whether the show — for which original host Jeff Foxworthy came back — will resume in the future.

Q: Why do we no longer see the cheerleaders, and especially the bands, during the halftime shows of college games?

— Dean Paul, Grand Junction, Colorado

A: Though that isn’t always the case, it’s true that the networks largely have chosen to use the halftime period for other material as the years have gone on. It’s a measure of trying to hold viewers … not that the halftime entertainment necessarily wouldn’t, but many television sports executives evidently believe the bulk of the audience wants game highlights, results of that given day’s other contests and so forth during that time. Thus, they’ve acted accordingly in deciding the programming.

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