The Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer, left, is one of the stars in Fox’s new TV drama “Red Band Society,” from Steven Spielberg’s studios.

Q: I keep hearing a show called “Red Band Society” mentioned a lot. When will it be on, and what is it about?

— Judy Sloane, Columbus, Ohio

A: It’s a Fox drama, from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and DreamWorks firms plus ABC Studios, about teenage patients in a Los Angeles hospital. The show gets its title from the red wristbands they wear, and while the cast logically is largely populated by young actors — including Griffin Gluck, who played Maggie Lawson’s son in the ABC sitcom “Back in the Game” — the top name in the series is Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help”), who portrays a nurse in the pediatric ward. The premiere is scheduled for Sept. 17.

Q: I’ve heard that “The Blacklist” will be back, but not on Mondays, this fall. Is that true?

— Jim Marsh, Glen Burnie, Maryland

A: It still will be there when it starts its second season, but it won’t be staying there. The James Spader-starring NBC suspense series will be in its familiar place when it resumes Sept. 22, but on Nov. 17, the slot will be turned over to the new Katherine Heigl drama “State of Affairs.” At that point, “The Blacklist” will go on hiatus until Feb. 1, when a new episode will follow NBC’s telecast of the Super Bowl … setting up the show to land in its new weekly spot the following Thursday.

Q: I know Jennifer Lopez is involved in “The Fosters” somehow, but what exactly is her role in it?

— Diane Marks, Palm Coast, Florida

A: The ABC Family drama comes from her company, thus making her an executive producer of it. She’s generally stayed behind the scenes on the project, but she has participated in some Twitter chats about the show.

Q: I’m a big fan of Julie Bowen on “Modern Family,” and I’m wondering how many other series she has starred in.

— Craig Johnson, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

A: The earliest was a short-lived mid-’90s adventure series called “Extreme,” in which she played a member of a search-and-rescue team. She had a multiple-episode arc on “ER” during the 1998-99 season, then came the role that really established her as a weekly television star: Carol, the “one who got away” and was pursued by the title character, on “Ed.”

More multiple-episode runs followed for Bowen on “Lost” and “Weeds,” then she co-starred with James Spader and William Shatner in “Boston Legal.” And then came the current ABC sitcom that has earned her two Emmy Awards thus far, and she’s now up for another for it.

Q: I was sorry to hear that Christine Baranski lost her husband recently. I understand he was a soap opera star. Who was he?

— Joan Parsons, Boulder, Colorado

A: Matthew Cowles was known to “All My Children” fans as that serial’s Billy Clyde Tuggle, but he also appeared on “The Bold and the Beautiful” … and in such movies as “Shutter Island” and “Nurse Betty.” Also a playwright who acted on Broadway, he had been married to “The Good Wife” co-star Baranski for 30 years at the time of his passing in May.

Q: Will “Parenthood” be back, and if so when?

— Rachel Connors, Heath, Ohio

A: As the announcement of NBC’s fall lineup approached, there was a bit of push-and-pull as it was determined whether the show would return and for how long … but in the end, it did secure its victory lap. Slated to begin Sept. 25, the series’ sixth and final season will run for 13 episodes, so those who will miss it (and there are many, gauging by the amount of mail we’ve received) can begin mapping out their grieving now.

Q: Though I like watching Melanie Lynskey play Rose on repeats of “Two and a Half Men,” I miss seeing her in new episodes. What has she been doing lately?

— Matt Kane, Buffalo, New York

A: The actress has stayed busy in movies, as she did when she was making fairly regular appearances on the CBS sitcom. Her latest release, the independent feature “Happy Christmas,” casts her as a wife and mother who gets a fresh perspective from her visiting sister (Anna Kendrick). Lynskey also has filmed the comedy series “Togetherness” for HBO, though the network hadn’t yet scheduled telecast dates for it at this writing.

— Send questions via email to tvpipeline@tribune.com. Writers must include their names, cities and states.