Ed Asner will reprise the 'Hawaii Five-0' role he first played more than 30 years ago.

According to CBS, the 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' veteran will once again play August March in an early 2012 episode. Asner first played the role in the 1975 episode of the original 'Hawaii Five-0' titled 'Wooden Model of a Rat.'

"It is thrilling to, for the first time, merge the original 'Hawaii Five-0' and our new show by having the classic, versatile and award-winning actor Ed Asner reprise his role of August March, a character Mr. Asner first played 36 years ago. There is no better way to form a bridge between our reboot and the original series," Peter Lenkov, 'Hawaii Five-0' executive producer, said in a statement.

For the first time, footage from the original series featuring Asner will be used. The archive footage will show his character in his smuggler days. When Asner's character appears in the new series, he'll be a reformed man after serving 30 years in prison for murder. The Five-0 team approach him for help on a smuggling case.

In other casting news ...

Could 'Glee' have a musical competitor?

As we enter the thick of pilot season, networks have been greenlighting pilots to consider for the 2011-2012 season. One of the biggest in the works is NBC's 'Smash.' According to Deadline, it's based on an idea from Steven Spielberg about putting on a Broadway musical, and would feature original songs by Grammy- and Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Among the other pilots picked up this weekend were a comedy called 'Vince Uncensored,' from Conan O'Brien's production company (it went to CBS, according to Entertainment Weekly), a thriller/drama called 'Exit Strategy,' starring Ethan Hawke and directed by Antoine Fuqua (snagged by Fox, according to The Hollywood Reporter, along with two comedies, per Deadline), and David E. Kelley's previously D.O.A. 'Wonder Woman' (which landed at NBC, reports Deadline).

In other TV news ...

• Matthew Weiner would love to start writing the fifth season of 'Mad Men,' if AMC would sign a deal already. "I have every intention of making the show when they decide to work out their business with Lionsgate," he said. "I can't wait to come back to work ... I am not looking for a new job." [EW]

• Kevin Smith, Kevin Pollak and Adam Carolla will star in AOL's new nightly talk show. The web video series will team up with the actors' existing podcasts for new episodes every Monday through Thursday, with a best-of installment on Fridays. [AOL]

• Could Keith Olbermann have a new gig already? 'The Social Network' writer Aaron Sorkin has been developing a comedy set behind the scenes at a cable news show. Now that it's getting closer to a pilot pickup and Olbermann is out of a gig, sources are speculating that he could contribute to the series. [EW]

Amidst all this controversy surrounding 'Million Dollar Money Drop' and its vaguely worded Post-it question, the show's host would like to remind you of one thing: The couple in question lost anyway.

"They never had a chance to win that money. Ever. No matter what," Kevin Pollak told The Hollywood Reporter. "They got the last question wrong. None of the clips show the last question."

'Million Dollar Money Drop' is having the most controversial debut of any game show, ever. The show seemed fun, at first. Watching tons of money being dumped down a chute had a certain visceral charm, in a gross sort of way.

But now, things are getting weirder. On tonight's episode (Wed., 9PM ET on Fox), a couple won $240,000, while debating the relative merits of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Which is nice, but ...

... But most people are distracted by the scandal that took place on the show's first episode. During the premiere, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayi lost $800,000 after they answered a trivia question "incorrectly." There was only one problem. ... They weren't really wrong. But now, a Fox executive is denying that show made any mistake, and is insisting that the netwok is not at fault.

Well, we all drop the ball from time to time. On tonight's 'Million Dollar Money Drop' (Tue., 9PM ET on Fox), the game show had is first-ever winners. But a previous mistake by the show may have cost a couple $800,000.

On Monday, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayi lost nearly a million dollars on a single question. The show gives players $1 million to start out, but if they answer incorrectly, their money disappears through a trap-door. Brittany and Gabe got this question: "Which of these products was sold in stores first?" The options were: (a) The Apple Macintosh, (b) The Sony Walkman, or (c) The Post-It Note.

Gabe convinced his girlfriend to bet $800,000 on Post-It Notes being the right answer. But he was "wrong," and the couple lost the money. Now, it looks like the show's producers made the mistake.

Most game shows give you the prize at the end. The new series 'Million Dollar Money Drop' (Mon., 8PM ET on Fox) reverses this concept. Players are given $1 million to start with -- the test is whether they can hang on to it.

Contestants must answer seven multiple-choice questions to keep the $1 million. But if they guess wrong, the money is lost ... literally. It plummets away forever, falling through a trap door. The first players are a couple named Gabe and Brittany. They get this question:

WHICH OF THESE WAS SOLD IN STORES FIRST? -- A) The Macintosh Computer. B) The Sony Walkman. C) The Post-It Note.

The pair has $880,000 left. Gabe is sure the answer is "Post-It Note." Brittany is sure it's "Walkman." Gabe convinces her to bet $800,000 of their cash on Post-Its. "Ohhh, that's a lot of money," his girlfriend says. Do you know the answer? ... Is Gabe right?

It seems not everybody wants a 'Food Revolution' -- The Los Angeles Unified School District has rejected an offer to take part in Jamie Oliver's reality series.

According to TV Guide, Oliver faced resistance when he filmed the first season of 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' in West Virginia, and Los Angeles -- the proposed location for season 2 -- is also proving to be difficult. The school district's director of partnerships in the superintendent's office, Melissa Infusino, sent a letter to the show's producers saying participating would take up too much time.

"We believe our direct work with nutrition experts, health advocates, the community, schools and students is the most effective strategy for our continued success and improvement," Infusino said.

ABC says the show is still in early creative stages and would not comment on a possible location change.

In other TV news ...

• Amy Sedaris, star of 'Strangers With Candy,' will guest on Fox's 'Raising Hope.' Details on Sedaris' character are scarce, but she will make out with Burt (Garret Dillahunt). [Hollywood Reporter]

• Fiona Shaw, known for her role as Aunt Petunia in the 'Harry Potter' films, will be a series regular on 'True Blood.' Shaw will join the season 4 cast as Marnie, a palm reader who gets taken over by the spirit of a witch. [Deadline Hollywood]

Some of the rogues in the 1995 film classic 'The Usual Suspects' have made their way to TV recently. Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne have put in time at HBO (on 'Recount' and 'In Treatment,' respectively). Stephen Baldwin has become a reality staple on such shows as 'Celebrity Apprentice' and 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' (we get it, Stephen, you're a celebrity.)

But today, Kevin Pollak took us by surprise by teaming up with reality titan Mark Burnett on a new game show.

'Our Little Genius' will premiere on Jan. 13 in TV's most enviable time slot: right after the first Paula-less 'American Idol' on Fox. Pollak will host 'Genius,' which will feature child prodigies showing off their knowledge for cash prizes.

If you haven't watched Kevin Pollak's Chat Show (every Sunday at 5 PM PT), you're missing some fun interviews. It's a very loose, one-on-one talk between Pollak and a celebrity guest (actor, comic, writer, web entrepreneuer, etc). It's sort of like Charlie Rose, only with more swearing.

Here's a recent interview he did with Famly Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.

Have you caught Kevin Pollak's new online talk show? It's titled Kevin Pollak's Chat Show, appropriately enough, and it airs (can we still say that if it's on the web, "airs?") every Sunday at 5PM PT. So far he has had a variety of guests on, including Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Levar Burton, Paget Brewster, and Alex Albrecht. It's a fun little show, with a casual atmospshere and a Charlie Rose-like set. Here is his interview with Matthew Perry (yes, that's really him on Twitter). Sure, they talk about Friends, but also tennis, Studio 60, Old Spice commercials, and this.

David Letterman has been talking a lot lately about doing an "Impressionist Week" on the show. Some viewers thought it was just one of his jokes, but he already did a "Ventriloquist Week" a few weeks ago, and he's going through with the plan. The shows start this Monday. Here's the lineup:

• Monday: Rich Little
• Tuesday: Fred Travalena
• Wednesday: Gordie Brown
• Thursday: Frank Caliendo
• Friday: Kevin Pollak