I can connect my macbook pro to the tv and see the image on one or but not both screens - this is new today - what's wrong?

what method for connection are you using? a mini-display to hdmi? try restarting your computer, and plug in the cable while the macbook display in on... then go into settings-display and turn on mirroring. this should let you see the same display on both screens. the likely causes for your problem might be screen resolution conflicts, and / or refresh rates, etc. mirroring should at least get you the same image on both. if this is working (which means that the physical connections are ok) then you should try and extend the image by using both screens, wherein you can have different desktops on each. all the best!