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Sci-Fi TV Saturday: Dollhouse, Chuck, V, Supernatural, Heroes, True Blood, Smallville, Defying Gravity + more August 29, 2009

by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback

The fall TV season is almost here and there is a lot to talk about with genre shows, including big casting news for Dollhouse, Chuck and Heroes. We also have details on the upcoming seasons of Supernatural and Smallville, a production hold on V, and tons of preview images and videos from Defying Gravity, Doctor Who, Warehouse 13, Clone Wars and more.

 

GENRE TV NEWS

Summer Glau and Keith Carradine Joining Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse + S2 Details
Summer Glau is officially joining the cast of Joss Whedon’s Fox drama “Dollhouse”.  The actress — of “Firefly” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” fame — will play “a Dollhouse employee who shares a past with Echo,” in the second season’s fifth episode.  The Fox press release also contains character details on the roles played by Michael Hogan, Alexis Denisof and another recent addition, Keith Carradine:

DANIEL PERRIN (Denisof) is a U.S. senator leading a witch hunt to track down the underground organization. Mysterious, charismatic businessman MARTIN KLAR (Bamber) is Echo’s new husband. BRADLEY KARRENS (Hogan) comes to the Dollhouse hoping to stop a psychotic family member’s killing spree, while MATTHEW HARDING (Carradine), a nemesis of Dollhouse leader ADELLE DEWITT (Olivia Williams), stirs up trouble. Additionally, DR. CLAIRE SAUNDERS/WHISKEY (Amy Acker) and MADELINE/NOVEMBER (Miracle Laurie) return this season in multiple-episode arcs.

In related news, Tahmoh Penikett and Eliza Dushku reveal that the second season will see their two characters (Paul and Echo) grow closer:

“Echo doesn’t know entirely what’s going on yet…[but] as she becomes more and more self-aware, she’s recognizing this constant, tall, dark, looming man in the Dollhouse.” We would have said handsome in lieu of looming, but her point is taken. As Tahmoh explains it, “They have a connection. It’s not a physical attraction, but I hope it’s something that we explore a lot more this season. You’re not quite sure what it is. There’s a past, there’s a history, there’s an understanding between them that’s very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we’re going in the first few episodes.”

New images from the second season premiere – “Vows” [Fox]

More images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Elisha Dushku on what to expect in season two

Production on V To Shut Down for Two Weeks; November Debut Unaffected
ABC and Warner Bros. TV have confirmed a report that “V”, ABC’s remake of the 1980’s sci-fi miniseries, will temporarily halt production.  Warner Bros. TV released a statement saying that the two-week hiatus (set to begin on September 3rd) won’t affect the show’s November 3rd premiere date [via EW]: “We will take advantage of our November premiere to maximize creative opportunities and deliver the audience the best show possible.”  In other news, SpoilerTV has a casting call looking for a guest starring role in episode three, while The Boston Herald interviewed star Elizabeth Mitchell (who plays FBI Agent Erica Evans).  Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

” ‘V’ is kind of a gift,” the 39-year-old said. “It was a surprise to me to fall in love with another character. I read it and it captivated me. And more importantly, I thought it was an excellent jumping-off place and something I had never done before – playing a straightforward hero.”

“What I’m enjoying about Erica, which is one of the same things I love about Juliet, is that she, every day of her life, believes if she is not fully on, not fully functioning, she is going to let people down and the world will come to an end. She actively puts herself in the line of fire. I think it takes a special kind of person to do that, and that, combined with Erica being a mother, is very interesting to me.”

Superman (Brandon Routh) Joining Chuck
Although the show barely made it to a third season — and currently has only a 13-episode commitment from NBC — the folks at “Chuck” have scored a solid cast addition.  Michael Ausiello of EW reports that Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns”) will appear in a multi-episode arc when the show returns with new episodes March, 2010:

Routh’s character, Shaw, is a mysterious new spy who takes control as the new leader of Operation Bartwoski, becoming a mentor to Chuck and a rival in his affections for Sarah. He first appears in this season’s fourth episode.

Below are some bites to round out the week’s “Chuck” coverage:

• Mathew Bomer (Bryce Larkin) isn’t convinced his character is dead and would love to return to the show:  “I’d love to go back, but it’s really going to depend on scheduling [with White Collar]. There is a possibility that I will be back on Chuck.” [E! Online]
• Meanwhile Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) revealed that fans aren’t the only ones in the dark about her character’s real name and what’ll happen over the course of the upcoming season:  “I do not know Sarah’s real name, nor do I know what’s happening at all in the third season. None of us do.” [E! Online]
• A casting call has gone out for three characters to appear in the fourth episode “Chuck vs. OPERATION AWESOME”.[SpoilerTV]

Set images [more at ChuckTV]

Supernatural S5 Details + Season Premiere Synopsis
“Supernatural”, creator/executive producer Eric Kripke and fellow co-executive producers Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund reveal that Sam and Dean will spend the majority of the season trying to restore their relationship and stop Lucifer from destroying Earth:

“We are not pulling our punches this season,” Gamble said about the dire stakes involved. “But I’ll tell you, it’s not as dark as I thought it would be. Last season was pretty much suicidal at points, especially with Sam going so dark. I’m finding this Apocalypse surprisingly amusing. We are having so much fun with it, since it’s balls to the wall.”

She continued, “We are telling stories about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. We went A-list right away, so they are a completely other species. We had to ask ourselves, ‘What are they? Are they demons or angels? What do they do, and how do they feel?’”

Speaking of Lucifer, here’s what Gamble had to say about how Mark Pellegrino will portray the character:

He’s beautiful and gentle, and he has a very, very good [expletive] point to make. As with the best of our supposed villains on our show, he is maybe almost as right, or righter, than the good guys. We also said our angels are going to be dicks. We have a spectrum where some of them are good or seem to be bad with ulterior motives. Lucifer is on that spectrum, and you might expect him to be all the way on the end of evil, but that’s not necessarily true. He has a very complex and interesting point of view, so he has been fascinating to unlock and figure out and understand. I am really excited about him and that he’s a real presence in the story arc.”

Meanwhile, here’s the synopsis from the fifth season premiere “Sympathy for the Devil”:

APOCALYPSE NOW — Picking up where the finale left off, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) watch as the Devil (guest star Mark Pellegrino, “Lost”) emerges from Hell. The brothers and Bobby (Jim Beaver) deal with the aftermath of Lucifer rising and the stunning news from Chuck the Prophet (guest star Rob Benedict) that Castiel (Misha Collins) was blown to bits by the archangels. Robert Singer directed the episode written by Eric Kripke (#501).

And rounding out the week’s “Supernatural” updates, Paris Hilton (whom we previously reported will guest star as herself in the fifth episode called “Fallen Idol”) was tweeting her experiences on the set.  Here’s one about her wrapping production: “Just wrapped on set! So much fun working on Supernatural. Jared and Jensen are so nice and such great actors. I had a great time. :)”  “Supernatural” returns with new episodes on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. ET on The CW.

Episode two – “Good God, Y’All” [more at SpoilerTV]

David Blue Talks Stargate Universe + Movie Trailer
David Blue, who plays the Eli in the upcoming Syfy series “SGU: Stargate Universe”, discussed his role and the basic premise behind the new series in an interview with SCI FI Wire:

“Stargate Universe takes place in the same world and the same universe as SG-1 and Atlantis, but essentially it’s a group of people who are brought on to do some research,” Blue said. “Scientists brought in to figure out this mythical ninth chevron address, … a nine-digit phone number, and nobody knows where it goes. And through a course of events, [he] ends up having to pick up and go, and the right people who are supposed to go on this mission to explore don’t necessarily end up going.”

Blue also said that it wouldn’t be correct to call the series darker than ‘SG-1′ and ‘Atlantis’.  A better description, he says, would be “more real”:

“I tend to say it’s not as much darker as it is more real,” he said. “And maybe that’s a pessimistic way of looking at the world, but I think that … reality itself is darker. It’s not just shiny, ‘Hey, we survived again! Woo-hoo!’ There are more levels, where you look at the person sitting next to you, and you start thinking to yourself, ‘Do I trust them today?’ And you look at someone sitting next to you and start to see a spark and go, ‘How do I really feel about that person?’ And when your life is being threatened, you tend to actually, in a weird way, find humor to make yourself cope. You can say ‘darker,’ because in some ways it is, … but when you really get down to it, it’s like everyday life. That’s kind of what I like about it.”

Head on over to SCI FI Wire to read the rest of the interview. In other news, for those of you heading to the cinema this weekend — 8/28 – 8/30 — be sure to watch for the debut of a theatrical trailer that will be appearing before “Halloween II” and “The Final Destination 3-D” (you can see a list of participating theaters at this link).

Jayma Mays Returning to Heroes
Jayma Mays will reprise her role as Charlie for one episode in season four of “Heroes”.  E! Online has details on the original plan — which may still be the plan — for her return [SPOILERS]:

Hiro (Masi Oka) jumps back in time to the diner where Charlie (Jayma Mays) works, and this time successfully kills Sylar (Zachary Quinto). This jacks up the Heroes timeline (obviously), but the upside is that Hiro then is able to meet with alive-and-well Charlie at a bar in Japan.

In other news, Tracy (Ali Larter) “goes back to her old life working on the Hill, only to discover that she’s no longer driven by the same shallow rewards,” explains series creator Tim Kring. “She wants to make a difference in people’s lives.”  “Heroes” premieres with a two-episode/two-hour premiere on Monday, September 21st.

First official image from season four [HeroSite]

True Blood Hits Another Series High
Another week, another record for the hit HBO series “True Blood”.  The show drew 5.33M viewers (up nearly 20% from the 4.46M who tuned in the week prior) and it was actually the #1 scripted TV show last week among adults 18-49 among both broadcast and cable networks with a 2.8/8 rating/share.  If that wasn’t impressive enough, the first season DVD set continues its remarkable run on the DVD sales chart, tacking on another 44,138 units/$1.59 million for the week ending August 16th:

• True Blood: The Complete First Season – 44,138 units sold/$1,594,706 in sales revenue (1,314,604/$45,745,660)

In other news, HBO has released the synopsis for the second season finale “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”:

In the season two finale, the mayhem in Bon Temps reaches a fever pitch as Maryann prepares for her ultimate bestial sacrifice, conscripting Sookie to be Maid of Honor at the bloody nuptials. Meanwhile, Sophie-Anne warns Eric to keep the lid on Bill’s inquisitiveness; Jason leads Andy into the heroic abyss; and Hoyt has a hard time swallowing Maxine’s endless stream of insults. Deliberating on what may be his final move to save Sookie and the town, Sam is forced to put his trust, and his life, in a most unlikely ally.

And lastly, Evan Rachel Wood makes her debut this Sunday, August 30th — check out new images and watch a preview clip below — playing the 1,100-year-old vampire boss of Louisiana.  The actress teased her role and how she got the part in a recent interview with E! Online.  Here are a few excerpts:

E! Online: I want to know who you are going to have sex with. Are you more Eric or Bill, and what kind of drama is Queen Sophie-Ann starting?

Evan Rachel Wood: I figured that those would be the questions! Who do I have sex with? Well, I don’t know if I am having sex with anyone yet, but I certainly have a steamy scene with someone that I don’t think you’d really expect. So it will be a little fun.

E! Online: How did you end up on the show?

Evan Rachel Wood: I watched the first season and loved the show, so I got in touch with [series creator] Alan Ball and said, “Keep an eye out for anything that might pop up.” I thought it was a long shot, but then later on I got a call saying they needed a queen.

Episode 11 – “Frenzy” [more at PopWrap (and here) and SpoilerTV]

Promo for episode 11 – “Frenzy”

Smallville Season Nine Details
After eight seasons on the air, it looks like season nine of The CW’s “Smallvile” will see a closer relationship between Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lois Lane (Erica Durance): “We see hints of it in the first episode, so any Clark-Lois fans should not miss the first episode. Here’s my hint: Watch to the very last second of the show,” executive producer Kelly Souders told E! Online.  Souders also talked about the strained relationship between Clark and Chloe (Allison Mack):

“They start out the season in a hard place, and by the end of the first episode, it gets even harder, all because of Jimmy. They’ve had a long relationship, and you can’t really throw out eight years of friendship over a horrible instance, so we’ll see where it takes them,” says Souders.

Speaking of Jimmy Olson (Aaron Ashmore), Souders revealed that they are looking into having him reappear in a flashback: “We are throwing that around. We’ll see if that comes together. But we’d love to have him back.”  In other news, Steph Song has been cast as Victoria/Roulette (check out casting sides for the episode at SpoilerTV) and will appear in episode nine “Pandora”.  Executive producer Kelly Souders teases:

“Roulette is a seductive temptress who engages Oliver (Justin Hartley) in a sinister game that puts his life in jeopardy.” Souders adds, “I can tell you that I’ve seen her in the famous Roulette dress, and I don’t think fans will be disappointed!”

NEW IMAGES

Defying Gravity

Episode seven – “Fear” [more at SpoilerTV]

Doctor Who

Set images [more via io9]

Eastwick

Promotional images [more via SpoilerTV]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Promotional image [SCI FI Wire]

Warehouse 13

Episode nine – “Regrets” [more at SpoilerTV]

Promotional images for episode 10 – “Breakdown” [more at SpoilerTV]

Promotional images for episode 11 – “Nevermore” [more at SpoilerTV]

NEW VIDEOS

Defying Gravity

Five new clips from episode six (9/30/2009) – “Bacon”

Watch four more clips at MovieWeb

Doctor Who

David Tennant and Russell T. Davies interview

Audio of the new Doctor, Matt Smith [alun vega]

FlashForward

New Promo

CASTING BITES

• Casting call covering three characters for episode 2×06 – “What Lies Beneath” of “Better off Ted”. [SpoilerTV]
• Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada will play a “significant” role in the upcoming sixth and final season of “Lost”… [EW]
• …Casting call for one character to appear in the two-part “Lost” premiere… [DarkUFO]
• …And another one looking for a character for episodes 2-3 of the new season. [DarkUFO]
• Casting call searching for six actors to play characters from episode five of new drama “Eastwick”. [SpoilerTV]

TV BITES

• Erica Cerra (Deputy Lupo) of “Eureka” talked a bit about the upcoming two-part musical episode next season: “That will be very, very, very interesting. I have no idea what that will be about. I suppose the network and the writers feel comfortable with the fact that the cast can sing.” [SCI FI Wire]
• Warner Bros. Television has opened a new website, Complete the Pattern, where fans can enter to win a grand prize trip to the set of “Fringe” in Vancouver, BC. 1st prize winner will receive a Hi-Def Home Entertainment System and five 2nd place winners will win “Fringe” Season 1 on DVD.  The season one set will be available to own on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, September 9th…
• …In related news, a casting call for episode six is looking for someone to guest star, with the possibility of the actor returning as a recurring character. [SpoilerTV]
• Patton Oswalt — who was recently cast in Syfy’s “Caprica” — describes his character as “a sort of Jon Stewart-esque presence,” and he expects he’s “always going to be on television in the background.”  [A.V. Club]
• Steven Spielberg’s still-untitled alien invasion drama pilot has begun production in and around Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for a two-week shoot. [THR]
• “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – the #1 TV show with boys 6-11 last season — will premiere its second season on Cartoon Network on Friday, October 2nd at 8:00 p.m. ET. [SCI FI Wire]
• Titles for the first eight episodes of ABC’s upcoming series “FlashForward” have been revealed: “No More Good Days”, “White to Play”, “137 Sekunden”, “Black Swan”, “Give Me Some Truth”, “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps”, “The Gift” and “Rules of the Game”… [SpoilerTV]
• …Meanwhile, a new casting call for episode eight is looking for a total of 15 characters, nearly all of which are guest-stars/extras. “FlashForward” premieres Thursday, September 24th at 8:00 p.m. ET. [SpoilerTV]
• The “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5″ DVD set has gone past 250,000 units sold, currently sitting at 266,410 units sold/$8.45 million in revenue through the week ending August 16th. [The-Numbers]
• Josh Holloway (Sawyer on “Lost”) doesn’t know if there will be any sort of reunion with Elizabeth Mitchell’s character Juliet, but he does know how her loss will affect him in the new season::  “Now that he’s lost Juliet, I think the leader-hero thing is gone. I think he doesn’t give a s–t to be anyone’s leader at this point. He’s heartbroken. He’s back to ‘The world sucks’ and maybe throughout this season someone can redeem him again and bring him back from hell, because right now, he’s in hell.” [E! Online]

SCI FI TV RATINGS

CHART (8/17/2009 to 8/23/2009)

Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.

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