In Sci-Fi TV this week, Guillermo del Toro offers a brief update on the status of the ABC series The Hulk, we have news on a comics legend making a guest star appearance on Chuck season 5 and much more, including the latest television ratings for Terra Nova and Fringe, and the latest new images and video previews.
GENRE TV NEWS
Guillermo del Toro teases The Hulk TV series
Guillermo del Toro posted a message on his official forum to update fans on the status of the upcoming ABC series "The Hulk" [via Comic Book Movie]:
We’ve been coming up with an angle that is really strong. I am a fan of Peter David, [Greg] Pak and [Jeph] Loeb but I like very much what individual writers and artists have done through the decades. I only gravitate to "monster" superheroes- (Blade, Hellboy, Deadman, Hulk-) because I have no interest on the straight ones -even when I’ve been offered the keys to the kingdom.
Hope you enjoy what you hear!!
Del Toro is developing the series with David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica"). "The Hulk" is being developed for the 2012 TV season.
Stan Lee to guest star on Chuck + Series casting Sarah’s mom
Keeping with the tradition of impressive guest stars, the NBC spy-fi series "Chuck" has added yet another in comics legend Stan Lee. HitFix reports that Lee will appear in the fifth season’s seventh episode:
"Chuck encounters Stan Lee in the most unexpected of places," a setting that might suggest The Man has "a secret identity of his own."
"Chuck" co-creator Chris Fedak said the following about the addition:
"To say we’re excited to have Stan Lee join us on the show is an understatement. His iconic characters and the epic worlds he imagined have been inspirations to all of us working on ‘Chuck.’"
The fifth season will also feature guest stars Mark Hamill and Carrie-Anne Moss. But that likely won’t be the end of special guest stars, as TVLine has learned that the series will be introducing a new character: Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) mom. The character is described as "a beautiful blonde who is, in essence, a walking hug." In other news, ChuckTV.net reports that the seventh episode of the season (title TBA) will be a Christmas-themed episode — a first for the series. "Chuck" premieres its fifth season on Friday, October 21. Watch a promo below.
Season five promo [YouTube]
Fringe season four premiere numbers
Last Friday’s season four premiere of "Fringe" drew mixed results. "Neither Here Nor There" averaged 3.48M viewers and a 1.5 A18-49 rating. On the negative side, this represented a 21% decline from the season three premiere (1.9 A18-49 rating), but on the positive side it was up 25% from last season’s finale (1.3 A18-49 rating). In other news, you can check out an interview with star Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham) at Coventry Telegraph. "Fringe" airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox. Watch the promo for tomorrow night’s episode "One Night in October" below.
Promo for episode 4×02 – "One Night in October" [YouTube]
Fox’s Terra Nova opens to so-so ratings + Interview with Braga and Echevarria
The two-hour series premiere of the Steven Spielberg-produced prehistoric time travel series "Terra Nova" debuted Monday night on Fox and drew 9.22 million viewers and a 3.1 A18-49 rating. Given all the hype and the expensive nature of the series (the pilot reportedly cost $10M-$20M — amortized over the season — and the average episode budget is $4 million) the numbers failed to impress. Despite that, there was a positive to be found in that the premiere managed to hold its audience throughout the two hours. The first hour averaged 9.35M viewers and a 3.1 A18-49 rating and the second hour dipping only slightly to 9.08M viewers while holding steady among A18-49 with a 3.1. Needless to say the show’s future — whether it’ll be just a short 13-episode series or a long-running one — rests on the performance of future episodes.
In case you missed the two-part episode you can watch "Genesis" for Free on iTunes in HD. Fox will also be re-airing the episode this Saturday, October 1 at 8 p.m.
"Star Trek" vets René Echevarria and Brannon Braga are writer/producers on the series — with Braga serving as showrunner — and were interviewed by HitFix about the premiere. Although the interview was taken before the premiere aired, it does offer some further insight into the work that went into the pilot along with some brief observations of the premiere and the series in general. Watch the interview below:
"Terra Nova" continues with episode three "Instinct" on Monday, October 3. Here’s the official description for the episode followed by the latest images and videos:
JIM AND TAYLOR MUST PROTECT THE COLONY WHEN IT’S INVADED BY A SWARM OF PREHISTORIC FLYING BIRDS; ELISABETH DISCOVERS A FORMER FLAME MAY HAVE RECRUITED HER TO THE PAST ON AN ALL-NEW “TERRA NOVA” MONDAY, OCTOBER 3 ON FOX
When Terra Nova comes under attack from a legion of Pterosaurs, Jim and Taylor must find a way to save the colony before it’s completely overtaken. Elisabeth discovers a former flame is also living in Terra Nova and may have been responsible for her recruitment. Syke tries to make Josh feel at home and Reynolds get protective of Maddy in the all-new “Instinct” episode of TERRA NOVA airing Monday, Oct. 3 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (TN-103) (TV-14 L, S, V)
Cast: Jason O’Mara as Jim Shannon; Stephen Lang as Cmdr. Nathaniel Taylor; Shelley Conn as Dr. Elisabeth Shannon; Landon Liboiron as Josh Shannon; Naomi Scott as Maddy Shannon; Alana Mansour as Zoe Shannon; Allison Miller as Syke; Christine Adams as Mira; Rod Hallett as Dr. Malcolm Wallace
Guest Cast: Simone Kissell as Washington; Dean Geyer as Reynolds; Michael Wilder as Gillers; Louis O’Kada as Walsh
Promotional stills for episode 1×04 – "What Remains" [more at SpoilerTV]
Promo for episode 1×03 – "Instinct" [YouTube]
Watch another promo here
Sneak peek at "Instinct" [YouTube]
PREVIEW Videos & Images
Being Human (US)
Season two promo [YouTube]
Doctor Who
Promotional stills for season six finale "The Wedding of River Song" [more at Pizquita]
Promo for "The Wedding of River Song" [YouTube]
Set images for the Christmas special [more at Pizquita]
Game of Thrones
Season two cast images [more at 7Kingdoms via SpoilerTV]
Set video [YouTube via 7Kingdoms]
Season two teaser trailer: "Terror Tease" [HBO]
Haven
Sneak peek at the season two finale "Sins of the Father" [YouTube]
Sanctuary
Season four cast images [more at Pizquita]
Promotional stills for the season four premiere – "Tempus" [more at Pizquita]
The Sarah Jane Adventures
Promotional stills and cast images [more at Blogtor Who]
The Secret Circle
Promotional stills for episode 1×04 – "Heather" [more at KSiteTV]
Promo for "Heather" [YouTube]
Supernatural
Promotional stills for episode 7×02 – "Hello Cruel World" [more at KSiteTV]
Promotional stills for episode 7×03 – "The Girl Next Door" [more at KSiteTV]
Promo for "Hello Cruel World" [YouTube]
Clip from "Hello Cruel World" [YouTube]
The Vampire Diaries
Promo for episode 3×04 – "Disturbing Behavior" [YouTube]
The Walking Dead
Season two poster [SpoilerTV]
Season two cast images [more at SpoilerTV]
Season two trailer [YouTube]
Season two promo [IGN]
Behind the scenes video [YouTube]
TV & CASTING BITES
- George R.R. Martin, "Game of Thrones" author and a writer/producer for the 80s TV series "Beauty and the Beast", is "nervous" about announced plans by The CW to remake the series: "I must admit, the announcement makes me nervous. The new version will "modernize and CW-up" the love story, it says here, as well as adding a "procedural twist…the phrase rings ominously in my ears". [George R.R. Martin | LiveJournal via Blastr]
- Episode 1×08 of the new ABC series "Once Upon a Time" will be called "Desperate Souls". [SpoilerTV]
- …"Supernatural" producer says Sera Gamble we’ll learn more about what the Leviathans are as the season develops: "[W]e open the idea of Purgatory and the idea that there were monsters there and that it’s an awful place, and Hell’s an awful place, and Heaven frankly sounds kind of boring to me. When you think about it, Earth is sort of this Eden, slightly corrupted, but full off possibilities, and it seems like everybody wants to be here."… [AOL TV]
- …Meanwhile, we now have the titles for four more episodes of "Supernatural". Episode 7×09 is called "How to Win Friends and Influence People", episode 7×10 is called "Not Fade Away", episode 7×11 is called "Adventures in Babysitting" and episode 7×12 currently has a working title of "Amazon.com". [SpoilerTV]
- "Teen Wolf" creator Jeff Davis has revealed that MTV is looking into producing 24 episodes of the series for season two to be "split into two separate 12 episode arcs". [@JeffDavis75]
- BBC3 has confirmed that they’ve canceled the "Doctor Who" behind-the-scenes series "Doctor Who Confidential". [The Guardian]
- Fox has picked up the Tim Kring ("Heroes") drama "Touch" for 13 episodes. The series will premiere in spring 2012. [Fox]
- The third season of "The Vampire Diaries" will introduce Esther, the mother of the Original family, via 1,000+ year-old flashbacks. She’s described as being "as strong and as fierce as Klaus, but she’s more into protecting her family than packing them away in coffins." [TV Guide]
- Kristen Bauer van Straten ("True Blood") will play Maleficent in the upcoming second episode of the new ABC drama "Once Upon a Time". [io9]
- Simon Fisher-Becker has revealed that he has been cast in the second season of HBO’s "Game of Thrones". He’ll be playing a High Priest. [CultBox via Winter-Is-Coming]
EPISODE Descriptions/Synopses
- "Supernatural" – 7×04 – "Defending Your Life". [SpoilerTV]
- "Supernatural" – 7×05 – "Shut Up, Dr. Phill". [SpoilerTV]
- "The Sarah Jane Adventures" – 5×03-04 – "The Curse of the Clyde Langer – Parts 1 and 2". [Blogtor Who]
- "Chuck" – 5×01 – "Chuck versus The Zoom". [SpoilerTV]
- "Fringe" – 4×04 – "Subject 9". [SpoilerTV]
- "The Vampire Diaries" – 3×05 – "The Reckoning". [SpoilerTV]
- "The Vampire Diaries" – 3×06 – "Smells Like Teen Spirit". [SpoilerTV]
- "Lost Girl" – 2×05 – "BrotherFae of the Wolves". [SpoilerTV]
- "The Secret Circle" – 1×05 – "Slither". [SpoilerTV]
- "The Secret Circle" – 1×06 – "Wake". [SpoilerTV]
- "Terra Nova" – 1×04 – "What Remains". [SpoilerTV]
Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow. Tips and/or comments can be directed to russ [AT] trekmovie [DOT] com.
Boy, the new threads are popping up fast and furious now! Suh-weet!
Super article!
I had no idea Del Toro was developing The Hulk! That is so cool! I can’t wait for that, and I hardly ever say that about anything.
Was watching “Enterprise” and the fourth episode takes place on a planet named Terra Nova, an Earth colony.
Del Toro must be killing himself for bailing on the Hobbit only 4 months before it got the green lot and now instead of directing biggest movie franchise in 2012/2013 he’s doing recycled comic book series. What was he thinking?
So many movies and series…. but no Trek in sight… Maybe this is a good day to die ;) <- JOKING! Yesterday I have had a talk with a friend. He said: "Let us see the truth: Star Trek is DEAD! Paramount wants to earn money, not to make presents to the fans out there." Argh! He COULD BE RIGHT!
My friend also said, the movies are only a kind of funeral eulogy to Star Trek. I am so … so… sad about the possibility this could really be true… BUT it would make sense! Paramount / CBS are not really yearning to make Trek, are they?
You can’t blame Del Toro for leaving The Hobbit. It was a lot easier for the studio to commit financially to a Peter Jackson directed Hobbit based on the Lord of the Rings billions than for them to finance 2 costly movies to be directed by someone who -didn’t- direct LOTR
Paramount and CBS are yearning to make MONEY. They aren’t in this to create art or have fun, that’s just a nice bonus when it happens.
CHUCKs final season just gets better and better.
Now if they only could bring Scott Bakula back in whatever form aswell *dreaming*
Thank you for the link to Terra Nova for free in HD on iTunes. I missed the pilot and want to give it a shot.
I liked Terra nova….Bragas writing on it was quite good…never got boring or slow and it looked great casting was good….They kinda borrowed the 2009 trek explanation of going back in time creates alternate universe to explain away the butterfly effect heehhe….I was wondering when watching what they would do if flying dinos attacked guess we will find out next week hahah….Its also watchable on exfinities on demand menu but they disabled fast forward hehehe….I like the idea of Del Toro doing Hulk…Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno were so good in the tv series that neither hulk movie has been as good yet….they made it a very human show great acting….Stan Lee is everywhere..hes almost as busy as the shat….
I think Paramount does make money off trek…that being said they also realize the fans are not dumb and they do seem to do more for us and the franchise than most companies would….which is why we get remastered hi def projects etc….I hope they keep up the good work….oh yeh tonite on Cartoon Neworks comedy show that has Janeway in it also had robert picardo which was delightful to watch….maybe by next season teh whole voyager cast will be in it hahaah..
Oh yes Rosario has there been any news on when disney xd is going to start showing the new tron uprising cartoons? I dont really watch that channel much except for once in a while x men or superhero show late at nite when I cant sleep so havent seen ads for it if they have them yet….
It looked very interesting on the commercial on the tron dvd…
OUCH I think I just answered the question…found a site that says now it will be shown summer 2012! Their initial previews said fall 2011….thats a long time to wait….Hope I still remember it by then….sheesh…
Terra Nova was terrible.
Jim Nightshade, Hitchcock already did a movie with flying dinosaurs attacking, it’s called “The Birds”. ;)
Terra Nova was great.
Not perfect but better than I expected.
It’s pretty much Swiss Family Robinson… with dinosaurs… and Stephen Lang.
;D
I hope Del Toro’s version of Hulk is good. I like that they are, in part, referencing the TV show. I always loved Bill Bixby and to echo someone else’s thoughts on the theme song….that was an intergral part of that show. Without Joe Harnell’s ‘Lonely Man’ theme it’d been a totally different show. I just wonder how they’re going to coordinate his version with what Marvel’s got going right now in the Avengers movie. Aren’t they really big on the continuity? Especially now that they’re partnered with Disney. I know the Disney people don’t let any unauthorized images of characters out that stray from accepted norms. Just curious.
Matthias as long as there are fans with great imaginations (and access to youtube, other multimedia, etc.) we’ll never run out of Star Trek. Even though it may not be cannon, it’ll be there. James Cawley’s (no I’m not affiliated – just a fan) vision of Trek confirms this.
Terra Nova fell flat for me. I watched it, giving it the benefit of the doubt, but when the kids went off on their adventure I lost all suspension of disbelief. Nobody (not even Dawson Creek-esque teens) is stupid enough to go into unknown dinosaur infested country to swim about, and play with a moonshine still. I love my drink and all… but no.
Not all dinosaurs were giant. That fence couldn’t stop the smaller species from running about the camp.
Terra Nova- BORING and pedestrian.
I’m sure it’ll be a hit.
I didnt know Del Toro was doing a Hulk series. That could be interesting. I think the Hobbit worked out for the best. Although it would have been cool to have Del Torro direct, Jacksons the natural fit IMO.
But it does seem funny that the studio couldnt do a thing for almost two years while Torro was at the helm, then somehow they get their act together a few months after he leaves lol
Looking forward to the Walking Dead.
With the crazy hours I work I missed Terra Nova. Hope to catch it soon. It might not last long if those numbers dont improve though. And thats to bad actually because it looks like a really good story.
Terra Nova was also rebroadcast on the National Geographic(!?) channel last night (Thursday)–didn’t check to see if this was a one-shot deal or they plan on running encore presentations of each episode.
I finaly got causht up with Supernatural and I am glad I did. The Season 7 premire was fantastic. The Plot at first looked like it was going to be another one of those things where you knew where it would go and then they threw a great Curve Ball. loved that. To me Dr. Who and Sara Jane and Supernatural are the best shows on T.V along with Hawaii Five O and both N.C.I.S Can’t wait for tonight to see Ep 2 of Supernatural.
like the Idea of The Hulk. Del Toro. Go for it!!!!!.
I started to watch Terra Nova and that show just did not keep my interest. I think it may last for one season. 2 at the most.
Terra Nova: 13 and out…
Can’t wait for the Dr. Who finale!
Terra Nova had no compelling characters. They were all stiff, wooden, boring, and stale. It was just one cliche after another. Also, I agree with 18 above. Plus, I’ve seen better CGI in video games. Plus, plus, that was easiest (IE: yawn, boring) prison break ever televised.
I liked Terra Nova but doubt it’ll last long.
@4
Your are so right!!
The only problem I had with Terra Nova is that the characters are all idiots. I can swallow a few people doing stupid things, but they had essentially every character doing stupid things. They’re also going to need to develop the kids a bit more if they’re going to rely on them as major characters.
And surely a few well placed logs aren’t enough to keep an angry dinosaur out of a compound? Seeing as how the ‘thrasher’ dinos effectively tore through metal, the log fence thing just left me scratching my head.
Terra Nova was a mess. Bad writing, ridiculous plot elements, hackneyed, stock characters and situations, the whole lot. I don’t think we’ll ever get science fiction on TV that would stand up to published SF standards.
Well, I guiltily enjoyed Terra Nova, but the news doesn’t surprise me. I think Eschevarria and Braga should be concerned. Which reminds me…
Have an idea I’d like to pitch Spielberg for a new comedy series: The hilarious hijinks of two washed up screenwriters trying to make it as paramedics in Los Angeles, never fully abandoning the dream of recapturing their former glory. David Lee Roth guest stars in the pilot. It will have you in stitches.
Stitches. I think that’s also the title.
Can’t wait for the new season of “Walking Dead”; the most powerful genre show since NuBSG in my opinion! Love the cast and production values; I’m curious to see how (or hopefully how little) the loss of Frank Darabont (bad move, AMC!) affects the show’s quality….
Hulk on TV would not excite or even interest me (even though I grew up on and loved the Bixby series). But Guillermo del Toro’s involvement has me officially perked up… I love ALL of his movies. His style and taste would seem to fit the tale of a complex, Jekyll/Hyde hero like a glove. I’d like a format closer to the tortured ‘man on the run’ Bixby show, rather than ‘Hulk smash (*blank*)’ every week… we’ll see.
And sadly, despite the intense hype I saw at Comic Con, Terra Nova wasn’t all that and a bag of chips. After watching the pilot (and it’s quilt-work of borrowed movie parts) I am officially not interested anymore (the characters simply failed to hook me). Even wild dinosaurs couldn’t drag me back to this show… maybe if I were 12.
As for Doctor Who, I wish they’d ditch the haunted fairy tale tone of the Matt Smith years and get back into the more ‘science fictiony, timey-whimey’ Doctor Who’s of the past. I really miss those. The show’s taken an unfortunate left turn into Harry Potter-ville, and only occasionally flashes on how brilliant it still could be. And I hate the Amy Pond pre-credits narrative (I think it’s only on the BBC-A American broadcast). I love Amy Pond as a character, but it’s NOT her show… anymore than Tennant’s Doctor belonged to Rose or Martha or anyone else. The companions change; the Doctor goes on… kind of the point.
The Doctor Who finale is going to be great.
Looking forward to giving Terra Nova a try, as a fan of Brannon Braga I want to support it.
I hope Walking Dead will still be good.
I also can’t wait till next summer to see what happens on Falling Skys. That is a good show as well.
There was in fact already a Christmas-themed episode of “Chuck”. It was the “Die Hard” spoof (complete with a Reginald VelJohnson cameo) when the Buy More was taken over by terrorists on Christmas Eve.
As predicted Terra Nova was a massive pile of shite.
Saw it coming a mile off.
Middle of the road, sub-par wank.
IMO of course!
Yikes! I must have watched a different Terra Nova, because I thought it was excellent. A refreshing change from a lot of Sci-Fi on TV lately.
The pilot said the stage for what should be a lot of intriguing storylines. The expensive budget was much apparent.
The only part that I didn’t like was the rebellious teen subplot. Yea, I did think the same thing as someone else posted about the wooden poles used for the perimeter fence. But a minor detail.
As a dinosaur fanatic, I did think the science was on target.
Regards.
I’m hoping the ratings improve and it hangs around for awhile
I liked Terra Nova more than I thought
I was going to… maybe a 7 out of 10.
The original adult story lines were very
good. The re-hashed teenage story
lines were definitely crap.
The acting was top notch (considering
what they had to work with).
I did keep thinking, while I was watching
it, that a Slee-stack was going to appear
from out of nowhere…lol.
It actually, in a weird way, reminded me
of the original ‘V’ tv series… not sure why.
An Incredible Hulk tv series? Again? Really?
Ya gotta be kidding me…
#40
You’re not the only one, Lostrod. I thought the Terra Nova pilot was damn good for what it was. A bit rough in some places, but it was definitely enough to make me want to watch next week. Maybe I’m just in it for the dinosaurs…
Anyway, I’m just glad the internet wasn’t around when TNG premiered… or else it probably wouldn’t have gotten past “Encounter at Farpoint.” Surely not past “Code of Honor.” Yeesh!
#17.
Disney owns the ABC network. So they’re still in control of “The Hulk”.
#42.
Disney owns Marvel so now they are going to exploit the superhero characters til the cows come home.
Also, on the subject of “Terra Nova”, I still think that show is doomed. I predicted its early fate last week, and the weak viewer numbers reaffirms it. It’ll be done in a few weeks.
Thursday nights here is sci-fi night on the two TVs in our house. Prime screens Dr Who (Matt Smith) with Amy Pond (and yes, Amy Pond does give the little narrative, which I really love). This is followed by Torchwood: Miracle Day. The programmes finish at about 10.40pm, which can be a bother because Fringe starts at 10.30pm on TV2. Depending on who is doing the video taping of Dr Who and Torchwood, that person will miss the first 10 minutes or so of Fringe…:(. Of course, recording Dr Who (and now its spin-off series) is a long family tradition, started from the moment the first video tape recording was available. We see no reason to halt the tradition now.
My daughter loves Dr Who (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond – she has puffles named after these people…just as she has a yellow puffle called Spock and a larger orange puffle called Chris Pine and the smaller orange one called Jim Kirk. I think that about says it all…the child has spoken!
People trying to survive alongside dinosaurs is a great template. And Lang is good.
For what it’s worth, I also enjoyed Terra Nova quite a bit. The two hours moved at a strong pace and the casting is spot on.
I’m hopeful ratings hold/improve, because I’m intrigued.
#39 How did you see Terra Nova? I was not aware that Terra Nova was on TV here. Which channel? What time?
#3
Considering that “Terra Nova” simply means “New Earth” it shouldn’t be surprising.
@48
Yo Pinenut!
“tis not on terrestrial or Sky.
I saw it via the beauty of UTorrent and downloaded it. that is pretty much how i keep up with the latest shows as they happen. if they are good (IMO), i purchase them on Blu Ray/DVD when they are released
you didn’t miss much – typical “safe” TV with an obvious immense budget and stereotypical beautiful people.
For strong characters/plot it somehow felt reasonably empty IMO
the dino parts were good to be fair.
Remember Jim Hensons dinosaurs?
well, it was nothing like that! LOL
seen many hobbits/dwarves lately?
as the ground keeps shaking down here it brings ’em out of their little hidey-holes on a frequent basis. can’t move without stepping on one!
:)