Sci-Fi TV Saturday: FlashForward, Fringe, Stargate, Lost, Dollhouse, Heroes, Vampire Diaries + more

After a week off, Sci-Fi Saturday is back with all the latest news, images and videos for sci-fi/genre television.  This week brings news about a possible continuation of Lost, status updates on the SG-1 and Atlantis movies, Smallville’s Clark Kent in his Superman outfit and much, much more.  So head on over the jump to get your latest sci-fi TV fix.

GENRE TV NEWS

Sci-Fi Least Significant Element of FlashForward?
Once again the sci-fi sci-fi element of “FlashForward” is being downplayed by its creative team. Producers David Goyer and Marc Guggenheim tell USA Today that the series includes many different elements and science fiction may be the least signficant. Goyer even suggested that the ultimate cause may not even be in the realm of that genre, describing the flash forward as a “what if” and not necessarily science fiction. Other interesting bits in the USA Today article include another discussion about the length of the series (planned for five seasons, but it could be told in three if necessary and extended even longer than five if successful/desired):

“They have had a destination in mind the whole time, knowing how hard it is when you don’t,” [ABC executive vice president Suzanne] Patmore-Gibbs says. She notes Lost has benefited from having a fixed ending point, though no one suggested FlashForward might follow a similar plan.

Goyer and Guggenheim also emphasized that while the series shares some similarities with “Lost”, one change is that they hope to provide quick answers and what USA Today describes as a “simplified but not dumbed-down mythology” to allow the show to appeal to a broader audience: “It’s not that kind of show where if you don’t catch it at the beginning you’ll be lost,” co-star Courtney B. Vance says. For more, head on over to USA Today. In other news, SpoilerTV has two new casting calls (here and here) covering two characters, while IESB interviewed co-star Gabrielle Union (read the interview here). “FlashForward” premieres Thursday, September 24th at 8:00pm on ABC.

Episode two – “White to Play” [more at FlashForward.pl via The ODI]

New promo featuring our first look at Dominic Monaghan’s character Simon

More promos: 1 | 2

Sneak peek

Lost Creators Say Series Could Live on Beyond Season Six
Season six may not be the last we see of “Lost”. Although Creators/executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have made it clear they don’t intend to return to the island after their finale airs, the two revealed at Bumbershoot, a Music and Arts festival in Seattle, and revealed that because of the powerful brand that has been created, they wouldn’t be surprised to see ABC continue to franchise on in some way (via TV Overmind). The two also said that although the show is coming to an end, not everything will be made clear.

  • Casting call for three characters to appear in episode three of the sixth season of “Lost”… [SpoilersLost]

  • …And here’s another casting call for “Lost”, this time looking for one character to appear in the fourth episode of the season. [SpoilersLost]

Viral posters [Damon, Carlton and A Polar Bear]

Set images [more at The ODI]

New Stargate Movie To Begin Shooting this Year? + Phillips Talks SGU and Finale Title Revealed
Amanda Tapping told SCI FI Wire that a new “Stargate SG-1” movie could begin production later this year: “As far as I know, we may start in late fall or early winter this year,” Tapping said. “And I will slip back into Sam Carter very nicely; I’m looking forward to it.” Martin Wood, who directed the first two movies, will return to direct:

“They asked me to direct the Stargate SG-1 movie, and they are waiting until Universe is finished, and then, of course, they ask me when I’m available,” said Wood. “Then that may get done by the end of the year. That’s what everyone is hoping, at least.”

When asked about the planned “Stargate Atlantis” movie, Wood said that it’s also “being talked about for this year.” Moving to ‘SGU’, SCI FI Wire interviewed co-star Lou Diamond Phillips (Colonel Telford). Here’s an excerpt:

“It’s an interesting situation,” reports Phillips. “Telford was supposed to be the commander of the away group who is going through the Stargate into the ninth address, which is an address that has yet to be discovered previously. The base is attacked, and Telford is unfortunately relegated to Earth. As you know, the rest of the crew, led by Robert Carlyle and Louis Ferreira, end up stranded in the far reaches of space. Telford, whose entire mission was to be front-runner of this crew, is now incredibly frustrated with not being part of that. His mission is now to get these people home and to somehow get himself on that ship. He’s definitely a career military guy, and, at least presently, that seems to be his end-all and be-all.”

In other news, Joseph Mallozzi revealed on his blog (via GateWorld) that the scripts for the two-part season finale have been written. The two-part episode is titled “Incursion” and while details are being kept under wraps, Malloozi did tell fans that that the season will end on a “big-time cliffhanger,” which he calls “the biggest HOLY #%&@! ending I have ever written.” Rounding out the week’s ‘SGU’/“Stargate” news is a new casting call for episode 17 – “Lost” which you can check out courtesy SpoilerTV. “SGU: Stargate Universe” premieres on Syfy on Friday, October 2nd at 9:00pm.

Promotional images from episodes 1-3 [more at io9]

Trailer (Shown in theaters two weeks ago)

Watch another trailer at this link

Vampire Diaries is The CW’s Biggest Series Premiere Ever
Although it’s too early to tell whether or not The CW has a long-term hit on their hands, in the short-term the network is celebrating the series premiere numbers for “Vampire Diaries”. The show drew a network record 4.91 million viewers and a 2.1/7 A18-49 rating/share. In their release, The CW highlighted the program’s strong performance in key women demographics:

Taking over the lead-off position on Thursday night, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES delivered The CW’s highest ratings ever in the 8-9pm time period with women 18-34 (3.0/10), women 18-49 (2.8/8), teens (2.7/11) and female teens (3.4/14). It also scored the best performance here in adults 18-34 (2.2/8), adults 18-49 (2.1/6) and viewers (4.84mil) since Oct. 2007.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES out-performed last season’s Smallville premiere by 114% in women 18-34, 75% in women 18-49, 22% in adults 18-34, 17% in adults 18-49 and 11% in viewers.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES built in the second half hour, growing 18% with women 18-34, 10% in adults 18-34, 17% in females 12-34, 14% in persons 12-34, 12% in women 18-49, 10% in adults 18-49 and 9% in viewers.

The news for lead-out “Supernatural” meanwhile was only so-so. Despite a stronger lead-in, the show was off by more than double digits among viewers (-14%) and among adults 18-49 (-18%) from last season’s premiere (3.96M; 1.7/5 A18-49 rating/share vs. 3.40M; 1.4/4 A18-49 rating/share). At the moment, it doesn’t appear to be as compatible with “Vampire Diaries” as it was with “Smallville” at least based on retention levels: 69 and 67 percent, respectively versus 91 and 94 percent, respectively, last season. But it’s worth noting that for a program on The CW, these are still fairly solid numbers. Getting back to “Vampire Diaries“, The CW has released their official descriptions for episodes three – “Friday Night Bites” and four – “Family Ties”. The description for “Friday Night Bites” is included below. Head on over to VampireSite to read the one for “Family Ties”:

MYSTIC FALLS IS ROCKED BY VIOLENCE — Elena (Nina Dobrev) tries to ignore Bonnie’s (Katerina Graham) warnings about the disturbing vibes she got from Stefan (Paul Wesley). Tyler (Michael Trevino) tries to embarrass Stefan by throwing a football at him, but Stefan effortlessly catches and passes the ball back, impressing everyone with his skill. Mr. Tanner (guest star Benjamin Ayres) reluctantly lets Stefan join the football team. Elena invites Stefan and Bonnie to dinner, hoping that the two will bond, but the evening is disrupted by the unexpected and unwelcome arrival of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Caroline (Candice Accola). Finally, the town is shocked by an act of violence. Steven R. McQueen, Sara Canning, Zach Roerig and Kayla Ewell also star. John Dahl directed the episode written by Barbie Kligman & Bryan M. Holdman (#102).

Meanwhile SpoilerTV has a casting call for episode six looking for a guest star recurring/possible series regular. “Vampire Diaries” airs Thursday night’s at 8:00 on The CW.

Episode two – “Night of the Comet” [more at SpoilerTV]

Episode three – “Friday Night Bites” [more at Vampire Site]

Episode four – “Family Ties” [more at VampireDiaries-Show]

Episode six – “Family Ties” [VampireDiaries-Show]

Dollhouse Season Two Will Reference “Epitaph One”, But Will Pick Up from the Events of “Omega”
The season two premiere of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” will make references to the un-aired 13th episode “Epitaph One” (available on the DVD and Blu-ray), but the season will begin after the events of the actual season finale, “Omega”:

“I can tell you that it both is directly sequential to ‘Omega’ and also references in rather vague ways what happens in ‘Epitaph One,'” actor Harry Lennix (Boyd Langdon) told SCI FI Wire. “It’s in between.”

Dichen Lachman (Active Sierra) also offered some details about the upcoming premiere:

“Obviously Paul [Tahmoh Penikett] is in the Dollhouse because he got in there,” Lachman said in a separate interview. “So, yeah, it’s just kind of back to business. There are, as Joss said at Comic-Con, a few flash-forwards in the first episode, which will be nice for the audience to just be reminded of what happened [in ‘Epitaph One’].”

Head on over to SCI FI Wire to read more thoughts by the two stars of the show. In casting news, SpoilerTV has a casting call for a guest star/probable recurring role for the sixth episode “The Left Hand”. “Dollhouse” premieres its second season Friday, September 25th at 9:00 pm on Fox.

Promotional images [Fox]

More images: 1 | 2

Season two sneak peek

Watch another promo at this link

Supernatural: Sam and Dean to be Older, Wiser and Stronger This Season
Eric Kripke, creator and executive producer of “Supernatural”, told EW that the upcoming season is about “building Sam and Dean back up in a way that makes them older, sadder, wiser, and, ultimately, stronger.” Kripke went on to say that they feel the season “is the most optimistic season” they’ve done:

“Because even though the exterior circumstances are a massive cluster f–k, internally, the boys aren’t tearing each other apart every episode. It’s more like, ‘Hey, maybe we’ll lose, but, dammit, let’s go down swinging.’”

In other news, SpoilerTV has a casting call looking for three characters — all guest stars — for the seventh episode this season, while The CW has released an official description for episode three – “Free To Be You And Me”:

ADRIANNE PALICIKI GUEST STARS — Not sure he trusts himself anymore, Sam (Jared Padalecki) decides to give up hunting, but a late-night visitor (guest star Adrianne Palicki) won’t let him off the hook that easily. Dean (Jensen Ackles), intent on stopping the Apocalypse, continues hunting on his own and teams up with Castiel (Misha Collins) to find the Archangel Raphael, as Castiel believes Raphael knows God’s location. Miller Tobin directed the episode written by Jeremy Carver (#503).

Rounding out the rest of the week’s “Supernatural” news, E! Online reports that season five will include a flash-forward to a 70-year-old Dean Winchester. Although they don’t say which episode that will occur in, the title for episode seven (“The Curious Case Of Dean Winchester”) — revealed in a casting call looking for three guest stars — is a giveaway. “Supernatural” airs Thursday night’s at 9:00 on The CW.

Episode three – “Free To Be You And Me” [more at SPNsite]

Set images [more at TheScenery via SpoilerTV]

More Observers Coming to Fringe
“Fringe”
executive producer Roberto Orci told TVGuideMagazine that the Observer will get some company in season two:

“You’re gonna see more than one – this is an exclusive! You are going to see many Observers,” previews Orci of the new season’s eighth episode. “[It’s] going to tell you a lot about The Observers. You’re going to find out their role in the world, what they’re named after, and their connection to some of these characters.”

Orci also offered the following bit of news for fans:

“One of the things we’re doing, which we’ve been doing since Season 1, is that every four episodes or five episodes, if you’ve been watching the show and you’re a fan, you’re gonna get bigger answers than you ever got before. If you stay tuned to the fourth show, that eighth show, that 12th show, you will start to see a continuity that begins with The Observers.”

“Fringe” premieres its second season Thursday, September 17th at 9:00pm on Fox. Below you’ll find the official description for the premiere (“A New Day in the Old Town”), followed by some bites to round out the week’s coverage on the series:

In the stunning first season finale, Olivia traveled to an intriguing parallel universe to meet with Massive Dynamic founder William Bell (guest star Leonard Nimoy). Season Two opens with her shocking return to this perplexing alternate reality, while Peter, unknowingly in a race against time with an ominous mobile force, pursues information about Olivia’s visit. Walter reenters the lab to cook up a bit of fringe science, and of course, some custard for Peter’s birthday in the “A New Day in the Old Town” season premiere episode of FRINGE airing Thursday, Sept. 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

  • Check out an interview with Lance Reddick (Agent Phillip Broyles). [Hollywood The Write Way via Sci Fi Scoop]
  • Casting call for episode eight – “August” looking for a guest star. [SpoilerTV]
  • If you missed last week’s “Tweet-Peat” of the season finale of “Fringe” — which featured tweets by the cast and producers — head on over to The ODI for a recap.

Episode 2 – “Night of Desirable Objects” [more at SpoilerTV]

Set images [more at CinemaSpy]

EW magazine scans [more at The ODI]

Extended “Paranoia ” commercial

More promos: 1 | 2 | 3

Season two premiere (“A New Day in the Old Town”) sneak peek

Oka credited the shorter season with the improved quality:

“[A shorter season is] actually fantastic… I think 25 episodes stretches out a storyline that should’ve been compressed… That means you dilute it, you dilute the storyline and make it filler, and that last episode isn’t going to be as strong as it should be. Having 19 just allows you to be creatively tight, make every episode so packed with story, character development, action, all that, and ultimately it makes a better show.

Head on over to io9 to read more of the interview session. Meanwhile series creator Tim Kring told EW that he isn’t concerned about the declining ratings and isn’t ready for season four to be its last:

“I’m not sure that our fate is in jeopardy,” he said. “People are watching our show in so many different ways on so many platforms. We’re among the [most] DVR’d shows on TV last season and we were NBC’s No. 1 drama last season in the key demos,” adding “we’ve never really posited an ending… [because] it’s never been one long serialized story. Each volume has a beginning, middle and end. So we try to wrap things up pretty neatly each time and string a cliffhanger over the break to reward the loyal viewers.”

The two-hour/two-episode fourth season premiere airs Monday, September 21st on NBC. Check out the episode description below, plus some bites to round out the week’s coverage on the show:

Claire (Hayden Panettiere) struggles with adjusting to her new life in college when a mysterious death thrusts her into the spotlight once again. Elsewhere, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) continue their noble quest to help people by promoting their abilities. Angela (Cristine Rose) fears Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) will soon discover his true identity; while Matt (Greg Grunberg) is haunted by an unexpected visitor seeking something he has lost. Tracy Strauss (Ali Larter) and H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) join forces, looking for the key to unlock the motive behind a horrific crime. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) uses his abilities for good, but he is soon called upon to aid an old friend. While the heroes adjust to their new surroundings, a mysterious carnival clan, led by ringleader Samuel (Robert Knepper), sets their sights on familiar faces. James Kyson Lee and Zachary Quinto also star. Rachel Melvin, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ashley Crow, Lisa Lackey, Assaf Cohen, and Saemi Nakamura also guest star.

  • Check out an interview with James Kyson Lee (Ando). [Winnipeg Sun via SpoilerTV]
  • Sall Chaplin will return to reprise her role as Lynette in three episodes. She’ll play a waitress in the Burnt Toast Diner, where Charlie worked. We’ll reportedly see an earlier scene from a different point of view. [The ODI]
  • A casting call looking for a female student to co-star in episode 10 “Student”. [SpoilerTV]
  • Elisabeth Rohm will guest star in the show’s eighth episode playing a character named Lauren Gilmore. [Zap2It]

Season four episode one – “Orientation” [more at HeroSite]

Season four episode two – “Jump, Push, Fall” [more at HeroSite]

Set images [more at The ODI (and here)]

Season four sneak peek (from the Heroes: Season 3 Blu-ray set)

Promo: “Back At Their Best”


NEW IMAGES

Battlestar Galactica

Concept artist Eric Chu created some possible designs for Bryan Singer’s movie [more at CinemaSpy]

Defying Gravity

Episode 8 – Love, Honor, Obey [more at SpoilerTV]

Eastwick

Promotional image [Eastwick-Fans]

Eureka

Episode 18 – “What Goes Around Comes Around” [more at SpoilerTV]

Smallville

First look at Clark in his Superman suit [MovieWeb]

Season nine episode 1 – “Savior” [More at LilMissX (here and here) and OSCK]

Titan Maximum

Promotional images [more at SCI FI Wire]

True Blood

Season two finale – “Beyond Here Lies Nothin” [more at BSCreview]

Warehouse 13

Episode 15 – “Nevermore” (features first look at Michael Hogan’s character) [more at Chicago Tribune]

CASTING BITES

  • David H. Lawrence XVII, who played the puppetmaster on “Heroes” has been cast in an episode of “Lost”. Lawrence revealed on this Twitter account that he could return for more episodes. [David H. Lawrence XVII via The ODI]
  • The folks at “Chuck” are really lining up quite the list of special guest stars. Shortly after the news broke that Brandon Routh would guest star on the show, now it’s being reported that Kristin Kreuk (“Smallville”) will join the show for a multiple episode arc. She’ll play Hannah, a girl Chuck meets on a flight to Paris with an insider teasing a possible romantic relationship: . An insider teased: “Chuck and Hannah definitely have feelings for each other.”… [EW]
  • …Also joining the show will be Angie Harmon. Harmon will play a spy named Sydney who wants to kill Ryan McPartlin’s character (Devon ‘Captain Awesome’ Woodcomb). [EW]
  • Lena Headey (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) has landed the final role for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” pilot. She’ll play Cersei Lannister, a woman of royal blood who is as smart, cunning and devious as the powerful men around her. [The Chicago Tribune]
  • A casting call for “Eastwick” is looking for an actor to guest star (possibly recurring). The character is described as being attractive, sexy, funny and charming and would play a “whip-smart, facile, fast-paced, witty journalist who has arrived in Eastwick to steal Joanna’s (Lindsay Price) job, and maybe her heart.” [SpoilerTV]
  • Julian Sands will guest star on The CW’s “Smallville” as a young Jor-El. His episode will air in November and will reveal that his character arrived with Zod and the other Kandorians… [TV Fanatic]
  • …Check out an interview with star Tom Welling (Clark Kent) where he discusses what it’s like serving as a producer and season nine storylines. “Smallville” premieres on The CW on Friday, September 25th at 8:00 pm (click here to read the official description for the season nine premiere). [TV Guide Magazine]
  • Peter Wingfield has been cast in Syfy’s “Caprica”. Wingfeld will play Gara Singh, director at the Global Defense Department. [Peter Wingfield via battlestar_blog]

NEW VIDEOS

Eastwick

Series premiere promo

Smallville

Season nine premiere (“Savior”) sneak peek

Season nine promo

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Deleted scene from the second season (featured on the DVD/Blu-ray): “We Can Fix It” [MovieWeb]

True Blood

Season two finale (“Beyond Here Lies Nothin”) promo

Warehouse 13

Clip from episode 11 – “Nevermore” (features guest star Michael Hogan)

TV BITES

  • Think SCI FI/Syfy was pushing it when they brought over wrestling onto to their network courtesy “ECW”? Well this one’s even more strange. Mark Stern, Syfy’s executive vice president for original programming, said that they have been looking into developing all “sorts of ideas” and would even consider adding a cooking show to their lineup: “…if we were to do a “cooking show”, it definitely wouldn’t be a normal, conventional cooking show.” [io9]
  • This year’s “Treehouse of Horrors” episode of “The Simpsons” will mostly be a satire of “Strangers on a Train”: “…where Bart and Lisa are both mad at their teachers. So Bart says, ‘You get revenge on mine, I’ll get revenge on yours.’ So Lisa plays a prank on Mrs. Krabappel and Bart cuts the head off Lisa’s teacher. Then she’s very upset,” said show runner Al Jean. [SCI FI Wire]
  • Syfy’s “Warehouse 13” continues to break network ratings. After its fifth episode drew a record 4.3 million total viewers (when including time-shifted viewers), episode seven sailed past it with a new record of 4.4 million total viewers. In fact, when including full live + 7 DVR data, the first seven episodes rank in the top 10 most watched series telecasts ever on Syfy. [Syfy]
  • Details are being kept under wraps, but Stewart Hendler revealed that he’s working with Bryan Singer on a sci-fi web series that is set in the future and he says it has a “Lost vibe to it”. [SCI FI Wire]
  • MTV is moving forward with development of a new series based on the 1985 comedy “Teen Wolf”, recently ordering a pilot. [THR]
  • In a recent interview, Thomas Dekker revealed some information about what would have happened in the third season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” had Fox opted to renew the series. Dekker also says that if the show somehow makes it a comeback, it would be a direct-to-DVD movie (ala “Stargate”). Read the interview at The TV Addict.
  • A couple “Eastwick” bites to report on: ABC has put out a press release detailing the show’s pilot episode… [via SpoilerTV]
  • …Meanwhile you can check out castingn sides from the series’ sixth episode… [SpoilerTV]
  • …And be sure to check out an interview with one of the show’s stars Rebecca Romijn. [SCI FI Wire]
  • Jesse Alexender says he has already mapped out an extended mythology for his upcoming NBC series the series “Day One”: “I very much have a long term plan that’s broken into, for the series, these different events.” [io9]
  • Screenwriter and director Richard Curtis will write an episode of the new series of “Doctor Who”. [BBC]
  • The WGA has ruled that ABC’s “V” series is officially a remake of the original 1984 mini-series. That means Kenneth Johnson — creator of the original series — will get a credit when the series premieres this November. [Illana’s V Site via io9]

SCI FI TV RATINGS

CHART (8/24/2009 to 8/30/2009)

CHART (8/31/2009 to 9/6/2009)


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

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I still think the Galactica stuff could end up being fine. I wasn’t open to the new series and it wasn’t bad, though I still prefer the original BSG…but whatever.

Supernatural remains as the best show on television to me.

Wow. That Superman suit looks really bad.

Do you mean bad like ‘it sucks” or
bad like “bad a..”?

Don’t care for it much myself.

What the hell is Superman wearing?

… a super smoking jacket?

… a second hand tuxedo from a super thrifty store … complete with extra wide 70’s laples?

Give him a fuzzy pimp hat and then he can sing lead for Digital Underground. “Do the Humpty Hump … Do the Humpty Hump…”

Sometimes bad is bad.

Well that’s certainly a different slant on the Superman costume. In the new series will he be retreating to his Wing-tipped Chair of Solitude?

5 – LOL. Exactly.
Smallville has jumped the shark (again) because he still can’t fly over it.
And why do they have use that horrible Superman Returns version of the insignia?

Oh god, please no more teenage vampires

The black Superman suit is a prototype that Clark comes up with. Its not the final suit. My guess is your not going to see it till end of the series. Which im guessing is going to be this season. As a fan from season 1 even im getting alittle tired of how slow Clark has been developing his powers. But they have some exciting this coming up this season and with Zod being the villian this could be very interesting.

And speaking of anyother superhero, series “Heroes,” this is got to be there last chance. After the end of season 1, they have just not gotten close to capturing what made that season so great. They have gotten close but it just seems to fall apart at the end. If things do not improve ratings wise I can see NBC canceling the series after this season.

I agree with 10.

Though I doubt we will ever get to see the Red and Blue suit, thanks to them casting a guy who hates that suit and has claimed he will never wear, as the lead in a Superman series. Smart move, don’t you think?

The first 3 seasons were good, then they just went Dawson’s Creeky.

If only the people who make the things we like to watch were concerned about stroy and plot structure rather than ratings…

Agreed, It was time for Smallville to grow Clark up into Superman like 4 seasons ago, this is just boring now, especially without the Luthors.

& that suit is lame!!

#11 so is that one! Eww!

Stargate? Really? When will this hideous beast die?!

Bad acting + bad effects = crappy show

As for Supernatural… those guys are both former soap stars on a CW show about monsters & the devil. See the above equation to work my opinion of that weekly debacle.

The point is; no new Trek series on the air.

Sarah Connor cancelled.

Nothing to look forward to on TV this year but the cartoon Clone Wars….

I’ll be re-watching my Enterprise DVD collection again. At least I can skip the theme song!

Bummer!!

Was not the idea of a blue body suit with a red cap, and clark being white in race used to picture patriotism to America after the first World War when the comic was created. We did not become #1 until after the A-bomb and beating Japan to win WW II. And it was used as a marketing plot, because after WW One and you did not promote patriotism you were shyed away from. So Superman was not just a hero he was a patriotic hero this increasing his rize in popularity. So if you did not boost America you at least earned respect by loving the first Super Hero who was a true American. And not because he grew up here, he had American Colors.

#7 = hilarious. Just make the show Lois and Clark and be done with it – bringing back l & c guest villains like Sherman Helmsley, Howie Mandel and Jonathan Frakes.

5
lol

10
agreed. its just an evolution.
but my impresion was NEO.

13
im not up on my superheros. but that sounds like cpt america

What’s happened to Kenneth Johnson’s plan to bring back “V” as a big screen movie???

Enough with vampires already.

TV wasteland! It’s only TV wasteland! They’re all wasted!

At least I’ll have a nice song goin’ through me head for the rest of the day. : D

I really can’t stand these producers who are trying to represent their sci-fi shows as non-sci-fi shows to appeal people who hate sci-fi ( housewives, “Paris Hilton types”, etc.)

My thoughts:

‘Smallville’ died along time ago, whatever suit they put Clark into now it really is a moot point. When Jonathon Kent died, the show jumped the shark like you wouldn’t believe. Maybe not because of that moment but afterwards it wasn’t the same. And really how many more scenes can they put in that damn barn?

We have to see Caprica destroyed…again!?! Ugh definitely not going to see the ‘Galactica’ movie, the tv series was one of the best programs I’ve seen in a long time…and I’m not talking about the original.

And I agree with you 17…enough with the vampires already.

That “Superman” suit looks retarded!

Typical “Tim Burton” type dark BS!!! Yeah, just throw a black T-Shirt on him and put him in a trenchcoat…and voila — “Superman costume”.

What a bunch of stupid hacks. This is the kind of shite everyone who wants a “dark” Superman film…this is what they want.

Idiocy. Sheer lunacy.

#16 He’s still pursuing this despite the new TV series in the belief the two can co-exist. Here’s a nifty site for Ken Johnson news: http://www.mindpulse.com/users/lizlady/kenjohnson.htm

#19 I’ve been watching Smallville since episode 1, it is far from dead, creatively and ratings wise. Last year a new creative team took over and it was a fresh season, altho the finale sucked. This year Welling only signed on, on the condition that the it moved the Superman story on further, and it looks like its doing exactly that. I’m really looking forward to it.

Jonathan Kent’s death did suck. I understand that they needed to kill him for Clark to get closer to being Superman, but he’s not made that step in the last 4 years which means his father could have stuck around in that time. And as for the Barn, it’s called budget lol They have already established sets (that one is 2 stories high) that cost them nothing but storage. It’s like saying why is Picard using that ready room so often?Because its cheap and because its a place for the character to reflect in times of crisis.

I implore you to give season 9 a chance. It looks really really good. Plenty of promising antagonists and the fallout from Jimmy’s death is gonna have repurcussons for Clark and Chloe.

Great coverage of the relevant SF material, as usual. The time it takes to gather and write about it boggles the mind.

Sadly, I just realized that I’ve had no time to watch any of the SF programs mentioned. All this means, however, is that when I do have the time, there will be a cornucopia of choices.

Have never watched “Lost” but wouldn’t it be funny if this ‘ending place’ they say they’ve had mapped out all along leaves them with the three, still living – Ginger, the Professor and Mary Ann – cast members from “Gilligan’s Island” and shows that’s where they’ve been all along. I might watch that.

I don’t think that is actually Clark. Think about it…

1. Wears all black.
2. Chloe thinks he’s cold.
3. Leaves his mark on things – which isn’t exactly Superman’s MO.

To me that sounds less like Clark / Superman would do and more like something the Eradicator would do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eradicator_(comics)

24. NaverDrol –
“I don’t think that is actually Clark. Think about it…”

Lol! What if it’s “Dark Superman” from that awful Superman III with Richard Pryor??

I would have been okay with that black outfit at around Season 4 or 5.

But Season 9?!?

I don’t care how much the star balks, after investing that much time into the show, the fans DESERVE to see him in a proper Superman suit.

#13) Was not Captain America the compactions WW II answer to Superman. And was not the creator of the comic married to some big wig british lady. At least thats what I recall from a 1993 or 4 AMC special on Comic Book Heros. This was a decade before Comic publishers started stressing about bank account. But my memory was still foggy back then after my head injury that exposed my brain. But I was so burned into TNG it helped they ran those shows so many years. I was able to learn and remember most every thing that happened on NCC 1701D.

I hope they pass on those Galactica designs :P

Smallville season 8 was pretty good with them going even further into DC lore with Zatanna, the Legion of Superheroes and Maxima. The only truly awful thing about it was the finish to the Doomsday storyline. Why even bring it up if you cannot do it justice.

I cannot wait to see V, hope it is not in too much trouble with the two week hiatus in production.

If you don’t like Smallville, don’t watch it. Smallville’s story has been the beginning before Clark Kent was Superman so why all the fuss about him becoming Superman? DC Comics own Superman so Smallville has to walk a very fine line with their stories. If they let him put on “the suit” and even fly they it becomes “Superman” and no longer Smallville. So just stop yaping about him flying, wearing the suit and all the other stuff. Just stop watching Smallville.

I don’t understand how Smallville can revise Superman’s background so thoroughly.

I love how people are so quick to jump the gun when they haven’t even seen the new season! I’m sure there is a reason to the black suit. Just be patient…

The more I see of this new Battlestar Galactica film, the more I think it is a bad idea coming in too soon after the recent BSG series. I was a fan of both because they were very different in their own way. Unlike Star Trek, which needed a reboot, BSG doesn’t as there are only so many ways you can tell the same story that’s already been told in both series.

Maybe in 10 or so years time but not now….

@ #25

LOL Dark Superman. Nah.. he doesn’t look ‘sad’ enough for that.

@ #26

I thought it was the producers that didn’t want him in the suit. Does Tom Welling not want to do it either? Kinda wierd considering all the other hero actors are willing to do it. Heck, even Lois had a super suit in one episode.

@ #29

Yes DC Comics owns Superman. And Warner Brothers owns DC. Smallville is produced by Warner Brothers. I’m sure they could get permission if they wanted / needed to. It’s all ‘in the family’ so to speak.

So what’s going to happen with Defying Gravity? I am really getting into this show and after this week the show “Brothers and Sisters” is in the time slot.

Damn, enough Youtube links there?

Agree with #31. Just wait and see what the explanation is for the black suit/silver S. Give season 9 a chance. I an excited and can’t wait to see what this new season brings to the story….

@20: My God, man! Why must you insult Tim Burton like that? :P

Smallville was reasonably interesting at the start, but this is looking more and more like The Show That Will Not Die…

re: Vampire Diaries: My Twilight bandwagon has plenty of seats.

ABC sucks! Tonights Defying Gravity was called the Season Finale while lucky Canada (CTV) gets FIVE additional episodes explaining what was seen at the end of todays ABC episode. Guess I’m waiting for the DVD.

#38) Mike did you ever think that ABC is not broadcasting the 5 missing show as a marketing ploy. Money earned from TV may be taxed more than DVD, or their DVD sales Dept. may get to profit greater amounts and get taxed less or even they may get better tax write offs. Or they may have pre sold those time slots to a higher paying presentation.

Any of the ways it comes to more profits from money.

The worst case is the President is eating up to much of their profitable air time, so they are hurting for money. There are many rumors voiced on this top. If you wish more just use google the topic like I did to find it. And try goggling the other topics what you find may suprise you, but some may just be garbage.

29

the fuss is is either this is super man or not. have him grow and become superman or do your own thing( another can of worms). but the point is that clark aint gerttin any younger. he will eentualy bcome the man and leave home and get a day job at the paper. this show will end\
now ENT had the T’pau/T’pal problem. they just didnt want to have to pay royalties. but they eventualy worked her in there.

have this kid put on the damn suit and end it already.

Hey cool. I’m the 12,105,303,656th visitor to this site and i’ve won a prize. Thanks guys.

29. That whole, “if you don’t like it, don’t watch it” response to fan criticism doesn’t really, er, fly.

For me, the whole point of commenting on a site like this is to discuss and share what we’d like to see, in desperate hope that show/movie makers will bow to our opinions and we’ll get a Hollywood job, a walk-on cameo and a share of the grosses. And an Escalade. Wait, that may be just me.

Smallville is the silliest incarnation of Superman ever to grace the TV screen, including the 1966 cartoon, which I enjoy much more. They dance around getting him in the suit but bring in everything and everyone he ever knew as an adult Superman. Ugh.

@11 –

Looks like he’s got his butt on backwards. :-)

Seriously, black and powder blue? Who does he think he is, the Kansas City Royals? No, and no to the Kryptonian gibberish on the belt. If you’re going to do black, how about black-on-black? A satin “S” on a matte suit? No tights, no belt – just a unitard and cape and boots.

And turn Clark into Superman already. Nine years of this is too much. He should have been Superman going into season 2.

Smallville. That cow ran out of milk years ago and still some guy in a suit is pulling the teets over an empty bucket.

I hope that there is an Stargate Atlantis movie. This is my favourite Stargate series. I hope they bring the entire cast back.

Black t-shirt, spray-paint-looking logo… long overcoat/duster.

When did Superman become The Punisher?!?!?

So is Tom Welling going to be 40 before he finally dons the super-suit? I mean seriously… he should have had the suit several seasons ago.

I liked the show for a while… but it’s just gotten dumb. So far removed from the Superman mythos I can’t watch it anymore.

Seriously; no seriously, get a load of Eliza Dushku. Boobs and boots. What more do you need.

Somebody spank Welling and tell him to put on the proper suit already!