This week’s edition of Sci-Fi TV is dedicated to Comic-Con 2010. We’ll get you caught up on all the major news from the annual event, including Trek vets coming to Eureka, Stargate Universe (and possibly Fringe). We have news on the return of Caprica, the big casting of Chuck’s mom, and lots of details on the upcoming seasons of Smallville, V, Walking Dead, and more.
Stargate Universe season 2 trailer + Picardo to guest star
Syfy has released the Comic-Con trailer for "Stargate Universe" season 2. Check it out below. In other news, the network has confirmed that the series will return, along with "Sanctuary", on Tuesday, September 28. The Comic-Con panel also offered new details about casting on the show, specifically that "Stargate Atlantis" actors Robert Picardo and David Hewlett will guest star next season:
“If you haven’t already heard we have Robert Picardo and David Hewlett coming back for an episode this year. I just wanted to ask the panel, back in season 4 of Atlantis in the episode titled “Midway” we had Teal’c battle Ronin. And I think Eli is actually going to take on McKay”, revealed producer Robert Cooper.
Check out the trailer below and here are some links for panel impressions/coverage: Hero Complex | TVOvermind | io9 | Cinema Blend | the live feed | Airlock Alpha
Stargate Universe season two trailer [YouTube]
Felicia Day joining the cast of Eureka + Wil Wheaton to return
Felicia Day ("The Guild") is joining the cast of Syfy’s "Eureka". Day made a surprise appearance during the Eureka panel to reveal that she will be appearing in 10 episodes of the show this season. Also, Wil Wheaton (who has previously guested on the show) announced via his Twitter account that he will be returning to the show later this season.
Nimoy to return to Fringe? + full Comic-Con panel Video
At the panel for "Fringe", producer Jeff Pinker that Season 3 of "Fringe" would spend a lot of time dealing with the two universes. He also talked about how they gave a "swan song" role for Leonard Nimoy for the Season 2 finale, but if they would love to do more with Nimoy:
Should we be able to convince him to come out of retirement again, we have another story in mind [for William Bell].
For much more, here’s the video for the complete "Fringe" panel at Comic-Con (in five parts). Part 1 [YouTube]
Watch part two here and check here for the remaining parts.
If video isn’t your thing, here’s a round-up of some panel observations/coverage: HitFix | TVOvermind | Zap2It | SpoilerTV
Caprica returns January 2011 + Rumored to be picked up for season two
It’ll probably be a reduced 10 or 13 episode season, but Caprica appears headed for a second season renewal despite its abysmal ratings. Airlock Alpha reports that the network is looking to renew the show, at least for another season. Before the report broke, co-creator Ronald D. Moore told a Comic-Con audience that he "[believes] it’s coming back, adding, "I firmly believe that we’re going to get a second season." Syfy recently announced that the second half of season one — 10 episodes remain to be aired — will will return in January 2011. About those ratings, season 1.0 drew an average of 1.20 million viewers and a 0.4 A18-49 rating. The midseason finale drew just 1.10 million viewers and a 0.5 A18-49 rating. Here are some links for Comic-Con coverage: TVOvermind | io9 | Hero Complex, (2).
Linda Hamilton cast as Chuck’s mom
We sort of expected the casting of Chuck’s mom to be a big deal, but I think this revelation was even bigger than most expected. Linda Hamilton ("Terminator") has been cast as Chuck Bartowski’s mother and will appear in the season four premiere scheduled to air Monday, September 20 on NBC [EW]:
"We’re always looking for guest stars who will be great in the part, but who also speak to our audience and feel like it comes out of the universe of our show," says exec producer Josh Schwartz. "If Chuck and Morgan were watching Chuck, they would be excited about Linda coming on board." Adds fellow EP Chris Fedak: "Chuck was certainly a Terminator fan, and Morgan was a Beauty and the Beast fan."
As expected, the mystery surrounding Chuck’s mom will play an integral role to the season and we’ll learn more about her by the end of the season premiere:
"The mystery surrounding Chuck’s mom is at the heart of the season, and there are going to be some shocking surprises in the first episode,” previews Fedak. “By the end of the episode we are going to turn everything on its head with regard to who she is."
Check out some panel observations/coverage at the following links: TVOvermind | io9 | Hitfix | Zap2It
The Walking Dead impresses + Season two confirmed?
"The Walking Dead" made quite the impression on Comic-Con attendees, and luckily for fans we may not just be limited to six episodes of the Frank Darabont-produced Zombie series. AMC is running a contest for fans to win a spot as an extra on Season 2 of the show. Here’s what the official site has to say:
Ever dreamed of being a zombie? Now’s your chance, with AMC’s The Walking Dead Sweepstakes. Submit the online form and you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win a four-day, three-night trip to the location of The Walking Dead’s Season 2 production, plus the opportunity to become one of the undead in a Season 2 episode of The Walking Dead. (Exact specifics of the walk-on role will be determined at the producer’s sole discretion.)
You can enter here. Hopefully the show scores well enough in the ratings to secure a second season. In other news, it was revealed that Bear McReary ("Battlestar Galactica", "Caprica") will score the series. AMC hasn’t officially made the Comic-Con trailer available online, but it has been put up on YouTube. Check it out below along with a new poster drawn by acclaimed artist Drew Struzan. And here are some links if you’re interested in reading impressions/coverage of the panel: io9 | /Film | Heat Vision | Hitfix | Collider | Show Tracker | TV Squad | IGN TV
Comic-Con poster [AICN]
Comic-Con trailer [YouTube]
Darkseid villain for Smallville’s final season + S10 preview + Clark finally in the suit/flying?
During the panel for Smallville, the producers revealed that the main villain for the 10th and final season will be Darkseid. However, producer Brian Peterson said he’d be "In a little different form than you’re used to. Hopefully you’ll like it." In a later interview, fellow producer Kelly Souders elloborated on that fact:
"It will be different than we have done some villains in the last couple years so it won’t be one person who comes in for the whole season it will be a force and eventually materialize. It’s going to create some other villains that are connected to Darkseid and they’ll be coming out through the whole season."
"We’re going to have a character named Gordon Godfrey who shows up…and obviously we hinted in our season finale last year at Granny Goodness. So those are just a few of the harbingers that will show up as we kinda unfold Darkseid by the end of the season", added Peterson.
And what about the key questions: Will Clark put on the suit? Will Clark finally fly? The Peterson would only tease:
On the suit: "Tom is in a little different change up from the black suit last year."
On flying: "Well we all know how the comics turn out, so I think that’s probably the answer for that."
From various interviews and discussions, it certainly appears as if they’ll hold off on the ‘Clark flying as Superman’ until the final shot of the show. Other bits from the panel worth noting: Star and executive producer Tom Welling will direct again; Justin Hartley will also direct an episode; Geoff Johns will be writing another episode this season. He revealed it would introduce Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.
Here is audience-taken video of the peek at Season 10 shown at Comic Con
Here are some links for Comic-Con coverage: Zap2It | IGN TV | the live feed | Hero Complex | Show Tracker | SpoilerTV. Also, the entire panel has been released in video form online:
Part 1 [YouTube]
Watch the other parts: 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
‘Return of the Jedi’ will be final Family Guy spoof…except for maybe Indiana Jones
The "Family Guy" ‘Return of the Jedi’ spoof has been given a title: "It’s a Trap!". The DVD and Blu-ray will release on December 21, 2010. Creator Seth MacFarlane also revealed to the Comic-Con crowd that it will be the last "Star Wars" spoof:
"This last one almost killed us," creator Seth MacFarlane said. "It would be too expensive. The problem is we try to be as faithful as possible to the look of those movies to do that with the prequels, I don’t think TV budgets have reached that level yet."
MacFarlane mostly ruled out doing any other franchise spoofs, leaving open the possibility of spoofing the "Indiana Jones" franchise:
"We may tackle Indiana Jones," he said. "There’s no one quite like LucasFilm for allowing us to do what we do."
Here are some links for panel coverage: the live feed | Show Tracker | THR
V season two details revealed: Anna’s mom and more
"V" executive producer Scott Rosenbaum revealed that we’ll be seeing Anna’s mother in the second season. Details are scarce, but Rosenbaum did let slip that the character’s name is Diana. At the moment there are no plans for Jane Badler — who played Diana in the original series (a role Anna serves in the new series) — to return although the door remains open [IGN]:
It turns out in the season premiere, we’ll meet Anna’s mother, who Rosenbaum hinted was perhaps the most important among several new characters we’ll be meeting this year. Later, a question was asked about whether we’d go to the Visitors’ home planet, and Rosenbaum said we’d certainly learn more about them – which is when he began a sentence with, "When we meet Diana…"
This got a big reaction, and Rosenbaum admitted he’d just accidentally given away that yes, Anna’s mom will share the name with an iconic character from the original V. Even before we knew this fact, Rosenbaum was asked during the panel if perhaps Jane Badler, who played Diana, could play Anna’s mother. Rosenbaum wouldn’t commit to this, though he did say he’d love to have Badler on the show at some point.
Some other bites revealed from the panel:
- Diana will be appearing on the Visitors’ homeworld.
- We’ll learn what the red sky means by the end of the premiere.
- We’ll discover how long sleeper agents have been on earth: Rosenbaum: "Have they been here in the 40s, the 50s, the 60s? Has their presence changed world events in ways we can’t imagine?"
- Charles Mensure (Kyle Hobbs) has been upgraded to series regular status.
"V" returns this November on ABC. More panel coverage at the following links: SpoilerTV | TVOvermind | Airlock Alpha | io9 | TVOvermind | IGN TV
Batman: The Brave and the Bold ending after three seasons + Young Justice announced
Sad news for "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" fans. Producers for the show have announced that the series has been canceled. On the plus side, 13 episodes of the second season still remain and there will be an additional 13-episode season 3. That shortened 3rd season — season 1 and 2 each had 26 episodes — will be the show’s last. Also revealed in the panel was that Superman and Wonder Woman have both been cleared to be used in upcoming episodes. In new series news, Young Justice is set to debut in November on the Cartoon Network. Here are some details on the new show [IGN]:
Young Justice will take place with the DC multiverse on Earth-16. As a conscious choice, DC chose this world as it is untapped, which allowed them to set the rules and conditions for their universe. To start off, Superman has been fighting crime for 10 years and the Justice League is new to the scene. So effective at their job, the heroes of this world have forced the villains underground, to band together in more intelligent ways against the forces of good. With celebrity status, the Justice League is constantly in the public eye, so they need a team to be able to work covertly, under the radar, in order to take it to the villains. And that team is Young Justice.
The series will feature the characters Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad, Superboy (Connor Kent), Miss Martian and Artemis. More details from the DC Animation panel can be found at the following links: IGN TV, (2) | Collider
True Blood: Season three trailer
HBO has released a new trailer for the second half of the third season of "True Blood". Check it out below [HBO].
"True Blood" airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Here are some links for panel impressions/coverage: TVOvermind | Hitfix | the live feed | Show Tracker | SpoilerTV | TVOvermind
Comic-Con TV Bites + Additional Panel Coverage
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"Torchwood" creator Russell T. Davies says that season four of returning series will be "very dark", much in the same way as the mini "Children of Earth" was: "I think with that, Torchwood found its feet. People found something very compelling and very chilling about it…I do think with the whole of Children Of Earth we found a new heartland for Torchwood." [SFX.co.uk]
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"Human Target" is getting a new castmember. The new character, yet to be cast, will be the crew’s new boss. A female billionaire, "Indira Varma", the character "has a past as shady as Chance’s (Valley) and Guerrero’s and she will be "a despicable thief," according to executive producer Matthew Miller. [Hero Complex]
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More "Human Target" coverage can be found at the following links: SpoilerTV | TV Squad | HitFix
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"The Vampire Diaries": HitFix | Zap2It | the live feed | IGN TV | SpoilerTV
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"No Ordinary Family": Hero Complex | IGN TV | io9
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"Nikita": the live feed | Hero Complex | Zap2It | Show Tracker | TV Squad
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"The Event": Cinema Blend | TV Squad | Cinema Blend, (2), (3) | IGN TV
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"The Cape": io9 | Airlock Alpha | Hitfix
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"Falling Skies": Airlock Alpha | Collider | IGN TV | io9 | /Film | Hitfix | the live feed
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"Supernatural": Zap2It | SpoilerTV, (2), (3), (4) | Zap2It | TV Squad, (2)
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"G.I. Joe Renegades": IGN TV
Additional Videos
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Trailer [IGN]
Red
Trailer for the 2011 Syfy TV movie [blastr]
Transformers Prime
Teaser trailer [IGN]
MORE TO COME: Look for our Sci-Fi Movies Comic Con wrap-up soon
Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
Smallville is back for another season with all those amazingly talented actors? Oh, joy! Life is good!
As awesome as it is that Bear McCreary is scoring The Walking Dead, he’s apparently been booted off of Human Target, despite getting them an emmy nomination for best main title theme. WTF.
Has Paramount ever said why they don’t want “Family Guy” to tackle STII?
3
Hopefully it’s not because the next movie features Khan and TPTB don’t want a parody done on their next “big” hit!
Why is Chuck copying Prison Break?
Finlly we will see Diana and I hope it will be Jane Badler. She is the perfect one for that role. Will be good to see Clark in the Role he was preparing for. Superman. I hope that after Small Ville Ends they will do a couple of Movies either in T.V Or theater as Tom Welling being Superman or even another Series. Looking forward to seeing Stargate Univers with Dr. Mckay. Should be fun.
Whats with leaving us wait until next year to see the second part of Caprica’s first season? It was bad enough leaving a massive gap between the pilot and the series.
I’m aware its not as perfect as many were hoping it to be, but its the only series i’ve seen in a long time which actually interests me.
I might actually tune into SGU to see McKay again. There is nothing else worth seeing on it IMHO.
Smallville? Really? Was a pact make with satan for this one?
Really looking forward to Walking Dead, about time we get a solid zombie TV series. Plus if they’re getting the same composer from BSG all the better. Sad to hear Caprica’s doing so poorly, but I guess after BSG people had huge expectations and though I’ve enjoyed it, it’s nothing like Galactica. Hopefully the second half will be more exciting, but it sucks that we have to wait so long for it.
Lol, Caprica. Reminds me when I had to wait a few years for BSG to come back.
Smallville just may be watchable again.
The Avengers looks pretty cool.
And Caprica back next year? wtf?
More vampires and zombies? Don’t we already have Glee?
It is great that Diana is being brought back into V as long as it MUST be played Jane Badler!
^3. Paramount has had, and I’d expect CBS to continue to have, a normal, corporate, hyper-protective attitude about its most valuable intellectual property. By default they refuse to allow Star Trek trademarks to be used in an integral way in unlicensed commercial productions (Free Enterprise and Fanboys are notable examples of denied permission). Brief parodies and skits fall under fair use, but I’d bet a full-length Star Trek episode of Family Guy or anything else isn’t going to happen.
Lucasfilm, on the other hand, is uniquely independent and is the sole owner of all rights to Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and ultimately answers to George Lucas who can do whatever he wants.
11
Well said.
Alright….raise your hands if you would like to see STII done by Family Guy?
…
I think that means case closed
Anyone else think that new feature-length animated Trek dvd releases with the new cast would be cool?
I’d love to see modern animation tackle Star Trek, in the same vein of the recent DC Comics movies, like “Wonder Woman” “JL: New Frontier.”
Wow don’t know how I feel about some of the SGU stuff. They set the bar so high with the fist 12 episodes. SGU has the heavy burdon of being the torch bearer for sci-fi on TV that has lost its way it goes back to the core of what makes sci-fi great. I saw that horrible guy from the faith planet I hope the only way he comes back is as a villain and all his “faith” mumbo jumbo turns out to be a trap for fools.
Praying (and preying even) for Jane Badler as Diana’s mother… such poetic justice that would be!
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