Sci-Fi TV Thursday: Doctor Who, Torchwood, Fringe, Smallville, Futurama, Wonder Woman, The Walking Dead, V + more

Sci-Fi TV is back with updates on your favorite shows including updates on the new seasons of Doctor Who and Torchwood, a look at the improved Wonder Woman costume, renewal news for Futurama, Fringe and Archer, casting news for Smallville and more, including a look at the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Stan Lee animated series The Governator. All that plus much more, including the latest television ratings, casting bites and new images and video previews.

GENRE TV NEWS

Neil Gaiman talks about writing Doctor Who episode "The Doctor’s Wife" + Watch prequel to premiere + more

The Neil Gaiman-scripted episode of "Doctor Who" will be called "The Doctor’s Wife". The episode will be the fourth of the sixth season. Gaiman spoke to Newsarama about writing the episode:

Although he was reluctant to give too many details, Gaiman also mentioned a few actors he was excited to write for in his episode, “The Doctor’s Wife,” and what we can expect. “It stars Suranne Jones playing a character named Idris who may turn out to be an old acquaintance of the Doctor’s with a new face. It co-stars Michael Sheen as a mysterious baddie called The House,” he revealed to Newsarama. “It begins on a junkyard planet out on the very edge of the universe and I thought it would be fun to start in a junkyard just because Doctor Who started in a junkyard, so this does.”

Head on over to Newsarama to read the rest of their extensive interview with Gaiman. Meanwhile, here’s what series producer Marcus Wilson revealed about the episode:

"It’s an episode that involves quite a big sprawl, huge alien world locations and a new take on a familiar character, which required a lot of work. It’s a big episode, but I think it’ll be one the fans will love. It’s a real love letter to the fans."

In other news, series showrunner Steven Moffat, who wrote the two-part season premiere promises "very scary" new monsters this season, including the Silence, the Siren and the Gangers. Moffat also teased that the cliff-hanger at the end of episode 7 will involve the lives of three characters being threatened. Read the rest of the BBC interview with Moffat at this link. Moving on, here are synopses for the first two episodes:

Episode 1: The Impossible Astronaut

Four envelopes, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS blue. Who sent them? And who received the missing number one? This strange summons reunites the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret the Doctor’s friends must never reveal to him.

Placing his life entirely in their hands, the Doctor agrees to search for the recipient of the fourth envelope – just who is Canton Everett Delaware the Third? And what is the relevance of their only other clue: ‘Space 1969’? Their quest lands them – quite literally – in the Oval Office, where they are enlisted by President Nixon himself to assist enigmatic former-FBI agent Canton, in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman.

Episode 2: Day of the Moon

The Doctor is locked in the perfect prison. Amy, Rory and River Song are being hunted down across America by the FBI. With the help of new friend and FBI-insider, Canton Everett Delaware the Third, our heroes are reunited to share their discoveries, if not their memories. For the world is occupied by an alien force who control humanity through post-hypnotic suggestion and no one can be trusted. Aided by President Nixon and Neil Armstrong’s foot, the Doctor must mount a revolution to drive out the enemy and rescue the missing little girl. No-one knows why they took her. Or why they have kidnapped Amy Pond..

The title of episode 6×03 has been revealed to be "The Curse of the Black Spot". Together with the announcement of the title for episode four, we have titles/writers for a total of seven episodes from the new season:

• 6×01 — "The Impossible Astronaut". Written by Steven Moffat
• 6×02 — ""Day of the Moon"". Written by Steven Moffat
• 6×03 — "The Curse of the Black Spot". Written by Steve Thompson
• 6×04 — "The The Doctor’s Wife". Written by Neil Gaiman
• 6×05 — "The Rebel Flesh". Written by Matthew Graham
• "The Almost People". Written by Matthew Graham
• "A Good Man goes to War". Written by Steven Moffat

Rounding out this week’s coverage of "Doctor Who", BBC has uploaded a prequel video for the season opener "The Impossible Astronaut" (which premieres on BBC and BBC America on Saturday, April 23). Watch the prequel clip below.

Promotional poster for the two-part season six premiere, "The Impossible Astronaut" [BBC]

Extended season six trailer [YouTube]

Interview with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan [YouTube]

Torchwood: Miracle Day to premiere on July 8 + Two new posters, first teaser trailer and new synopsis

Starz has announced that "Torchwood: Miracle Day" will premiere on Friday, July 8, 2011. Two new posters have also been released: one from BBC and another from Starz:

Also, a new synopsis has been released:

"One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging – they get hurt and sick – but they never die.

The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four months’ time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking "What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever."

And finally, Starz has released a footage-free teaser trailer for the series. You can watch it at Starz.com by clicking the image below.

Interview with John Barrowman and Bill Pullman [YouTube via Doctor Who News Page]

Adrianne Palicki unveils new Wonder Woman costume

The initial debut of Adrianne Palicki in costume as "Wonder Woman" for the new NBC series by David E. Kelley wasn’t greeted very warmly by fans. Turns out, however, that the network listened to the various criticiques and adjusted the character’s costume and Palicki’s looks in several significant ways.The main changes include: Darker blues and reds, Less plastic, No red lipstick and Red boots are back:

There’s also a new set video:

For more set images click here. In casting news, Justin Bruening ("Knight Rider") will play Steve Trevor, "an army vet who now works in the Justice department and a potential love interest for Diana". "Wonder Woman" is expected to premiere on NBC this fall.

V executive producer Scott Rosenbaum says he’s unsure if there will be a third season

"V" executive producer Scott Rosenbaum told press gathered at WonderCon that he’s unsure whether there will be a third season of the ABC sci-fi series, but says if the show does pick up, they have a plan for where it would be headed:

"I am most excited about it more than I have ever been, because [V] has gotten to a place at the end of this season, the closest to what I wanted it to be," reveals Rosenbaum. "Now we have a situation where you have a realistic human resistance that actually has a possible shot of defeating the Visitors. Whereas before it was a motley crew of four or five with a priest, an FBI agent. It was sort of like the rebels in Libya fighting – they are never going to win. The only way they have a chance is with an organized military complex behind them. I like that. That is very exciting to me. Now we can see them make a real dent in Anna’s plans."

Rosenbaum also said we’ll learn more of the mythology of the V’s:

"Now that we have seen the Visitors we can see a lot more of them. There is a whole bit of mythology about the second part of their plan that we could get into. That I don’t want to give all away because that will be fun to watch."

Comedy Central renews Futurama for 26-episode seventh season

Comedy Central has announced that "Futurama" has been renewed for a seventh season. Just as with the current season, the pick-up is for 26 episodes spread across two airings. 13 episodes will air in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The entire original voice cast will return. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

“Successfully bringing the show back last summer was gratifying enough,” said Bernath. “Now, being able to extend the series for two more years is beyond our expectations! The dedicated fans have spoken and we are excited to bring them ‘Futurama’ for the foreseeable future.”

“We’re very grateful to COMEDY CENTRAL and Twentieth Television for this show of support,” said Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. “Our entire staff will celebrate tonight by going out and getting even drunker.”

As noted, the most recent pick up was also for 26 episodes with Season “6-B” is set to premiere on Thursday, June 23 at 10PM.

Allison Mack will return for Smallville series finale

It’s official. Allison Mack will reprise her role as Chloe for the season 10 / series finale of "Smallville". The news first came courtesy TV Line’s Matt Mitovich, however the actress gave an interview to TV Guide to discuss her return. Here are a few excerpts:

TV Guide Magazine: Which of these final episodes are you appearing in?

Mack: I’m in the finale, which is a two-parter, so technically I’m in the last two.

TV Guide Magazine: Why was it important for you to go back one last time? You’d already fulfilled the number of episodes you’d signed on for, right?

Mack: I had. It was important for me to pay homage to the character, the people I’ve worked with and the fans. I had a realization, while I was doing the middle five episodes, that this has been such a huge part of my life and I am so blessed and so lucky to have had the opportunity. I wanted to make sure that I was respectful of that. So coming back just seemed to make sense given all those thoughts and ideas that I had about the whole experience.

Click here to read the rest of the interview. "Smallville" returns with its final batch of new episodes on April 15, beginning with the episode "Kent". The week after will be the episode "Booster" which introduces the character Booster Gold. Here’s our first look at Eric Martsolf as the character:

Martsolf spoke with TV Guide about the episode (which was scripted by Geoff Johns and directed by Tom Welling):

"The episode takes place in Booster’s very early stages where he’s at his conceited best, where he believes he can do whatever he wants. He’s gonna stay for the photo op and bask in the glory of his heroic efforts."

The episode also features the origin story of the character Blue Beetle:

"This is the first time the scarab comes on to Jaime, so it creates a bulkier, more dangerous armor," Johns says. "Ultimately he’ll gain more control over the scarab and it will become more friendly looking."

Promotional stills for episode 10×17 – "Kent" [more at SpoilerTV]

Promotional stills for episode 10×18 – "Booster" [more at SpoilerTV]

Season 10 promotional posters [more at SpoilerTV]

Erica Durance TV Guide photo shoot video [via SpoilerTV]

Stephen King may write an episode of The Walking Dead

Stephen King has confirmed that he is in talks to co-write an episode of the hit AMC series "The Walking Dead" with his son/comic book author Joe Hill. King told Inside TV | EW that he has been approached by showrunner Frank Darabont who "has expressed enthusiastic interest for season 2 or possibly 3." In other news, Collider spoke with Robert Kirkman and the "The Walking Dead" creator discussed what’s in store for the second season:

Collider: You came up with some great zombie kills in season one. Have you planned out how you are going to raise the bar in season two?

Kirkman: I can say, sitting here knowing what I know about the second season, that you can’t even see the bar because it’s been raised so much. There is all kinds of crazy stuff that is coming up. I’m really excited. I mean, you get 8 guys that like zombies that know they are doing a T.V. show like The Walking Dead, and they know that you can get away with the kind of things that we got away with on the first season. It really becomes just an effort to just find that thing that AMC is going to make us change. So we all sitting there going, “Oh, they are going to make us change that!” So there is a lot of cool stuff coming up.

Click here to read the rest of the interview, which includes more updates on the video game, his other comics and more. Season two of "The Walking Dead" is expected to premiere this fall on AMC.

Previously on TrekMovie.com: Fringe renewed for full fourth season + More

Fringe, the FOX sci-fi show from Star Trek’s JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, has been renewed for a fourth season. Despite lower ratings and a move to Friday, Fox is still firmly behind the show, giving it a full season order. Word of a fourth season renewal first came from producer Joel Wyman on Twitter, which was soon confirmed by Fox. The 4th season news prompted a tweet from Damon Lindelof (the only Star Trek producer who is not involved in the show) congratulating his friends with: "In an alternate universe, FRINGE was just cancelled. In this one, however, SEASON FOUR, baby! #YAY" Later Roberto Orci sent out a thank you tweet to the fans, saying "Thank you, Fringe fans, for earning us a fourth season. You rock!"

Read the rest of this TrekMovie.com’s article on the renewal here (and you can read the complete press release from Fox here).

In other "Fringe" news, executive producer Jeff Pinkner teased that Leonard Nimoy’s return to the show will see him playing "an unexpected role". In other casting news, TV Line reports that Emily Meade has been cast to play a new FBI agent. Her character is described as "a wide-eyed and eager rookie who’s ready to face all of the challenges in front of her". She’ll appear in the May 6 season finale "The Day We Died". And lastly, Brad Dourif (who played Crewman Lon Suder in three episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager") will play a mysterious character named Moreau in the season finale. "Fringe" is on hiatus this week, but returns with new episodes beginning with next week’s "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide". Here’s a brief synopsis for that episode:

The team makes a desperate attempt to remove William Bell’s consciousness from Olivia’s body before she’s lost forever in the all-new “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” episode of FRINGE airing Friday, April 15 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

And here’s the remaining episode air-date schedule:

• April 22, 2011 — 3×20 – "6:02 AM EST"
• April 29, 2011 — 3×21 – "The Last Sam Weiss"
• May 6, 2011 — 3×22 – "The Day We Died"

Promo for episode 3×19 – "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" [YouTube]

Executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman discuss the First People [YouTube]

Arnold Schwarzenegger teams with Stan Lee for new animated series The Governator

Arnold Schwarzenegger is teaming with Stan Lee for a new animated series called "The Governator". Here’s what the actor/former California governor told EW about the series:

"When I ran for governor back in 2003 and I started hearing people talking about ‘the Governator,’ I thought the word was so cool…The word Governator combined two worlds: the world of politics and the movie world. And [this cartoon] brings everything together. It combines the governor, the Terminator, the bodybuilding world, the True Lies…"

Stan Lee, meanwhile, told EW that the series will be using "all the personal elements" of Schwarzenegger’s life:

"We’re using his wife [Maria Shriver]. We’re using his kids. We’re using the fact that he used to be governor. Only after he leaves the governor’s office, Arnold decides to become a crime fighter and builds a secret high-tech crime-fighting center under his house in Brentwood."

Here’s the first trailer for the project which is due out in 2012 (a 3D movie is also being developed for 2013):

Syfy unveils largest original programming slate in history + Second annual countdown to Christmas event

Syfy has unveiled the largest original programming slate in its history, announcing 14 new series and events:

Continuing the sizzling momentum of the Syfy global brand evolution, which has sparked imagination-driven hit series and double-digit growth in younger, upscale audiences as well as diverse new business ventures, Syfy President Dave Howe today will introduce the largest original programming slate in the channel’s 18-year history, highlighted by 14 new original series and events comprising more than 100 hours.

Read the complete press release here. The network also announced another week-long Christmas programming festival. The second annual Countdown to Christmas Week will feature holiday-themed episodes of "Warehouse 13", Ghost Hunters", "Haven" and "Eureka" as well as the Saturday Original Movie "Snowmageddon" (working title). Full press release is here.

Previously on TrekMovie.com: Braga talks Terra Nova

Bob Orci isn’t the only Star Trek writer/producer who went to WonderCon. Trek Vet Brannon Braga was also in San Francisco to prmote his upcoming time travel series "Terra Nova", which he said has a "Star Trek feel". He also talked about how the show ill address time travel and more. Click here to read the rest of this TrekMovie.com article, which also includes more video from WonderCon.

Promo [the live feed | THR]

Interviews with Stephen Lang and Jason O’Mara [Hitfix]

PREVIEW Videos & Images

Being Human (US)

Sneak peek at the season finale – "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Me Killing You" [Syfy]

Chuck

Promo for episode 4×20 – "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff" [YouTube]

Destination Truth

Sneak peek at episode 4×13 – "Thai Tree People / Aiya Napa Monster" [Syfy]

The Event

Promo for episode 1×17 – "Cut Off the Head" [YouTube]

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files

Sneak peek at episode 2×04 – "Playground Poltergeist/Alien Intruder" [Syfy]

Falling Skies

New posters [YourEntNow]

Trailer [TNT]

Game of Thrones

Scenic shots [YourEntNow]

Promotional stills from episode 1×01 – "Winter is Coming" [more at Multipleverses]

Promotional stills from episode 1×02 – "The Kingsroad" [more at Multipleverses]

Promotional stills from episode 1×03 – "Lord Snow" [more at Multipleverses]

Locke & Key

First look at cast [USA Today]

Merlin

Sneak peek at season three finale – "The Coming of Arthur – Part 2" [Syfy]

Stargate Universe

Promo for episode 2×16 – "The Hunt" [Syfy]

Supernatural

Promotional stills for episode 6×17 – "My Heart Will Go On" [more at Dread Central]

Promotional stills for episode 6×18 – "Frontierland" [more at SpoilerTV]

Teen Wolf

First official trailer [MTV]

True Blood

Season four "Waiting Sucks" promo: "Pam" [HBO]

Watch another promo here

The Vampire Diaries

Promotional stills from episode 2×18- "The Last Dance" [more at SpoilerTV]

Promotional stills from episode 2×19 – "Klaus" [more at SpoilerTV]

TV BITES

• HBO and Germany’s Tandem Communications are colloborating with Ridley Scott for a one-hour crime series called "The Sector". The show, described as a cross between "Blade Runner" and "District 9", would air on HBO’s sister premium channel Cinemax. [THR]
• AMC has picked up John Shiban’s drama project "The Voyage". The series is described as "a realistic take on First Contact with an ambitious female scientist who works with a team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the lead character." [Inside TV | EW]
• Episode 4×23 of "Chuck" will be called "Chuck Versus The Last Details". [Zachary Levi Fan]
• Check out an interview with "Misfits" creator Howard Overrun discussing the third season of the British series at SFX.co.uk.
• Writer Josh Friedman has confirmed that filming on the Fox pilot "Locke & Key", which was co-written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, has completed: "We are editing," Friedman revealed. [Josh Friedman | Twitter]
• Episode 4×08 of "True Blood" will be called "Spellbound" and will reportedly feature a flashback to the 1930’s. [SpoilerTV]
• …Speaking of "True Blood", HBO has announced that the 12-episode fourth season of the hit vampire drama will premiere on June 26, 2011 at 9PM. [HBO]
• The season finale of "The Event" will end with more of a climax than a cliffhanger. [TV Line]
• BBC has announced that "Dirk Gently" will return for three more episodes next year: "I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to write more episodes of Dirk and look forward to seeing where his unique detective methodology and perspective on life takes me," writer Howard Overman said. [Den of Geek]
• Here are the titles for episodes 1×09 and 1×10 of "Game of Thrones": "Baelor" and "Fire and Blood"… [SpoilerTV]
• …In related news, check out an interview with series writer/producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss at Inside TV | EW.

• "Being Human (US)" star Sam Witwer reveals that the season finale will end with "a few cliffhangers…there are a few provocative questions, primarily with Josh and Aidan…". The season finale airs next Monday on Syfy. [Inside TV | EW]

• Bruce Boxleitner discusses his role in the upcoming animated series "Tron: Uprising" in a new interview with Movies Blog | MTV.

• FX has announced that the animated comedy "Archer" has been picked up for a third season. The series pick-up is for 16 episodes, however three episodes from the current season are still slated to air this fall. The third season will then premiere in early 2012. [TV Line]

Episode descriptions/synopses

• "Smallville" – 10×17 – "Kent". [SpoilerTV]
• "Smallville" – 10×18 – "Booster". [SpoilerTV]
• "Smallville" – 10×19 – "Dominion". [KSiteTV]
• "Supernatural" – 6×17 – "My Heart Will Go One". [DreadCentral]
• "Supernatural" – 6×18 – "Frontierland". [SpoilerTV]
• "Supernatural" – 6×19 – "Mommy Dearest". [KSiteTV]
• "Chuck" – 4×20 – "Chuck Versus The Family Volkoff". [SpoilerTV]
• "Chuck" – 4×21 – "Chuck Versus The Wedding Planner". [SpoilerTV]
• "Stargate Universe" – 2×16 – "The Hunt". [GateWorld]
• "Stargate Universe" – 2×17 – "Common Descent". [GateWorld]
• "Stargate Universe" – 2×18 – "Epilogue". [GateWorld]
• "The Vampire Diaries" – 2×18 – "The Last Dance". [SpoilerTV]
• "The Vampire Diaries" – 2×19 – "Klaus". [SpoilerTV]
• "The Event" – 1×17 – "Cutt Off The Head". [SpoilerTV]
• "The Event" – 1×18 – "Strain". [SpoilerTV]

CASTING BITES

• The CW has cast Lauren Cohan ("Supernatural", "The Vampire Diaries") as the female lead in the network’s supernatural-themed drama pilot "Heavenly". She’ll play Lily, "a dedicated young female attorney" and will star opposite Ben Aldridge (Dashiel Coffee) who plays a former angel. The two work together on legal cases. [TV Line]
• …Ryan Eggold has also been cast in the series. He’ll play "a pastor whom Dashiel seeks counsels from." [TV Line]
• Michaela McManus will reprise her role as Jules before the end of this season of The CW’s "The Vampire Diaries". [TV Line]
• Check out a casting call for episode 4×07 of "True Blood" at True-Blood.net.
• FX is reportedly looking at Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights", "Super 8") for the lead role in the sci-fi drama pilot "Powers". The series is based on the Brian Michael Bendis / Michael Avon Oeming graphic novel about a world where superpowers are common. It centers on two detectives in a homicide department that specializes in cases involving "powers". [TV Line]

SCI-FI RATINGS (Based on final national numbers unless otherwise noted) [@TravisYanan]

CHART (3/7/2011 to 3/13/2011)

CHART (3/14/2011 to 3/20/2011)

CHART (3/21/2011 to 3/27/2011)

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