Sci-Fi TV Saturday: The Walking Dead, True Blood, Teen Wolf, Falling Skies, Warehouse 13 spinoff + More

Sci-Fi TV is back and we’ve got you covered with a rundown on the 2011/2012 new show pickups (as well as new looks at the passed on NBC pilot Wonder Woman), plus updates on the new seasons of The Walking Dead and True Blood, a video from the series premiere of MTV’s Teen Wolf reboot and news on TNT’s Falling Skies and a possible Warehouse 13 spinoff. All that plus much more, including the latest television ratings, and new images and video previews.

GENRE TV NEWS

Frank Darabont discusses potential budget cuts on The Walking Dead

"The Walking Dead" showrunner Frank Darabont has confirmed recent reports that AMC is considering reducing the budget for the upcoming second season. Darabont talked to Heat Vision | THR about the news, revealing that while creatively everything is great at AMC, a cut in the show’s budget would affect its quality:

"Creatively I have no complaints thus far," Darabont says. "But I believe if they do move ahead with what they’re talking about, it will affect the show creatively … in a negative way. Which just strikes me as odd. If you have an asset, why would you punish it?"

"The Walking Dead" drew an impressive 5.2M viewers and a 2.7 A18-49 rating for its six-episode first season. As a comparison, that’s more than twice the audience network sibling "Mad Men" attracted last season — 2.3M viewers — and nearly four times the A18-49 demographic ("Mad Men" attracted a 0.7 rating). Watch a video of Darabont’s comments at Heat Vision. Meanwhile, here are some details of the new characters we’ll meet next season as the cast finds themselves at Hershel’s Farm [via TVLine]:

Hershel himself is a vet — as in a veterinarian, not a veteran (that I know of!) — a Wilford Brimley type, though I don’t think a mustache of legendary proportions is mandatory for auditioning actors. His daughter, Maggie, sounds like a younger version of Andrea with better horseback-riding skills. (Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabelle, call your agent!) Finally, there’s Otis, the middle-aged ranch foreman who’s such a sweetheart that he all but loses it when he accidentally shoots a fellow survivor.

In related news, comic creator and series writer/executive producer Robert Kirkman told AVClub that he’s received several requests about cameo appearances on the show, including one from Stan Lee:

"I don’t wanna call these people out; it might annoy them. Honestly, Stan Lee asked to be a zombie on the show—that’s possible."

Season two of "The Walking Dead" will premiere this October on AMC. Check out another interview with Kirkman where he discusses, among other things, the writer’s room situation for season two at Heat Vision | THR.

Watch the first eight minutes of MTV’s Teen Wolf

MTV premieres their "Teen Wolf" reboot tomorrow night at 11PM — following the MTV Movie Awards — and the network has released the first eight minutes of the series online. Check it out below.

MTV also released official descriptions for the show’s characters:

Scott McCall (Tyler Posey): Scott was an ordinary teenage boy until one strange night changed his life forever. This is the story of his transformation from unseen and unnoticed outsider to sudden lacrosse star and one of the popular crowd.

Allison Argent (Crystal Reed): This nomadic beauty is always the new girl in town. She’s about to discover a family secret that will explain why they move around so much and what exactly her dad is hunting.

Stiles (Dylan O’Brien): Scott’s loyal best friend who plays inquisitive detective to his mysterious transformation. Stiles will go looking for answers even when it means endangering himself and others.

Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin): Derek is a wolf, but his metamorphosis is not over. Both full of anger and proud of what he is, he’ll school Scott in all things Lycan in preparation for the inevitable showdown between werewolves and hunters.

Jackson Whittemore (Colton Haynes): Jackson is the big man on campus and Scott’s archrival on the lacrosse team. But as Scott’s sudden transformation begins to threaten Jackson’s social status, he’ll prove to be a bigger problem off the field.

Lydia Martin (Holland Roden): She’s the most popular girl at school and girlfriend to Scott’s rival, Jackson. Lydia already has it all but suddenly wants Scott when he transforms to the star lacrosse player. And she may hold the cure to Scott’s Lycanthropy.

Meanwhile, star Tyler Hoechlin ("Derek") was interviewed by TVLine and described the show as "much darker" than the 1985 Michael J. Fox horror comedy:

"It’s a gritty, horror genre series with a little "Romeo and Juliet" action thrown in. We still have a comedy element, but it certainly doesn’t make up the whole show. There’s a little bit of everything, and that’s what makes the show so great. It’s also not pinpointed to one demographic age-wise, so there’s something for everyone."

Check out the rest of the interview here. "Teen Wolf" premieres tomorrow night at 11PM with the second episode airing at Monday night at 10PM (and subsequent episodes on Mondays).

Watch the first three minutes of True Blood season four + Season four spoilers + 3D in the future?

HBO has made available the first three minutes of the fourth season of "True Blood". You can watch that below:

Meanwhile, TV Guide offers up [via True Blood’s Nest] some SPOILERS courtesy series creator Alan Ball:

"There are two factions at war: vampires and another fueled by witchcraft and power over the dead," says creator Alan Ball. Battles go down and Sookie’s lightning-bolt-shooting fingers strike again. "We see her use her powers," Ball says of Anna Paquin’s steel magnolia. "Other people see that too, and it’s going to complicate things." She’s not the only one releasing her inner magic. Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) get mixed up with Wiccan medium Marnie (Fiona Shaw). And witches cast a spell on Eric (Alexander Skarsgård): "Sookie will see a different Eric," Ball says, but she’s still feeling heat with Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Alcide (Joe Manganiello). Adds Ball, "From the Team Eric, Team Bill viewpoints, one of those teams will be happy, one won’t."

In other news, Alan Ball told Hero Complex | LA Times that they actually filmed a scene in 3D this season:

"We did a scene in 3-D this season just to take a look at it," Ball said in an interview. "HBO asked us to do one. It was pretty cool. I don’t think it’s going to air. We just did it as an experiment, because I don’t know if they’re going to want to take the show 3-D at some point, maybe like a season premiere or a season finale or something."

Ball added that he wouldn’t be surprised if the show went full-time 3D sometime in the future, "especially if 3-D technology gets beyond having to wear the glasses," he said. "True Blood" premieres its fourth season on Sunday, June 26 at 10PM.

Rumor: Syfy considering bringing back The Event as a miniseries? Syfy denies

Syfy is denying it, but there’s a report that the network is seriously considering picking up the canceled NBC series "The Event" as a miniseries. If successful, the miniseries could lead into another season of the show [via Deadline]:

"[T]here are talks with Syfy to pick up The Event as a miniseries. Helping things is the fact that Syfy and The Event producer, Universal Media Studios, are NBCUniversal corporate siblings. But migrating a broadcast show to cable is never easy, and I hear discussions are underway to see if it would be financially feasible for The Event to continue on Syfy. If that happens and if the mini does well, it could potentially launch another season of the alien drama…"

Here’s the network’s official denial–via Syfy’s Craig Engler on Twitter:

"To answer some questions I’ve been getting, at this time we have no plans to pick up The Event."

Syfy renews Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth

Syfy has renewed "Ghost Hunters" for an eighth season and picked up "Destination Truth" for a fifth season:

"Ghost Hunters"

Ghost Hunters , Syfy’s longest-running original reality series, has been renewed for an eighth season. Since its 2004 premiere, Ghost Hunters has spawned two spin-offs (with over 200 episodes among the three series), cementing its place as the #1 paranormal franchise in cable. 20 all-new episodes for season eight are slated to premiere on Syfy in 2012.

"Destination Truth"

In season five, Josh and team will lead viewers into a remote Transylvanian village on a hunt for vampires, explore the reportedly haunted Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala, and descend into one of the world’s biggest caves in the jungles of Vietnam to search for phantoms. They’ll also journey to Kazakhstan (a Destination Truth first). At the overwhelming request of fans, the team will also return to Romania for a return visit to a haunted forest, the site of their most terrifying investigation to date.

Check out the complete press releases here and here.

Syfy partners with Trion Worlds for cross-platform game and live-action series Defiance; Rockne O’Bannon writing

Syfy is partnering with Trion Worlds for "Defiance", a cross-platform game and live-action series with the involvement of "Farscape" creator Rockne O’Bannon. The game’s story would take place in San Francisco, but the TV series would be based just outside St. Louis, MO, with both settings influencining each other over time: [via THR]

Rockne O’Bannon ("Farscape") has worked on the project: Set on a future Earth, Defiance introduces players and Syfy viewers to a world ravaged by decades of conflict, where humans and aliens live together in a world the likes of which no one has seen. The game combines the frenetic action of a top-tier console shooter with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO, while its TV counterpart exudes the scope, story, and drama of a classic sci-fi epic.

TNT confident in Falling Skies; Already planning for second season

TNT is so confident in the upcoming Steven Spielberg-produced series "Falling Skies", that they began planning for a second season as far back as last month. TNT and producer DreamWorks TV have hired Remi Aubuchon ("Caprica" co-creator) as executive producer/showrunner for the second season and as of the first of this month, Aubuchon was expected to get the writers room up and running, Deadline reported. Officially, TNT will wait until after the premiere for the greenlight, but they are said to be very high on the show with a quick second season pickup likely. None of the writers who took part in the first season will be available for season two because of other commitments, although Spielberg remains heavily involved:

"Steven (Spielberg) is very involved in the show, which is one of his pet projects; he has a lot of passion for it," Aubuchon said. "I think it is exciting to work with him, and I think a lot of writers would be looking forward to that."

The two-hour "Falling Skies" series premiere takes place June 19 at 9PM on TNT.

Syfy developing Warehouse 13 spinoff centered on the character H.G. Wells

Syfy is reportedly developing a spinoff to their successful original series "Warehouse 13" that would be centered on the character H.G. Wells. Here are some details courtesy THR who broke the news:

While it is still in the early stages and thus subject to change, the idea is to put Wells in a 1890s steampunk environment. Despite Warehouse 12’s efforts to recruit her, she would remain a free agent who uses her knowledge of contemporary science to solve murders and other mysteries.

The site adds that the new series would center on the character utilizing her relationship with the police commissoner to solve unsolvable cases:

Both the skills and style she employs will become the framework for the well-known stories of H.G. Wells, as written by her brother.

In related news, check out a new batch of images from the upcoming third season of "Warehouse 13" which premieres July 11 on Syfy.

Season three promotional stills [Syfy]

More images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Syfy writes open letter to fans defending decision to cancel Stargate Universe + Third movie would have revealed Stargate

After the cancellation of "Stargate Universe", Craig Engler, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Syfy Digital, wrote an open letter to Stargate fans about the network’s decision, and reasons behind said-decision, to cancel the series. The letter was posted to Gateworld.net. Here’s the opening paragraph:

There’s been a lot written about Stargate Universe and Syfy in the weeks leading up to SGU‘s recent finale, and a lot of questions and concerns directed at Syfy about how we handled the series. I wanted to take some time to address the issues that have come up and thought GateWorld, which has been a huge supporter of the entire Stargate franchise, would be a good place to do it. So thanks to them for giving me the space here, and thanks to you for taking the time to read this.

And here are some selected excerpts from the letter:

If you’d left it on Friday nights, it would have done well:
When left on Friday nights SGU lost 1/3 of its audience and dropped to consistently unsustainable ratings levels. The only hope of keeping it was to move it to another night where new viewers could find it.

You canceled SGU because you hate science fiction:
If we didn’t like science fiction we simply wouldn’t have made SGU. It’s because we like science fiction that we tried it. Even though SGU was ultimately unsuccessful, we don’t regret trying it. Science fiction shows are the backbone and lifeblood of our network, and we have many in development. Later this year we’ll be debuting Alphas, the Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome pilot is being worked on as you read this, the movie Red Faction starring Stargate Universe‘s Brian Jacob Smith will air next month, 5 of our original dramas will return with new seasons or new episodes this year, and we’re working on many more behind the scenes.

You canceled SGU in order to make wrestling:
We would have happily kept making SGU regardless of anything else on our schedule if the ratings were sustainable. We don’t discontinue successful shows to make room for other shows … no network does because no network has a full roster of successful series. SGU was judged solely on its own ratings.

Click here to read the complete letter in full. In other news, executive produer Joseph Mallozzi revealed on his blog that the third "Stargate SG-1" movie — which carried the working title "Stargate: Revolution" — would have featured the reveal of the Stargate program to the world:

This subject (the revelation and its many implications) would have formed the plot for the planned SG-1 movie, Stargate: Revolution.

2011/2012 New Show Pickups + Fox cancels Human Target, ABC cancels V and No Ordinary Family + NBC passes on Wonder Woman and Fox passes on Locke & Key

Here are the highlights of what broadcast sci-fi/genre projects have been picked up for the 2011/2012 season:

A GIFTED MAN [CBS — Friday — 8PM]

A GIFTED MAN is a drama about a brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the “hereafter.” Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is an exceptional doctor who lives a materialistic life of luxury thanks to his work-obsessed career and powerful and wealthy patients; however, Michael’s ordered world is rocked when his ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle), an idealistic free-clinic doctor and the love of his life, mysteriously appears to him. Michael’s off-beat sister, Christina (Julie Benz), a single mom to her teenaged son, Milo (Liam Aiken), is thrilled that Anna’s back in her brother’s life, even as an “illusion,” because Michael was always a better person with her. Curious about Michael’s sudden change in behavior is his efficient assistant, Rita (Margo Martindale). When Anna asks Michael to go to her clinic to help keep it running, he meets Autumn (Afton Williamson), a volunteer carrying on Anna’s work with the underprivileged. Touched by those in need and accepting of Anna’s compassionate “presence,” Michael’s attitude toward serving the rich and poor is turned upside down, and he begins to see that there’s room in his life for everyone. Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”), Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Neal Baer (“ER”) are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

ALCATRAZ [FOX — Monday (Midseason) — 9PM]

From executive producer J.J. Abrams (FRINGE, “Lost,” “Star Trek” and the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and “Super 8”) and writer and executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff (“Lost,” “Deadwood”) comes ALCATRAZ, the chilling new thriller centered on America’s most infamous prison and one-time home to the nation’s most notorious murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves and arsonists. When San Francisco Police Department DET. REBECCA MADSEN (Sarah Jones, “Sons of Anarchy”) is assigned to a grisly homicide case, a fingerprint leads her to a shocking suspect: JACK SYLVANE (guest star Jeffrey Pierce, “The Nine”), a former Alcatraz inmate who died decades ago. Given her family history – both her grandfather and surrogate uncle, RAY ARCHER (Robert Forster, “Jackie Brown”), were guards at the prison – Madsen’s interest is immediately piqued, and once the enigmatic, knows-everything-but-tells-nothing government agent EMERSON HAUSER (Sam Neill, “Jurassic Park”) tries to impede her investigation, she’s doggedly committed. Madsen turns to Alcatraz expert and comic book enthusiast, DR. DIEGO “DOC” SOTO (Jorge Garcia, “Lost”), to piece together the inexplicable sequence of events. The twosome discovers that Sylvane is not only alive, but he’s loose on the streets of San Francisco, leaving bodies in his wake. And strangely, he hasn’t aged a day since he was in Alcatraz, when the prison was ruled by the iron-fisted WARDEN EDWIN JAMES (Jonny Coyne, “Undercovers”) and the merciless ASSOCIATE WARDEN E.B. TILLER (Jason Butler Harner, “The Changeling”). Madsen and Soto reluctantly team with Agent Hauser and his technician, LUCY BANERJEE (Parminder Nagra, “ER”), to stop Sylvane’s vengeful killing spree. By delving into Alcatraz history, government cover-ups and Rebecca’s own heritage, the team will ultimately discover that Sylvane is only a small part of a much larger, more sinister present-day threat. For while he may be the first, it quickly becomes clear that Sylvane won’t be the last prisoner to reappear from Alcatraz. Through the course of the investigation, Madsen and Soto will learn that Agent Hauser has known about the prison’s secret history and has been awaiting the prisoners’ return. Soto will witness his life’s work – the history of Alcatraz – come alive. Madsen will be forced to keep her supportive San Francisco cop fiancé, JIMMY DICKENS (Santiago Cabrera, “Heroes”), at arm’s length from the highly classified assignment as she sees everything she thought she knew about her family’s past shattered, all while fighting to keep the country safe from history’s most dangerous criminals.

GRIMM [NBC — Friday — 9PM]

“Grimm” is a new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Remember the fairy tales your parents used to tell you before bedtime? Those weren’t stories — they were warnings. Nick Burkhardt (David Guintoli “Turn The Beat Around”) thought he prepared himself for the realities of working as a homicide detective until he started seeing things he couldn’t quite explain. When his ailing Aunt Marie (guest star Kate Burton, “Grey’s Anatomy”) arrives, Nick’s life turns upside down when she reveals they are descendants of an elite group of hunters, also known as “Grimms,” who fight to keep the balance of humanity safe from the supernatural creatures of the world. As Nick digs deeper into her past, he realizes that he will have to shoulder the responsibility of his ancestors — and contend with a larger-than-life mythology of the Brothers Grimm that is now all too real. Russell Hornsby (“Lincoln Heights”), Bitsie Tulloch (“Quarterlife”), Silas Weir Mitchell (“Prison Break”), Reggie Lee (“Persons Unknown”) and Sasha Roiz (“Caprica”) also star. “Grimm” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Hazy Mills Productions. Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (“Hot In Cleveland”) serve as executive producers, Jim Kouf (“National Treasure,” “Angel”) and David Greenwalt (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) are the creators/executive producers and Marc Buckland (“My Name Is Earl”) is the director.

ONCE UPON A TIME [ABC — Thursday — 8PM]

From the inventive minds of “Lost” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide.

And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma’s help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming’s missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

THE SECRET CIRCLE [The CW — Thursday — 9PM]

Cassie Blake was a happy, normal teenage girl – until her mother Amelia dies in what appears to be a tragic accidental fire. Orphaned and deeply saddened, Cassie moves in with her warm and loving grandmother Jane in the beautiful small town of Chance Harbor, Washington – the town her mother left so many years before – where the residents seem to know more about Cassie than she does about herself. As Cassie gets to know her high school classmates, including sweet-natured Diana and her handsome boyfriend Adam, brooding loner Nick, mean-girl Faye and her sidekick Melissa, strange and frightening things begin to happen. When her new friends explain that they are all descended from powerful witches, and they’ve been waiting for Cassie to join them and complete a new generation of the Secret Circle, Cassie refuses to believe them – until Adam shows her how to unlock her incredible magical powers. But it’s not until Cassie discovers a message from her mother in an old leather-bound book of spells hidden in her mother’s childhood bedroom, that she understands her true and dangerous destiny. What Cassie and the others don’t yet know is that darker powers are at play, powers that might be linked to the adults in the town, including Diana’s father and Faye’s mother – and that Cassie’s mother’s death might not have been an accident. The series stars Britt Robertson as Cassie Blake, Thomas Dekker as Adam Conant, Gale Harold as Charles Meade, Phoebe Tonkin as Fay Chamberlain, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Melissa, Shelley Hennig as Diana Meade, Louis Hunter as Nick, Ashley Crow as Jane Blake and Natasha Henstridge as Dawn Chamberlain. Based upon the book series by L.J. Smith (author of “The Vampire Diaries” book series).

TERRA NOVA [FOX — Monday — 8PM]

From executive producers Steven Spielberg (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Jurassic Park”), Peter Chernin, René Echevarria (“Castle,” “The 4400”) and Brannon Braga (“24”) comes an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. TERRA NOVA follows an ordinary family on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race. In the year 2149, the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped and overcrowded, with the majority of plant and animal life extinct. The future of mankind is in jeopardy, and its only hope for survival is in the distant past. When scientists at the FERMI Particle Accelerator unexpectedly discovered a fracture in time that made it possible to construct a portal into primeval history, the bold notion was born to resettle humanity in the past – a second chance to rebuild civilization and get it right this time. The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony established in this beautiful yet foreboding land. JIM SHANNON (Jason O’Mara, “Life on Mars”), a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new world of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim’s wife, ELISABETH (Shelley Conn, “Mistresses”), is a trauma surgeon and the newest addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. JOSH (Landon Liboiron, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”) is their 17-year-old son who is angry to leave life as he knows it behind; upon arriving at the settlement, he finds himself instantly drawn to the beautiful and rule-breaking SKYE (Allison Miller, “Kings”). MADDY (Naomi Scott, “Life Bites”), Josh’s endearingly awkward 15-year-old sister, hopes Terra Nova will give her a chance to reinvent herself. Although Elisabeth’s medical training secured the family a spot on the pilgrimage, a secret involving their five-year-old daughter, ZOE (newcomer Alana Mansour), soon endangers their place in this utopia. Upon the Shannons’ arrival, they are introduced to COMMANDER NATHANIEL TAYLOR (Stephen Lang, “Avatar”), the charismatic and heroic first pioneer and leader of the settlement. Taylor warns the travelers that while Terra Nova is a place of new opportunities and fresh beginnings, all is not as idyllic as it initially appears. Along with blue skies, towering waterfalls and lush vegetation, the surrounding terrain is teeming with danger – and not just of the man-eating dinosaur variety. There is also a splinter colony of renegades led by the battle-hardened MIRA (Christine Adams, “TRON: Legacy”), who is vehemently opposed to Taylor and his leadership. Even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls of the colony is the chilling possibility that something sinister is happening inside Terra Nova. The Shannons will come to suspect that not everyone on this mission has the same idea of how to best save mankind; in fact, there may be forces intent on destroying this new world before it even begins.

Some high-profile sci-fi/genre projects, including J.J. Abrams’ "Locke & Key" (FOX) and David E. Kelley’s "Wonder Woman" (NBC) were passed on by their respective networks.

And just to recap, here’s a rundown of what sci-fi/genre shows were renewed and what shows were canceled/ended:

RENEWED

• "Chuck" (NBC)
• "Fringe" (FOX)
• "Nikita" (The CW)
• "Supernatural" (The CW)
• "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW)

CANCELED/ENDING

• "The Cape" (NBC)
• "The Event" (NBC)
• "Human Target" (FOX)
• "Medium" (CBS)
• "No Ordinary Family" (ABC)
• "Smallville" (The CW)
• "V" (ABC)

PREVIEW Videos & Images

Alphas

Promotional poster [TVLine]

Promotional images [Syfy]

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

Sneak peek trailer: "Stretch the Capabilities" [Syfy]

TV Spot: "The Brain is Amazing" [Syfy]

Watch two more TV spots here and here

Doctor Who

Promotional stills [more at Blogtor Who & Combom.co.uk]

Trailer for the mid-season finale, "A Good Man Goes to War" [YouTube]

Clip for "A Good Man Goes to War" [YouTube]

(Fake) Doctor Who Anime

13-minute fan-made short [YouTube]

Falling Skies

Promotional stills for episode 1×02 – "The Armory" [more at KSiteTV]

Promotional cast images [more at SpoilerTV]

Fringe

Anna Torv answers fan questions [YouTube]

John Noble answers fan questions [YouTube]

Game of Thrones

Promo for episode 1×08 – "The Pointy End" [YouTube]

Once Upon a Time

Sneak peek [YouTube]

Sanctuary

Promotional stills for episode 3×18 – "Carentan" [more at SpoilerTV]

Sneak peek at "Carentan" [Syfy]

Secret Circle

Promotional stills [more at YourEntNow]

Preview clip [The CW]

Watch more clips here and here

Torchwood: Miracle Day

Cast promotional images [more at Den of Geek]

Full-length trailer [YouTube]

Behind the scenes featurette: "In Production Now" [YouTube]

True Blood

Promotional stills [more at True Blood’s Nest]

Season four promotional posters [SpoilerTV]

Season four trailer [YouTube]

Watch another trailer here

The Vampire Diaries

Interview with Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley [SpoilerTV]

Watch another interview here

Wonder Woman [pilot passed on by NBC

Promotional stills [more at iFanboy]

Read a review of the pilot at iFanboy

TV BITES

• The two-hour 10th season/series finale of "Smallville" drew 3.02M viewers and a 1.3 A18-49 rating. The show ended the season as The CW’s 2nd highest-rated series. [YourEntNow]
• Following last month’s tragic death of "The Sarah Jane Adventures" actress Elisabeth Sladen, BBC has confirmed that no new episodes of the series will be filmed. The six remaining episodes filmed with Sladen will be broadcast later this year on CBBC. [BBC.co.uk]
• The previously announced animated series "The Governator" is on indefinite hold following star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent scandal. The series was originally scheduled to debut in September 2012. It’s unclear whether the project has been completed scrapped or just delayed. [TMZ]
• Writer/producer Richard Hatem has joined The CW’s "Secret Circle" as an executive producer. [KSiteTV]
• Syfy has picked up both seasons — 26 total episodes — of the Canadian supernatural series "Lost Girl". [Syfy]
• Episode 11 of the fourth season of "True Blood" will be called "Soul of Fire". Check out a casting call for a potential recurring character at TrueBlood-Online.com…
• …And episode 12 will be called "And When I Die"… [SpoilerTV]
• …Jessica Tuck, who plays Nan Flanagan, discusses what’s in store for her character next season in an interview with True Blood’s Nest.
• "Supernatural" star Jared Padalecki has joined Twitter. Follow him @jarpad.
• Programming Note: The "Doctor Who" episode "The Almost People" airs tonight at 9PM on BBC America.
• Programming Note: The Syfy original movie "Red Faction: Origins" premieres tonight at 9PM on Syfy.

Synopses/Episode descriptions

• "True Blood" – 4×01 – "She’s Not There". [SpoilerTV]
• "Falling Skies" – 1×02 – "The Armory" (second hour of the series premiere). [KSiteTV]
• "Falling Skies" – 1×03 – "Prisoner of War". [KSiteTV]

CASTING BITES

• Rod Hallett has been cast as Dr. Malcolm Wallace in FOX’s "Terra Nova". His character is described as "charming and confident" and "becomes Jim’s [played by Jason O’Mara] nemesis as they rival for Elisabeth’s [played Shelley Conn] affection." [Deadline]
• HBO’s has reportedly begun casting for season two of "Game of Thrones", with Tony Curran revealing that he is in talks to join the cast. [Winter Is Coming]
• Charles S. Dutton has been cast as Captain Cross in the FX drama pilot "Powers". The show is based on the Image Comics series by Brian Michael Bendis. [THR]
• Gareth David-Lloyd has confirmed that his "Torchwood" character Ianto will be back in the form of three new radio plays set between season two and ‘Children of Earth’. No date has been given, but the three episdoes, "Submission", "House of the Dead" and "The Devil and Miss Carew" will be released this year. [Gareth David-Lloyd | Facebook]
• Check out a casting call for the season four finale of "True Blood". The episode is called "And When I Die". [True-Blood.net]

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

CHART (5/9/2011 to 5/15/2011)

CHART (5/16/2011 to 5/22/2011)

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