Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "Lost" and "V," Gabrielle Union Gets "FlashForward," USA Renews "Burn" and "Pains," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I had an amazing time at the Mighty Boosh's secret show at the Roxy last night and found myself singing "Nanageddon" as I tried to go to sleep.

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an exclusive interview with Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell, who toplines the upcoming remake of V on ABC. Describing her character on V, Mitchell said: "Erica is a federal agent doing counter-terrorism. She deals with finding sleeper cells and basically eradicating them as much as possible. She's smart and intelligent and all the things that you would want someone who is protecting our country to be. I must have a hero complex—I keep gravitating toward these roles. She has a son, and she's in love with her son, and her son is in love with the Visitors. She has to deal with the fact that she has to save him for the most part. Her husband just left her, so she's a brokenhearted counterterrorist detective." Mitchell also discusses the final season of Lost, Juliet's relationship with Sawyer, and what her V role means for Juliet's presence on Lost's sixth season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Gabrielle Union (Ugly Betty) has been cast on ABC's fall drama series FlashForward in the recurring role of Zoey, described in press materials as "a criminal defense attorney who will have a romantic arc" on the series' freshman season. "We're thrilled that Gabrielle is joining our cast," said FlashForward executive producer David S. Goyer. "When we met with her, we immediately knew she was our Zoey. She's witty, soulful and beautiful. I've been wanting to work with her for a long time." (via press release)

In a move that will surprise no one, USA has renewed summer drama series Burn Notice and Royal Pains, with Burn Notice getting a fourth season order and Royal Pains getting a sophomore season. Both series landed in the top 20 programs on ad-supported cable for the month of July. (Hollywood Reporter)

Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives) has joined the cast of CBS' medical drama Three Rivers, where she will play female lead Sophia Jordan, the head of surgery at Three Rivers Hospital, a role originally played by Julia Ormond in the original pilot. In other recasting news, Heather Stephens (Saved) has replaced Reiko Aylesworth in ABC drama series The Forgotten, where she will play Lindsay, an amateur sleuth whose husband is jailed for unknown crimes and who must care for her baby on her own. (Hollywood Reporter)

FX has given a thirteen-episode series order to Lawman, starring Timothy Olyphant. Series, from Sony Pictures Television and FX, is based on an Elmore Leonard short story and is written and executive produced by Graham Yost (Boomtown). Series is expected to launch in spring 2010. (Televisionary)

Robert Knepper (Prison Break) has been promoted to series regular on NBC's Heroes, where next season he plays Samuel, the "charismatic but evil Earth-moving ringleader of a traveling carnival who recruits people with special powers for a mysterious purpose." (Hollywood Reporter)

Starz has ordered ten episodes of half-hour dark comedy Failure to Fly from Eric Schaeffer (Starved) and Jill Franklyn (Seinfeld) about a support group for people who once tried to kill themselves but are now relishing their second chance at life. Schaeffer will star and executive produce in the series, which is expected to launch in spring 2010. Also on tap at Starz: one-hour coming-of-age drama Waterloo from writer/executive producer Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) about a rock band; Jonah and the Whale, from executive producers Matthew McConaughey, Mark Gustawes, and Chad Mountain, about a man's efforts to find his own life outside the shadow of his famous and disapproving father; an untitled interracial romance from executive producer Martin Lawrence and writer Michael Scoccio; and an untitled drama about a female fashion photographer from executive producers Chris Albrect and Rob Lee. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks with CSI executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar about the previously reported return of Jorja Fox to the seires for five episodes next season. "We had several major characters departing over the last year and a half, and it felt like the family had disintegrated a little bit," said Shankar. "We had people off in their own bubbles, and that suggested a theme for this season, which is really about family. We wanted to restore that balance of the family. And that initial creative impulse led to the notion of Jorja coming back and helping to assist with that." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TBS has announced that George Lopez' latenight talk show Lopez Tonight will launch on November 9th at 11 pm ET/PT. (Variety)

The Beautiful Life's Elle Macpherson and Corbin Bleu have been upped to series regulars on the CW fall drama after they guest starred in the pilot episode in recurring roles; Macpherson played a former supermodel who now owns a top agency in Manhattan while Bleu played a male model. (Hollywood Reporter)

Animal Planet is launching a series of quarterly-scheduled investigative documentaries that explore controversial animal-related issues. First up is Dogfighting: An Animal Investigates Special that will launch in January; future installments will explore animal testing, exotic pets, gang dogs, cloning, and slaughterhouses. (Variety)

TV Guide Network has hired Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars) and Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) as their on-air red-carpet correspondents, replacing Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone. Their first appearance is set for the Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Tin Star: FX Orders Elmore Leonard Project "Lawman" to Series

A little over a week before its TCA Summer Press Tour session, cabler FX has announced that it has ordered thirteen episodes of drama series Lawman, based on the Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." The project, from Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions, is written and executive produced by Graham Yost (Boomtown).

Lawman stars Timothy Olyphant (Damages) as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, described in press materials as "a modern day 19th century-style lawman, enforcing his brand of justice in a way that puts a target on his back with criminals and places him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service." Givens is reassigned to the district where he grew up in rural Kentucky with an outlaw father.

"FX has been fortunate to employ some of the finest writers working in television and we’re lucky to add an outstanding talent like Graham Yost to that growing list," said FX President/General Manager John Landgraf in a statement. "Graham began with a memorable character from one of America’s foremost crime novelists, Elmore Leonard, and we scored the hat trick signing Tim Olyphant who is absolutely pitch-perfect in the role of Raylan Givens."

Production on Lawman begins this fall for a premiere in Spring 2010.

The full press release from FX, announcing the series pickup, can be found below.

FX CALLS LAWMAN

Drama Series from Graham Yost Based on Elmore Leonard Character
Stars Timothy Olyphant

FX Orders 13 Episodes from Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions
Premieres Spring 2010

LOS ANGELES, July 28, 2009 – FX has placed a 13-episode order for its next original drama series, Lawman, which was developed by Graham Yost (Boomtown, Speed) and stars Timothy Olyphant (Damages, Deadwood), announced John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. Lawman will premiere on FX in spring of 2010.

Produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions, Lawman is based on the popular Elmore Leonard character “Raylan Givens” featured in his short story Fire in the Hole. Yost, who created and produced the critically acclaimed NBC drama Boomtown, wrote the pilot and will serve as Executive Producer/Writer on the series. Leonard (Cuba Libre, Rum Punch, Get Shorty) will serve as an Executive Producer on the series along with Sarah Timberman (Kidnapped), Carl Beverly (Kidnapped) and Michael Dinner (Karen Sisco), who directed the pilot episode. The pilot was shot in Pittsburgh and Miami, and series production will take place in Southern California beginning this fall.

“FX has been fortunate to employ some of the finest writers working in television and we’re lucky to add an outstanding talent like Graham Yost to that growing list,” said Landgraf. “Graham began with a memorable character from one of America’s foremost crime novelists, Elmore Leonard, and we scored the hat trick signing Tim Olyphant who is absolutely pitch-perfect in the role of Raylan Givens.”

“Like the other shows we’ve partnered on with FX – The Shield, Rescue Me and Damages – the pedigree of talent behind and in front of the camera on Lawman is outstanding,” said Zack Van Amburg, President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television. “This gripping narrative of justice being served has such universal themes, it’s sure to resonate with FX’s viewers.”

Olyphant stars in the lead role of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Givens is a modern day 19th century-style lawman, enforcing his brand of justice in a way that puts a target on his back with criminals and places him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service. That conflict results in a reassignment for Givens to the U.S. District covering the town where he grew up. He is an anachronism – a tough, soft spoken gentleman who finds his quarry fascinating, but never gives an inch. Dig under his placid skin and you’ll find an angry man who grew up hard in rural Kentucky, with an outlaw father, who knows a lot more about who he doesn’t want to be than who he really is.

Olyphant starred in HBO’s award-winning drama Deadwood, and he co-starred FX’s award-winning drama series Damages last season. Some of his feature films credits include Live Free or Die Hard, Hitman and The Girl Next Door.

The series co-stars Nick Searcy (CSI) as Givens longtime friend and boss “Art Mullen,” and Jacob Pitts (21) and Erica Tazel (Life) as Deputy Marshals “Tim Gutterson” and “Rachel Dupree.” Guest stars include Walton Goggins (The Shield), Joelle Carter (CSI: Miami) and Natalie Zea (Dirty Sexy Money). Lawman is produced by FX Productions, Timberman-Beverly Productions, Nemo Films and Rooney McP Productions, Inc in association with Sony Pictures Television.

For FX, Lawman is the tenth drama series ordered by the network since its rollout of scripted dramas in March of 2002. Other drama series include Emmy® and Golden Globe® award winners The Shield and Nip/Tuck; Emmy and Golden Globe nominated Rescue Me; Over There; Emmy Award winner Thief (received a limited series six-episode order); Dirt; Emmy and Golden Globe nominated The Riches; and Emmy and Golden Globe award winner Damages, starring Glenn Close, and Sons of Anarchy which returns for its second season on September 8.

Lawman is the seventh show produced under the FX Productions banner – Sons of Anarchy (co-produced with Fox 21), Damages (co-produced with Sony Pictures Television), The Riches (co-produced with Fox Television Studios), Dirt (co-produced with ABC Television Studios), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 30 Days.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from the Fox Networks Group. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 95 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series; an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios; and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com

Lawman premieres Spring 2010 on FX.

War and Peace: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary-Lynn Rajskub, David Fury, Freddie Prinze Jr., Anil Kapoor Talk Day Eight in "24" Press Room

In the press room after the 24 panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, David Fury tried to explain comments that fellow executive producer Howard Gordon made on the panel about the lack of female writers on the FOX series. Gordon had likened the dearth of women behind the scenes on 24 to the fact that the Rolling Stones didn't have any female members either.

"They call me the woman on staff because I've written female roles for several other shows," Fury told members of the press. "Do I miss having women on staff? I do. The women who have come on have not quite captured the show, I don't know why. There is a mentality that it's a men's show. I don't think it's a problem for the show not having female writers, the show has been through many different writers, very successful very good writers who have succeeded on other shows could not quite get through the mindset and for some reason a lot of writers have fallen by the wayside. There's a cigar room and I don't think a woman would like getting invited into that room except for Katee Sackhoff."

What other information did we glean from behind closed doors in the 24 press room? Let's discuss, though beware as there are SPOILERS for Day Eight ahead.

Kiefer Sutherland said that he believes Jack is "apolitical." Personally, he's absolutely against the death penalty and thinks it's morally reprehensible and is embarrassed it's still used, BUT he can't tell you what he'd do if someone ever harmed his child.

Sutherland said he has "absolutely no regrets" about playing Jack Bauer and really doesn't know if it's the last season. He always felt the show could go on without him, saying "The star of the show is the format and the idea. I remember I actually pitched Joel Surnow once in the very beginning of Season One. I said, You know, you could change it up every year. The next year could be the last 24 hours of Joan of Arc's life, the next year could be 24 hours in a firefighter's day, 24 hours of a woman who's pregnant whose car is broken down in a snowstorm and how she's going to save this baby. I mean, it was endless. The format was what was so intriguing so I've always felt that way."

Still, said Fury, there haven't been any decisions yet about whether this is the last season of 24. "There's no telling if this is the last season," he said. "Jack Bauer could die. Personally I don't think that's how you want to end Jack's story, but that doesn't mean he can't go out in a blaze of glory. We do know what Jack's journey will be this season."

So should viewers expect to see any familiar faces on Day Eight of 24 and could Mandy make a return engagement?

"We're only in first third of the season," said Fury. "We've been discussing characters who could return. Charles Logan? I helped champion keeping Tony alive last season. Tony could be pivotal. There's always Mandy... we talked about Mandy last year. There's a split in the writers' room with Mandy's character not being perceived as 24; she's sort of Alias. Tony's accomplice last season was Mandy at one point, but that went away."

"Renee will return within the first couple of nights," he said about Annie Wersching's FBI Agent Renee Walker. "She will be a different person than she was [last season]. Jack and she will be into the relationship we put forth in Season Seven; we'll follow through this season. The season begins with Jack in a happy place ready to start a new life and when Renee appears she's a damaged person. But she's someone he decides to be a part of his life. Jack is putting back together the life he had. The thing with 24 is when you put something together, invariably it's going to put it at risk and Renee is going to play a big part."

Viewers shouldn't expect to see Carlo Rota's Morris O'Brian. At least not at first anyway, said Mary Lynn Rajskub, who said that she hasn't seen any scenes with Morris in any of the scripts she's read so far. "Morris is somewhere but so far I don't see him in any scripts but he could come back at any moment," she said. "He's at home with the baby I think."

As for Chloe herself, Rajskub said that Day Eight finds her in some very different circumstances.

"Chloe is not up to speed in the new CTU, which is very different for her," explained Rajskub, who said that this pits Chloe against Katee Sackhoff's Dana Walsh, who is her new boss. "She kind of pats me on the shoulder and says, 'Don't worry, you'll catch up,' which is the worst moment for Chloe ever. Everything's changed at CTU and my bosses are looking at me like I'm not doing it right. But then something happens in the story where I think I know some information which puts me at odds with my bosses."

So there's definitely a CTU then next season? (Yes, and you can read more about what Day Eight's CTU looks like here.) And what's the timeframe of when Day Eight is taking place?

"President Taylor reinstated CTU after last season," said Fury. "She feels the country needs people like Jack Bauer to ferret out the conspiracies... Not sure if they'll specify the time lapse between Season Seven and Eight. But it's probably eight to nine months."

And, as we all know, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. are out as locations this season, which shifts to New York City for Day Eight.

"New York will be very big," Fury explained. "A lot [of it is] taking place at the UN. We don't have a White House this year. Anil Kapoor's character's story takes place at the UN. We've digitally recreated New York. We faked New York and it looks fantastic. We have a helicopter taking off a field in Santa Clarita that's suddenly on Roosevelt Island and there's Manhattan in the background and you buy it. It's incredible, feels like we're there and it really makes a difference."

So who is Kapoor playing then?

"Anil [Kapoor] is President of the Republic of... Kamistan?" said Fury. "I want to make clear it's not Iran. The UN was not happy about us doing anything [involving the] Iranian people or the government might take offense to, so we came up with a country. It was Iran for a long time in the script, but we decided it can't be. I think the spelling is Kamistan."

For Slumdog Millionaire's Kapoor, who plays Omar Hassan, the president of Kamistan, wanted to make sure he wasn't typecast in 24. Kapoor said that he liked that he could play the President of a Middle Eastern country as it was completely opposite to what he did in Slumdog. Of Omar Hassan, Kapoor said that he's a president and a good guy who's come to the US on a peace mission. "He's a peacemaker," said Kapoor. It was that fact more than anything that sold him on playing the role.

Also joining the cast for Day Eight of 24 is Freddie Prinze Jr., who plays CTU agent Cole Ortiz. Prinze said that he was a huge fan of the series, which he said has "always been a very character driven show."

As for Cole, he has something in common with Jack Bauer. "He's an ex-marine and Jack's an ex-marine," said Prinze, "He's heading up field ops, Jack used to head up field ops for CTU and this character knows Jack by reputation."

"There's a dark side to this relationship that you find out fairly quickly," said Prinze, whose character is engaged to Katee Sackhoff's Dana Walsh. "For a character like Cole who's someone who's very disciplined and substituted a lot of feelings that he had post-9/11 for the qualities that define a Marine, like self-respect, and dignity and honor. For someone like that to go through what this character's going to go through it's really going to turn his world upside down as far as the relationship goes."

Prinze also said that Cole is a guy who has to keep his emotions in check and is very hot headed.

Finally, Prinze confessed that he can't imagine anyone else saying each episode's "the following takes place..." except Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer.

You and me both, buddy.

24 kicks off Day Eight in January, 2010 on FOX.

Reporting by Lissette Lira

Invisible Chains: AMC Brings "The Prisoner" to Comic-Con

"You only think you're free."

Now that the crazed fan-demonium of Comic-Con '09 has finally died down, this might be an opportune time to praise AMC for offering up a classy and intelligent presentation for their upcoming remake of the landmark sci-fi series The Prisoner. AMC's six-hour mini-series version of The Prisoner will air over three consecutive nights in November, and judging from the nine-minute preview screened during the panel, it has the potential to be one of the most talked-about television events of the Fall season.

Candidly speaking, I went into panel with a great deal of skepticism after having read an extremely mediocre pilot script several years ago. What a splendid surprise it was to discover then how the project has evolved in the capable hands of writer Bill Gallagher (BBC's Conviction), who talked at length during the panel about the challenges of adapting such a complex work. However unlike that early draft I read (which oddly enough seemed to resemble Christopher McQuarrie's upcoming NBC series Persons Unknown more than Patrick McGoohan's cult classic) this 're-imagining' of The Prisoner appears to have captured the unique blend of surrealism and existential paranoia that made the original so memorable.

Joining Gallagher on stage for the panel were AMC's VP of Production Vlad Wolynetz, alongside series stars Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ), Lenny James (Jericho) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd).

Moderated by producer/director Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise), the thoughtful discussion (detailed below) managed to cover a wide range of topics, including Jim Caviezel's daunting task of stepping into the shoes of McGoohan as Number Six, as well as his experience working with series co-star Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings) who takes on the role of Six's nemesis, the mysterious Number Two.

What follows is a complete transcript of the entire panel for The Prisoner, along with the nine-minute preview clip and full video for the panel.

The panel began with a brief introduction by Rob Meyer Burnett, followed by the nine-minute preview reel:

Robert Meyer Burnett: [The] Prisoner is one of the most influential television shows ever created. We feel its reverberations in The X-Files, LOST, it's even name-checked on The Simpsons. Now, AMC, known for their shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men [applause] ...they've really done some bold moves in terms of episodic television and for them to take on The Prisoner -- they're probably the best network to make this show. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna show you a 9-minute reel of material. And then I'm gonna bring up some of the cast, and some people from AMC and we're gonna do a conversation about the show, the making of the show. And then at the end of the presentation we have an exclusive clip from the show that stars Ian McKellen. So without further adieu let's start the nine-minute reel and you will see your first glimpse of The Prisoner.

The Prisoner: Exclusive Preview from Comic-Con:



RMB: I think we should start by asking Bill Gallagher, the screenwriter who boldly re-imagined the series, how did it begin, how did you start?

Bill Gallagher: [It] started because Grenada Television, I got a call, I was walking home one evening, I got a call, 'would you like to do a remake of the the Prisoner?' And I was so shocked by this thought, that I had to walk down this little alley way, I found myself in this dark little alleyway, talking to this guy i didn't know about redoing The Prisoner. And what came back to me was, you know I won't claim to be a great dedicated fan of The Prisoner all through my life, but what happened was, I remembered when i saw it as a child, and I didn't understand it, but I feel at the time it absolutely haunted me in ways I couldn't comprehend and it had an impact on me that didn't go away. It stayed with me for a long time and when I was asked, that came back to me very powerfully and, you know, it was an opportunity I just couldn't say no to. And it was that that I wanted to go after, that feeling of a drama that speaks to our unconscious, a drama that doesn't do what all the other dramas do on television. It was such a unique opportunity I couldn't say no, so I said yes. And then I got terrified.

RMB: Now Vlad, [how] did AMC decide, yes, we are going to do The Prisoner?

Vlad Wolynetz: Well, I remember coming in for the initial pitch [and] I was actually kind of terrified by the idea. Terrified by the idea of touching something that was so emotionally bound to so many people, each of whom have a really individual take on what it means to the person. The emotional investment is very intense and a little intimidating. But we were in a position, after having done Mad Men, and we had just done the Breaking Bad pilot at that point, where everything we did was about men in dissent-- dissenting with their surroundings, whether its Don Draper, or whether it's Walter White. And we had the wonderful, wonderful advantage of being able to swing for the fences, with the things that we do. We needed to become distinct in a hurry. A lot of other great TV companies build their models over time and gradually find their voice. We had to clear our throat really quickly and scream it out loud and The Prisoner was the perfect vehicle for it.

RMB: Jim, the new Number Six, were you familiar with show, with the old original series? And when you were cast, did you go back and watch the original?

Jim Caviezel: No, we're still working on it right now, and I never want to be accused of copying anybody, especially Patrick McGoohan. It's a remake, but this is more of a recreation of it. It keeps the spirit of the old, but these are different times we're living in. and when my agent Brian Mann brought me the material, I actually was going to shoot another movie, but there was a glitch in the financing, and he says, you gotta read this -- so I read a couple of the episodes and said those are amazing. [And then] he said, 'here's two more and they are even better.' And it just was really a no-brainer to want to be a part of this project. It's such a part of what's going on in the world today.

RMB: Jamie, your character, you play Number Two's son. Now one of the different, interesting things that's happening with this show is that Number Two's family play a big role. Now what was it like for you? Were you familiar with the original show?

Jamie Campbell Bower: Yeah, I was aware of the original show actually. When I was at school, I had this teacher show it to us when i was about 13 or 12, and so I was aware of the idea of this show, on what it was focused on [and] I remember when I read the script. I'm dyslexic, so when i read things, I'm a bit detached. When I got the script for The Prisoner, I remember going through the first sides I got for the audition and just being really moved. Particularly by the idea of family focused upon in the show... that really struck a chord with me.

RMB: And what is your character's number?

Bower: 11-12.

RMB: Now, Lenny, you are a denizen of the Village. Talk about your involvement. First of all, what is your character's number?

Lenny James: I am 147, and everybody tries to figure what their numbers mean about them. And they do. But they don't. Ponder that one. I was like everybody else. When the idea of doing this new reworking of the The Prisoner came along, it's one of those things where if you get the chance to do it, you can't say no. And they did a very sneaky thing with us, which is, they told us it was a six part series and they only sent us five scripts. Know what I mean? So you've gotta do the job to find out how it ends. So that's how I ended up being involved.

RMB: One of the really interesting things about this adaptation is that it was shot in Africa. It was shot in Namibia and it was shot in Cape Town...

Gallagher: [I] wanted to create this environment where there was absolutely no possibility of physical escape. So I created this environment where there was miles and miles and miles of desert, and miles and miles and miles of mountains. Because I wanted Six to very quickly face the prospect that he wasn't going to get out of here physically. So the question would go from where am I? Where is the village? To what is the village? .. and having done that... we found this place called Swakopmund in Namibia... We found this little German settlement that was built in 1910, and when you go there you want to escape... But it was perfect...

RMB: Vlad, talk about how everybody went a little mad in their own way during the shoot.

Wolynetz: If there's a thing that this production has in common with the original, it is that everyone here has danced along the precipice of madness while making this thing. Trying to unravel what Patrick McGoohan's original intent has bedeviled people for 40 years, and it sure as hell has bedeviled us for the last two... And in the process we have created our own cascade of fiascos in the making of a wonderful film...

RMB: Was it easy when you're out there [in the deserts of Swakopmund] to put yourself in Six's mindset, Jim?

Caviezel: I was just trying to survive, you know. Three or four of the biggest films I've ever done have just been murder. I remember saying to my friend, John, I said, 'this is murder.' And he said, 'Well I guess it's gonna be really good then.' Swakopmund is an extraordinary town.

RMB: Lenny, any crazy stories?

James: There's lots of crazy stories, but I can't tell you any of them, because I'll get sued... It was a lot like... a kind of phrase that went across the cast and crew while we were shooting it... Anything that was slightly strange, unexplainable, or out-of-the-ordinary, and we would say, 'That was very village.' And Swakopmund was very Village.

RMB: Bill, in the 40 years the since original series [our culture] has changed tremendously. [How] did that affect the philosophy of the new Prisoner?

Gallagher: I think the first thing I want to say is, what comes to mind is, Patrick McGoohan said when they rolled the final credits on his series, rather then having a 'The End' card, the card should say 'The Beginning.' The reason he said that is because he claimed that we continue to be prisoners of society... And I found this quote a long time after I had written the script, but it kind of describes what i was after: McGoohan said, "You still want to know its message? The most dangerous thing in the world is an attitude of the mind." And I found that fascinating so when i started on my version of The Prisoner I knew I couldn't compete with what Patrick McGoohan had done, so I had to respond to it.

And I wasn't really interested in what I think of as the kind of superficial things like surveillance and conspiracy, as interesting as those things are. And they are a part of the series. I was interested in what has happened to us since then. McGoohan's version was about the assertion of the individual and freedom from the class society, freedom from authority. And I was interested in what has happened since then and one way of looking at it is that the individual is king. We are all kind of desperately asserting our own individuality. And I was interested in, well, what are the costs of that? How does that effect us? And what if rather than being under surveillance, what if we were under observation? And what if that observation tells us something about ourselves? What if that degree of individualism and selfish is dangerous? What if it's reaching a breaking point?

And that was the underlying premise of my approach to the The Prisoner. So yes, there's surveillance. There's surveillance in the village. There's surveillance in our world. But what if it's about more than that? What if it's about what's going on inside of us? What if it's a kind of evolutionary change that isn't so good for us. So that was my approach to those kind of things. So yes it has contemporary references, just as McGoohan's Prisoner did. But it also has universal themes in it. And so that was my approach to it. To respond to it rather than to repeat it.

RMB: Vlad, was Patrick McGoohan aware of the show? And did he give it his blessing?

Wolynetz: He was aware of the show. I spoke to him, which was a pretty interesting phone conversation... we had actually hoped very much to get him in the show, for a small part. This was not too long before he passed away... He asked, "Who is playing Six?" [I said] Jim Caveziel is playing him. [McGoohan responded]: "Oh, Mel loves him, he'll be great... You know... I should be playing Two... but Ian will be pretty good." [Laughter] So he seemed very enthusiastic.

RMB: Well, Jim, I think at the core of The Prisoner is always Six's struggle against Two, and you got Gandalf, you got Magneto. How do you go up against a character like that? And how was it working with Sir Ian McKellen?

Caviezel: Well, you listen a lot if you're smart. He has great wisdom as an actor. He made me better. And you know, just listening to what Bill was saying about surveillance... I happened to be in a motorcycle accident last week and I'm thinking, here I am in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, having a great time, and then I'm in an ambulance. And then a lady asks me, so do you want us to check you out? And I'm thinking no, because if you do that then my name goes into a system and I don't really feel that messed up... And then I woke up in the morning and wham! 50 phone calls on my cell phone... and just how something like that gets translated to Jim Cavaziel in a hospital and Jim Caveziel is dead, and I was thinking about here I am now at Comic-Con, explaining it to you... and how in one second... You know, when I have a glass of wine now, I have one of those breathers that I put in my car to make sure I'm not over the limit because the next day it's gonna be-- 'Jesus was busted for drunk driving.' [Laughter]

RMB: Jamie, what was it like having Magneto as your father?

Campbell Bower: Pretty cool. It was such a pleasure working with Ian. He is one of the finest actors who has ever lived and I feel so blessed to be able to learn from someone of that caliber. And he really helped me grow and develop not only as an actor but as a person, to find out what I want to become. Because he's such a gentlemen, he has this grace about him. so unforced. Maybe I can't do it. Maybe I'm forcing myself to become graceful. Amazing. Just a lovely, lovely guy. And we're still close and I still see him London, which is lovely...

James: He's alright... [Laughter] He's not as tall as he thinks he is... No, seriously, one of the things that was fantastic about the whole situation is that pretty soon he's just another member of the cast. He doesn't walk around expecting to be treated any differently. And we had a really, really interesting story to tell. I think one of the reasons that The Prisoner was so successful and had such longevity, and people have been trying to do a new version of it, is it's a really, really fantastic story... it's a very simple, straightforward premise-- a man retires from his job and wakes up the next morning , and he's in a place called the Village he can't escape from, and he doesn't know if he's a alive or dead, doesn't know if this is purgatory or a grave or a prison.

And although it's called The Prisoner, one of the things that is fantastic about the version that Bill has written this time around is that you are following the big battle between Two and Six, but there's also the lives of the other prisoners. And I play a guy called 147 and he's kind of a local taxi driver, and his journey is very interesting in his relations with Six because he's a man who is totally content with his life in the Village. Until he meets Six, and Six has to wake him up. And if the people in the Village say don't go over that wall, 147 is the guy who is gonna not go over that wall. He's not the guy who's gonna peak over... and how many of us have that kind of feeling in life as well? So you're following lots of different people's versions of what is their prison, and how Six kind of wakes everybody up to their situation.

RMB: Back to Vlad and Bill. What were some of the biggest challenges to re-imagining the story for modern audiences? Obviously we see Rover in the clip... How much of the old show did you retain?

Wolynetz: Rover was probably one of the greatest debates that went on and on and on.. Rover was hotly debated, [but] ultimately it's the same Rover, although we have added a couple of things. You saw him get super-massive and there are a couple of other things he does that will hopefully surprise you... Ultimately you have to respect the original, but you can't be afraid of it or intimidated by it. You are making a new film. We are making our Prisoner.

Gallagher: One of the things I would say about the presence of the original in this version is that, McGoohan said, above all else, it's an entertainment, it's a ride. So I wanted to have fun with that, to have fun with those elements in the original. So sometimes there are elements in the story, there are are little hints of old episodes that are part of our episodes... but also there are things like, in one episode Six goes to a place called 'Escape Resort' and when you get there, it's like the original Prisoner, people are dressed like the original Prisoner, so it was having some fun with it... little lines of dialogue, little moments of character, constantly kind of dipping back into the original. And one of the decisions I made early on was about Number Two.

In the original series, it was a great idea that every week there was another Number Two. The idea was that every week Six sees off the authority figure, so they replace him with another authority figure. But I thought, what happens if he stays through the whole series and we get to know him more and more and we see his moral challenges. And then what if he's got a family? Because it would be easy enough to create a dictator, a kind of two-dimensional dictator. But what about his story? About his journey? Why is he doing it and what are the costs to him...? To give Number Two his own moral challenges throughout the series and then of course, the upside of that is, if you've got a big part like that, you get to get an actor like Ian Mckellen. So we were constantly looking back to the original to make decisions... They made that decision, what decision are we going to make?

RMB: Jim, what was it like when you were working with Ian? Where you have this escalating battle of wits between these two men...? Did it get more and more tense as it went along? And did you like each other by the end?

Caviezel: I still hate him. He's so good. You know it all starts with the writing. Bill Gallagher here wrote something very special, and then Ian McKellen wanted me for the project and I remember sitting in rehearsal saying to Ian... he says, 'How are you feeling?' And I said, 'I am incredibly nervous and very scared.' And he said, 'Oh, darling, that never leaves.' [Laughter] So I felt a great comradeship with him. What was exciting about this piece, and it was never intended to be this way, is that I always felt like we were playing form behind. In other words, it was like in 48 hours we had to put this material together and, Vlad, I thought we were making Mad Men... I mean, we are the 'mad men.' I was a bit nervous and didn't know if it was any good. I couldn't feel it. I felt like the ball was coming and I couldn't see it, and I think that energy... Ian mentioned to me, just keep using it. And of course we had a great cast. Lenny and Jamie here are brilliant actors, and so I felt like I was surrounded by people who were going to make me better. So I think this is going to be something very, very special.

RMB: Jamie... The Prisoner was a show that came out of the 1960s. What do you think that it means for audiences today? What would you hope that the audiences would take away from this new adaptation?

Campbell Bower: Well, to begin with, I think particularly in England at the moment, there's a lot of stuff on television that you don't really have to think about. It's background stuff. You can be making some tea, and you can understand what's going on without even looking at the screen, or listening even. It just goes in like a sponge. And i think with this, it's so clever, that you have to watch and I don't think that you can not watch. It draws you in so much. And one of the things that I really hope it does is just make people try and understand what it is that they are seeing. And to try and listen and be involved in the story... and this is a really great story... in the 60s it was stuff that people could relate to in the 60s. We're in 2009, it's stuff that people can relate to now.

RMB: Lenny... in our post-9/11 world, there's a lot of craziness. Does the new show reflect our modern era?

James: I think you're in a situation with this one where it's written very much of the time now... yes, it's a post-9/11 project because that's there now. It's in our senses. People are much more aware... of the fragility of ourselves but also how much we're now connected, so much to each other across the world now, we're... but also I think that what Bill said is absolutely right as well. First and foremost it's a piece of entertainment... it's a real kind of page-turner and has what's exciting about a page turner, it makes you sweat... I guarantee you are not going to know what happens next. And you trying to guess what happens next is half the fun of watching The Prisoner because you're not going to know... you're gonna freak!

RMB: Bill, you were talking about, this isn't really a political piece?

Gallagher: Not politics in that politicians kind of way. When I thought about it, it would feel to me less, if it were a piece about blame. About them plotting against us. That's in it... and that's interesting in itself, but there's more that's interesting... You know, and I include myself in this, I think in recent years we've become more selfish. We all want more, and we live by fixes, both here in and in the Village... The hero of our story wants to get away, but what does he want to get away from?

So that seems to me to be more than politics if that makes sense. And, you know, the series is episodic and there's one big story that runs through it, but each episode has it's own thematic concerns, so we look at education, we look at family, we look at love, we look at fate, we look at community, but it's how we look at those things, how we look at them in the Village. What is eduction in the Village? And what does that tell us about our ideas of education?

So politics, conspiracy, surveillance, all those things crank the story along. There is surveillance in the Village, but it's not surveillance as you might think... So it's just constantly trying to push it. As Lenny said, how do we do this so we don't know what's going on and what's going to happen next? It's going to be mind-bending, mind-boggling... and you know, the other thing is that in all of this, it's just a simple story about a man who doesn't feel like he belongs.

RMB: Vlad, how is AMC going to air the show?

Wolynetz: It's going to be on three consecutive nights... there are episodic breaks in the middle, but its going to run across two hours... But it's extremely well-paced for two hours. [And] what I'm most proud of from a technical level... the aesthetic of The Prisoner is absolutely stunning... We have a great cinematographer, Florian Hoffmeister, who just shot the hell out of that place. You're going to see things that don't belong on television in the sense of the size of the box. These are beautiful, beautiful cinematic vista shots that really sell home all the dramatic ideas we've been talking about... wonderful stuff.

Caviezel: [Just as] Vlad said, to me it's a six hour movie with two intermissions, same director, shot on 35mm, in beautiful scope. I remember Mel Gibson first mentioned something to me about The Prisoner. I asked him about Patrick McGoohan when we were talking about Braveheart. So when this came to me, I remember thinking that this is really going to be a challenge. It's that feeling you have where you think you might fail. And at that point, it's like this is something that I gotta do. These types of projects come around, not very often. So I feel that what we've done is very special. I really believe, coming this fall, you'll never see anything like this on television. This is very unusual. You don't know where the story is going to go. And I'm glad I was a part of it...

If that weren't enough, you can watch the full video of the entire Prisoner panel from this weekend at Comic-Con (thanks to the good folks at AMC) below:

The Prisoner Comic-Con Panel:



The Prisoner launches in November on AMC.

Written and reported by Mark DiFruscio

TV on DVD: "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

Just four days after the end of Torchwood: Children of Earth here in the US, BBC Video is releasing the two-disc set for the epic mini-series from writers Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran.

While I've not only reviewed the mini-series in full (my advance review of the five-night event can be found here), I also wrote up each installment of the series' limited run (Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, and Day Five) and offered up a two-part interview with executive producer Julie Gardner (which can be found here and here).

Over the course of the five taut installments, Davies and Co. manage to break the alien fighting team in half, push the series' characters well beyond their breaking points, and bring us piece of a politically and socially-minded action-adventure-sci-fi television making that is absolutely extraordinary in its scope.

Make no mistake: this is an alien contact story unlike any other but the writers wisely craft a series that tells parallel plots: bringing the viewer both a street-level view of the crisis (via the families of our main characters) and inside Whitehall and Thames House. The result is an acute portrait of a world where morality is a nebulous term that is easily compromised and blood sacrifice demanded.

The two-disc box set for Torchwood: Children of Earth, available for purchase today, contains unedited versions of all five episodes of Children of Earth, along with a DVD-exclusive featurette entitled "Torchwood: Declassified," featuring interviews with the cast and crew of Torchwood.

All in all, viewers who enjoyed Torchwood: Children of Earth would be wise to pick up the box set. Despite its grim tone, the mini-series remains spellbinding, utterly original, and fantastically gripping, even on repeat viewing.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is available for purchase on DVD for a suggested retail price of $29.98. Or you can pick one up in the Televisionary store for just $14.49.

Channel Surfing: Jamie Bamber to Play in "Dollhouse," Day, Denisof, and Glau Set for "Dollhouse" Season Two, Syfy Sets "Caprica" Launch, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber will guest star in the season premiere installment of FOX's Dollhouse next season. According to E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Bamber will play a character who is "heavily involved in an engagement Echo (Eliza Dushku) and her new handler Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) have been assigned to." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

In other Dollhouse-related news, Joss Whedon has confirmed that Season Two of the FOX drama will feature some familiar faces from the Whedonverse including Dr. Horrible's Felicia Day (who appeared in the unaired "Epitaph One" episode), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Summer Glau, and Angel's Alexis Denisof. (TVGuide.com)

Syfy has announced that Battlestar Galactica spin-off Caprica will debut on Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm. Of course, if you read my coverage of the Caprica/BSG: The Plan panel at Comic-Con, you already knew all about this. (Variety)

FOX has pushed up the return of Glee by a week to Wednesday, September 9th, where it will air at 9 pm, behind the launch of the new season of So You Think You Can Dance (which also got bumped up a week as well). (Futon Critic)

ABC Family has ordered ten additional episodes of freshman drama Make It or Break It, bringing the first season run to twenty episodes. The back ten episodes will launch in early 2010. (Variety)

Elsewhere at ABC Family, the cabler has announced that Season Three of Greek will launch on Monday, August 31st. Guest stars this season include Olivia Munn, Kadeem Hardison, Thomas Calabro, Tom Amandes, and Jerry Lambert. Greek will air ten new episodes through November. (via press release)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has some Gossip Girl scoop for Season Three, directly from the mouth of executive producer Josh Schwartz: "Well, you know Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) is coming back even though she is at Mercy. She is going to have a very unexpected roommate and a very unexpected love interest." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

UK terrestrial network ITV unveiled its autumn plans, which include the return of The X Factor, Duchess on the Estate, which follows Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson as she helps "communities raise ambitions and standards," a new Life Stories go-around with Piers Morgan, and game show The Cube. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Surviving in the Dark: "Stargate Universe" Cast and Crew Discuss the Future of the Franchise

Proving that it's possible to kickstart a franchise after fifteen years on the air, Stargate Universe creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper and stars Robert Carlyle, Elyse Levesque, Ming-Na, Brian J. Smith, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, and Jamil Walker Smith appeared at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend to talk up the newest addition to the Stargate franchise, which launches this October.

After screening an intense and gripping trailer for Stargate Universe (see below, though the music is slightly different than what screened at SDCC), the cast and creators took to the stage to discuss the impetus behind the darker, more verite Stargate Universe, why it's accessible to new viewers and old alike, and what to expect from the first season.

"We really had to keep the franchise going and make sure that Stargate fans have something to watch," said co-creator Robert Cooper. "It is quite a different feel. It will reintroduce what a Stargate is. It will give you a whole new sense of what Stargate is in an introductory sense that is quite clever, but it will very much reward the SG-1 and Atlantis viewers."

Helping make this transition is former Stargate: SG-1 star Richard Dean Anderson, who will recur throughout the first season of Stargate Universe, along with Amanda Tapping, another familiar face to fans of the franchise who will appear in the pilot episode.

"We've already tried to acknowledge what came before and never reset back to zero in an episode, so we didn't undo things, but we wanted the casual viewer to access the show," explained co-creator Brad Wright. "It's difficult when you get too serialized. There's no question that it does have a broader, more continuing storyline. It will reward any viewer that turns on episode five, but please start from [episode] one." He described the production as having "a different energy... It's much more hand-held and dynamic."

"It had gotten to the point where everyone was a superhero and a genius," said Cooper of the previous series in the Stargate franchise. "[SGU] is trying to make the characters identifiable" and put them through some major challenges early on. But it's not all doom and gloom as Cooper promised "humor and hope" among the narrative elements.

Still don't blink during the opening episodes of Stargate Universe. "Big things are going to happen very quickly," promised Cooper. "In terms of what happens and what unfolds in the show, even in the first 10 episodes. You're going to find if you do skip an episode, you might miss something huge. There may be major revelations with what's going on with the characters and the storyline."

And the characters themselves will prove to have moralities that are surprisingly like quicksilver. "In Universe, all of our characters are both heroes and villains," explained Wright, "and remarkably have the ability to slip in and out of the skin of both."

For Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, Stargate Universe offered the opportunity to sign on to for a long-term engagement on an American television series. Asked if he prefers to do film or television, Carlyle stated, "I don't think it's the actor's place to define between genres. It's about the part and the people you're working with. [Universe is] a very easy, very welcome platform to express myself."

His character, widowed scientist Dr. Nicholas Rush, was described by producers as being able to "make dislikable things likable." (Hmmm...)

David Blue, who plays genius civilian Eli Wallace, is also Universe's resident franchise fan. Blue said he had "pride to be a part of [the Stargate franchise]" but that there was also "pressure to make it great for you [the viewers]." Blue has seen every episode of SG-1 and Atlantis as well as "pretty much every sci-fi show out there." Wright kidded that with Blue they landed both an actor and a technical adviser.

As for the other characters, a fan stunned the female members of the panel by implying that they didn't seem like "strong, intelligent, beautiful" women, an assertion which the producers--and the actors themselves--were quick to refute:

• "T.J. is a strong intelligent woman," said Alaina Huffman, whose character Tamara Johansen is a military lieutenant. "They're great at developing these strong women that I think are great role models and carry themselves very well. They have their flaws and their moments."
• "Camille Wray is a strong, intelligent lesbian," joked Ming-Na, who plays an IOA accountant.
• "Not to sound redundant, but Chloe is also strong in the physical sense and an intelligent young woman," said Elyse Levesque who plays Chloe Amstrong, the daughter of a prominent US senator. She went on to say the way that Chloe and the other characters "band together makes them who they are."

What else was revealed about Stargate Universe?

Wright said enigmatically that "none of these characters are supposed to be there." The trailer indicates that they flee through a Stargate when their base is under attack by unseen forces... and end up billions of light years away from Earth on an Ancient ship.

SPOILER ALERT! Those worried about the high body count for doctors in the Stargate franchise series shouldn't get attached to Universe's resident physician. Said Cooper: "We kill the doctor right away in this one." (And it doesn't seem like he's kidding.)

Finally, questioned about whether viewers will learn about the mythical ninth chevron on Stargate Universe, Cooper offered a single-word answer: "Maybe."

Stargate fans, read that as a yes.

Stargate Universe: Comic-Con 2009 Preview:



Stargate Universe launches in October on Syfy.

Cracking the Pattern: Cast and Crew of "Fringe" Tease Second Season Details

What a difference a year makes.

While last year's panel for Fringe at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con was barely half-full, now that Season One has wrapped, Fringe played to a standing-room-only crowd in the cavernous Ballroom 20 this year, something even the cast and crew immediately noticed. "This is much better," said John Noble, who plays the somewhat mad scientist Walter Bishop, "Thank you."

Noble was joined on stage by co-stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and Jasika Nicole, as well as executive producers Jeff Pinkner, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Bryan Burk. The enthusiasm felt by the crowd towards Fringe was more than palpable. "Nobody knew what Fringe was [last year]," said Pinkner, who said that the first season of Fringe was a "like raising a child," with the writers looking to see what worked and what didn't and adapting as a result. "I think the first season was identifying the threshold of these characters," said Pinkner, "[while the second] is about maturation."

Still, the reveal at the end of Season One about the existence of a parallel universe was planned from the start. "We always knew we were going to do the alternate universe, it just happened sooner," said Pinkner. Alex Kurtzman said that the series' writers had originally believed they wouldn't employ that particular twist until later. "We always knew we were going to do the alternate universe idea," he said. "Plan was to introduce it at the end of Season Two or maybe even Season Three.... Either we could hint there was a door and keep hinting there was a door or we could just blow it right down."

As for why the writers sought to include a shot of the World Trade Centers in the Season One finale where Olivia traveled to the parallel universe to meet William Bell, Pinkner said, "We wanted to immediately represent a different reality." And just because the WTC is unscathed, doesn't mean that the White House is in this alternate universe. "The Twin Towers may have been saved, but the White House may not have," suggested Pinkner, referring to the newspaper headline Olivia spied about the Obamas moving into the new White House. (Hmmm...)

As for what to expect next season, Pinkner didn't lay out any specifics but said, "This season is about maturation... about making decisions for yourself. There's a lot at stake." Roberto Orci followed up on that statement, stating that Season Two finds "everyone taking control of their lives and pursuing their own truths. And a war is coming... when you learn things that are unpleasant, you have to take a side."

Intriguing, no?

Here's what we do know about Season Two:

• Leonard Nimoy will reprise his role as William Bell next season but Nimoy won't be a series regular. "The plan is to have Leonard [Nimoy] on as much as we can," said Orci.
• Michael Cerveris will be back as the enigmatic Observer. "He will have an increased presence in Season Two," said Pinkner. But one thing is for sure: The Observer is very much NOT an alien as producers said outright that they will not be using aliens in the series.
• Despite rumors that Kirk Acevedo had been fired from the series, Acevedo--who plays Agent Charlie Francis--will be back for Season Two. Sort of, anyway. "Rumors of Charlie's demise were premature," said Pinkner. "But I do think that Charlie's going to undergo some drastic changes, which hopefully will be surprising and entertaining. And we've already met alternate Charlie as well. He had a scar on his face. Kirk's part of our family."
• The members of the Fringe Division could meet their parallel universe selves. "I think that is certainly a fun place to go and therefore we should do it," said Pinkner. Anna Torv has her own theory about what parallel universe Olivia would be like: "I can't wait to meet the parallel Olivia. She's going to have a really thick Australian accent, and she'll get to laugh," joked Torv.
• Sparks could fly between Peter and Olivia this season, though not necessary in a full-blown relationship sense.
• While David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) was killed in our reality, it doesn't mean that the alternate world's David Robert Jones won't pop up at some point in the future.
• The self-contained episodic nature of the series won't change, despite the reveal of the alternate reality, with Orci indicating that they would play around with the structure of the procedural format while creating a balance with serialized storytelling.

The premiere of the second season--slated to air on FOX on September 17th--won't be set in the seconds after the first season finale but just what happened between Olivia and Bell will be dealt with throughout the sophomore season.

Much discussion was made of the relationship between Peter Bishop (Jackson) and Walter (Noble). "It's the relationship I hold most precious in the show," said Jackson. "If you strip away the sci-fi-ness of it all, you still have a truthful relationship." He then added: "You butt heads with family and you love them and you want to kill them." (All of which sounds about right for Peter and Walter's father/son dynamic.)

"As an actor, you never want to read the sentence, 'And he looks at Peter's grave,'" said Jackson about learning that Peter was actually from an alternate universe and not the son of this Walter Bishop. "Never a good sign. I had been given a hat tip that something like that was coming so I would not pass out [thinking] I'd been fired at the end of the first season. I love that the audience now knows something that Peter doesn’t."

So did the alternate universe Walter ever try to get his Peter back after Walter kidnapped him? Is the Walter we've been with this whole time not the real Walter? And is that who Walter saw in the mental institution during the series' first season? "Yes, no, and maybe," said Pinker mysteriously.

Full audio for the 2009 Comic-Con Fringe panel can be found below:



Fringe returns for a second season this fall on FOX.

Reporting by Lissette Lira and Mark DiFruscio

Nerd Herd: Watch the Entire "Chuck" Comic-Con 2009 Panel!

Didn't make it down to San Diego for Comic-Con this year? Or were stuck waiting in line for the final Lost panel and didn't get to see this year's Chuck panel, moderated by Alan Sepinwall? You're in luck, my friends.

Thanks to the folks at NBC and Hulu, the entire Chuck panel can be viewed in full below. (Yes, the entire panel.)

Chuck Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Adam Baldwin, Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky as "epic" rockers Jeffster (performing "Fat Bottomed Girls, no less"!), and Mark Christopher Lawrence can all be seen celebrating the nearly-killed NBC series in their Comic-Con panel on Saturday morning.

Plus, if you listen carefully, Televisionary itself gets a shout-out from none other than Chuck creator Josh Schwartz for having a hand in saving the series from cancellation. Aw, I'm blushing!



Chuck returns to NBC at midseason.

The Undiscovered Country: John Barrowman, Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner Defend "Torchwood" Decisions

I couldn't stick around for yesterday's Torchwood/Being Human panel at Comic-Con as I had to get back to Los Angeles (the trains wait for no man) but I sent my two fantastic freelancers to cover the BBC America dramas panel on the final afternoon of Comic-Con 2009.

Series creator Russell T. Davies was joined by Torchwood: Children of Earth director Euros Lyn, executive producer Julie Gardner, and series star John Barrowman on the panel for Torchwood.

The main topic, of course, following the conclusion of Torchwood: Children of Earth on BBC America last week: Ianto Jones, who perished in "Day Four" of Children of Earth.

"Everyone's going to answer this question in their own way, but they always said it as people die young in Torchwood," said Barrowman of the death of Ianto Jones. "They just do. It's a dangerous world. It was sad, yes. But we were all sad. but that's the way it is."

"It's the right thing for the story," said Gardner. "Part of that journey is that the man he loves, that he's in a relationship with is the cost of making Captain Jack a hero. He has to suffer, he has to go through that in order to be the hero."

But it was Davies who threw himself on the sword. "If you want to blame me, I absolutely take the blame," said Davies. "I said let's kill him and I saw it through, I made it happen. No one's going to change my mind and no one's going to bring him back. Sorry, but that's it. Blame me."

"But a brilliant piece of TV drama, was it not?" said Barrowman in response, pointing at Davies as the crowd cheered.

As for allegations that Davies has been rude to viewers, Davies was bluntly honest about his feelings: "I have nothing but respect for internet fandom," he said. "I understand that some things I have said have been taken the wrong way and I understand that, and that's okay because sometimes people will always read things the way that makes sense to them. But I'm just not going to change my mind. I'm not."

You can find audio for the entire panel below, two video clips from the event, one in which Barrowman defends the "darker side" of Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood: Children of Earth and the other in which Davies talks about his decision to kill off Ianto Jones, and more news from the Torchwood panel below.

Torchwood: John Barrowman on the "Darker Side" of Captain Jack:



Torchwood: Russell T. Davies Talks About the Decision to Kill Ianto Jones:



Thanks to the efforts of my crack freelancers, the audio for the full Torchwood panel can be found below:



While it's certain now that Torchwood will be back for a fourth season, there are no indications of an episodic count for next season, whether Cush Jumbo's Lois Habiba will play a role, or even a narrative direction. "It's too early," said Davies. "We haven't even sat down for meetings yet."

What is certain, however, is that there won't be a "Once More With Feeling"-style musical episode of Torchwood in the cards. Davies squashed any chance that Torchwood's agents will burst into song, saying that it would be difficult to top Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical efforts.

Reporting by Lissette Lira and Mark DiFruscio

Knock Four Times: David Tennant, Russell T. Davies, Euros Lyn, and Julie Gardner Bring “Doctor Who” to Comic-Con

Rumors of a Doctor Who feature film have been greatly exaggerated.

Appearing at the Doctor Who panel at Comic-Con, executive producer Julie Gardner dismissed claims that they were prepping a script for David Tennant to reprise his role as the Tenth Doctor for a big-screen adventure. Untrue, said Gardner, though she admitted that the rumors have led them to think a Doctor Who feature film might be a good thing.

David Tennant, executive producer Russell T. Davies, and director Euros Lyn (who also directed all five installments of Torchwood: Children of Earth) participated in the panel discussion, which featured a standing ovation for Tennant.

"It is said that in the final days of the planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams."

The real treat was a gasp-inducing advance look at Tennant’s swan song on the series, the 2009 Christmas Special entitled Doctor Who: The End of Time, which features the aforementioned worldwide nightmares, Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble, Lucy Saxon (Alexandra Moen), and the return of John Simm as The Master! “He returns!” (Seriously, I had chills when a blonde-haired Simm turned to the camera and hissed, “My name is The Master!")

Euros Lyn, who directed Doctor Who: The End of Time, said of Tennant’s final episode, "It's just overwhelming. You will need Kleenex. He will knock four times."


Of the enduring fame Tennant has encountered from his portrayal as the Tenth Doctor, Tennant—wearing a Stormtrooper t-shirt and trainers—admitted, "It's overwhelming. Your face is on cakes, and t shirts, and children's pants. They don't really prepare you for that in drama school."


Asked which actors who previously played the Doctor had most inspired his performance, Tenannt said, "There are bits of them all in there.”

Gardner was asked how the production crew manages to accomplish everything they do on such a small budget. “We go over budget,” she admitted, though she said they take their budgets very seriously. "Smaller episodes help us pay for the Christmas special… we double bank, call in a lot of favors and a lot of love."

One of the funniest moments of the panel: Tennant lovingly stroking Davies, Lyn, and Gardner's heads after moderator Robert Lloyd (of the Los Angeles Times) asked about how in love they all seem with each other.

And Tennant himself showered the crowd with his affection after a fan shouted out that she loved him. 
"We love YOU,” he shouted. “Each one of you in a slightly individual way.”

"We never ever, ever, ever imagined it would be this successful. It's gobsmacking!" admitted Davies about the worldwide success of Doctor Who. 
 Davies went on to say that Julie Gardner has been instrumental in the success of Doctor Who. (I totally agree.)

The panel took a quick detour as the Guinness Book of World Records gave Doctor Who the record for most successful sci-fi series on television.

Davies’ reaction? "Close the door and let's start drinking,” he said. “Take that, Supernatural!"

Ending one popular rumor, Tennant said that he's a huge fan of Firefly and Serenity but that's not why the Tenth Doctor wears a brown coat.

And he slammed rumors that he'll appear in The Hobbit, though he said he will be playing a villain in St. Trinian's 2.

Could Tennant return for the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013? Maybe, but there are no plans for him to do so, leading Tennant to ask everyone not to Twitter that he was somehow locked in to appear. "Not yet..." he said, mischievously.

David Tennant says that he's happy that the series will carry on without him and that he's leaving on such a high note. His only regret? "I am leaving the series slightly sad that I didn't get to snog Bernard Cribbins,” he joked. “I snogged all the rest [of the companions]."

While there are only three more Doctor Who specials with Tennant, he’ll appear in an upcoming episode of spin-off series Sarah Jane Adventures. Davies announced that the title of said episode is "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith."

Will we see a reunion between David Tennant's Doctor and Alex Kingston's River Song? Sadly, no but as to whether River will cross paths with the Eleventh Doctor, Davies said, "I think if you go online and do a little search for River Song, you might be very happy."

Asked about his replacement, Matt Smith, Tennant said, "There is no one in Britain who has worked with Matt [Smith] who hasn't raved about him."

Gardner recounted the fact that someone stole one of the Doctor's coats right off of the set... during filming, no less. And one of their number is exceptionally sticky-fingered, said Gardner, revealing that Torchwood star John Barrowman likes to take mementos from the set.

Yet, 
Gardner joked that John Barrowman steals things "just so he can get strip-searched." (This got a huge laugh from the assembled crowd.)

As for Davies, he said that he hopes to stay on board Torchwood but “literally can’t give any confirmation” because there are still no deals in place.

After Tennant made a comment about the fact that Doctor Who "should have been on BBC America from the start,” Davies said that BBC America will be airing the Doctor Who specials much closer to their UK airdates.


Asked by a little girl what class he would teach if he were a teacher, Tennant said, 
"I'd probably end up being an English teacher."

Gardner stunned Tennant filming him right on the dais. "It's like a live DVD extra," said Tennant. Gardner revealed that footage of all of the entire panel—and seemingly Tennant’s trip to Comic-Con 2009--will be on Doctor Who Confidential (and, one would imagine, on the DVD release as well).

Just when the panel seemed like it would be over, Davies and Co. unveiled a brand-new clip from this fall’s Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars which looked absolutely amazing.

Doctor Who: Waters of Mars Trailer:



Just who is knocking? Hmmm, we’ll have to see. (I’ll post video of the clips as soon as they are available.)

The crowd gave another standing ovation for Tennant, who proceeded to run across stage with glee! And, really, that's the perfect end of the Doctor Who panel.

The full audio for the one-hour Doctor Who panel can be found below:



Doctor Who returns this fall with "The Waters of Mars."

The Cruelest Cut: Betrayal, Sacrifice, and Blood Debts on "True Blood"

"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." - Arthur Miller

I raced back from San Diego's Comic-Con last night to catch the latest episode of HBO's seductive and slick drama series True Blood ("Hard-Hearted Hannah"), written by Brian Buckner and directed by Michael Lehmann, and I'm glad I did as the installment featured several betrayals that had me gasping for air, even as some of them seemed rather obvious from the start. (Cough, Daphne, cough.)

Throughout the season to date, various factions have been moving into place and this week threats to our protagonists made their moves, with Daphne betraying Sam, Sookie and Hugo being taken by the Fellowship of the Sun, Eric luring Lorena to distract Bill, Sarah making her choice to betray Steve, Eggs learning a truth about his past, Pam forcing Lafayette back into the game, and Maryann, oh, pushing everyone into a frenzied state in the woods behind the Stackhouse place.

"Hard-Hearted Hannah" offered one of the most shocking and twisty episodes of the second season of True Blood and made me wonder just how dark things are going to get in Bon Temps before the end of the season. After all, this episode was just the half-way point for Season Two and I have a sinking suspicion that things are going to get very grim for Sookie and her friends.

You can read about my recap of the True Blood panel at San Diego Comic-Con here and then let's discuss "Hard-Hearted Hannah."

Daphne. As I mentioned in last week's write up, it was way too coincidental that two shifters should just happen to be Bon Temps at the same time... and that Miss Daphne showed up at just the same time that Maryann did. This week, we learn that Daphne's go-to form is that of a pig... right before she betrays Sam for good and turns him over to Maryann and her frenzied minions. Is this the payment that Maryann was after before? The forfeit of Sam's life to repay his debt to her... or is she willing to trade his life for servitude?

The wicked looking knife that Carl is holding is clearly meant to reference the remains of the ritual sacrifice that Eggs and Tara discovered in the woods, which would lead me to believe that Maryann wants to make a blood offering of Sam Merlotte himself. But there's no way that Alan Ball and Company are killing off Sam like this so I imagine that something must give.

As for Daphne, did her shifter nature render the maenad's scratches less poisonous than they would have been to a normal human? Is Daphne acting of her own accord or did those wounds enable Maryann some control over her? And if not, why has Daphne willingly joined up with Maryann after she was so savagely attacked? Curious.

Eggs. Poor Eggs gets the shock of a lifetime when he and Tara head out to pick up a spare part for the Stackhouse's old water heater and he experiences a strong sense of deja vu while driving. Drawn to a spot in the woods, Eggs leads Tara to the aforementioned sacrifice site. While Eggs can't remember anything, he knows something awful happened there--the blood on the rock and the torn clothes were a clue--and he's deeply disturbed by what he sees. Could it be that Maryann's glamour over her victims is fading? Or that Eggs is somehow growing less susceptible to forgetting what he saw/experienced?

Sadly, Eggs and Tara discover what Maryann is up to in the back of the house and are sucked into the spell, becoming a part of the dark orgy that Maryann has unleashed. I'm hoping that the duo remember something afterwards about what they saw as someone has to put a stop to Maryann before she destroys Bon Temps or has her followers turn on each other in a blood-fueled rage.

Hugo. I loved that Isabelle (Valerie Cruz) also has a human lover and that she made it clear to Bill right away that he belongs to her. Given their relationship, it seems as though the logical traitor in their midst would be Stan but this could be a red herring. Could it be that Hugo has infiltrated the Dallas vampires just as Sookie plans to do with the Fellowship of the Sun? (Yet Sookie read Hugo's mind and discovered that he was madly in love with Isabelle but that could have been trickery. After all, Steve Newlin seemed to know that she was a telepath.)

Sookie. I'm actually quite terrified to know just what the Newlins have planned for Sookie Stackhouse. Sarah seemed quite upset when Steve wanted Sookie to participate in the lock-in; it's not a good sign that they have Godric chained up somewhere in the basement and then dragged her downstairs. Gabe seemed to think that Sookie's, uh, decolletage would be a plus. I'm not sure if they mean to incite Godric or the Light of Day soldiers. Whatever their intent, it's not good and Sookie is dragged, kicking and screaming, down the stairs while Sarah watches, helpless and crying.

If only Jason knew his sister was imprisoned just downstairs from where he and Sarah are going at it in the church balcony. Oh, Jason, your abstinence pledge lasted all of two hours or so. Sigh. I'm beginning to think that Steve Newlin knew all along just who Jason Stackhouse was--and his connection to Sookie--and that he's been maneuvering him into place all along. This does not bode well.

Bill and Lorena. We got a lovely flashback to Bill during Prohibition Days when he and Lorena posed a sexually adventurous Parisian couple and then murdered their party hosts in their bedroom. It's clear that as Bill's maker, Lorena holds much sway over Bill and physically she is much, much stronger than he is. As for why Eric summons her to Dallas, I'm not sure. The logical reason would be to distract Bill so that Eric can swoop in and possess Sookie for himself... but if that's the case why send Sookie into danger and make it impossible for Bill to rescue her? Surely, Sookie is more valuable alive than she is dead....

Jessica and Hoyt. But among all of the betrayal and animosity and evil, there was one flickering sign of hope this week: the burgeoning romance between Hoyt Fortenberry and baby vamp Jessica Hamby. After Maxine cuts off Hoyt's cell phone access, Hoyt drives out to Dallas to be with Jessica (with flowers no less!) just as she awakens at dusk (and pours out two very expensive bottles of Tru Blood into the sink).

The look of surprise and love on Jessica's face as she hears Hoyt at the door was absolutely beautiful and a testament to the redemptive power of love. She's walking a fine line between innocent girl and cold-blooded vampiric killer and Hoyt could keep her on the straight and narrow. These two might just be the most adorable couple on television and once again I have to give massive kudos to Jim Parrack and Deborah Ann Woll for playing it just right, imbuing their interactions with a sweet innocence laced with the slightest edge of simmering sexuality.

But my favorite scene of the episode has to be the one between Todd Lowe's Terry and Lafayette after Lafayette freaks out when Andy badgers him about his disappearance and Lafayette, clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, cowers in the corner. That Terry--who, more than anyone would know what Lafayette is experiencing--stands up to his cousin Andy was a testament to how far Terry has come as a character. That he would then comfort Lafayette and hold him was a brave and truthful scene about kinship and understanding. And, yes, I'll admit that I did get more than a little choked up. Just a beautifully understated scene that spoke volumes about both Terry and Lafayette.

As for Lafayette, his troubles are just beginning as Pam turns up at Merlotte's to call in a favor. (We didn't really think that Eric offered Lafayette his blood without any strings attached, did we?) It looks like Lafayette is going to be dragged back into the V game whether he wants to or not. But I can't quite figure out why Eric would want Lafayette back in business selling vampire blood. Just what does Northman get out of this arrangement? Hmmm....

Just what will happen next? What are the Fellowship of the Sun's plans for Sookie? Is Godric the vampire they intend to roast in the sun? Why did Eric bring Lorena to Dallas? Who can stop Maryann? And how am I going to wait until Sunday for another installment without going insane? Discuss.

Next week on True Blood ("Release Me"), Sam finds himself in a predicament at the hands of Maryann and her wild-eyed minions after Daphne's betrayal; imprisoned with Hugo by the Fellowship of the Sun, Sookie attempts to telepathically reach out to Bill, who’s being detained Lorena; Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and Gabe.

Talk Back: "Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead"

You had the chance to read my advance review of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead last week, but now that the latest Doctor Who special has aired in the US, I'm curious to hear what you thought.

How did it compare for you to "The Next Doctor"? Did you think that Michelle Ryan's jewel thief Lady Christina de Souza would have made a kick-ass companion? Were you surprised by the suddenly serious turn the adventure story took when Carmen warned the Doctor about what lies ahead for the Time Lord?

"You be careful, because your song is ending, sir. It is returning, it is returning through the dark. And then Doctor... oh, but then... he will knock four times."

I don't know about you but I got shivers...

Talk back here.

Doctor Who returns with "Waters of Mars" this fall on BBC One and BBC America.

Talk Back: BBC America's "Being Human"

While many of us were at Comic-Con this weekend, BBC America launched their latest sci-fi tinged series, Being Human, on Saturday night.

While you read my advance review of the first three episodes of Being Human a while back, I am curious to know how many of you tuned in to catch the first episode and what you thought.

Did you enjoy the heady mix of horror, comedy, and angst that the series projected? Did it feel even a little like a British Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the POV of the monsters? Did you root for Russell Tovey's George? Did you feel sorry for Lenora Crichlow's ghostly Annie? Where do you think the story is heading? Did you find the concept innovative or derivative? What did you think of the cast and their characters?

And, most importantly, will you tune in again this Saturday to watch another episode?

Talk back here.

Being Human airs Saturday evenings at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: Silverman to Leave NBC, Monaghan to "FlashForward," Somerhalder Gets "Lost," Acker Returns to "Dollhouse," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Ben Silverman has stepped down as Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios; he'll remain on board for several weeks to help transition and oversee the launch of NBC's fall schedule. Silverman will then segue into a new company financed by Barry Diller's AIC which Silverman will run; company's mission is to "unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof." Meanwhile, Jeff Gaspin has been named Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment, effective immediately. In this role, Gaspin will have oversight of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios as well as retain his current responsibilities over USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, Sleuth, Chiller, and Universal HD. Marc Graboff will continue as chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, reporting to Gaspin. "Ben Silverman has many exciting things he wants to accomplish and we applaud him as he sets off on his new endeavors," said NBC Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker in a statement. "Ben brought us tremendous new thinking in this changing media age, and we're grateful for that. Now, we look forward to working with him in his new venture." (via press release, Hollywood Reporter)

As expected, Dominic Monaghan (Lost) has been cast in ABC's fall drama series FlashForward. The Alphabet let the cat out of the bag a while back by featuring Monaghan in an on-air brand spot where he was seen with other ABC series stars; FlashForward seemed the logical placement for the actor, who guest-starred on Chuck last season. Details about Monaghan's character Simon are under wraps but Monaghan himself said of Simon, "I can't tell you too much. I play a guy called Simon and as I'm sure you saw from that tiny little teaser: he's a snappy dresser, he's a cocky guy, he's not scared of anything or anyone and he's very smart." (via press release)

Ian Somerhalder is returning to Lost next season. Appearing at Comic-Con to promote his new CW series Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder stunned the crowd by acknowledging that he would be reprising his role as Boone Carlyle on ABC's Lost. "I think it’s safe to say... we sort of discussed that... it’s truly incredible that... I am going to be coming back." Later, Somerhalder told Entertainment Weekly that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse only informed him thirty minutes before the panel for Vampire Diaries that he would be returning to Lost. "It’s not clear yet" when he'll shoot his scenes but "it’ll be very soon... It’s just a matter of timing and getting me down there. It’s all good." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Amy Acker has signed a deal to return to FOX's Dollhouse next season for three episodes, via official confirmation from Joss Whedon himself. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting alert: Moon Bloodgood (Burn Notice), Jessy Schram (Crash), Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds), and Maxim Knight will star opposite Noah Wyle in TNT and executive producer Steven Spielberg's untitled alien invasion pilot. Project is written by Robert Rodat (from a story created by Rodat and Spielberg) and will be directed by Carl Franklin. (Hollywood Reporter)

The New York Times' Brooks Barnes has a fantastic look behind the scenes at the amount of preparation and effort that went into Lost's appearance at Comic-Con this weekend. Far from covering the panel itself, the Times goes one step further and covers the lead-up to the panel, crystallizing the amount of love and energy that Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, the writers, and the cast put into their appearance this year. (New York Times)

GSN has ordered 65 episodes of a relaunch of vintage reality series The Newlywed Game, produced by Embassy Row and Sony Pictures Television. Shingle is also awaiting decisions on The $25,000 Pyramid and The Dating Game at CBS. Other series in development at Embassy Row include Celebrity Mr. and Mrs. and Make My Day for TV Land and National Bible Champs at CMT, not to mention the 10th anniversary relaunch of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at ABC. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Dream a Little Dream: Deschanel and Hanson Talk “Bones” Romance

Fans upset about the dream sequence in the season finale of Bones had their chance to question creator Hart Hanson about his decision to have Seely Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), uh, hook up in the dream world.

Hanson and Deschanel appeared at the Comic-Con panel for Bones, though Dechanel’s co-star David Boreanaz wasn’t in attendance as his wife was thirty-four weeks pregnant with their second child. Though he did send in a rather wry pre-taped video greeting for the panel in which he mocked Hanson’s uber-Canadian ways.

“I saw the season finale as a love letter to our very, very loyal fans,” said Hanson, reacting to a fan’s question about the dream romance. “I hope in retrospect the season finale will become more and more likable to our loyal fans. Though I think the loyal fans got it. The people who tune in every once in a while didn't like it as much. And I definitely heard about it."

He added that the episode itself was “full of inside jokes, layers, echoes from four seasons.”

Asked by Hanson whether the audience wanted to see Booth and Brennan together, the reaction was mixed among the crowd, with people cheering both for a consummation of their relationship and others expressing their desire to keep the duo strictly platonic.

Still Deschanel had her own opinion. "I think they’re two people that do belong together," said Deschanel. "I think they complement each other in great ways. I would love to see them together. But I do see that it's dangerous. It's tricky because you don't want to lose the sexual tension between us… It would be odd if Booth and Brennan were a married couple. It would definitely change the show, but it's something that we've thought long and hard about. I don't know. I think I'd like to see them together, but maybe really together toward the end."

As for filming the season finale’s sex scene, Deschanel joked, “It’s never a bad thing… to strip down with David Boreanaz.” She went on to say that it was awkward shooting them with Boreanaz but that she feels very comfortable with David.

The next season of Bones is set six weeks after the season finale. Booth wakes up pretty confused and the question is asked if Booth is ready to come back to work. “How confused is he? And how much of it is ‘confusion,’’ mused Hanson. Brennan has been on a trip to Guatemala and returns as Season Five begins.

Hanson also indicated that Brennan’s plans to have a baby (using Booth’s frozen sperm) have been put on hold as the duo have some things to get past before Brennan can think about having a child, said Hanson.

(But there’s no doubt that Booth could father a child. “Booth has swimmers,” joked Hanson. “He’s a sniper, so even if he only had one sperm,” it would hit its target.)

Cyndi Lauper will guest star in the season opener as Avalon Harmonia, Angela’s psychic find herself. Lauper approached Hanson about guest starring on Bones after seeing Deschanel perform “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” two seasons back. “Yeah, she may see me with a certain man," joked Deschanel. Specifically, Avalon leads Booth and Brennan to where some bodies are buried but questions are raised about how she knew they were there. And, oh, she likes saying the word, “sidewinder,” according to Deschanel.

Last tidbit: Boreanaz himself will be directing Bones’s 100th episode.

Here's a look at the highlight reel for Bones created for Comic-Con:



Bones returns this fall on FOX.

Lost But Not Forgotten: Team Darlton Promise "Familiar Faces" For Final Season of "Lost"

With the sixth and final season of Lost looming, executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse made their annual trek to Comic-Con for what is likely the last Lost panel at the convention. Ever.

In the tradition of hijinx-fueled Lost panels, this one was no different, with Team Darlton teasing some details about what to expect on the series while also offering attendees the chance to laugh until it hurt.

Given that the end of the series is so near, expectations ran high but our favorite Lost masterminds didn't disappoint, offering up a montage of fan-created video mashups (faves included Jack waiting for Xbox support, a Jack and Sawyer bit that reimagined them as Brokeback Mountain-style lovers, and a bit that recast the castaways as Muppet Babies), some newly created humorous videos including a "from our sponsor" commercial for Mr. Cluck's (starring Jorge Garcia's Hurley), an episode of America's Most Wanted featuring a still-on-the-lam Kate Austen, and a tongue-in-cheek look at the makeup preparation of Nestor Carbonell. There was also a "vintage" faux five-part documentary series Mysteries of Universe exploring the mythic Dharma Initiative, which can be viewed on ABC.com. (There was also a commercial for ABC's new online initiative LostUniversity.com.)

"Obviously, the biggest moment in the show's life was announcing its death," said Cuse, referring to the network's unprecedented decision to give the showrunners the end date that they desired and wrap the series up according to their wishes. And it was death that had many in the crowd just wondering what lies ahead for this serpentine series.

So what news did Team Darlton--along with cast members Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson, Nestor Carbonell, and Dominic Monaghan--unveil at Comic-Con this year? Let's discuss.

For one, we'll be seeing many characters we haven't seen since Season One, including Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder) and many others who have perished on the series since they first crashed onto that accursed island. "We want the show to feel like a loop is closing with this final year," said Lindelof. "There's a good chance you'll be seeing characters you haven't seen since the first season."

Or in their own words:



And death seems to be the key. Lindelof and Cuse also confirmed that Jeremy Davies' much beloved Daniel Faraday, who seemingly perished by gunshot, WILL be in Season Six of Lost... as will Elizabeth Mitchell's Juliet, who detonated the hydrogen bomb in the Season Five finale "The Incident," which likely will explain just how the dead are among us again. ("Elizabeth Mitchell will be in Lost during the final season," said Cuse.)

(Worth noting: an In Memoriam video screened at the panel showed the massive body count from over the years but did NOT actually include Elizabeth Mitchell's Juliet or Emilie de Raven's Claire. Hmmm....)

The series' final season will in some ways resemble the first--"[Characters] were running around the jungle, things felt intense and surprising," said Cuse. "We have a way that we're going to be able to do that in the final season too."--yet there will also be a new narrative technique unveiled in the final go-around. "The time travel season is over, the flash forward season is over," promised Lindelof. "We're going to do something fairly different."

We'll finally get some of the backstory of the enigmatic Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell). "We would be incredibly remiss if we didn't give you Richard's backstory before the end of the series," said Carlton Cuse.

Michael Emerson was asked whether the black-clad man seen on the beach with Jacob in "The Incident" was named Esau. Emerson was characteristically coy about answering the question.

Who made the food drop in Season Two? "It comes from planes," said Jorge Garcia, fielding the question. Lindelof said it will likely be dealt with in the series' final season.

Some other hysterical moments from the panel:

• Comedian Paul Sheer unveiling a black velvet portrait of Damon and Carlton with a polar bear... and announcing that he had created a website to showcase his art at: http://www.damoncarltonandapolarbear.com.

• Jorge Garcia appearing in the audience to ask Cuse and Lindelof a question about whether the series would reset ("because that would be a cheat") and being told to just trust them. Said Garcia in response: "Last time I trusted you guys, you said Nikki and Paulo were going to be awesome."
• Michael Emerson then also appeared in the crowd razzing Garcia for asking more than one question and then unveiled a "2004" audition tape where Emerson auditioned for the role of Hurley. (The hilarious audio from the above--with Emerson mocking Garcia--can be found below.

• Dealing head-on with the rumor that he wears eyeliner, Nestor Carbonell made quite an entrance via a hidden camera watching him as he put on eyeliner backstage. "This is cobalt!" he screamed. "I asked for onyx! I only use onyx!"
• A running gag with Darlton locking the script pages to the final scene of Lost in a lockbox on stage is completely derailed by the appearance of Josh Holloway, who shocks Lindelof into submission and steals the script pages, threatening to read them out loud. "Oh my god, you don't know how to read, do you?" said Cuse, jokingly.
• Those script pages, read aloud by Emerson? From an upcoming--and laughably bad--episode of Heroes featuring Sylar and Parkman. "WTF is this?" said Emerson.
• The "LOST But Not Forgotten" in memoriam video led up to the scene where Charlie sacrifices his life and tells Desmond that it's not Penny's boat... which then lead to Dominic Monaghan appearing on stage for the final seconds of the panel!

Mr. Cluck's Commercial:



America's Most Wanted - Kate Austen:



Lost returns for its final season in 2010.

"Trust Me": A Look Ahead and Back for "True Blood" at Comic-Con 2009

One of the most highly anticipated panels this year at Comic-Con was that for HBO's sexy vampire drama True Blood, which played to a packed crowd in Ballroom 20 this year.

On hand were showrunner Alan Ball, novelist Charlaine Harris (whose Sookie Stackhouse novels comprise the basis for the series), and cast members Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Michelle Forbes, Sam Trammell, Deborah Ann Woll, and Alexander Skarsgard.

Not surprisingly, the cast's appearance received major fanfare from the crowd but that was just the beginning of a one-hour session that featured a promo for the back half of the second season of True Blood, an announcement about the launch of Tru Blood the beverage (more on that in a bit), and the news that Charlaine Harris had signed a deal for three more Sookie Stackhouse novels.

"Everybody's going to go through some changes," promised executive producer Alan Ball of the second half of True Blood's sophomore season. And from the looks of the back half of Season Two that definitely looks to be the case. Said promo featured a hell of a lot of spoilery images, some sex and violence, and Eric telling Sookie, "trust me." (Wowzers!)

Want to sink your teeth into the promo? You're in luck as you can watch it full below, followed by details from the True Blood panel itself.



Like I said: wowzers!

Alan Ball announced the official release of Tru Blood, which will be available September 10th, just in time for Season Two finale. The beverage itself is fittingly blood orange.

In brief:

• Anna Paquin said Sookie is stronger, tougher, and has been through a lot and gets into situations where she almost keeps getting killed... a lot.
• "I am not sure Bill is just going to roll over and let it happen," said Stephen Moyer after being asked how his character Bill Compton would handle any hanky-panky between rival Eric and Sookie. "Bill might not be so polite."
• Rutina Wesley described Tara as being like a "hard flower."
• Michelle Forbes opioned that Mary McDonnell is "a goddess."
• "Lafayette is rethinking his hustle and might stop doing it... But we'll see," said Ellis.
• Will Sam find love? "He gets a little bit lucky with Daphne but Sam is really a magnet for abuse this year," said Trammel.
• Deborah Ann Woll admited to being acutely nervous during the panel (hell, you'd be overwhelmed too) and said she was picturing all of us in our underwear. Aw. (Or aw yeah?)
• "Well, just look at her... I'm sorry, Stephen" - Alexander Skarsgaard as to what Eric sees in Sookie.

Breaking news: Charlaine Harris announced--to an eruption of cheers, of course--that she had signed a contract for three more Sookie Stackhouse novels. Of her working relationship with Ball, Harris offered an astute comment delivered in her Southern drawl: "I don't tell him how to run the show and he doesn't tell me how to run the books." (Meanwhile, Harris said that she tries to imagine "who's coming to Sookie's house today" when trying to work on writing installments of the books.)

Skarsgard showed off his pink socks but said that Eric appearing in pink spandex was pretty unlikely. Maybe.

Any chance of a Tara-Sam romantic reunion in the future? "I'd be pretty psyched about that," said Trammel.

"I like that she says what she's thinking even if it's not the smartest thing," said Paquin about what she likes best about Sookie... though she then admitted that she wished that Harris hadn't made Sookie a blonde as her hair has been virtually destroyed from the coloring.

Asked how much more of a handful Jessica will be for Bill in the second half of the season, Woll said, "As much as they'll let me."

"Obviously they are all gay lovers and spend the summer on Fire Island," joked Ball about Eric and Godric and Eric and Lafayette's relationships. More seriously, Ball said, 
"Eric looks at his relationship with Godric as... father, brother, son." As for Eric and Lafayette, there looks to be some major twists in the road ahead.

"Yes, they are," said Paquin after Moyer complained that the vampire fangs are very sharp.

A fan asked if there will be half-vampire, half-human baby. After finally understanding what the question was in reference to (read: Twilight), Ball said, "Uh, no." Which received some of the biggest cheers of the day from the audience.

Best line of the evening came from Michelle Forbes, who was asked why she was lured to join the cast of True Blood and offered up with this little gem: "When someone offers you an entrance where you are standing naked with a pig, you don't say no."

Curious about the different between drinking vampire blood and taking V? Charlaine Harris offered a brief explanation, stating that V is old blood from a vampire who is either very old and powerful or could have been born the day before. Whereas getting fresh blood from the source is better, she said.

While there was no official announcement about a third season renewal, Ball indicated that such an announcement could very well be coming shortly. As for what lays ahead, Ball teased werewolves and Debbie Pelt but again reiterated that they would never include the character of Bubba.

True Blood airs Sunday evenings at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

The Promise of Peace (And Some Explosions): "24" Panel at Comic-Con 2009

The big news coming out of the 24 panel at Comic-Con 2009: CTU is back in a major way, Jack is happy, and Katee Sackhoff slides into the action-adventure series like a glove. Just don't expect her character, Dana Walsh, to be anything like Starbuck.

Three of the series' newest cast members--Sackhoff, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Anil Kapoor--were on hand along with what seemed like a zillion writer/producer types on the series and Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub, of course.

Last season was about "getting Jack to a place where living mattered," said executive producer Howard Gordon. "Day Seven and Day Eight are probably, more than others, really connected together."

So where do we start on Day Eight?

Manny Coto joked that Day Eight takes place "30 years later." But really it starts with "Jack happy" with his daughter and granddaughter. But don't expect Jack to get all mushy. "It won't last," promised executive producer David Fury.

"There's a sense of reality that almost brings us back full circle to Season One," said Kiefer Sutherland, who later said that next season isn't all sunshine and roses. "We do still blow sh*t up."

Howard Gordon jokes that this season is about "more redemption." Rajskub jokes it's party and make lemonade.

So what brings Jack Bauer back into the fold?

The threat this year on 24 is set at a peace conference at the UN with the President of the United States and the President of Iran.

While an assassination attempt is more than likely, the possibility of peace hangs over Day Eight of 24, said Howard Gordon. But no worries about 24 taking a turn for the upbeat, as "it takes a lot to keep the peace."

For Prinze Jr., who plays CTU agent Cole Ortiz, the chance to join the cast of 24 was a dream come true as he's been a fan of the series since the very beginning. Recounting that he and his wife (that would be Sarah Michelle Gellar, natch) watched it together, Prinze was stunned by the eruption of applause at the mere mention of the former Buffy star. "I forgot she's big here," said Prinze downplaying the audience's excitement.

Sackhoff said that she called her manager and said, "get me on 24!" She's playing CTU analyst Dana Walsh (Sackhoff joked when asked about who she was playing: "I play Starbuck!") More serious, Sackhoff said that Dana is the "sweeter side" of herself "for a while" anyway, though she did admit to telling producers that she needed them to give Dana a gun.

Pressed for details, Sackhoff refused to say more as she joked that, with the high body count on 24, there's precious little job security on the series. "Seriously, I might be fired," she said. On 24, you have no job security. I might get my head cut off and put in a duffel bag for evidence!"

Sackhoff's Dana will be causing trouble for Rajskub's Chloe, as seen in the clip that the producers previewed for the crowd for Day Eight. Rajskub said that Day Eight finds Chloe a little bit behind, "if you can believe that for me being a genius," said Rajskub, who said that Chloe will have to "relearn stuff at CTU."

And then there's CTU itself.

The luscious clip that producers offered the assembled crowd not only showed Jack eliciting some crucial information out of a wounded man named Victor (The Shield's Benito Martinez) in his own inimitable way, Sackhoff's Dana and her fiance Cole (Prinze) discussing wedding plans, and Chloe getting fussy with her keyboard, but also gave us a glimpse at the new CTU: an ultra-modern, sleek structure made out of glass and steel that seems more like a downtown Manhattan luxury hotel than the dark CTU of older days.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Donald Sutherland to appear on the series, despite an aborted attempt--due to scheduling conflicts--to have Sutherland appear on the series during Day Six. "The man's been in over a hundred some odd movies, you can see him anytime you want," joked Sutherland.

And what about those persistent rumors about a 24 feature film?

"We are aware that there is some interest out there and we would love to make it," said Sutherland. However, there are still no firm plans to do anything of the sort.

Day Eight of 24 kicks off in January on FOX.

Pillar of Fire: Televisionary Talks to "Torchwood" Executive Producer Julie Gardner (Part Two)

And just like that, after five incredible nights, Torchwood: Children of Earth is over.

But before we put Torchwood: Children of Earth to bed, I did promise that I would share Part Two of my interview with Torchwood and Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner from last week.

You had the chance to read the first part of my interview with Julie Gardner about Torchwood: Children of Earth, but now that the five-episode arc has ended, we can get to the more spoilery parts of my Q&A with Gardner, in which she talks about the mini-series' ambiguous ending, Ianto Jones, the theme of motherhood and family, and The 456, among other things.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't yet seen the final installments of Torchwood: Children of Earth, don't read any further. But for those of you who have seen the ending and want to know just what the writers and producers were thinking about certain elements, read on.

Televisionary: There was a lot of public outcry in the UK about the decision to kill off Ianto in Day Four of Torchwood: Children of Earth. What is your take on the reaction--some of which was rather mean-spirited--and why was it necessary for the story for Ianto to die?

Julie Gardner: I think story-wise, I'd reflect on two things. I think the first that is that Torchwood is a series where it is repeated that people die young, that it's very much built into the DNA of the show, that it is a dangerous job and the characters are placed in life-threatening positions. And in a show where the world is in jeopardy and there's a big global threat of huge proportions, there has to be some sacrifice, there has to be a cost to that. It's not credible that our entire team would come out of that unscathed. It simply doesn't make sense.

And then you start to look at, well, how and who. Within the story, it's a story about the sins of the past, it's the story that examines what cost one child's life [has], it's a story that looks at to some extent the darker decisions that Captain Jack may have made, and he's the character that has to suffer. It's an examination of Captain Jack, how to push that character to be the ultimate tragic hero. He has to pay the ultimate price.

So I think Day Four, as painful as it is for me... As an executive producer, Gareth David-Lloyd is the most delightful, professional, versatile actor in the world to work with. I absolutely adore him and that character that he created in Ianto is charming and lovable and heroic and real and ordinary; he's a great character for an audience to identify with. As heartbreaking as it is to kill him off, it is absolutely, unequivocally in my mind, the right thing to do for the story. For the story we're telling, that sacrifice actually motivates the last episode. Torchwood has to be defeated at the end of Episode Four. It has to be as low and outlawed and hopeless as they possibly can be, so that they can rise again.

Televisionary: And when we start Children of Earth, we find them at a pretty low point but by the time the fifth episode ends, we actually see the team completely broken, separated, and hopefully we'll see them come back together in the future.

Gardner: Yes.

Televisionary: Was there a specific decision made not to show The 456 up close but to withhold that sight? Is it that what's imagined is far more terrible than what we can see?

Gardner: I think it came out [of the fact] that we do a lot of tone meetings on Doctor Who and Torchwood. The prosthetics maker, Neill Gorton, who works on both those shows and on The Sarah Jane Adventures, came up with a great design for The 456.

But I think as soon as you are dealing with prosthetics--even with the best prosthetics in the world and the greatest maker--when you are talking about a show that at its heart is looking at something political, something harrowing, something about real politics in the world, psychological terror, and children in danger, I think inevitably you want to go as real as you can.

You start to understand that less is more. It was a very fine prosthetic, but actually it's the reactions of people and it's the fear you bring to it watching that is most powerful. Your imagination is so strong at those points.

Televisionary: One of the most powerful themes throughout the series is that of motherhood. I'm wondering who came up with the idea of juxtaposing the threat against the planet's children against Gwen's pregnancy?

Gardner: It was Russell. The way we storylined was the writers on the five episodes were Russell T. Davies, James Moran, and John Fay and we did days and days of meetings together, myself, the script editors, the producer and I think I remember that was Russell. It's about what's right for that story but it's also what's right for the character of Gwen. All the time you're looking at ways of evolving that character and what's interesting for her, what puts her under more pressure in a story in which children are under threat, it's very interesting that your lead female character is pregnant.

Televisionary: The ending of Torchwood: Children of Earth can be seen as an ending of the series itself but it also leaves the door open for the team to return in the future. Was that an intention story-wise to leave it ambiguous, in case it wasn't recommissioned?

Gardner: Um, it's always a possibility, you never know how your work is going to be received. You never know what is going to be a hit and what isn't; you can't ever judge the audience. I wish we could; we'd all be incredibly wealthy and having a very relaxed time.

I think the end is governed by the tragedy of Steven's death and how the world that slipped into chaos and horror and how Frobisher's story has ended in a very dark way. I think at that point it's very hard to say, oh hurray, here's the surviving team, everything's fine again. It's not possible to do that, I think, at the end of all we've been through and after the death of Ianto. So I think the end for that team is right, it should feel elegiac, it should feel like Captain Jack is going to atone, that he needs time. And of course for Gwen, it's looking at the birth, it's looking at playing out [the fact that] she survived this terrible ordeal and is pregnant and she'll be a mum soon.

[Editor: And if you missed what Gardner told me last week about the possibility of Torchwood returning for a fourth go-around, I've included that below.]

Televisionary: I'm wondering, how likely is it that Torchwood will continue after the five-part transmission of Children of Earth?

Gardner: Um, we're having conversations now. We don't have any firm decision. We don't quite know what we're going to do next. But we're thinking about what could be the next editorial offering, so all I can say at this moment is: hold this space.

Torchwood: Children of Earth will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, July 28th for a suggested retail price of $29.98 on DVD. Or you can pick up a copy in the Televisionary shop for $18.49.