Were enjoying a glut of great TV and the next years worth in the entertainment and fantasy vein will be previewed over the next few days
With Marvel movies, Justice League fever, and more sci-fi sequels than you can shake a phaser at, this is the great age of geek culture in the entertainment industry. Theres no better time to be into aliens, super powers, fantasy worlds and augmented reality games where people wander around the street bumping into each other trying to catch animated creatures from a 90s card game. Theres also no better time to be a television fan, with literally hundreds of new shows every year populating all of the cable channels, streaming services and Amazon, a corporate monolith that also makes TV shows to get you ordering more diapers.
Those two things converge perfectly in Comic-Con, a weekend where the most devoted geeks get to see the shows, stars and creators that will power their devotion, fan fiction and cosplay ideas for years to come. Comic-Con is now the best place to screen a pilot, release a trailer or discuss the cliffhanger that has fueled fan speculation for months. Here are some of the highlights of those panels that will have those geeky TV fans standing in line for hours and preparing their questions for their favorite actors.
Wednesday 20 July
Warner Bros screening night: ballroom 20, 7pm PT
The television studio unveils the first episodes of a whole crop of new shows, including Greg Berlantis Archie comics show Riverdale, the mysterious and buzzy Frequency, where a woman talks to her dead father over the radio, Wyatt Cenacs sitcom People of Earth about a support group for alien abductees and ABCs time-traveling drama Time After Time, from Kevin Williamson.
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With Comic-Con royalty like The Walking Deads co-creator Gale Anne Hurd, the anticipation for this show is high. This is the world premiere of the pilot of this USA series about three people who realize they are dreaming parts of the same dream and that the fate of the world may be in their hands. The pilot was written by Blake Masters and Henry Bromell, who died in 2013.
Amazons show about what the world would be like if the Nazis won the second world war wasnt quite the cultural phenomenon that the delivery goods giant with a streaming service attached hoped for, but maybe that will change in season two. This panel will reveal key plot points for where the second season is headed as well as a discussion with executive producer Isa Dick Hackett, the daughter of novelist Philip K Dick, who wrote the short story the show is based on.
Marvels Luke Cage panel: ballroom 20, 5.45pm PT
After the success of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, fans are waiting for the first footage of this show from Netflix and the comic giant before it debuts on the streaming service on 30 September. The third in the series of shows leading up to the Defenders team-up, this one features Luke Cage, a man with unbreakable skin, who we first met in Jessica Jones last year. Star Mike Colter will be on hand to answer questions, but knowing Marvel there wont be too many answers.
Are you ready to do the Time Warp again? Go back to the 70s with the first exclusive footage of the Fox remake of this cult classic which debuts this October, just in time for Halloween. Expect to see lots of sweet transvestites in the audience as the cast of the show (which features Laverne Cox, Victoria Justice, Reeve Carney, Adam Lambert, Christina Milian and Ben Vereen) and producers get everyone up to speed.
Right now neither of AMCs fan favorite zombie shows are on the air, which just means that fans will be as rabid for any tidbits of information they can get from the cast and crews of both shows. Im sure we wont find out who Negan killed in the season finale earlier this year, but we might at least get a trailer or some clips from the upcoming season. And Norman Reedus will surely say something amazing. He always does.
Showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss already revealed that season seven will be later than usual and will only feature seven episodes, so what news do they have left to break? Dont expect any new footage since production has just barely started, but they might give some hints as to where George RR Martins saga will take us next. Theyll be joined by Emmy-nominated director Miguel Sapochnik as well as cast members John Bradley (Sam), Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran), Conleth Hill (Varys), Faye Marsay (Waif), Kristian Nairn (Hodor), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay) and Sophie Turner (Sansa).
If were talking comic books, no name is more revered than Neil Gaiman, the man who created the Sandman comics and wrote the novel American Gods, which casts old gods like Odin and new gods like Technology among everyday people. Details of this adaptation, which will premiere on Starz in 2017, have been scant, but creators Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Green Lantern) might give away a few more hints. If not, at least the crowd will get to ask some questions of the always candid Ian McShane and co-stars Ricky Whittle, Pablo Schreiber and others.
This fall television is filthy with remakes of old movies, so of course this 70s staple is getting a small screen adaptation from Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four). Fans will get to watch the entire first episode and then get to ask stars Geena Davis, Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels all about the pea soup-spitting ghoulies on screen.
So far all we know about the second season of Ryan Murphys horror show is that it is going to be set in a hospital, but were promised to get more clues about this drama/anthology hybrid at the panel. Yes, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Emma Roberts wont be able to say much, but well take what we can get.
What better way to celebrate the shows upcoming 50th anniversary than with an all-star cast of final frontiersman like William Shatner, Scott Bakula, Jeri Ryan, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn. Bryan Fuller, who created the newest Star Trek series, to debut on CBS All Access next year, will moderate the discussion and possibly give fans some details on what to expect. One thing you may surely expect: long lines to get into this panel.
One of the hot trends for fall is time travel shows. Just about every network seems to have them, and this is NBCs entry where three time travelers have to go back in time and stop another time jumper from messing up history for everyone. Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter and Gorin Vinji will discuss the first episode after it screens for fans.
If there was ever a TV show made for the Comic-Con audience, its this bonkers Fox comedy about a cartoon hero who comes to the land of the mortals to help raise his son with his ex-wife. Yeah, its as weird as it sounds. Audiences will get some extended clips as well as chat with stars Cheryl Hines, Tim Meadows and Johnny Pemberton.
This annual tradition where the geek squads favorite film-maker holds court on everything hes working on will feature a whole lot of TV talk this year. Not only will there be a preview of his AMC late-night show, Geeking Out, but hell also be divulging information about his Mallrats sequel that is being developed for the small screen. Oh, and lets not forget about his Buckaroo Banzai project that is still in development.
Remember what we said about time travel dramas, well this is ABCs take by Kevin Williamson (Scream, Dawsons Creek). It features HG Wells (UnREAL hottie Freddie Stroma), Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman) and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks playing herself. Just kidding, she plays a fictional character. But playing herself is the only thing that could possibly make this show weirder. Fans will get to see the first episode and Williamson, Stroma and others will take questions.
