scifi-related stories
Get to know Eureka's S.A.R.A.H. a little better
S.A.R.A.H., of course, stands for Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat. What, you didn't know that? Fans of Syfy's Eureka do, and in this video, stars Colin Ferguson and Neil Grayson give a tour of the house. Why can't Big Brother have a house like this? (A new episode of Eureka airs tonight at 9PM.)
Syfy is booking a trip back to Eureka for a fourth season
Despite a lengthy hiatus in the middle of its third season due to that pesky WGA Strike, and a shift to Friday nights, it was reported at Comic-Con that Syfy has renewed Eureka for a fourth season. And not one of those crappy 12- or 13-episode seasons we usually get on cable. This is a full 22 episodes, for which I say ... well, that would be a bit obvious, wouldn't it?The good news is that the absence didn't hurt the show at all. It's just as compelling as it ever was. And fun. By fun, of course, I mean for us. Poor Sheriff Carter seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown half the time. Between negotiating a teenage daughter and the geniuses and their dangerously inventive concoctions, it's a wonder Eureka hasn't been blown off the map. Maybe for the series finale.
Even better, if you've yet to add it to your weekly list of stops, you can catch the latest four episodes of Eureka streaming on Hulu, along with tons of other fun clips.
Syfy in talks to try and revive Quantum Leap as well
We already know about the in-development reboot of Alien Nation at Syfy. What I somehow missed in all the hoopla about that is that Syfy is also in talks with creator Don Bellisario about a possible relaunch of Quantum Leap. Or a sequel or, really, whatever Bellisario would be interested in. Syfy is looking for a great time travel show, and other than Doctor Who, was there ever a better executed one than Quantum Leap?Hell, with Scott Bakula all over our television screens on Chuck and The New Adventures of Old Christine among other appearances, and Dean Stockwell already familiar to SyFy's core fan-base, why not just go ahead and do a continuation of the original series with Sam's daughter in the lead role, or something like that?
Continue reading Syfy in talks to try and revive Quantum Leap as well
Alien Nation is coming back
Ordinarily I do not do a fanboy squeal when I hear of an attempt at a science fiction program revamp of an old series, but this one has Battlestar Galactica potential. Tim Minear (Angel, Firefly) is taking on a remake of Alien Nation for Sci Fi or SyFy or whatever they're calling themselves.The original television series on Fox was one of the cases where the spin-off actually exceeded the quality of the movie it was based on. The only mistake that was made was taking the show off the air after one year (although it did spawn a set of television movies).
Tim Minear is a good choice as showrunner since he's used to sci fi shows that rely on characterization. I have to give props to Sci Fi for this decision. Hopefully it will last longer than its predecessor and be leaps and bounds better than their attempted remake of Flash Gordon.
New trailer for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
"Let's get this genocide started!"
That Cavil is one evil bucket of bolts.
Sci Fi's new trailer for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is making the rounds and drumming up anticipation for the TV movie, which premieres this fall. The Plan will portray the events of the Cylon attack on the twelve colonies through the perspective of the Cylons. It's directed by Admiral Adama himself, Edward James Olmos, and written by BSG and Warehouse 13 scribe Jane Espenson, who also helped craft the BSG Web series the Face of the Enemy.
Continue reading New trailer for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Heroes gets its very own Cylon
You know what? I'm down with all the cast, er, cross-pollination that's going on in sci-fi TV these days. Especially if it means good actors can keep working after their previous shows were given the axe. Earlier today, we reported that Brian Austin Green, formerly of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is joining Smallville for a two-episode arc. Now it looks like Battlestar Galactica's Rick Worthy is in talks to join NBC's Heroes.On BSG, Worthy played Simon, the Cylon famous for conducting icky experiments on Kara Thrace. He'll play telepath Matt Parkman's new partner, an experienced L.A. cop, on Heroes when the show returns this fall. It's still unclear if Worthy's character will develop superpowers on the show, but something tells me he'll be more than just a normal cop before long. This is Heroes were talking about, the show where everyone gets superpowers.
Worthy is a sci-fi vet. He's appeared in everything from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Dark Angel and Stargate: SG-1. He'll be joining new Heroes season four recruits Robert Knepper and Madelina Zima.
A little bit of BSG's The Plan
Someone was pointing their camcorder at their television screen at some point and managed to catch a brief of the upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel TV movie The Plan, which delves into the entire Cylon plan that was the premise of the whole series.It appears to be a brief scene between Dean Stockwell's Cavil character and Kate Vernon's Ellen Tigh in which Cavil is discussing the concept of resurrection.
While I appreciate being able to see the clip, I wonder who had their video camera aimed at the television at just the right moment this past Friday night? We're far past the age of Kinoscope. Hadn't they ever heard of DVRs? I'm sure better quality copies will be available soon, if not already.
Seeing the clip does make me yearn for more Battlestar Galactica episodes, even if some found the series' ending to be disappointing. It's a pity that we have to wait until November.
Continue reading A little bit of BSG's The Plan
Sci Fi casts some of Alice's Wonderland
TV Squad already reported that the Sci Fi Channel (that won't be for much longer) is doing an Alice in Wonderland modern remake a la their previous Wizard of Oz remake, Tin Man. For those who didn't know, it's called Alice.Well, they've done some casting and it turns out that Kathy Bates is the Queen of Hearts and Tim Curry is playing a character called Dodo (who in the original novel was a caricature of the author). Given his malevolent smile, I would think Curry would be better suited as the Cheshire Cat.
I'm surprised they didn't give the title character the surname of Liddell (instead they went with Hamilton). I can only surmise that they wanted to minimize any possibility of litigation.
Frankly it wouldn't surprise me if we learned at the end of the four hour mini-series that Alice was on a bad acid trip. That would be my adult interpretation of the novel.
Doctor Who gets younger, redder with new companion
The new cast of 2010's next full season of the world's longest running sci-fi show is looking a lot like "Jim Henson's Doctor Who Babies" with the announcement of the new companion for Matt Smith's 11th Doctor.Twenty-one-year-old Karen Gillan will become the show's first "ginger" companion when the red-head steps into the Tardis for executive producer Steven Moffat next year. When standing alongside 26-year-old Smith, the pair could look disturbingly like a Twilight book cover.
While it's not fair to say she got the part because she's Scottish, it couldn't hurt that her boss (Moffat) hails from the same part of the world. She studied acting at Telford College in Edinburgh and already has a short list of credits, including Outcast (a film with Jekyll star, James Nesbitt).
Continue reading Doctor Who gets younger, redder with new companion
Battlestar, Stargate cast members heading to Warehouse 13
With Battlestar Galactica and The Sarah Connor Chronicles now gone, I'll be looking to Warehouse 13 for my summer sci-fi fix. Thankfully, it looks like a pretty cool show. I like the concept, and I'm digging the Whedonesque vibe of the Sci Fi Channel's latest preview clip and the show's official trailer. Now I have another reason to tune in. Actually, I have four more reasons. The show will be loaded with great geek-friendly guest stars, including BSG's Michael Hogan, Tricia Helfer and Whdeonverse vet Mark Sheppard. Stargate Atlantis alum Joe Flanigan will also appear on the show.
Continue reading Battlestar, Stargate cast members heading to Warehouse 13
Evans bringing ITV's UFO to big screen
In Hollywood's never-ending quest to locate every single piece of pre-existing intellectual property to make into a movie without actually purchasing an original screenplay, they'll be turning to flying saucers and shiny women with purple hair.The iconic 1960s British sci-fi series UFO (right) will be brought to the big screen by an even more iconic producer -- Robert Evans. According to Variety, Evans will team with ITV Global to update the Earth vs. aliens premise.
The original UFO featured a secret team of elite Earthlings (SHADO: Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) fending off a mysterious collection of invading creatures.
Continue reading Evans bringing ITV's UFO to big screen
Do you want to see these Battlestar Galactica actors appear in Caprica?
This week, actors Michael Trucco and Kate Vernon both hinted that they'd like to appear in Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel series. The former BSG stars say it's possible for their characters, Sam Anders and Ellen Tigh, to appear on Caprica, which takes place roughly fifty years before the events of BSG.
The uncut, two-hour long Caprica pilot hit DVD last month, but the series won't premiere on Sci Fi Channel until 2010. Should Anders and Ellen be a part of it? (BSG spoilers after the jump!)
Continue reading Do you want to see these Battlestar Galactica actors appear in Caprica?
Will Smith producing for Sci Fi
To go along with starring in summer sci-fi blockbusters, Will Smith, or rather his production company, will be producing a cop procedural drama for the Sci Fi Channel (I refuse to call them SyFy until the actual switchover occurs) called Unfinished Business. It's about a cop who gets "flashes" of memories from the recently deceased in order to help him solve their murders.I've seen this concept before. I think it was a storyline for the pilot of Torchwood.
I'm surprised it's taken Will this long to start producing content for the genre. His breakout flick, Independence Day, was science fiction. His follow-up, Men In Black, was science fiction. In fact, every movie he's starred in that has done well at the box office was science fiction. If he decides to make a cameo appearance on this show (perhaps as a victim), it could lead to the Sci Fi Channel getting their highest ratings ever.
Nick teen joins cast of SyFy's Warehouse 13
Despite its somewhat generic sounding premise – two Secret Service agents investigate paranormal activity while hunting for strange artifacts – I'm really looking forward to Warehouse 13.The upcoming SyFy series has a great cast, including Saul Rubinek, CCH Pounder and constant TV guest stars Joanne Kelly and Eddie McClintock as the Secret Service agents. It's also got a promising geeky pedigree: Farscape producer Rockne S. O'Bannon created it and Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica) wrote the pilot episode.
Now, 19-year old actor Allison Scagliotti (Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh) has been cast as a "young, hip, brilliant techno-wiz." Usually, the addition of a "young, hip" anything to a show's cast would be cause for alarm, but I trust Espenson and O'Bannon. These two, especially Espenson, are well known for their witty and original scripts. I expect Scagliotti's character to be a lot more interesting than her character description.
Warehouse 13 debuts with a two-hour premiere July 7 on SyFy.
Some cast for SyFy's Riverworld and The Phantom
Sci Fi (or SyFy, whenever that changeover is taking place) has cast some of its upcoming projects. Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse's Tahmoh Penikett and Smallville's Laura Vandevoort has been cast in Riverworld and Desperate Housewive's Ryan Carnes has been cast as the lead character in The Phantom.This is either a sign that Dollhouse is destined for only one season or Tahmoh Penikett's character of Paul Ballard is not going to survive beyond the first season. I'm hoping it is more of the latter than the former.
Continue reading Some cast for SyFy's Riverworld and The Phantom
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The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
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