UpDated 7-2-09

Last year at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, the event was ruled by several big named movies that ranged from youthful vampires to illegal vigilantes.  TV was more a side-note than anything else.

This year at the 2009 Comic-Con, things will be a bit different as television programming seems to have a bigger presence than last year.

For instance, the Warner Brothers Television Group will have 11 different panels for their shows.  That’s a studio best for them.  ABC Studios will have 7 panels.  20th Century Fox will have 9 panels.

Do you think your favorite television show will be represented?

Welcome to my weekly TV Wrap Up.

This week we’re chatting about the NCIS cast, Chuck season 3 insights, a bit of Fringe cast news and I ask a question about a character from Lost.  I’m also going to touch on yet another alien invasion show from TNT.  Also have some details on the DVD / Blu-ray release of season one of Lie To Me.

I wrap it up with my usual look at how shows did in the ratings from last week.

Let’s get on with it.

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NCIS Spin-off Adds Cast

Linda Hunt will be joining the cast of the NCIS spin-off as a hard-nosed former film industry technician who oversees the “backroom” support staff.

Of note, Louise Lombard was let go from the staff, as the cast seems to be constantly evolving.

Is it me, or will we have a hard time getting past the ‘ghosts’ from Linda Hunt’s past?

Source:  Entertainment Weekly

If you remember, back on the week of May 18th we let you know what shows were renewed and dumped with the following:

• 2009 CW Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 ABC Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 CBS Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 NBC Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 Fox Fall TV Line up

The only snags with these listings were that they were just lists of shows renewed or dropped, with no specific dates.

Fox has released their list of dates and times.  Just to be thorough, we’re including all shows that they’ve announced.

With Smallville moving to Fridays and Supernatural getting a new vampire neighbor on Thursday nights, what does the future look like for both shows?

Various factors have me thinking “bleak.”

As we know, Smallville is moving to the dreaded ratings vacuum called Friday night.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a place networks put shows they don’t care about.  We all saw how Friday night killed viewer numbers for The Sarah Connor Chronicles when it was moved there.  And TSCC had more viewers than Smallville.

Yesterday (Monday, the 19th) Fox announced it’s upcoming Fall lineup today and we will be seeing some of Screen Rant’s favorites like House, Lie To Me, Bones, Fringe & Dollhouse return this fall.  These are the shows we here at Screen Rant are more focused on.

The news in and about the industry this last weekend was swirling in a dance on what was being renewed and canceled.  Specifically, some were focused on the fates of Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles and why one show was given the axe, and the other given a reprieve.

The following is a spoiler-free perspective, with the time-shifted viewer in mind.

The Fringe finale brought answers on what you might call “multiple” fronts.  It did not feel like it was stretched to meet any expectations.  It rounded out a decent first season for its maiden voyage on Fox.

When I first saw the Fringe panel at Comic-Con last year, the crowd was thin and the set-up questionable.  I panned it out and came away from the panel thinking it was going to flounder.

Did I miss the mark, or what?

This is the weekly TV update coming at you yet again.  Today I chat about how Numbers has survived on Friday nights, I share my suspicions on what will happen with Chuck on NBC and I celebrate a bit about Fringe on Fox.

I’ll also touch on how the new Wolverine movie has already had its TV rights secured while I tell you about a couple of upcoming Sci-Fi Channel marathons, and then I’ll close with some depressing inclinations about Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  At the very bottom, past my ratings chart, I actually make a suggestion about an episode of Criminal Minds that I suggest hunting down to watch.  (Yes, I make a recommendation.)

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

This week’s weekly TV report from April 30th, 2009 chats a little about Chuck’s sandwich run, the probable return of Fringe, a new character for Burn Notice and how Harper’s Island is not only sinking, but moving - much like the island on Lost!  We’ve also got some syndication news on My Own Worst Enemy, Knight Rider and Dollhouse.  Yep, syndication news on Dollhouse.  That can’t be good.  Read on folks!

Chuck Takes Fans To Subway

Though they feel they’re currently on the good side of the ratings / cancel bubble, the cast of Chuck are still trying to take care of their sponsors.

While the cast was attending a Starfury convention T1 event in Birmingham, U.K., a fan suggested they try to help the show by supporting a sponsor, in this case, Subway. Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin (who else would have done this?) then asked those in attendance if they’d follow them to a local Subway. Sure enough, they ended up leading about 400 convention attendees to the poor beleaguered sandwich shop. That would have sucked to be the guy behind the counter when this unruly gang showed up!

It is Thursday yet again. How’s your week been so far? We’re doing good here at Screen Rant.

Today we’re chatting a little about CBS’s season finales, also  A Game Of Thrones, Supernatural, Fringe, Burn Notice, BSG, Dexter, Kings, and a bit on Ugly Betty.  We’ve also got a video preview of True Blood season two, and a few other bits and pieces.  Oh, and of course, I touch on some ratings from the week that was.

It’s Thursday. That means another round of news from the TV landscape. This week, I’ve got some conjecture and observations with the occasional possible SPOILER in place.

There are some new shows coming up this weekend, some Dollhouse noise, Law and Order cast updates, Dr. Who tidbits and observations or questions about Life On Mars, ER and other shows. And FYI, my ratings aren’t missing: I’ve moved the ratings section down towards the bottom of the post, right before my zany entries of the week!

It’s another week and another Wrap Up article. I have a lot going on this week, so scroll slowly and keep your eye out for your favorite show! There is a cast note on Burn Notice, that I don’t believe is a spoiler, but now that I’m shell shocked, well, there you have it! Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?

It was a busy news week for some big shows and some other shows that aren’t so big… so let’s get on with the tidbits of news!

NBC’s Day One

NBC is pulling together a post-apocalyptic drama called Day One. It’s about a group of neighbors from an apartment complex after a catastrophic event. The cast includes David Lyons, Carly Pope, Adam Campbell and Thekla Reuten.

So will NBC give this a chance? They’ve nabbed Heroes ex-writer Jesse Alexander for the task of creating this little mini Jericho. Why do I call it that? It’s about a small band of survivors who strive to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of the disaster than took place to force them into this situation.

Sources: Sci-Fi Wire, Hollywood Reporter

The Fringe panel at this year’s New York Comic Con turned out to be a pleasant surprise, as the whole main cast turned up for the event, along with Fringe producer Jeff Pinkner. The cast were all good sports–and that’s saying a lot, considering that the moderator of the panel (some young guy from TV Guide) was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

In fact, I think Joshua Jackson summed up what most of us in the room were thinking when he turned to the moderator during an awkward silence that followed yet another awkward question and said, “As the crickets chirp…”

Well, we survived the Super Bowl and the travesty of a 3D commercial and now we, what?  Wait for the 2009 football season to start back up?  Well, so be it.  In the mean time, let’s check out what happened during the last week.

This week, we chat a little about the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, NBC’s Chuck, some wedding news about Fringe, upcoming episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prison Break’s final episodes, Nip/Tuck going away, Supernatural feuds, and some sad or stupid news about Kyle XY, Reaper and the Digital TV transition delay.

Let’s get to it gang!

Kevin Reilly, the president of Fox Entertainment, was having a group chit chat with reporters about a few things that are on all our sci-fi-loving minds.

Even though we as a collective tentatively look at Fox with apprehension, they do have the largest collection of sci-fi genre shows out there (barring the Sci-Fi Channel, of course). They’ve got The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe on the air; they’ve got Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse around the corner and they’re developing Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality (I’m going to use the word “develop” lightly here).

Screen Rant reviews J.J. Abrams’ Fringe

We’ve given sporadic coverage to J.J. Abrams’ new TV series Fringe (which airs on Fox) over the last few months, and now I wish we’d done more. It can take a new TV show a few episodes to find its legs, but the series premiere of this new Fall 2008 TV series was great.

Let it be known that there are spoilers below. If you haven’t seen the show, the premiere will be broadcast this upcoming Sunday. I recommend you check it out.

The new 2008 Fall TV season is almost upon us, with the first new show of the season premiering on September 1st. Screen Rant has put together an extensive list of new and returning programs along with their premiere dates, along with descriptions and recommendations.

So what’s up this fall? What are we anticipating, what are we, well… not anticipating?

The San Diego Comic-Con Panel for J.J. Abrams Fringe had in attendance J.J. Abrams, executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orici, Jeff Pinkner, and Bryan Burk.  Actors Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, and John Noble were also in attendance.

Things we took away from the panel:

They pointed out that unlike some other shows (*cough* Smallville *cough*) that might have rules like “No flights, no tights,” Fringe has no rules.

So how good is Fox’s new fall show, Fringe, really going to be? I mainly ask because I fancy myself to be quite clairvoyant when it comes to TV/Film. And I’ve got posts to prove it. (Be sure to check the post date on that!)

For those not in the know, Fringe is a big-budget, Sci-fi/Thriller/Mystery/Drama that hopes to “thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality.” It’s pretty much a mash-up of The X-Files and Altered States.

The Fox network is looking to get serious about it’s Sci-Fi offerings later this year by bringing us Fringe: A new TV series by none other than the super creative team of J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

Fringe will bring us a wide range of on screen experiences that range from grisly to the quirky humor that J.J. Abrams is known for. It’s described as a mix of Lost, Alias, Altered States and X-Files. (Ha! I knew it!) In fact, Blair Brown (who starred in Altered States) is a member of the cast.