Falling Skies returns tonight at 9 pm on TNT with a two-hour season premiere, season two of The Killing ends at 9 pm on AMC, Christopher Heyerdahl makes his first appearance in True Blood (HBO, 10 pm), and there are new episodes of Continuum and Longmire.
First stop, Falling Skies. Luciana Carro and Ryan Robbins will be recurring this season, and other than the showrunner, three BSG/Caprica writers -- Mark Verheiden, Bradley Thompson and David Weddle -- worked on season two.
Rémi Aubuchon (showrunner) and the cast have been doing interviews left and right in recent weeks. Jim Halterman talked to him about the new season. You can read the interview at The Futon Critic. Snippets:
Jim Halterman: Having watched the first few episodes of the second season - and not taking anything away from the first season - I felt like things were sharper and tighter.
Remi Aubuchon: Steven [Spielberg, Executive Producer] is very terse and concise in his direction and basically what he said was 'Look, I want you to amp up the second season.' And I think that what a lot of that comes from is us deciding that we've set the backdrop, we've established the foundation of the story now let's just go with it and I think you can feel that energy in the second season.
Continuum, the new time travel drama set in Vancouver, premieres tonight at 9 pm ET on Showcase.
Brian Markinson and Richard Harmon have recurring roles on the show, and Mike Dopud and William B. Davis also appear in the pilot.
Here is the premise:
Inspector Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) loses everything she has and finds herself on a new mission when she and eight dangerous terrorists are transported from their time in 2077 back to 2012 during the terrorist’s attempt to escape execution. She takes on a new identity and joins the Vancouver Police Department in order to stop the terrorists’ reign of violence. Along the way, she befriends Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), the 17 year old who will one day grow up to create the technology her world is built upon.
Brian Markinson has joined Twitter. Go follow him. He will be back on The Killing tomorrow (9 pm, AMC), and he says he is done filming Continuum for the season. Spoiler TV has tons of info about the show here. The two-hour pilot airs on Showcase on May 27.
Two new episodes of 10,000 Days with Peter Wingfield have been released. You can watch them on Facebook or at 10kdays.tv.
Duke with Kendall Cross premieres on the Hallmark channel tonight at 8 pm and airs again at 10 pm. Here is the synopsis:
Marine Sergeant Terry Pulaski, a once proud man, is now a broken shell of himself having returned from Iraq with both PTSD and a disabling injury. Terry struggles to be a good father and husband, but his challenges leave him feeling like a burden to his wife and daughter. With his dog, Duke, in tow, he decides to leave his family behind. Years later, a homeless Terry needs help for an aging and ill Duke, so he reaches out for help at a nearby veterinary clinic. Will Duke be able to help Terry reach out again to try and reconcile with his estranged daughter?
It's been a while since the last proper news roundup, so some of the news today won't be all that new. Posting it anyway in case anyone missed it elsewhere.
Fairly Legal is back tonight at 9 pm on USA. Esai Morales guest stars in the season premiere and will be appearing in several more episodes. Other BSG and Caprica folks appearing on the show this season include Michael Hogan, Ben Cotton and Zak Santiago. And yeah, Michael Trucco is still a regular.
What do we need to know about Esai Morales' character?
Esai Morales: I'm playing Aaron Davidson, thank you. No hablo espanol in this show... I am a politician, District Attorney. I am, I guess, a bit of a quintessential slimeball. Sleazebag is how I've been described, which is kind of interesting. I think [Davidson]'s wonderful. I think he's in the right most of the time, because you got to play people like that. I think he's a realist. You know what I mean? I call him sleazy, because I think either "slimeball" or "sleazy" is what Michael [Trucco]'s character called me yesterday.
Just a few updates today, with more coming over the weekend.
Paula Malcomson was a guest voice on Archer (FX) yesterday, in episode "Bloody Ferlin," which will be available on vod.fxnetworks.com one of these days.
This is unconfirmed, but Green Arrow TV reported this week that Brian Markinson has been cast in the CW pilot Arrow. He will play Adam Hunt, a corrupt businessman.
Grimm is back with a new episode tonight, "Last Grimm Standing," which airs at 9 pm on NBC. The episode was directed by Michael Watkins (Caprica 1x04, "Gravedancing"). Synopsis:
NICK AND HANK’S INVESTIGATION OF A TRAGIC MURDER LEADS TO A FIGHT CLUB UNLIKE ANY OTHER—A bizarre double homicide leads Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) to a boxing gym, which Nick discovers is a supplier for a darker, ritualistic fight club in the creature world. When Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) lends a hand and gets in over his head, Nick must dig deep and find his inner “Grimm” to defend him. Bitsie Tulloch, Sasha Roiz and Reggie Lee also star.
Let's start with yesterday's episode of The Firm. Brian Markinson made an appearance and if I hadn't trusted the press release (which didn't mention him) over IMDB, I totally would have posted a heads-up. You can watch the episode on NBC.com. It will be available until February 17.
Grimm is back tonight at 9 pm on NBC and Portlandia's BSG ep, "One Moore Episode," with Ron Moore, Edward James Olmos and James Callis, airs at 10 pm on IFC.
Synopsis & teaser for Grimm 1x08, "Game Ogre:"
AN ESCAPED FUGITIVE’S MURDEROUS RAMPAGE LANDS AT NICK’S FRONT DOOR
An escapee returns to Portland seeking revenge against those who put him behind bars. His unusual strength and high tolerance for pain makes Nick (David Giuntoli) take notice. As the case escalates Nick and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) are put in danger, and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is called into action to help put an end to the convict’s deadly rampage. Russell Hornsby, Reggie Lee and Sasha Roiz also star.
Arctic Air premieres at 9 pm on CBC tonight. A bunch of Caprica and BSG actors are either regulars or recurring guest stars: Carmen Moore, Michael Hogan, Leah Gibson, Kandyse McClure, Brian Markinson and Aleks Paunovic. There might be more of them as the season progresses.
Here is the plotline, from the show's Facebook page:
ARCTIC AIR is a one-hour adventure series set in the booming Arctic, about a maverick airline and the unconventional family who runs it.
On the ground, Bobby, the headstrong business partner, struggles to save the airline from crashing financially while Mel, the cantankerous co-owner, keeps his crew of pilots in the air. Caught in the crossfire is Mel’s hotshot pilot daughter Krista. (...)
Over the season this character-based drama will deliver hard-hitting emotional stories – from the romantic entanglement of Bobby and Krista, to the conflicts that spark between Bobby and his competitors, his business partners and even his extended family. There’s a new gold rush heating up under the permafrost, and there are new fortunes of diamonds and oil to claim.
Just checking in to wish everyone happy holidays and safe travels!
Here are a few updates to wrap things up for the week:
Someone has posted an early Christmas present for us on Vimeo - the full pilot for Ron Moore's 17th Precinct. Huge props to Caprica City (Twitter) for the find!
Apparently it's been up there for a couple of months now, but some of us were too busy whining about no air date to notice.
The pilot was directed by BSG's Michael Rymer and has what's probably the best ensemble cast since Caprica went off the air: Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Stockard Channing, Esai Morales, Eamonn Walker, Tricia Helfer and Matt Long. You can watch it on Vimeo or keep scrolling, it's embedded below.
The first part of the Sanctuary season four finale, "Sanctuary for None," airs tonight at 10 pm on Syfy. Here is a new synopsis, from Red Eye Chicago:
Written by James Thorpe and directed by Damian Kindler, the first part has Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) teaming with Hollow Earth rebel leader Caleb (guest star Gil Bellows) to build a new homeland for displaced abnormals in the Fifth Ward. Magnus wants to broker a peace deal between the insurgents, SCIU and the other government agencies, but SCIU director Greg Addison (Brian Markinson) has other ideas.
A lot goes down in that first episode involving Addison, Will (Robin Dunne), Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Tesla (Jonathon Young), leading Magnus to take desperate action.
First stop today, Beginning of Line. Episode 16 of Caprica season two has been posted. You can read it here: Assassin Nation.
Second, Young Adult opens wide today. Patton Oswalt was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor earlier this week. He also got nods as Runner-up from the Los Angeles Film Critics and Toronto Film Critics Association. Big congrats! (He's done a bunch of interviews this week too, but I won't be posting them until tomorrow.)
Also, congrats to Jane Espenson -- Game of Thrones was named one of the TV Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute last week.
Antipodal has an audio interview with Sasha Roiz. You can download it here.
Grimm 1x07, "Let Your Hair Down," airs tonight at 9. Synopsis:
A mysterious homicide deep in the woods leads to Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) reopening a long-aborted missing persons case. When Nick suspects this abducted person might be a feral creature, he asks Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to help remind this wild child of her human nature. Bitsie Tulloch, Sasha Roiz and Reggie Lee also star.
This is the first part of the weekend monster update, with more news & stuff coming in the next couple of days.
I got my Grimms confused in yesterday's post as it turns out. Tonight's episode won't be "Let Your Hair Down," but "The Three Bad Wolves." Rapunzel doesn't show up until next week.
Nick (David Giuntoli) is called to a suspected arson case, which exposes a longstanding family feud that brings Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) face-to-face with characters from his troubled past. While Monroe wrestles with restraining his wild side, it’s up to Nick to keep everything from going up in flames. Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Sasha Roiz and Reggie Lee also star.
There are a few sneak peeks at THR and Dread Central. Spoiler TV has the promotional stills. Here is the teaser:
A bunch of stuff has happened since the last update. Let's start with Caprica.
Caprica season two will resume on Beginning of Line with episode 14 (of 18) this Tuesday. Teresa Jusino posted this earlier:
There are 18 episodes total in Caprica Season 2 here at Beginning of Line. Episodes will now be posting every Tuesday between November 29th and December 27th. Just in time for your Solstice celebrations. :)
Anyone interested in writing an episode of season three (coming in 2012) or submitting fan art, hit the link.
Luciana Carro (Caprica's Priyah Magnus, Battlestar's Kat) has joined Twitter. You can follow her here: @LucianaCarro. These days, she is working on season two of Falling Skies, along with Ryan Robbins and a bunch of Caprica and BSG writers -- Remi Aubuchon, Mark Verheiden, David Weddle and Bradley Thompson. From their recent tweets, Luciana is playing a character called Crazy Lee and they recently wrapped filming episode four. Season two will most likely start airing in June.
Grimm's ratings dropped a little this week, but the show still won the 18-49 demo in its timeslot, finishing ahead of CSI: NY, Fringe and Supernatural, and rising by a full frakking ratings point (1.8) after Chuck (0.8). Wake up, Chuck.
Hitfix visited the set in Portland recently and posted a lengthy report. Here is a snippet:
Sasha Roiz on how his character will develop later in the series: "I’m not a Grimm descendent, but I'm a descendent of a long line that dates back just as Grimm does and we have a bit of a history and a past, so my line is a royal line and that will slowly unfold throughout the series."
Collider has a longer interview with Sasha and Reggie Lee (more at the link):
It’s nice to see your character – like the main character – has the duality.
ROIZ: My character’s more seasoned in the fantastical world, a bit of a player, and he’s aware of the Grimm, but no one seems aware of who I am, except the people I want to be aware. It’s fun, and as we continue, there are always new things that are being developed. We don’t know where they’re going. We have a sense of the character, he comes from royal descent, his family has had ties for centuries and so on, and with every episode a little bit more is added to that story.
It feels like there’s a greater universe that will be fun to explore, but the show’s also a procedural.
LEE: It is that more than anything else, and you’ll see as we go on it remains a procedural, so the mythological elements are backburnered. I think they’ll come out eventually.
ROIZ: From what we’ve been told if there’s a back nine, that’s something we’ll explore but for now it’s more self-contained episodes.
The teaser for next week's episode, "BeeWare" (Friday, 9 pm, NBC), is embedded below. Nana Visitor (Deep Space Nine, BSG, Torchwood) guest stars.
James Marsters guest stars in Supernatural in episode "Shut up, Dr. Phil," at 9 pm on the CW. Brian Markinson makes his first appearance on Sanctuary this season at 10 pm on Syfy, and the X-Men Anime series with Scott Porter premieres at 11 pm on G4.
A longer round of updates is coming tomorrow, but before I get to the previews for tonight's shows, just a heads-up:
You can now watch the complete Husbands web series at HusbandstheSeries.com. The last episode was posted on Thursday.
The Once Upon a Time pilot is available online on IMDB.com. The episode airs this Sunday at 8 pm on ABC.
NBC has released a 20-minute preview of the Grimm pilot, which was also originally supposed to air tonight, but got pushed back to next Friday. If you are in the US, you can watch the whole episode by following @NBCGrimm on Twitter and claiming the screening code.
Final reminder: Hart of Dixie with Scott Porter premieres at 9 pm on the CW and the Alphas season finale with John Pyper-Ferguson is on at 10 pm on Syfy.
That said, just a few quick updates today.
Polly Walker will guest star in the season premiere of Psych, "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader." The episode airs on Wednesday, October 12 at 10 pm on USA. Here is the synopsis, from USA's site:
While on a mission to retrieve a stolen Darth Vader collector's item from the British Ambassador's son at the British Consulate Residence in Santa Barbara, Shawn finds a dead body left in one of the rooms.
In order to get SBPD on the case to find her killer, Shawn tells Lassiter and Juliet that the image of a dead body at the British Consulate Residence came to him in a psychic vision. However, Shawn's credibility as a "psychic" could be placed in jeopardy if SBPD finds out he actually witnessed the dead body in person and didn't "divine" the image of her murder.
Polly will play British Vice Consul Randa Tabet. Malcolm McDowell will also make an appearance, as Ambassador Fanshawe. (Possibly there is a crazy Paul Auster fan on the Psych writing team.) You can find the casting sides for Polly's character here.
Brian Markinson will make an appearance in episode 1x03 of The Firm, according to the IMDB. No details yet, except that his character is called Calvin Parker. The Firm will premiere early next year on NBC. Callum Rennie will be a regular on the show and Tricia Helfer will have a recurring role, so this probably won't be the last time you hear about it here. For more info about the show, see this article at Screenrant.com. Better yet, hear about it from John Grisham.
Just a reminder that Brian Markinson makes an appearance on Rookie Blue tonight, in episode "Monster," which airs at 10 pm on ABC (Global in Canada).
Brian Markinson (Charlie Wilson’s War) Guest Stars
Division 15 is put on lockdown under a puzzling quarantine. Meanwhile, Andy and Swarek apprehend and book an unusual suspect covered in blue dye who was involved in a brutal bank robbery.
Written by Sean Reycraft, directed by John Fawcett -- TV-eh.com
But hey, let's start with Paula Malcomson meeting Detective fka Moustache (Corey Stoll).
Paula guest starred on Law & Order: LA last night, in episode 1x12, "Benedict Canyon." It was a prominent role too, but for some reason she wasn't in the previews or in the BTS featurette I watched over the weekend. Either way, the episode is now available on Hulu. Check it out if you get a chance.
Also available, a new story in the Caprica: Season 2 series: "Gara Singh: Alley of Darkness," by Dóra Kecskés. Hit the link to read it.
Leah Gibson and Zak Santiago are working on a new web series, The True Heroines, a sci-fi drama set in 1951 that "follows the lives of three women who not only share daily tea, but a secret they can't share with anyone but each other." For more details and to see the promotional photos, head over to the show's site, www.thetrueheroines.com.
Here is another snippet about Red Faction: Origins, from Michael Nankin (at Poptimal):
“Well, I think what attracted me to the film, aside from the script by Andrew Kreisberg, was it wasn’t really a movie about the game. It’s a movie about the core elements which inspired the game. It’s a movie about family. It’s a family drama. It’s about redemption, loyalty, sacrifice. And those, you know, juicy, archetypal, dramatic, and emotional elements are what the movie is about and also what the game is about. They get to blow up more things than we can because they don’t have to actually build them. Other than that, really both things are about the same core issues. But it’s not really a movie about a game.”
Episode 3 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is on YouTube. Not seeing any of the usual suspects in it.
Brian Markinson showed up in a couple of previews in recent days. He will make an appearance on Hellcats tonight at 9 on the CW. Here is the clip, with Kevin Murphy:
After Hellcats, Markinson will also guest star on The Killing this week (Sunday, May 1, 10 pm, AMC), in episode 1x06, "What You Have Left". Here is a clip with him and Joel Kinnaman:
Finally, a couple of previews of next week's Sanctuary, with Ryan Robbins:
There is a new story up at Beginning of Line and this time it comes with really cool opening credits. You can check it out here: Safe Journey: Hypatian's Bluff. It was written by Beginning of Line editor Teresa Jusino.
There are also a couple of new interviews, one with Rhesa Sealy (Twitter) who wrote the last two installments of "Caprica: Season 2," and the other with Juanita Martinez (Twitter), fan artist and author of "Prototype."
A new week of Caprica auctions started yesterday. The new items are on Ebay.
Battlestar Galactica Online has been launched today. You can read the full press release at The Futon Critic. Here is a snippet:
Based on the internationally popular Syfy television series produced by Universal Cable Productions, Battlestar Galactica Online is a free-to-play, browser-based space combat MMOG that combines high-quality, 3D graphics with intense gameplay. Following a successful closed beta period that started in late 2010, the free-to-play game can now be enjoyed by players worldwide.
David Eick, Executive Producer of "Battlestar Galactica," said, "Bigpoint has successfully embraced the spirit of 'Battlestar Galactica's' aggressive ship design, tactile physics, and its signature, vérité-style combat aesthetic, and taken it all to an entirely new level. Playing this game is like watching the most highly-adrenalized, nail-biting episodes of the series while chewing on a hunk of uranium. I highly recommend it - just make sure you don't have anything else to do for a few days..."
Esai Morales was at the CineFest in San Antonio over the weekend. There are a few fun clips from the festival on YouTube: clip 1, clip 2, clip 3.
A new interview with Esai appeared at Celestrellas the other day. It's mostly about Gun Hill Road. Here's a snippet:
What should moviegoers expect from 'Gun Hill Road?'
You will find a great humanity. At the end of the film, you get the sense that you're closer to understanding people you might not have otherwise had the time to; people who you might want to judge, even despise, you come to appreciate as different. There's a great deal of prejudice within the Latin community itself -- chauvinists against feminists, right against left. This film helps us reach a much-needed level of understanding for other human beings.
According to a couple of sites (TV Guide, Antipodal Araima), Esai will make an appearance on Fairly Legal this Thursday (10 pm, USA Network). He is not in the teaser, but he is supposed to be in the same ep as Eddie McClintock, who definitely is in one of the previews. Either way, here is a tidbit from an interview with Michael Sardo (executive producer):
DEDMAN: I do have to ask you about the "Battlestar Galactica" connection. Michael Trucco plays the assistant district attorney, Justin Patrick, and Esai Morales plays his boss, the district attorney. Trucco was on "Battlestar Galactica" and Morales was recently on [the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel] "Caprica." Is that a coincidence in the DA’s office on the show there?
SARDO: [Laughs.] I like that you’re looking deeper than we had time to think when we were casting. We were just looking for the best actors we could find, and the good actors work a lot, and they just happen to be in close proximity to each other, but it was not by design. Some of "Battlestar Caprica" people may want to believe it is.
Brian Markinson guest stars on the show next week.
Markinson is also the third Caprica actor who will be in Blood & Chrome. No official confirmation yet, but The Province reports:
Vancouver's Brian Markinson is among the stars of this currently-filming pilot, a prequel to the recently-ended Battlestar Galactica. He plays commanding office to a crew of space pilots.
According to the IMDb, he will play Silas Nash, the commanding officer who sends the young Adama and Coker (Ben Cotton's character) on the super secret mission.
Also unconfirmed, the fourth (and possibly not the last) Caprica actor who will be appearing in Blood & Chrome is Zak Santiago. According to the IMDb and Caprica City, he will play Armin 'High Top' Diaz. Wild guess, the character is a pilot.
Sanctuary, with Ryan Robbins, Chris Heyerdahl and (guest star) Polly Walker is coming back in April. Peter Wingfield will definitely be back on the show before the season is over.
Ryan Kennedy, Ben Cotton, and Aaron Douglas should be back on Hellcats tonight (9 pm, CW). Omar Madha ("Blowback") directed the episode. Here is a preview with Kevin Murphy:
There is a new clip on SyFy's video blog in which the cast and crew talk about the different styles on the show.
In the clip (embedded below): David Eick, Brian Markinson, Doug McLean (art director), Eric Stoltz, Peter Wingfield, Santino Barile (assistant props master), Glenne Campbell (costume designer), Jonas Pate (producer/director), Alessandra Torresani
Kanagawa plays a character named Cyrus Xander. Apart from acting, he is also a playwright and screenwriter. He has made appearances on The X-Files, Millennium, Cold Squad, Smallville and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and will be seen in the upcoming remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, to be released in December.
Veena Sood (official site), credited for playing Joan Leyte, is also a versatile actor with a background in theatre, film and television. She had recurring roles on Smallville, Godiva's and Little Mosque on the Prairie and is no stranger to Galactica fans: she was recently seen in Sine Qua Non as one of the Quorum delegates.
Brian Markinson, who plays agent Jordan Duram, is another Canadian film and television actor with a number of credits to his name. His recent appearances include Bionic Woman, Navy NCIS, Psych and The L Word.
Rémi Aubuchon (showrunner) and the cast have been doing interviews left and right in recent weeks. Jim Halterman talked to him about the new season. You can read the interview at The Futon Critic. Snippets:
