10 days to go until Caprica returns - a new round of updates

With only 10 days left before Caprica returns, different news bits are coming in from different places and hopefully there will be more of them in the next couple of weeks. Syfy has sent out screeners for episodes 1x10, "Unvanquished," and 1x11, "Retribution," to a bunch of TV bloggers and journalists, so we'll probably be seeing some reviews soon enough. Until then, here is another quick round of updates:

Michael Hinman (Airlock Alpha) has tweeted the writing and directing credits for the next two episodes. "Unvanquished" was written by Ryan Mottesheard and directed by Eric Stoltz, and "Retribution" was written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman (who had previously written the episode that introduced Vergis, "Know Thy Enemy") and directed by Jonas Pate.

Doug Drexler (CGI supervisor) has posted the Caprica 2010 Emmy Presentation Book over at Drex Files.

Some cast updates:

• Sasha Roiz tweeted that he is currently filming an episode of House. No details yet, but in the meantime, you can catch him on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation next Thursday.
• Alessandra Torresani has wrapped filming Playback.
• Leah Gibson is doing a new indie film, Camera Shy, and she also mentioned working with Tom Welling (possibly on Smallville?)
• Hiro Kanagawa, who guest stars on Fringe next week, is currently doing a production of Tear the Curtain! in Vancouver. If you're in the area, you can find the details and see the trailer here.
• Peter Wingfield tweeted that he will appear in an upcoming episode of Sanctuary.
• TV Guide visited the set of Glee, where they caught up with Eric Stoltz among others. The report is here.
• SpoilerTV has posted the synopsis for Smallville 10x04, "Homecoming," with James Marsters guest starring

SFX magazine has opened voting for the SFX Sci-Fi Awards 2010. Caprica isn't nominated in all the categories, but it's easy enough to write it in. A couple of acting categories could definitely use our attention. You can vote here.

Caprica City has some more stills from the mid-season premiere here.

Two really interesting interviews showed up in recent days. They aren't really related to Caprica, but you might wanna check them out anyway.

Bear McCreary talked to TV Overmind about his work on Human Target. The soundtrack is out in October. You can read the interview here.

Fandomania included an audio interview with Edward James Olmos in their Sept. 20 podcast. Among other things, he talks about how he got involved in Battlestar Galactica, the parallels between BSG and Blade Runner, his experience directing The Plan, working on The Green Hornet movie, and reading Ray Kurzweil. EJO will be back on TV in an episode of CSI: NY in October.

Last but not least, Stargate Universe, Caprica's lead-in, is back for a second season on Tuesday, September 28 at 9 PM. Without a major advertising push for Caprica, the ratings will largely depend on how SGU does, so we'll probably get a better idea of where both shows stand with Nielsen viewers this week. Stargate will be up against NCIS: Los Angeles, Dancing with the Stars, Raising Hope and (later also) In Treatment, while Caprica will air against Sons of Anarchy, The Good Wife, Detroit 1-8-7 and Parenthood. To see how those shows, as well as the hiatus-bound Warehouse 13, did this week, go to TVbytheNumbers: broadcast ratings, cable ratings.

And here is the Re-Cap(rica) clip (in case you missed it everywhere else):



Syfy Video still has the recaps episode by episode. You can find them here.

For full episodes (from 1x05, "There Is Another Sky," to 1x09, "End of the Line"), you can go to Syfy Rewind or Hulu.

Cast updates: Eric Stoltz, Teryl Rothery, James Marsters, Hiro Kanagawa, Jorge Montesi

With the new TV season kicking into full gear this week, below is an updated list of cast members and shows to keep an eye on in September and October. You may have caught some of these updates on Twitter earlier this week.

Eric Stoltz has definitely directed an episode of Glee this season. The title, "Duets," has yet to be confirmed, but Glee's Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz told Access Hollywood that it was episode 2x04. The show returns tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 21) and, unless there are any breaks in the schedule, the episode should air on October 12 at 8 PM on Fox.

Teryl Rothery made her first appearance on Hellcats last week and, like Battlestar's Aaron Douglas, will have a recurring role on the show. Other than the showrunner (Kevin Murphy) and another recurring guest star (Ryan Kennedy), Hellcats is also borrowing Caprica's cinematographer, Stephen McNutt, this season. Hellcats airs Wednesdays at 9 on the CW network.  

Hiro Kanagawa will guest star on Fringe, episode 3x02, "The Box," which will air on September 30 at 10 on Fox. Yes, that's directly opposite CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11x02, "Pool Shark," with Sasha Roiz.

James Marsters will appear in the Hawaii Five-0 series opener (with Grace Park) tonight at 10 on CBS. After that, he'll appear in Caprica 1x10 (still October 5 at 10 PM) and then in Smallville 10x04, "Homecoming," which airs on October 15 on the CW. In the meantime, he is still shooting the pilot for Three Inches which, according to Mark Stern, likely won't be greenlit to series until next year.

Jorge Montesi, who will be back as the Guatrau in a few more episodes this season, will appear in Human Target, episode 2x04, which will air some time in late October or early November. Season two premieres on Friday, October 1, at 8 on Fox. According to the show's official Twitter, Tahmoh Penikett will guest star in the season premiere.

And this just in: Aleks Paunovic will appear in an upcoming episode of Supernatural according to his Facebook page. No word on the exact date yet, so keep an eye on grandpa Adama on Twitter. 

Also worth repeating: Paula Malcomson is a regular on Sons of Anarchy (FX) this season and Scott Porter is a new addition to The Good Wife (CBS), which returns for a second season tomorrow. Both shows air Tuesdays at 10.

First stills from Caprica 1x10, "Unvanquished"

Syfy has released the first promotional stills from episode 1x10, "Unvanquished," which kicks off the second half of the season. Click to enlarge:

Paula Malcomson talks about Sons of Anarchy and Caprica

My Take on TV has uploaded a video interview with Paula Malcomson from the Sons of Anarchy premiere earlier this month. In the clip, she talks about how she landed a role on that show, where her character fits in, and mentions some twists and turns down the line. She also briefly comments on Caprica's hiatus and the cliffhanger in the mid-season finale, and talks about what we can expect to see in the back nine episodes. The interview is completely spoiler-free.

You can catch Paula in Sons of Anarchy (she will appear in eight episodes this season) on Tuesdays at 10 on FX. This of course means that, like The Good Wife (with Scott Porter this season), the show will run directly opposite Caprica starting October 5, so enjoy it live while you can.

Here is the interview:

New promos for Caprica 1.5

Syfy has released several new clips today. Three of them - "New Revelations," "Rebirth" and "Cylons" - are teasers for the rest of the season, and "The Choice" is a season 1.0 catch-the-frak-up type cheat sheet with cast interviews:

Caprica season 1.5 to air in October after all (preview & spoilers)

Some great news today: Syfy has announced that the second half of season one will start airing in October, as originally planned. Episode 1x10, "Unvanquished," will air on Tuesday, October 5, at 10 PM, right after Stargate Universe. Sanctuary, on the other hand, got shifted back to Fridays, but at least we'll see their resident werewolf Ryan Robbins in four episodes of Caprica (starting with 1x11, "Retribution") when the show returns. In October.

No word yet on whether the show will get picked up for a second season, but Deadline writes that a reduced season 2 order is still a possibility.

Here is the first preview for "Unvanquished," with Deadwalker Zoe kicking some virtual ass:



The episode was directed by Eric Stoltz. David Eick said on one of the podcasts that he calls it the "Taxi Driver" episode (reasons to be determined in about a month). Also, I'm pretty sure that this will be the first episode with Meg Tilly guest starring, but can't for the life of me find the source on that.

Also of note: Earlier today, Nice Girls TV posted a really great report from Comic Con with a bunch of spoilers for the rest of the season, some of them completely new. You can check it out here: Inside the World of Caprica: A Look at What's to Come.

Finally, here is the press release for Caprica season 1.5:

NEW YORK - September 9, 2010 - The highly anticipated return of Syfy's critically-acclaimed series Caprica will come even sooner than anticipated. The second half of season one will now premiere on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 10:00PM ET/PT, the channel announced today. Fans will no longer have to wait until January to watch the series exciting kick-off, as the citizens of Caprica deal with the chaotic aftermath of the mid-season finale's harrowing events.
The second half of season one will transport us from stunningly vivid, twisted Virtual realities to the fascinating outer worlds of the 12 Colonies. Along the way, revolutionary tensions rise, family power shifts and our characters grapple with the physical and emotional consequences of their questionable decisions. As the season races towards its stunning conclusion, each episode lays the groundwork for the inevitable (and brutal) clash between the new Cylon race and its human creators.

"Though we initially announced the January return of Caprica, we still had hopes of finding a way to get the series back on the air sooner," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions. "We've been able to successfully re-work our schedule, and are thrilled to bring the show back during what is traditionally Syfy's most-watched time of the year. The outcome should also please fans who expressed their wishes for a shorter mid-season hiatus."

Caprica stars Eric Stoltz (Daniel Graystone), Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Sasha Roiz (Sam Adama).

Caprica will immediately follow new episodes of Stargate Universe (Tuesdays @ 9PM).

The third season premiere of Sanctuary will now launch in its former timeslot on Friday, October 15 at 10:00PM ET/PT immediately following Friday Night Smackdown on Syfy at 8:00PM ET/PT.

Produced by Universal Cable Productions, Caprica is a prequel to the award-winning series Battlestar Galactica, and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Jonas Pate serves as co-executive producer and director.

Caprica cancelled at mid-season? It certainly looks that way.

EDIT: Please, make sure you read the update below for clarification.
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A source confirmed to Matt Mitovich at Fancast over the weekend that Caprica definitely didn't get renewed in August:

With the ‘Caprica’ actors’ contracts expiring, executive producer David Eick said we’d hear a decision on Season 2 by August 15. It’s now almost September. Is the show canceled? – Pete
That deadline came and went, yes, but a source very close to Syfy’s ‘Caprica’ told me during Emmys weekend that NBC Universal worked out an “extension” that bought them until November to make a call on a pick-up. So hold out hope, Pete.

Of course, all this really means is that the actors' contracts have expired, that the show definitely didn't get picked up for a second season, and we won't be hearing anything else on the matter before the DVDs go on sale (October). A bizarre situation for a show like this one, really, to have its fate sealed after only nine aired episodes, whether we hear about the decision tomorrow or in November.

So as of August 31, 2010, this is it: One season. 18 episodes. Three years to air them. Three separate DVD releases. You'd think anything short of a season two order would be pushing the boundaries on shameless. And yet here we are.

Granted, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this "extension" is real and not just more BS from the network. But if there really is any hope at all for this show, Syfy's PR people are sure as hell doing a disastrous job selling it.

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UPDATE: Okay,  the contract extension has been confirmed by Alessandra Torresani.

And, since Matt Mitovich is (rightfully) protesting the spin I put on his source's words both on Twitter and in the comments, just a quick explanation why I'm not changing the title of this post or taking any of it back: I don't doubt that his source is impervious. I didn't doubt Airlock Alpha's sources either when they said that we'd hear something concrete by the end of June, that the show has been picked up for a shorter second season, and that we'd probably get an announcement at the TCAs. It certainly never occurred to me to doubt David Eick's word when he said we'd hear something by August 15.

And you know what? I'm sure not all of those people were out to deliberately mislead. The sad fact is, as much as their heart may have been in the right place, tomorrow is September 1 and all we have is another frakking deadline. They just don't count for much anymore. Has the show been officially cancelled? Obviously not, that's probably been the most worn out phrase on Twitter in recent months. But has Syfy given us a single shred of hope that there is a second season on the horizon or any indication that they give a flying frak about Caprica's future beyond protecting those DVD sales? No. All they said via official sources is that season 1.5 is getting pushed back to January and that the DVD will be out in October.

Bottom line, the only real bit of news I saw in Mitovich's article is that no, the actors' contracts did not get picked up this month. The contract extension bit was coming from another anonymous source and I blew it off as BS. I am not apologizing for that, I'd do it again in a heartbeat with any anonymous source giving more no-news at this point, impervious or not. I am, however, sorry if this post has upset a few people who were new to this blog and the whole renewal soap. I hope Alessandra's tweet has reassured them that there is still cause for optimism, with the contracts now extended till November and all, and that the soap is not over but will indeed continue for another couple of months at least.