Hell on Wheels is back tonight

Hell on Wheels is back with the season two premiere tonight on AMC at 9 pm.

Christopher Heyerdahl is a regular this season and Ryan Robbins makes his first appearance as Hawkins the train robber in tonight's episode.

Synopsis:

On the run for his crimes, Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) robs trains with a group of ex-Union soldiers, while Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott) and Durant (Colm Meaney) continue the Union Pacific Railroad's westward progress.

On Sun., Aug. 12 at 9/8c, the second season of Hell on Wheels continues its epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), a former Confederate soldier, and his dramatic journey west as he struggles to leave his past behind.

Executive produced by John Shiban (Breaking Bad, The X-Files), Joe and Tony Gayton (Faster, Uncommon Valor) and Endemol USA’s Jeremy Gold, the show depicts the traveling town known as Hell on Wheels, a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot that follows and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Hell on Wheels also stars Common as Elam Ferguson; Colm Meaney as Thomas “Doc” Durant; Dominique McElligott as Lily Bell; Christopher Heyerdahl as The Swede; Robin McLeavy as Eva; Tom Noonan as Reverend Cole; Ben Esler as Sean McGinnes; Philip Burke as Mickey McGinnes; and Eddie Spears as Joseph Black Moon.

Here is a sneak peek:

Falling Skies premiere, The Killing finale, Christopher Heyerdahl in True Blood, and a few more updates

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.

Meg Tilly, Ryan Robbins and Christopher Heyerdahl win Leo Awards

The Leos were presented in Vancouver last night.

Meg Tilly won the award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series for Bomb Girls.

Ryan Robbins won for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama for Marilyn.

Christopher Heyerdahl won the Leo for Best Performance in a Youth or Children’s Program or Series for The Haunting Hour.

Sisters & Brothers with Kacey Rohl, Michael Eklund and Ben Cotton was the big winner in the film categories. It won six Leos including Best Feature and Best Direction.

Blackstone with Carmen Moore won four awards in the TV categories, including Best Dramatic Series. Sanctuary also nabbed four (production design, VFX, costume design, guest actress).

Big congrats to all!

Susan Gittins has posted several photos of the cast on Flickr. They can't be embedded, but you can see them here: Carmen Moore, Kacey Rohl, Christopher Heyerdahl, Ryan Robbins & Ben Cotton.

You can find the complete list of winners at LeoAwards.com.

Weekend monster update: previews, cast news, and interviews with Jane Espenson, Magda Apanowicz and Kacey Rohl

Okay, let's start with what's on TV tonight.

Tonight's episode of Once Upon a Time (8 pm, ABC) was written by Jane Espenson. The synopsis and a bunch of clips are posted below.

Nerdist has finally posted the Writers Panel podcast with Jane and Douglas Petrie, recorded in late March. Details:

Jane Espenson (Once Upon a Time; Husbands; Buffy; Caprica) and Douglas Petrie (Charlie’s Angels; Buffy; Pushing Daisies) return to the studio to revisit Jane’s old blog, janeespenson.com, and discuss how, while the business may have changed since she was regularly updating it, writing has not.

You can listen to the podcast on Nerdist.com.

Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 28. You can pre-order them on Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray. Special features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers and the featurettes "Fairy Tales in the Modern World," "Tell Me a Story," "Building Character," and "Noble Creatures."

Patton Oswalt voices the food critic on tonight's Bob's Burgers (8:30 pm, Fox).

When the restaurant receives a bad review from a food critic, the Belchers fear that the negative press will keep customers away. When Bob shows up at the critic’s house for a redo, his plan quickly spirals out of control when the kids and his fellow restaurant owners show up to support him in the all-new “Moody Foodie” episode of BOB’S BURGERS airing Sunday, May 6 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

A new episode of The Killing airs at 9 pm on AMC.

And one for BSG fans: Tahmoh Penikett guest stars in the season finale of Castle tomorrow (10 pm, ABC). Teaser.

Esai Morales in Law & Order: SVU, Prisoners' Wives premiere, interviews with Patton Oswalt and Christopher Heyerdahl, and more updates

The weekly wrap:

First, there are two things to check out on TV tonight.

Richard Harmon is in The Pregnancy Project, which airs at 8/7c on Lifetime. NiceGirlsTV.com has a preview.

And Winston Rekert, Maya Massar and Hrothgar Mathews (Obal in "Unvanquished," Helen the widow in "Retribution" and Dave in "Apotheosis") appear in Goodnight for Justice, a western starring Luke Perry, which also airs at 8 pm, on Hallmark. Synopsis and preview at Daemon's TV.

Some great news on other fronts:

Esai Morales will guest star in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in episode "Home Invasions," which airs on February 15. Synopsis from NBC:

New Grimm tonight, John Pyper-Ferguson in Less Than Kind, new interviews with Christopher Heyerdahl and Michael Eklund

A few quick updates today, with more coming over the weekend.

Grimm 1x09, "Of Mouse and Man," airs tonight at 9 pm. Synopsis:

While investigating a gruesome homicide, Nick (David Giuntoli) learns that a seemingly mild-mannered resident could be festering a potential monster created from a dark childhood. Meanwhile, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is sent an unsettling message by the creature community, who are beginning to wonder if his priorities lie with them or a Grimm. Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Sasha Roiz and Reggie Lee also star.

And some interesting spoilers for the rest of the season, from Entertainment Weekly:

And because so many of you have sent in your questions on Capt. Renard (Sasha Roiz), the EP duo offered up this tease: Before the end of the season (likely with a few episodes to go), we will learn more about him and “it’s not what people think…and we’ve been told a lot of what people think,” says Kouf. “He walks a fine line. He’s balancing more than anyone.
In fact, says Greenwalt, some fans might even find themselves siding with Renard once we learn the truth. “He’s not just purely nefarious at all. He has his reasons for what he’s doing.”

John Pyper-Ferguson made a guest appearance in Less Than Kind, in episode 3x02, "Play It Again, Sam," as Jack, one of the people who show up for the funeral of Maury Chaykin's character. Synopsis, from TV-eh.com:

“Play It Again, Sam” – Sam’s funeral brings Sheldon face-to-face when Rabbi Rabinowitz delivers a half-hearted eulogy. Clara’s ex-husband Jack makes a surprise visit to pay his respects. An exiled Shandra attempts to support the living daylights out of Josh. Anne is numb as Shiva begins at the Blecher house.

Hell on Wheels season finale airs tonight

Hell on Wheels season finale, "God of Chaos," airs tonight at 10 pm on AMC. The show was picked up for a second season last month, so let's hope The Swede survives tonight's episode. Spoiler TV has a sneak peek.

In other AMC news, the network made a couple of interesting announcements at the Winter TCA Press Tour yesterday. One, the episode order for season three of The Walking Dead, with Bear McCreary hopefully staying onboard as composer, has been extended to 16 episodes. Two, season two of The Killing, with Michelle Forbes back as a series regular and Brian Markinson likely recurring again, premieres on April 1.

Synopsis for tonight's Hell on Wheels:

Cullen’s new life on the railroad is put in jeopardy when he is forced to choose between his past and his future.

And since Christopher Heyerdahl isn't in the preview, here are a few clips from the episodes that already aired:

Blackstone season two premiere, Arctic Air videos, interviews with Leah Gibson, Christopher Heyerdahl, Patton Oswalt and Bear McCreary

A quick round of updates.

Netflix has finally launched in UK and Ireland and both Caprica and Battlestar are available for streaming. If you know people there who haven't seen the shows, you can nag them to do it now, while Netflix is offering a free month of trials.

Blackstone, with Carmen Moore, returns with the season two opener, "Blood Is Thicker Than Water," tonight on APTN in Canada. The episode should air at 9 pm ET on APTN East, West, and HD, and at 8 pm PT, but check your local listings to be sure.

Carmen Moore was also one of the people who made an appearance in Arctic Air yesterday. If you haven't seen the pilot, check it out. There are more BSG people in the first five minutes of that show than there were in the opening scenes of BSG. And they share scenes and everything.

The Vancouver Sun has some pics from the red carpet premiere. Here is a clip from the set that includes a short interview with Leah Gibson and a bunch of scenes from the pilot:

The Firm series premiere, Once Upon a Time, and interviews with Tricia Helfer, Callum Keith Rennie and Christopher Heyerdahl

^ In other words, here is what's on TV tonight:

Jane Espenson's new episode of Once Upon a Time, "Desperate Souls," airs at 8 pm on ABC.

Here is the synopsis (previews below):

Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Gold (Robert Carlyle) join forces to thwart Emma's (Jennifer Morrison) attempt to run for sheriff. In the fairy tale world, Rumplestiltskin continues his quest to help his son by finding him the power necessary to avoid war.

At 9 pm, The Firm premieres on NBC. Callum Keith Rennie is a series regular and, from the looks of it, Tricia Helfer makes her first appearance in the pilot, too.

The show was picked up for 22 episodes and, after tonight's premiere, it will air on Thursdays at 10 pm, in Prime Suspect's slot. Meanwhile, the last two episodes of Prime Suspect (with Jonas Pate on the producing team) will be aired back-to-back on Saturday, January 21.

Synopsis for The Firm (two sneak peeks below):

After young lawyer Mitchell McDeere (Josh Lucas, “J. Edgar”) exposed the law firm he worked for was a front for the Chicago mob, he and his family found themselves in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Now, a decade later, McDeere, his wife Abby (Molly Parker, “Deadwood”) and daughter Claire (Natasha Calis, “The Possession”), begin their efforts to reclaim their lives, which proves to be an uphill battle. Also starring Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear”) and Callum Keith Rennie (“The Killing”). Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Shaun Majumder (“Detroit 1-8-7″) guest star.

Caprica Season 2 finale, Sanctuary previews, and new interviews with Meg Tilly and Christopher Heyerdahl

All right, one final update for the year.

The two-part finale of Caprica Season 2, written by Bernard Keyer, has been posted on Beginning of Line. You can read it here: Enuma Elis, Part 1 and Part 2. If you're only now discovering BoL, you can find the entire season in the Story Archive.

And if you're interested in contributing stories or fan art for Season 3, you still have a day left to email Teresa and let her know. Details on the So Say We All blog.

Also on the Caprica front, Bear McCreary tweets that the soundtrack will be released in early 2012. Hopefully.

And this is always great to see: Caprica got an honor roll mention in Huffington Post's TV section, in their Year in Television 2011 review.

Snowmageddon, interviews with Jane Espenson, Scott Porter and Calum Worthy, and more updates

Okay, the last round of updates for the week.

Snowmageddon, Syfy's Christmas movie with Magda Apanowicz and Michael Hogan saving the world, premieres tonight at 9 pm ET.

You can also catch Magda on Robot Chicken tomorrow at 11:30 pm on Adult Swim. She will be voicing Gladys/Mother/Herman's Wife according to the IMDB. And, speaking of Michael Hogan, he will be playing a "lethal werewolf hunter" in the second season of Teen Wolf. TV Guide reported the news earlier this month.

Press release, teaser and sneak peeks from Snowmageddon:

To usher in the holiday season, Syfy will present a snow globe with the power to destroy the world in the Saturday Original Movie Snowmageddon, airing Saturday, December 10 at 9PM (ET/PT) during the channel’s second annual Countdown to Christmas Week.

Starring Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), David Cubitt (Medium) and Magda Apanowicz (Caprica), the Christmas-themed Snowmageddon is about a mystical snow globe that makes very bad things happen in the real world when it is shaken.

The movie is a production of Cinetel.

Friday round-up: previews, cast interviews and new projects

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:

Patton Oswalt on Raising Hope, Young Adult Q&A, new Sanctuary tonight, and interviews with Hiro Kanagawa, Jane Espenson and Christopher Heyerdahl

If you missed it on Twitter: Beginning of Line is back and the new episode of Caprica season two, "Children Through the Cracks," written by Vikki Bingham, has been posted. Check it out at the link.

Several notable TV appearances tonight.

Tahmoh Penikett is in Scott Turow's Innocent, a TV film that premieres on TNT as part of the network's mystery movie night at 9 pm. Spoiler TV has the press release and a behind-the-scenes video.

Aaron Douglas' episode of Flashpoint that aired in Canada a couple of weeks ago airs in the U.S. tonight at 10 pm on AON.

Patton Oswalt guest stars on Raising Hope in episode "Bro-gurt," which airs at 9:30 pm on Fox. Synopsis:

When the National Invention Convention Extravaganza comes to town, Virginia encourages the family to submit their own inventions that could bring home a large cash prize. Burt teams with the family’s neighbor Andrew (guest star Ethan Suplee) and invents unusually flavored yogurts, while Jimmy partners with Sabrina to develop a new baby mop. When convention day arrives the competition between each team escalates as they pitch their inventions to Andrew Dice Clay (guest-starring as himself). During the competition, the family ends up realizing family and friends are what matter the most.

And here is a sneak peek with Patton, Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt and Ethan Suplee:

New interviews with Sasha Roiz and Christopher Heyerdahl

Just a few updates today.

Christopher Heyerdahl is back in Hell on Wheels tonight at 10 pm on AMC, in episode 1x03, "A New Birth of Freedom." Pizquita has the promotional photos and Warming Glow has a region-locked preview. Hop over to watch it if you can. Here is what they say about tonight's episode:

Hell on Wheels (AMC, Sunday) — I’m sticking with “Hell on Wheels” right now mostly for the scenery-chewing performances by Colm Meaney and Christopher Heyerdahl, who plays The Swede. His monologue about Andersonville (embedded below) is probably the highlight of the show through two episodes, but in terms of calculated menace, The Swede is still several steps behind Michael Shannon’s Agent Van Alden on “Boardwalk Empire.”

Entertainment Heartbeat has a new interview with Sasha Roiz, mostly about Grimm. Snippets below, read the rest at the link.

So, how does an actor prepare to be likable while working as the top bad guy on a show crowded with genuine monsters and their supernatural power?

New projects for Eric Stoltz, Polly Walker and Ben Cotton, and new interviews with Sasha Roiz and Christopher Heyerdahl

A bunch of updates today, most of which were supposed to go up over the weekend:

There is a new BSG site in town: Battlestar Galactica Filming Locations. It's a pretty thorough guide to all the places seen in the show's four seasons and two films, and very handy for anyone planning a trip to Vancouver, along with Visit Caprica. Check it out at BattlestarLocations.com.

On TV tonight: Richard Harmon tweets that his episode of Clue airs tonight. That's 8 pm ET on the Hub TV Network. You can watch the series trailer on YouTube.

Yesterday's episode of Glee, "Mash Off," was directed by Eric Stoltz. Fox has released a couple of new behind-the-scenes clips today (embedded & linked below).

Hell on Wheels preview, new interview with Christopher Heyerdahl & new project for David Eick

Christopher Heyerdahl makes his first appearance as the Swede in Hell on Wheels 1x02, "Immoral Mathematics," which airs tonight at 10 pm on AMC. He's been getting great reviews for the show (see here), so see the episode if you get a chance. Here is another one, from The Boston Globe:

Indeed, once a character known as the Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) shows up in episode 2, with his silent-picture expressiveness and the kind of threatening presence usually found in Coen Brothers movies, I was fully invested in the show and looking forward to seeing the rest of the 10-episode season. The Swede is just the kind of twisted psycho creep you want to watch closely, the showiest bad guy in the “Hell on Wheels’’ stampede of antiheroes led by financier, swindler, and railroad builder Thomas Durant (Colm Meaney).

And here is what the A.V. Club says:

Tonight’s episode introduces our new favorite character ever, The Swede, played by Christopher Heyerdahl. Trust us, kids. You’re going to want to start working on your Scandanavian accent for your Swede Halloween costume next year. Phil Nugent’s got a head start.

Cast updates and new interviews with Jane Espenson, Carmen Moore and Scott Porter

A few updates to start the week.

Jamie Bamber guest stars on House tonight (9 pm, Fox, teaser below) and a new episode of Hart of Dixie with Scott Porter also airs at 9 pm, on the CW.

The Boston Herald has a new interview with Scott. He talks about Hart of Dixie, Friday Night Lights and the possibility of returning to The Good Wife. Snippet:

“Blake was the trickiest character I ever played,” he said.

Any chance Blake could return to stir up trouble?

“The (producers) and I have talked about it,” he said. “If Blake does come back, he’s going to come back in a much different capacity. This time, maybe, he’s the one who needs the help. It’s going to be great to see if he can repair those bridges that he burned. Not just burned, but dropped bombs on.”

Elsewhere:

Spoiler TV has the promotional photos from Grimm 1x04, "Lonelyhearts." Here are the ones with Sasha Roiz:

Christopher Heyerdahl in Hell on Wheels: What the critics are saying

AMC's new western drama Hell on Wheels premieres tonight at 10 pm, after The Walking Dead.

From all accounts, Christopher Heyerdahl doesn't make an appearance until next week's episode, but critics have been mentioning him a lot in the early reviews. Just for context, most of them are not quite as enthusiastic about the show as they are about his character. (He plays a Norwegian badass called The Swede who works for the show's resident villain, railroad boss Thomas 'Doc' Durant, played by Star Trek's Colm Meaney.)

Here are a few snippets from some of the reviews flooding my inbox this week (careful, there are spoilers):

Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter:

In fact, the best character appears in the second episode but isn’t mentioned in the voluminous press materials or episode synopsis (!). It’s Christopher Heyerdahl, playing a character named The Swede. How is it that in one hour -- Episode 2 -- the Swede seems fully formed and the lead, Bohannon, seems to be an intentionally murky mix of good and bad that is more theoretical than evident?

Alessandra Torresani on American Horror Story tonight, new interviews with James Marsters, Scott Porter & Christopher Heyerdahl

Okay, for real this time:

Alessandra Torresani guest stars on American Horror Story tonight at 10 pm on FX. Here is the synopsis for both Halloween episodes, from THR:

In Part 1, Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) met the house's previous tenants, a gay couple (played by Zachary Quinto and Teddy Sears) obsessed with decorating the home just right for Halloween so the Harmons can unload the property.

In addition, Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga) inch closer when the couple takes advantage of the old Halloween loophole that all the ghosts come out to walk the streets for the night as they hit the beach for their first official date.

Alessandra plays Steph, one of the unwelcome visitors on that date. For previews, go to Sci Fi Mafia.

Ryan Robbins tweets that one of his recent films, Marilyn, will premiere at the Whistler Film Festival, which runs from November 30 to December 4.

For production stills and more details about the film, visit the official site at MarilyntheMovie.net. Here is some info from the press release (PDF link):