[Televisionary]

Fans upset about the dream sequence in the season finale of Bones had their chance to question creator Hart Hanson about his decision to have Seely Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), uh, hook up in the dream world. Hanson and Deschanel appeared at the Comic-Con panel for Bones , though Dechanel’s co-star David Boreanaz wasn’t in attendance as his wife was thirty-four weeks pregnant with their second child. Though he did send in a rather wry pre-taped video greeting for the panel in which he mocked Hanson’s uber-Canadian ways. “I saw the season finale as a love letter to our very, very loyal fans,” said Hanson, reacting to a fan’s question about the dream romance. “I hope in retrospect the season finale will become more and more likable to our loyal fans. Though I think the loyal fans got it. The people who tune in every once in a while didn't like it as much. And I definitely heard about it." He added that the episode itself was “full of inside j

With the sixth and final season of Lost looming, executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse made their annual trek to Comic-Con for what is likely the last Lost panel at the convention. Ever. In the tradition of hijinx-fueled Lost panels, this one was no different, with Team Darlton teasing some details about what to expect on the series while also offering attendees the chance to laugh until it hurt. Given that the end of the series is so near, expectations ran high but our favorite Lost masterminds didn't disappoint, offering up a montage of fan-created video mashups (faves included Jack waiting for Xbox support, a Jack and Sawyer bit that reimagined them as Brokeback Mountain-style lovers, and a bit that recast the castaways as Muppet Babies), some newly created humorous videos including a "from our sponsor" commercial for Mr. Cluck's (starring Jorge Garcia's Hurley), an episode of America's Most Wanted featuring a still-on-the-lam

One of the most highly anticipated panels this year at Comic-Con was that for HBO's sexy vampire drama True Blood , which played to a packed crowd in Ballroom 20 this year. On hand were showrunner Alan Ball, novelist Charlaine Harris (whose Sookie Stackhouse novels comprise the basis for the series), and cast members Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Michelle Forbes, Sam Trammell, Deborah Ann Woll, and Alexander Skarsgard. Not surprisingly, the cast's appearance received major fanfare from the crowd but that was just the beginning of a one-hour session that featured a promo for the back half of the second season of True Blood , an announcement about the launch of Tru Blood the beverage (more on that in a bit), and the news that Charlaine Harris had signed a deal for three more Sookie Stackhouse novels. "Everybody's going to go through some changes," promised executive producer Alan Ball of the second half of True Blood 's sopho

The big news coming out of the 24 panel at Comic-Con 2009: CTU is back in a major way, Jack is happy, and Katee Sackhoff slides into the action-adventure series like a glove. Just don't expect her character, Dana Walsh, to be anything like Starbuck. Three of the series' newest cast members--Sackhoff, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Anil Kapoor--were on hand along with what seemed like a zillion writer/producer types on the series and Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub, of course. Last season was about "getting Jack to a place where living mattered," said executive producer Howard Gordon. "Day Seven and Day Eight are probably, more than others, really connected together." So where do we start on Day Eight? Manny Coto joked that Day Eight takes place "30 years later." But really it starts with "Jack happy" with his daughter and granddaughter. But don't expect Jack to get all mushy. "It won't last," promised executive produce

This morning's panel at Comic-Con 2009 for Syfy's Caprica and Battlestar Galactica: The Plan certainly did not disappoint. For one, there was some new footage of BSG: The Plan to see and there was finally a firm announcement about when BSG prequel series Caprica would debut: Friday, January 22nd of next year. Caprica 's executive producers Ronald D. More and David Eick, showrunner Jane Espenson, Esai Morales, The Plan 's director/star Edward James Olmos and Grace Park were on hand to unveil the footage and discuss what lies ahead for the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The footage of BSG: The Plan was fast and furious and left me wanting more right now. It gave me chills and will present the Cylon's plan of human genocide from their own twisted POV, enabling the audience to see the events of Battlestar Galactica from the Cylons' perspective. Jane Espenson, Caprica 's showrunner who wrote the script for BSG: The Plan , said that the, er, plans for The P

In a move likely to send Eureka fans into a frenzy, Syfy EVP Mark Stern used the Eureka panel at Comic-Con to announce the popular sci-fi series will be getting a 22-episode fourth season pick-up. While an auditorium full of screaming Eureka fans might seem like a perfect venue to make such an announcement, the move appeared to be totally impromptu as it came about after the panel's moderator Josh Gates (host of Syfy unscripted series Destination Truth ) playfully decided to phone up star Colin Ferguson in Bulgaria (who is currently there shooting telepic Lake Placid 3 for Syfy). When Gates asked Ferguson if he had anything to say to the assembled crowd, Ferguson replied that he wanted to know if the show was coming back for another season. After some urging from both the crowd and the Eureka panelists in attendance (which included creator Jaime Paglia and cast-members Joe Morton, Erica Cerra, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Neil Grayston, and Jaime Ray Newman), Mark Stern finally

Well, guys, it's time for me to hit the road and head off to San Diego Comic-Con 2009. I'm taking the train down this morning and will be reporting from the convention and covering panels for such television series as Lost, True Blood, Doctor Who, 24, Bones, Caprica/BSG, The Mighty Boosh, Fringe, V , and much, much more. (And hopefully I'll find time to relax a little bit too at one of the multitude of official parties going on this weekend in San Diego.) In the meantime, you can discuss Day One, Day Two , and Day Three of BBC America's Torchwood: Children of the Earth , talk about my review of Dollhouse: Epitaph One , read my interview with Mad Men 's Rich Sommer, check out my advance review of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead , sneak a peek at the new Doctor and his companion , and check out the plethora of other original content here at Televisionary. I'll be posting as much as I humanly can amid the madness down in SD, but you can also follow my adventures vi

With the schedule for San Diego Comic-Con ever so slowly making its way onto the official website ( Thursday , Friday , Saturday , and Sunday are now up), I thought I'd ask once again this year: who's in for Comic-Con 2009? Passes are once again impossible to purchase at this year's festival (with no on-site registration available for professions or press, no less), which boasts a lineup that includes panels for such series as Lost, True Blood, Chuck, Doctor Who, Flash Forward, V, Torchwood, 24, Bones, The Mighty Boosh, Eureka, Caprica, The Prisoner, Human Target, Dollhouse, Fringe, Psych, Stargate Universe, Smallville, Supernatural, Burn Notice, Robot Chicken , and a host of others. (Seriously, the list goes on and on this year.) For my part, I'll be covering as many panels and press rooms as humanly possible and reporting from the convention as long as the WiFi connection holds. (My must-see panels this year: Lost, Caprica/BSG, True Blood, Doctor Who, The Mighty Boos

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of upcoming film Julie & Julia last night and urge all you film-loving foodies to head out and watch it when it's released. Just make sure you eat beforehand! Comedy Central has ordered ten episodes of an untitled multi-camera comedy series starring Jon Heder ( Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite ). Project, about an unemployed IT specialist who returns to his smalltown to move in with his parents and younger brother, will be written by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy. Series hails from Debmar-Mercury and Gary Sanchez and will have an initial run on Comedy Central; if it scores with audiences, another 90 installments will be automatically picked up with Comedy Central having the first window while Debmar-Mercury will sell the series into first-run syndication at the same time. ( Variety ) ABC has announced that it will launch FTVS' internationally produced drama ser

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to go over on the first day back after a long holiday weekend. Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have promised viewers a definitive ending for Lost when the series wraps its run next year. "We won’t be vague and ambiguous – there will be a lot of answers," promised Lindelof, speaking at a BAFTA event in London. "We feel that if we hold anything back in the final season, it would be bad. Everyone’s come this far and they want a conclusion to the story. We’ve no plans to continue the story of Lost beyond series six. My wife says 'never say never.' I say 'never.'" That final season won't feature time travel elements but will instead feel more like the first season. "There’s a circularity to the show," said Cuse. Just don't look for a happy ending. "Bittersweet comes with the territory," said Lindelof. "The ending we’re aspiring to

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Christian Slater ( My Own Worst Enemy ) is in talks to topline ABC drama series The Forgotten , from Warner Bros. Television and executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. If the deal closes, Slater would replace Rupert Penry-Jones, who appeared in the original pilot episode as a former cop whose daughter was kidnapped and went missing. Another role--that played in the pilot by Reiko Aylesworth--is also being recast. The series is set to launch Tuesday, September 22nd at 10 pm. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Don't look for the series finale of Lost to feature a happy ending, according to series regular Michael Emerson. "I don't think Lost will have a happy ending," Emerson told Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello. "It's the end and I think we are going to start seeing more casualties. I would put money on major characters being killed. I believe it will be a sad ending to the show -- or at least bittersweet.

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), Syfy has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month. The cabler will be offering panels based around Caprica and telepic Battlestar Galactica: The Plan , Eureka , Sanctuary, Warehouse 13 , and Stargate Universe . Additionally, Syfy will be taking over the Hard Rock Cafe and will re-brand the eatery as Eureka ’s own “Cafe Diem” for entire breadth of the convention. Cafe Diem will be the focal point for many of Syfy's planned activities throughout the convention. The full press release from Syfy can be be found below, along with dates and times (and descriptions) of each of their panels. SCI FI FEATURES FAN FAVORITE SERIES AND STARS AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2009 New York, NY – June 30, 2009 – In keeping with its longstanding tradition of hosting some of Comic-Con’s most popular, crowd-pleasing events over the years, SCI FI Channel will once again feature some of its biggest hits – as we

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), Warner Bros. Television Group has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month. All of the usual suspects-- Chuck, Fringe, Supernatural, Smallville , and The Big Bang Theory --will be in attendance along with new series from the studio including V, Human Target, Past Life, Eastwick , and Vampire Diaries and animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold . Additionally, Warner Bros. Entertainment (WBE) will once again have a nearly 3,000-square foot, two-story booth right on the convention floor and will naturally be giving away those exclusive and ubiquitous Comic-Con Bags. The full press release from Warner Bros. Television Group, along with dates, times, and locations (as well as full descriptions) of their panels can be found below. WARNER BROS. TELEVISION GROUP RETURNS TO COMIC-CON IN 2009 WITH STAR-STUDDED LINEUP FEATURING A RECORD 11 SHOWS Stars and Creators of “The Big Bang Theory,” “C

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), 20th Century Fox has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month. The unusual suspects-- 24, Bones, Dollhouse, The Simpsons --are all going to be on hand to present cast and producer panels throughout the weekend but the studio has also announced panels for Glee, Cleveland Show, American Dad , and Futurama to boot. Meanwhile, such boldface names as Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Katee Sackhoff, Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, and the cast of Glee will be on hand as well. The full press release from 20th Century Fox Television can be be found below, along with dates and times (and descriptions) of each of their panels. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION BRINGS NINE SHOWS TO COMIC-CON Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Katee Sackhoff, Jo