[Televisionary]

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

And just like that, after five incredible nights, Torchwood: Children of Earth is over. But before we put Torchwood: Children of Earth to bed, I did promise that I would share Part Two of my interview with Torchwood and Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner from last week. You had the chance to read the first part of my interview with Julie Gardner about Torchwood: Children of Earth , but now that the five-episode arc has ended, we can get to the more spoilery parts of my Q&A with Gardner, in which she talks about the mini-series' ambiguous ending, Ianto Jones, the theme of motherhood and family, and The 456, among other things. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't yet seen the final installments of Torchwood: Children of Earth , don't read any further. But for those of you who have seen the ending and want to know just what the writers and producers were thinking about certain elements, read on. Televisionary: There was a lot of public outcry in the UK about the dec

"Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame." "Day Five" of Torchwood: Children of Earth , written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, proved to be absolutely gut-wrenching television, as evocative as it was gripping. In the hands of Davies and his writing staff, Torchwood: Children of Earth is one of the most powerful and moving pieces of television making this year. As a whole, Torchwood: Children of Earth is about what happens when we reach that tipping point, when the hard choices have to be broached, and sacrifices made. It's also about how the sins of the past always have a nasty habit at catching up to us and how truth will always out in the end. It's a heartbreaking testament to the enduring spirit of the human race and also how easily we as a society can turn on ourselves. You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day Five" has aired, we can discuss

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

"Three-two-five-zero-zero-zero." The latest episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth ("Day Four"), written by John Fay (who scripted "Day Two") and once again ably directed by Euros Lyn, was absolutely heartbreaking on a number of levels. It was inevitable that death would once again cast its pall over the Torchwood team but what was wholly unexpected were the callous actions and behavior of the PM's cabinet as they debated the criteria for deciding which of the nation's children will be offered up as human sacrifices to The 456, especially in light of what happened to the original twelve children taken in 1965 in the United Kingdom's first dealing with the alien race. Just what happened to these children? What are the criteria for choosing the next sacrifice? What is the cost of one child's live? And can Torchwood stop the 456 in time to prevent an outright war? Hmmm... You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Torchwood creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies, in which Davies defends the latest plot twist in Torchwood: Children of Earth (MAJOR SPOILER alert if you haven't yet seen "Day Four"), which has resulted in some angry fans. "It's not particularly a backlash," Davies corrected Ausiello. "What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset. Which is marvelous. It just goes to prove how much they love the character and the actor. People often say, 'Fans have got their knives out!' They haven't got any knives. I haven't been stabbed. Nothing's happened. It's simply a few people typing. I'm glad they're typing because they’re that involved. But if you can’t handle drama you shouldn’t watch it. Find something else. Go look at