Sci-Fi Storm

BBC Cymru Wales announced that Brian Minchin will join Steven Moffat as Executive Producer on Doctor Who, replacing the departing Caroline Skinner.

Minchin is certainly no stranger to Moffat’s predecessor, Russell R. Davies (or the Who universe) – he’s worked with Davies on the recent Wizards vs. Alien as well as The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood: Children of Earth and Torchwood: Miracle Day, and also previously worked as as script editor on Doctor Who. He’s also worked with Toby Whithouse (who has also written for Doctor Who and Torchwood) on the UK Being Human and the upcoming The Game.

While things are looking good for Defiance to get a second season, it appears that executive producer/writer Michael Taylor won’t be part of it. No details are given as to why, but the show already sports two other writer/executive producers in Kevin Murphy and Rockne O’Bannon, so it could be a case of it being too crowded at the top…

Tonight’s an all-new Revolution on NBC, and Charlie shows Miles they’re cut from the same cloth…tune it tonight at 10/9c!

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Warehouse 13 returns on Monday (at 10/9c following Defiance) for the second half of Season 4, while fans – and cast and crew – are getting nervous about renewal.

To help raise awareness, the fan publicity engine is in full swing, centered around Renew Warehouse 13, which explains the situation well and how everyone can help. The biggest thing – don’t forget to watch! If any of you out there are Nielsen families especially, or know of them, the ideal is to watch the first showing live. Next best would be the repeat showing, and then watching it on a DVR within the first three days, and then within 7 days. They are all taken into account, but the most important is the live showing. And if watching on a DVR, watch the commercials as well. They are what is really counted, since advertisers want eyes on their ads, and that is what they pay for.

Not a Nielsen family? Get the word out. Get your friends to watch. Tweet about it. Post on Facebook. Let them know about this awesome show. And during the show, follow along on Twitter – Fans, cast and crew have been live-tweeting during Defiance, and I’m sure a few of us will stick around – and maybe we’ll see some others joining us, depending on their availability and which showing they are watching.

Of course, it’s natural to wonder why Syfy would not renew a popular show. It’s the cost. Show naturally get more expensive the longer they run, as contract amounts increase, etc. So then advertiser money needs to increase (which means ratings/demos need to go up), or costs need to be cut elsewhere (which can hurt production), or income from other sources needs to be found.

Anyways, in the meantime, enjoy this video of Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan) answering 5 fan questions, and then a short preview. And if you can’t get enough of Allison, I’ve also included the episode of Geek&Sundry’s TableTop, in which Allison joins host Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day (Actress, Producer, Writer – The Guild), Ashley Clements (Actress – The Lizzie Bennet Diaries), and Amy Okuda (Actress – The Guild) to play “Resistance”…
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On next Monday’s Defiance, while investigating vicious Hellbug attacks, Nolan & Irisa realize they are tied to Irathient spirit raiders that have come into town. Meanwhile, Irisa starts experiencing strange visions. Tune in at 9/8c…and try and get the Big Momma Hellbug’s grin out of your head. You’ve been warned!

As an added bonus, check out the deleted scene for last week’s episode!
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NBC has given an early renewal for Revolution, ordering a full 22 episode second season, which NBC reports is the top-rated drama among all broadcast networks, and is the #1 new drama in the 18-49 demo.

At the same time, NBC announced that they also renewed Grimm for a third season. Grimm continues to perform well on Friday nights, taking the #1 spot in the 18-49 demo.

ABC has given a pilot order for the SF drama Line of Sight from Blake Masters (Brotherhood), to be co-produced by Fox TV Studios and AMC Studios.

Line of Sight is the story of Lewis Bernt, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator who survives a mysterious plane crash, bringing him on an emotionally disorienting quest to discover the accident’s cause. It isn’t clear what the science fiction element is, but I have a feeling this may play out a bit like Lost. Joel Stillerman, AMC’s executive VP of original programming, said, “Blake Masters has created a world and set of characters that defies the traditional boundaries of drama and sci-fi. It’s got great elements of both genres while also having that unique blend of a conspiracy thriller. It is genuinely unexpected and unconventional.”

Here is a preview for next week’s episode of Revolution – don’t forget to tune in Monday at 10/9c on NBC!

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The second episode of Defiance, “Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go”, stayed strong for Syfy, with 2.4 million total viewers and 1.11 million Adults 25-54 and 1.06 million Adults 18-49 for the initial showing, making it the #1 cable drama in both demos for the time period.

It lost only a bit after its premiere of 2.7 million total/1.3 million 18-49, but the show picked up in the DVR and repeat showings, rising up to 3.5 million total/1.77 million 18-49.

Next week expect Defiance and Warehouse 13 to feed off each other, as the latter returns for the second half of Season four in the 10/9c slot right after Defiance.

To celebrate, here are a couple of “Shooting the Shtako” clips (LOVE the name…), one for each episode. In the first, Grant Bowler discusses shooting the pilot with executive producer Kevin Murphy. Then in the second, Tony Curran (Datak Tarr) talks joins Murphy about the second episode.
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Here is another clip to whet your appetite for Warehouse 13, plus a bonus – a video of last October’s Digital Press Panel done right on the set…the balding guy in the second row is yours truly…don’t forget, Warehouse 13 returns next week at 10/9c!
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