Sci-Fi Storm

A couple of quick updates tonight…

Despite the less than stellar reviews before the debut of the CBS reboot of MacGyver, the freshman series had a strong debut and while there has been some loss of ratings it is in line with other shows, and now CBS has given the order for a full 22 episode season, along with sister series Bull. Strong international sales helped bolster their positions, helped by the fact that the show is fully owned by CBS.

We’re still not sold on MacGyver yet, but our rule is that if the premise interests us, we’ll give it at least 5 episodes to get going and hook us…

YouTube Red is making a play on the genre with a green light to Seven Bucks Productions and Studio71 for eight episodes of a half-hour time travel series tentatively called Lifeline, where life insurance agents are sent forward in time to prevent their clients from accidental deaths…I’m not sure why going forward makes sense yet…Seven Bucks Productions is the production company from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his partner Dany Garcia. It will be directed by Corridor Digital’s Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer and written by Ben Freiburger and Grant Wheele. Producers are Johnson, Garcia, Brian Gewirtz and Hiram Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions and Dan Weinstein, Gary Binkow and Amee Dolleman for Studio71.

A while back I came across this fan theory that Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in fact Mace Windu, the former Jedi Master who fought the soon-to-be-Emperor and lost, being flung Palaptine’s office window in a high tower on Coruscant. But we didn’t see him die – it is only implied, and if anything is true in science fiction (or Hollywood), if you didn’t seem them die, they can always come back – and sometimes, even if you did…and Samuel L. Jackson believes he’s still alive.

Now, this fan theory seems to stretch quite far on a number of things – I don’t believe the Finn is related theory at all – but it does raise some interesting points. But there’s one in particular that I want to debunk…that of the lightsaber color.
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Syfy has already given a renewal to freshman series Van Helsing, it’s post-apocalyptic vampire survival drama, for a 13 episode second season, set to begin production next January.

Van Helsing focuses on Vanessa Van Helsing, a descendant of vampire slayer Abraham Van Helsing, who awakens from a coma several years later in a now post-apocalyptic devastated world, where the vampires have control of most of the world. She awakens among a group of humans holed up in a building trying to survive, where she discovers her blood has the ability to turn the vampires human again – which makes her a target for the vampire Ancients.

It keeps getting better…

I can’t wait to see all the amazing visuals on the big screen – but this little screen will have to do – until November 4th, that is!

What’s going on at Sigma Biotech? Catch this sneak peek at Syfy’s new series Incorporated, executive produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Premieres November 30th at 10/9c.

Six new cast members have been added to Syfy’s Superman prequel series pilot Krypton.

Ian McElhinney (Game Of Thrones) is Val-El, grandfather of Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), and thus the great great grandfather of Kal-El/Superman. He is a rogue genius who believes that space exploration is a basic form of self-defense, and he has tried, without success, to warn the Kryptonian elite about the arrival of an ancient threat.

Elliot Cowan (Da Vinci’s Demons) is Daron Vex, the Chief Magistrate of Kandor.

Ann Ogbomo (World War Z) will play Primus Alura Zod, Lyta Zod’s (Georgina Campbell) mother and a leader of Krypton’s military guild.

Rasmus Hardiker (Your Highness) is Kem, a brilliant engineer as well as Seg-El’s best friend.

Wallis Day (The Royals) will play Nyssa Vex, a junior magistrate and the daughter of Daron Vex.

Aaron Pierre (Tennison) will be Dev-Em, a cadet under the command of Primus Alura Zod.

The Doctor is giving us a a double dose of medicine today…first, with a behind-the-scenes trailer for the upcoming Christmas episode, “The Return of Doctor Mysterio”, and then the teaser for the upcoming Doctor Who spinoff, Class!

My entire family is happy today now that Freeform (formerly ABC Family) has finally renewed Stitchers for a third season! Stars Emma Ishta and Kyle Harris announced it on Facebook Live:

Stitchers follows a secret government team that “stitches” into the memories of the recently deceased in order to find out what they witnessed before their death. It stars Emma Ishta as Kirtsen, the recently recruited “stitcher” with no sense of time or when to stop talking; Kyle Harris as Cameron, the neuroscientist and lead researcher; Ritesh Rajan as Linus, the bioelectric engineer; Eureka alum Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Maggie, the leader of the team; and Warehouse 13 alum Allison Scagliotti as Camille, Kirsten’s roommate and computer expert.

A couple of Syfy castings…first, the pilot for Superman-prequel Krypton found its male lead in newcomer Cameron Cuffe. Cuffe will play Seg-El, Kal-El’s grandfather who is trying to restore the honor of the ostracized House of El. He joins Georgina Campbell, announced last month as the female lead Lyta Zod.

Cuffe will appear as a recurring character in ITV’s (The Halcyon), and appeared in the movie Florence Foster Jenkins.

John Carroll Lynch has joined Channel Zero: The No-End House, the second installment of the creepypasta anthology series, as a series regular. Lynch will play the father of Margot (Amy Forsyth), whose whole world is his family, but below the surface he is a troubled and complicated man.

Lynch has appeared in a variety of movies and TV series, appearing recently in several episodes of American Horror Story: Hotel as John Wayne Gacy as well as American Horror Story: Freak Show as Twisty the Clown, and earlier in a comedic role as Drew Carey’s brother Steve in The Drew Carey Show. He’s also appeared in Ted 2, Fargo, and just directed his first feature film, Lucky.