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(L-R) Amanda Righetti as Maddie and Adrian Pasdar as Nolan in "Fallout." Photo copyright of The USA Network.
This week on Colony, when the Resistance reaches out to Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies), Will (Josh Holloway) chooses to help his wife bury her past. Meanwhile the labor camp gets a visit from Maddie (Amanda Righetti) and Nolan (Adrian Pasdar). Check out the clip below and then tune in for Fallout on Thursday, February 16th @ 10 p.m. EST/9:00 p.n. CT on the USA Network.
(L-R): Vanderveer Wayne Sr. (Corbin Bernsen) and Van (Alan Tudyk) in "Sinking Day." Photo copyright of NBC.
On this week's all-new episode of Powerless, when the team loses a client due to Van’s (Alan Tudyk) incompetence, Emily (Vanessa Hudgens) seeks to clinch a deal with the people of Atlantis. Because of his massive screw up, Van’s father (guest star Corbin Bernsen) takes notice and sets him on a patch to redeem himself. Meanwhile, new employee Alex (guest star Matthew Atkinson) starts at the office and Teddy (Danny Pudi) and Ron (Ron Funches) are convinced he is a superhero. Powerless also stars Christina Kirk as Jackie and Jennie Pierson in the recurring role of Wendy. Check out the clip below from Sinking Day and then make sure to tune on Thursday, February 16th @ 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
Freeform and Marvel have announced six new series regulars for its highly anticipated series, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, a live-action adaptation of the popular Marvel comic.
Andrea Roth (Rescue Me, Blue Bloods) will portray Melissa Bowen, Tandy’s mom, who is the eternal optimist despite the struggles to adapt to her new existence. While complex and emotionally composed, her love for her daughter burns bright. Tyrone’s mother, Adina Johnson, will be played by Gloria Reuben (ER, Mr. Robot). Mrs. Johnson invests every aspect of her being into giving her son the life she believes he deserves. But she props up and protects Tyrone so much she almost forgets to love him. Miles Mussenden (Bloodline, Queen Sugar) will star as Tyrone’s father, Michael Johnson, who trudges through his desk job to keep his family safe and happy. Mr. Johnson is a working-class father does what he can to ensure his son will grow up to be a great man. Liam will be played by Carl Lundstedt (Grey’s Anatomy, Conviction), a salt-of-the-earth townie who operates as Tandy’s partner in crime while moonlighting as her boyfriend. But underneath his rough-around-the-edges appearance, Liam has big dreams. Portrayed by James Saito (Life of Pi, The Devil’s Advocate), Dr. Bernard Sanjo has been an emotional cornerstone in Tyrone’s life; they have a most unusual relationship. J.D. Evermore (True Detective, The Walking Dead) will take the part of Detective Connors, who is a contradiction of a man embracing an intimidating persona that overcompensates for a secret he keeps close to the vest.
"We are incredibly excited to be underway on our first Marvel project with such a talented group of actors that really enhance the world that our Cloak & Dagger live in," said Karey Burke, executive vice president, Programming & Development, Freeform.
Executive producer and showrunner, Joe Pokaski said "It's been important to us from day one that Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is about character and emotion above all. We’re so excited to have assembled a murderers’ row of talented actors who can execute on that, and then some."
“We’re thrilled to fill out the rest of the talented cast on Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and join with Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph to make a show that fans, new and old, will enjoy,” said Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television and executive producer.
Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is a coming-of-age series based on the beloved comic characters. Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph,) come from starkly different backgrounds, each growing up with a secret they never dared share with another soul. The series is co-produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios. Joe Pokaski (Underground, Heroes) will serve as showrunner and executive producer; Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Luke Cage, Marvel’s Iron Fist), Marvel’s head of Television, and Jim Chory (Marvel’s Luke Cage, Marvel’s Iron Fist) will also serve as executive producers. Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) is set to direct the first episode.
If you happen to be passing a newsstand, check out the new issue of Sci Fi Magazine (April 2017 issue) which contains my "TV in Focus" section interviews with Lyndie Greenwood (Sleepy Hollow), Bree Turner (Grimm), David Nykl (Arrow), Adria Arjona (Emerald City), Kyle Gallner (Outsiders), Joseph Morgan (The Originals), Alex Neustaedter (Colony) and McKenzie Wesmore (Face Off) as well as feature interviews with Maisie Richardson-Sellers (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Sonya Cassidy (Humans), Ming-Na Wen (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Hale Appleman (The Magicians). Thanks as always for your continued support!
Steve Eramo
(L-R): Aimee Garcia, Kevin Alejandro, Lauren German, Tom Ellis, Tricia Helfer, Lesley-Ann Brand, DB Woodside and Rachael Harris. Photo copyright of FOX.
FOX has ordered a third season of Lucifer, the devilishly fun series about the original fallen angel who moves to Los Angeles and teams up with the LAPD to take down criminals. Twenty-two episodes have been ordered.
“Lucifer is one of those rare shows that starts strong out of the gate, and just keeps getting better and better,” said David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Tom, Lauren and the entire cast have really made these characters three-dimensional, and the production team – Jerry, Len, Jonathan, Joe and Ildy – is one of the best in the business. We’d also like to thank our partners Warner Bros. for their commitment to this show and we look forward to seeing where this wildly innovative series takes us in Season Three.”
Delivering an average Multi-Platform audience of eight million viewers, Lucifer stars Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Rachael Harris, DB Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Kevin Alejandro, Aimee Garcia, Tricia Helfer and Scarlett Estevez. The series is based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo, from DC Entertainment.
In the all-new spring premiere of Lucifer, Candy Morningstar, airing Monday, May 1st @9:00 p.m. EST/PST on FOX, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) has gone off the grid and cut off all contact from his family and the police department, following Chloe’s (Lauren German) near-death. But the murder of an up-and-coming guitarist causes him to resurface – with a new mystery woman. Meanwhile, Lucifer’s mom (Tricia Helfer) realizes she may have found a way to finally get them back to Heaven.
Lucifer is produced by Warner Bros. Television, in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Aggressive Mediocrity. The series is based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo, from DC Entertainment. Tom Kapinos (Californication) wrote and executive-produced the pilot. The series is executive-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson. Len Wiseman serves as director and executive producer. Kapinos serves as executive consultant on the series. “Like” Lucifer on Facebook at facebook.com/LuciferonFOX . Follow the series on Twitter @LuciferonFOX and join the conversation using #Lucifer. Check out photos and videos on Instagram@LuciferonFOX .
All previously aired episodes of Season Two of Lucifer are available on FOX NOW and On Demand to subscribers of participating pay-TV services. To learn more about FOX NOW, please visit www.foxnow.com .
As noted above, photo copyright of FOX, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
(L-R): Penny (Arjun Gupta) and Quentin (Jason Ralph) in "The Flying Forest." Photo copyright of Syfy.
On next week's all-new episode of The Magicians, Quentin (Jason Ralph) and Penny (Arjun Gupta) embark upon a quest. Meanwhile, Margo (Summer Bishil) works on a way to help Eliot (Hale Appleman), and Julia (Stella Maeve) seeks out an old friend’s help. Check out the clip below from The Flying Forest and then tune in on Wednesday, February 15th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. EST on Syfy (US).
Face Off: All Stars contestant Emily Serpico puts some final touches on her "Snow Queen." Photo copyright of Syfy.
Next week on an all-new episode of Face Off: All Stars, in the second elimination challenge of the season, the All-Star teams work to create beautiful snow queens inspired by a series of unique snowflakes. Snow Queens airs Tuesday, Febraury 14th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. CT on Syfy (US).
As noted above, photo copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Tracy Scoggins as Captain Elizabeth Lochley in Babylon 5.
Once again, I have decided to open up the interview vault and revisit some of the many interviews I have had the pleasure of writing over the years and that just appeared in-print and not on-line. In today's interview, the always charming Tracy Scoggins talks about taking command as Captain Elizabeth Lochley in the popular Sci-Fi TV series Babylon 5. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more familiar faces and shows!
Life has never been dull for Tracy Scoggins. Whether modelling swimsuits on a sun-drenched tropical isle or playing a television character which has lived for hundreds of years, she does everything with style and panache. When TV Zone last spoke with the actress she was getting ready to embark on her greatest adventure yet having just been cast as Captain Elizabeth Lochley, the stalwart commander of a troubled space station on the Turner Network Television science fiction series Babylon 5. Having recently completed a full season of episodes and two made-for-television movies, Scoggins looks back fondly at her work on the program which began with just another audition.
“I’d read for the part that Shari Belafonte eventually got in the [second] Babylon 5 movie Thirdspace. So that was the first time I presented myself to the producers, which was actually several months before the whole Lochley thing came about,” recalls Scoggins.
“Obviously, the fact that they asked me to come back and read for a part on the series meant that they must have liked something that I did in the previous audition or at least saw some potential there. I must tell you, though, that it took a half-dozen or so auditions altogether for me to nail the role of Lochley and it was pretty much business as usual. What happens is that there are a lot of women the first time you go and gradually the field gets narrowed down. So at the last two auditions, I believe, there were four or five of us left and I was lucky enough to be chosen.”
The Lochley character was created in response to the controversial departure of Claudia Christian who played Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova for the first four seasons. When she and Babylonian Productions failed to reach an agreement on her contract for the latest season Ivanova was written out of the series and Lochley was brought aboard. Although she is playing a totally different role, did Scoggins have reservations about joining the show because of this?
“None, and, you know, I recently addressed this issue with a group in Atlanta [Georgia] and I have to say the same thing I said to them because it’s so true. The one thing we, Tracy and Elizabeth, have in common is a tendency not to concern ourselves with things that we absolutely cannot control,” she says. “I can’t determine people’s preferences but what I can do is use my energy creating the most watchable character I possibly can. Notice I didn’t say amiable. In the beginning I purposely didn’t make her that likable because I think there were different steps to go through in her development. So I feel my responsibility was to create a great character and then let the people decide.
“I see very few similarities in the two of us, Ivanova and Lochley, except that we’re both in the military. Well, we also both have green eyes, brown hair and are five-eight-and-a-half, but that’s all,” jokes the actress. “Ivanova has her own way of doing things and so does Lochley.”
When Commander John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) is chosen as President of the Interstellar Alliance he selects Captain Elizabeth Lochley, an Earth Force officer, to take command of Babylon 5. Lochley arrives on the station at the start the show’s fifth-season opener No Compromises. She immediately gets to work to secure Babylon 5 against the threat of an assassin who plans to kill Sheridan during his inauguration ceremony. Like her character Scoggins got right down to work her first day on the set.
“I was in every scene and in every frame just about with a whole lot of dialogue,” she recalls. “Luckily for me, I think, one of the things we shot that day was the audition scene that I’d already done several times with Jerry Doyle [Michael Garibaldi], so that was a breeze.
“Everyone was so warm and welcoming to me,” continues Scoggins. “Having Janet Greek as the director was a real boon to the whole creative process. Because she’s such a strong and efficient woman it helped me to have her there molding the Lochley character with me. Believe me, I’m not saying that a guy couldn’t have done it just as well but I feel that it was an aid for me to have her there. When a woman decides to become a director or even a high-ranking officer in the military it’s really a foray into a man’s world. Maybe not so much in the twenty-third century but I have to go with my own personal observations in today’s world. So my character identified with her in that respect as well.
“When Lochley first arrives on Babylon 5 she shares a certain mistrust about her situation, much like the people on the station do about her, you know? I think that any time you go into an arena where you don’t feel completely safe you put up walls and try to hide your true self, but as time passes Lochley is more willing to show her soft underbelly. Not that my belly’s soft, let me tell you,” laughs the actress.
“Something else I feel really helped define my character early on were the fireworks between her and Garibaldi,” adds Scoggins. “I think it’s human nature to clash occasionally with those people with whom you have the most in common, so I like the way their relationship developed. It went from complete distrust and constant disagreement to a certain acceptance and then an understanding and, finally, a friendship, and I think that’s very real, especially in a working environment.”
A great deal about Lochley’s past is made known as the fifth year unfolds, especially in the episode Strange Relations which reveals that she and Sheridan were married briefly several years ago. It is because of the time that they did spend together, however, that the commander knows that he can still trust Lochley. Viewers also discover that the captain was once stationed on an outpost on which a rogue telepath murdered two of her crew. This could explain why she is hesitant to grant a group of rogue telepaths refuge in “No Compromises.” Lochley is reunited with her dead childhood friend Zoe (Bridget Flanery) in Day of the Dead and when faced with A Tragedy of Telepaths she contacts old acquaintance Alfred Bester (Walter Koenig) for assistance. Scoggins is delighted with her character’s story arc and is grateful to Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski for playing an active role in Lochley’s development.
“If fans like me he made them like me,” she says. “JMS, for the sake of saving some breath, has a certain sixth sense about people. When I was a kid I used to be obsessed with the phoenix legend and how it had sort of manifested itself in completely unrelated cultures. I used to draw pictures of the birds and I even embroidered some on a pair of Levis.
“I remember skimming through one of the first Babylon 5 scripts [Strange Relations] I received and there’s a scene in which Lochley is wearing her flight helmet. On the outside of it is an insignia of a phoenix. I immediately phoned JMS and said, ‘OK, you must have talked to either my mother or my friend Martha from high school. Which one was it?’ He told me, ‘No, I just thought that would be appropriate for Lochley.’ How weird is that? It’s not something I had ever mentioned before in an interview, so he couldn’t have read it on the Internet or anywhere else. It was something that I hadn’t even thought about in years.
“JMS really thinks about his characters,” continues Scoggins. “It’s no secret that I, Tracy, am a confirmed junk food junkie and he allowed me to make Lochley that, too. He must have really enjoyed writing that into the scripts because whenever Lochley’s eating she’s chowing down on some really disgusting high-fat food.
“In River of Souls [the third Babylon 5 movie] there’s a scene in which Lochley comes in holding this ridiculous fast food thing with a silly straw sticking out of it. She says something like, ‘They make the best beefburgers on the station. Not that I’m the least bit deluded that there’s any beef in this, but if it tastes good you don’t ask questions.’
“JMS also knows I’m a very athletic, open-air kind of person, so the art on the walls of Lochley’s quarters is of outdoor scenes from places on Earth that she misses. I even have my own family photos in her office and JMS had them put athletic trophies in there, too. It’s little things like those that make you feel really at home in a character and I think the viewers pick up on that.”
One of the more interesting aspects of Lochley’s character is the fact that she is Sheridan’s ex-wife. Married couples have been living and loving in outer space ever since Doctors John and Maureen Robinson on Lost in Space, but there were no ex-spouses aboard the Jupiter 2. The fact that Sheridan handpicked Lochley to replace him and Ivanova proves that there is no animosity between them with regard to their past relationship. As for the commander’s new wife Delenn (Mira Furlan), Scoggins promises there will be no catfights aboard Babylon 5.
“I think there’s a strong mutual respect and an undying trust that exists between Lochley and Sheridan,” explains the actress. “As was said in the text of the show they were just too much alike, both having dominant personalities, to last together in marriage but as friends they are perfectly suited. Sheridan knows that in a pinch he can count on her to do the right thing by him both professionally and morally.
“With Lochley and Delenn you’ve got two strong females with very distinctive personalities. I don’t know that the viewers ever noticed it but I personally had a little fun with just silly small things during shooting. The first time I meet Delenn in Sheridan’s office in No Compromises I give her this up-and-down glance, sort of the once-over, which I think is what any ex would do when looking at the new Mrs. Sheridan,” she chuckles. “I like my scenes with Delenn a lot and I feel she and Lochley also respect each other, albeit it far more distantly.”
When looking back on all of the episodes she appears in Scoggins is hard-pressed to choose a favorite. She prefers to talk about some of the more memorable moments from her body of work on Babylon 5. “I like the defining welcoming scenes with Lochley,” notes the actress. “I also enjoy the first time we see her with Lieutenant Corwin [Joshua Cox] and he says, ‘Well, not everything will go into a report, captain,’ and I tell him, ‘Then the report is incomplete.’ I think that says a lot. I love how Lochley stands up to Sheridan and more or less tells him that she won’t be his ‘yes-woman’ or his little puppet but then says, ‘Sir,’ trying to end the conversation with a modicum of respect.
“Her scenes with Garibaldi in the mess hall where she states her case in front of everybody are pretty powerful. I think it’s a very defining and significant moment for both those characters. I love her interaction with Zoe in Day of the Dead because it allows the audience to see my character’s vulnerable side. There’s also this touching scene in Wheel of Fire in which I don’t really say anything but just watch as Sheridan’s ship leaves. I know that I, Tracy, felt a lot because it was the last day of filming and I think it sort of bled into the character, both literally and figuratively.”
According to Scoggins it was easy to become caught up emotionally in a scene such as this because the cast and crew on the program cared about each other. “Working on the show was a rare and wonderful experience for me on so many levels,” she says. “It’s such a different kind of set to work on than some of the other shows where I’ve been a regular or a guest-star, and that’s a lot of shows. With this cast and crew - and I can really make a blanket statement here and feel completely accurate - there’s a kindness about everyone and a real intelligence. I mean, in between shots we’d play Mindtrap or people would play chess. It was a very bright set to work on and everyone was always prepared and behaved professionally and I think the quality of acting speaks for itself. You can see that but you don’t know necessarily what’s going on behind the scenes. There’s a lot of giving and I wish I’d seen more of it in the past [on other jobs] and I hope to see more of it in the future. You could really get spoilt being there.”
Production on the show’s fifth and final season wrapped at the end of March but after a brief respite everyone involved was back in front of the cameras filming two new Babylon 5 movies. In the first, River of Souls, the Soul Hunters, immortal beings who capture and preserve souls, have returned and are searching for an ancient relic stolen from them. Lochley must not only prepare for their impending attack but also deal with the thousands of enraged souls that the thief inadvertently sets loose on the station.
“There’s not much I didn’t love about working on that movie,” enthuses the actress. “Once again Janet Greek directed. I was very, very heavily in the script and I got to work with Martin Sheen [the Soul Hunter]. I enjoyed the action, although they’ll definitely be a clip on the blooper reel. There’s one scene where Lochley’s running down the hall and has to toss a thermonuclear grenade into an area that needs to be destroyed.
“I did it so well in rehearsals and looked really tough. So when it came time to shoot the scene I threw the grenade, it bounced off the sides of the door, went, ‘Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing,’ and bounced back towards me. At this point I screamed like a woman and ran the wrong way, as if it were a real grenade,” she laughs. “I turned into Betty Boop for a second. Of course, the first word I heard before ‘Cut’ was ‘Print!’ OK, that’s saved for posterity!
“Working with Martin Sheen was wonderful. I remember when I was a teenager he did a television movie with Linda Blair called Sweet Hostage. That film had a real strong effect on me. It was such an interesting story and I thought he was just so sexy. Not trying to sound like John Hinkley, I told him that I had been a fan of his for some time and that I really enjoyed his work in that particular film. He then told me about this young man who had also seen him in a movie, The Execution of Private Slovik, and that his performance inspired this person to become a public defender and to fight for people’s rights. Well, his influence on me wasn’t quite so noble. I told him that all I could think about was getting kidnapped by a sexy older man. So we had a lot of laughs.
“Martin had this two-and-a-half-to-three-page monologue for his first scene and, let me tell you, he didn’t miss a syllable, even after having been in makeup since four o’clock that morning. We were all just uncommonly impressed by him. He would constantly entertain us on the set by singing Frank Sinatra songs. Of course, this was before his recent family problems involving his son Charlie, but he’s dealing with that situation very admirably and is taking a proactive role in trying to fix it. He’s an exceptional actor and human being.”
After a two-week break in May Scoggins returned to work to film the second movie, A Call to Arms, which is the lead-in to the Babylon 5 spin-off Crusade. “That was such a whirlwind,” she recalls. “They packed all of my scenes into just two days, which was OK because I spent that time working with Bruce, Jerry and Jeff [Conaway, Zack Allen]. In River of Souls I have such a great character arc and get to experience a variety of circumstances and emotions. It really is a dream for an actor. ‘A Call to Arms’ was challenging but not on the same level.”
Prior to the start of filming on both films Scoggins and Jerry Doyle along with J. Michael Straczynski had the opportunity to meet thousands of Babylon 5 fans at several shopping mall tours organized for the West Coast of the United States. The actress is touched by the overwhelming show of support she and Lochley have received from the viewers.
“Some people have said, ‘I wasn’t sure about you in the beginning but then you got me.’ That’s been a common response,” she says. “I think they had doubts as to Lochley’s true allegiance. They also weren’t sure if they were going to like anyone besides Ivanova, but everyone’s comments about my performance have been both flattering and positive, so I’m very pleased.”
Steve Eramo
he gripping new British thriller The Level debuts on Blu-ray and DVD on February 21, 2017 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. This Acorn TV Original Series and ITV co-production stars Karla Crome (You, Me & the Apocalypse, Under the Dome) as a detective with a secret double life that is about to unravel. The DVD and Blu-ray 2-Disc sets feature all 6 episodes plus bonus behind-the-scenes featurettes (54 min.) ($39.99 each, AcornOnline.com). The Level made its U.S. premiere in December on Acorn TV, the premier North America streaming service for world-class television from Britain and beyond.
Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin (Crome) is a good cop with a dark secret: she’s loyal to drug trafficker Frank Le Saux (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars), who is like a father to her. But when their clandestine meeting turns violent, leaving Frank dead and Nancy with a bullet wound, Nancy fears her double life may soon be exposed.
Assigned to Brighton to investigate the crime, Nancy must track down Frank’s killer while concealing her role – and her injury – from her enigmatic new partner, DS Gunner Martin (Noel Clarke, Star Trek Into Darkness, Doctor Who), and her old friend, DS Kevin O’Dowd (Robert James-Collier in his first series since playing conniving butler Thomas on Downton Abbey). Can Nancy stay one step ahead of her colleagues – and the killer?
Featuring “a great cast and a twist-filled plot” (London Evening Standard, UK), The Level also stars Joe Absolom (Doc Martin), Amanda Burton (The Commander), Lindsey Coulson (EastEnders), Laura Haddock (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Gary Lewis (Outlander).
Bonus: Behind-the-scenes featurettes (54 min.)
Street Date: February 21, 2017. Details: SRP: $39.99 each; DVD 2-Disc Set: 6 episodes plus bonus – Approx. 288 min. – SDH Subtitles – UPC 054961254491; Blu-ray 2-Disc Set: 6 episodes plus bonus – Approx. 288 min. – SDH Subtitles – UPC 054961254699. Contains violence, strong language, and sexual situations.
