TV and DVD

TV News

Lionsgate studio and Macrovision have announced an agreement for Lionsgate to acquire TV Guide Network and TV Guide Online.

“SCI FI Channel is letting viewers know that the Jan. 16 return of Battlestar Galactica at 10 p.m. will run 3 1/2 minutes long, so make sure to plan ahead if you’re watching live or set your DVR accordingly if you’re not.”

Kevin Reilly on Dollhouse, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Fringe, and Virtuality.

NBC has brought back to Heroes writer/producer Bryan Fuller, who wrote on the first season. Kring says that Fugitives, the still not officially green-lit fourth season, “There is almost nothing that the audience needs to know from the previous volume in order to follow its storyline. One of the goals of ‘Fugitives’ is to reset our characters back into the ‘real world.’ It is also a chance to set up a situation where they’ll need to find each other again and join forces in order to save themselves.” President of prime time entertainment Angela Bromstad says that spinoff Heroes: Origins is on hold due to “budgetary” reasons.

Watch all 17 episodes of the original The Prisoner over on AMC’s site. (RIP Patrick McGoohan)

BBC America has acquired Life on Mars’ [the BBC one] sequel series Ashes to Ashes, and will premiere it in March. “In Ashes to Ashes, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is transferred from Manchester to London and embraces the ’80s. He is joined by sexy psychological profiler, Detective Inspector Alex Drake from 2008, played by Keeley Hawes (MI-5), who finds herself stuck back in 1981 having been shot.”

Brannon Braga on Flash Forward, “Yeah, the structure’s not dissimilar from 24, and we want to reset the show at the end of each year, where we’ll do another flash forward at the end of the first season, and then potentially another flash forward at the end of the second season, each one kind of resetting the core characters’ visions of the future and introducing new characters.” It’s loosely based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel Flashforward, and will deal with the consequences of what happens when people around the world simultaneously have a 2-minute, 17-second glimpse into the future. Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Christine Woods, Jack Davenport, and Courtney B. Vance have been cast, with Braga, David Goyer, and Jessika Borsiczky Goyer developing it. Production starts February in Los Angeles.

“Magic realism” drama Kings will have a two hour premiere on NBC March 15 and then air on Sundays. Michael Green’s modern update of the Old Testament’s King David “is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances—and a young hero who rises to power.”

Satire fantasy series Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire will premiere on Comedy Central April 9. “Krod and his gang journey through a medieval fantasy world on a mission to fight an evil king.” An interview with actor Sean Maguire about the show.

AMC’s Charlie Collier says that the third season of Mad Men will be on schedule: “As long as we get the writers’ room up and running over the next few months, we’re fine (for a summer launch).” He’s also optimistic that an agreement with show creator Matt Weiner will be reached soon.

SCI FI Channel has cast Justin Louis, David Blue, Brian J. Smith, and Jamil Walker Smith in the upcoming Stargate Universe.

Fox’s network president Kevin Reilly on Prison Break’s cancellation: “We’ve got our remaining batch of four episodes and then there are a couple more we’re contemplating.”… “The show is played out.”

Neil Gaiman addresses a Doctor Who rumor.

DVD Releases

City of Ember – January 20
King Kong [2005] (Blu-ray) – January 20
Groundhog Day (blu-ray) – January 27
The Bourne Trilogy [The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum] (Blu-ray) – January 27
Lakeview Terrace – January 27
The Rocker – January 27
College – January 27
Friday the 13th Uncut: Deluxe Edition – February 3
Friday the 13th Part 2: Deluxe Edition – February 3
Friday the 13th Part 3: 3-D Deluxe Edition – February 3
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th – February 3
Red Mist – February 10
Ronin (Blu-ray) February 24
Twilight – March 21
Quantum of Solace – March 24
AfterDark HorrorFest 3 – March 31
Max Fleisher Superman Collection – April 7
The Wedding Singer (Blu-ray) – April 7
Ghostbusters (Blu-ray) – June 16