Sci Fi TV Top 5: Covering the top sci fi and fantasy TV stories of interest from the past week. You can keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV news headlines throughout the week at r/SciFiTV on Twitter and on Reddit.
1. Tigra and Dazzler Stalls in Production
Yet another Marvel TV series is experiencing troubles as the animated Tigra and Dazzler in the works at Hulu has lost its showrunner. Erica Rivinoja has left the series (or been excused from it) due to “creative differences”. According to Deadline Hollywood, the adult-animated show is still going forward, but don’t be surprised if that changes at some point. Marvel TV has been going through some changes with Kevin Fiege taking over creative control, and that has resulted in some house-cleaning. Hulu’s Runaways has been cancelled and the planned Ghost Rider series will not go forward. There are still other shows in the works such as the live-action Helstrom and the animated Howard the Duck, but those preceded Fiege’s tenure with the TV division and could find themselves on the chopping block. Stay tuned for more developments on this.
2. Star Trek‘s D.C. Fontana Passes Away at 80
Famed Star Trek writer and story editor D.C. Fontana passed away this week at the age of 80. Fontana first worked with Gene Roddenberry on the series The Lieutenant and then joined Star Trek: The Original Series as story editor during its first season. Among the scripts that she contributed to were “Charlie X”, “Tomorrow is Yesterday”, “This Side of Paradise”, “Journey to Babel”, “The Enterprise Incident”, and “This Way to Eden”. Most of the episodes she worked on are considered essential viewing for the series. Other shows she worked on after Trek included Star Trek: The Animated Series, Fantastic Journey, Logan’s Run, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Bablyon 5, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
3. NBC Orders Sci Fi Series Fallback
NBC has given a script order for the series Fallback which comes from Blindspot creator Martin Gero and Brendan Gall. Deadline Hollywood gives the following description for the project:
Fallback is a sci-fi thriller centered on an-off-the books task force that solves the most difficult and dangerous crimes through a top secret government program.
Warner Bros. TV is the studio and the network will be considering this show for its Fall 2020-21 schedule.
4. Mid-Season Premieres Announced for Doctor Who, Legends of Tomorrow, Locke & Key, and More
Mid-Season is starting to shape up and quite a number of premiere / return dates were announced this past week for sci fi TV shows. Doctor Who returns for its twelfth season on BBC and BBC America on New Years Day. That show then shifts to its regular Sunday night timeslot. The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow has its fifth season debut on January 21st which will also be the concluding episode to the Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over. Netflix’s new series Locke & Key has its debut on February 7th with all episodes available for viewing that day. Other premieres dates of interest: NBC’s Manifest returns for its second season January 6th, Star Trek: Picard debuts January 23rd on CBS All Access, and Syfy’ The Magicians has its fifth season debut January 15th. You can see the preliminary Mid-Season schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows at this link.
5. Casting News: Foundation and Wheel of Time Add to Their Casts
The Apple TV+ adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation has added five more to its cast: Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Terrence Mann, and Cassian Bilton. Jared Harris and Lee Pace have already been cast for the series. Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time has added four to its cast: Alvaro Morte, Hammad Animashaun, Alexandre Willaume, and Johann Myers. They will be joining Rosamund Pike who has already been secured for the show.
THE SCHED: The Expanse and the Runaways Return Next Week
The Fall season is almost over, but the streaming services still have a few more premieres left. On Friday, The Expanse makes its long-awaited return, premiering on Prime Video after it was saved by Amazon following Syfy’s cancellation. All ten episodes of the fourth season will be available that day. Also on Friday, Marvel’s Runaways has its third season debut on Hulu with all episodes available for viewing that day. This will be the final season for that series following the cancellation announcement. You can see the full schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows at this link and you can keep up with the weekly listings at this link.
More from CancelledSciFi.com
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Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.
Check back each Saturday for Sci Fi TV Retrospectives: A look back at cancelled, classic, forgotten, and more genre shows from the past.
