Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.
Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+): This series tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus. Premieres on Wednesday and will release one episode per week after that.
What If . . . ? (Disney+): This series flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Premieres on Wednesday and will release one episode per day after that.
Schedule Notes:
I originally had the Beacon 23 finale on the schedule for this week, but that one wrapped up with a double episode on December 17th. The second season of that show has officially been picked up by MGM+. There are no more premieres for December (unless one of the streamers drops something on us with no notice) and not too many shows releasing new episodes over the next two weeks, but things will pick up a bit in January as Mid-Season kicks off. Below are the listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for January and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.
Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Dec 18 – Dec 24
Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com
| Monday December 18 |
| No Genre Entries |
| Tuesday December 19 |
| No Genre Entries |
| Wednesday December 20 |
| Quantum Leap (NBC) 8:00-9:00 Preempted |
| Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+) Streaming Series Premiere |
| What If (Disney+) Streaming Season 2 Premiere |
| Thursday December 21 |
| Ghosts UK (CBS) 9:00-10:00 Preempted |
| Friday December 22 |
| For All Mankind (Apple TV+) Streaming |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+) Streaming |
| Saturday December 23 |
| No Genre Entries |
| Sunday December 24 |
| Krapopolis (FOX) 8:30-9:00 Repeat |
Sci Fi TV News
Apple TV+ has given the greenlight to Murderbot which will star Alexander Skarsgård. That is based on The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and Deadline gives the following description for the project:
The series centers on a self-hacking security android (Skarsgård) who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.
Chris and Paul Weitz (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) will be helming the series with David S. Goyer onboard as executive producer.
Also in the works is Otherland which is based on the four-book series by Tad Williams. Deadline gives the following description:
The world as we know it has an additional layer here – hyper-realistic VR arenas that have become a new place for fun, work, education but also debauchery, crime and abuse. The mysterious Otherland, supposedly another layer of the network, becomes a mere starting point for a multi-realm adventure.
Its Inception-like mechanics contain a series of realms, some uncannily resembling the world we know, others bizarre clusters of familiar creations and characters. Among them are intergalactic taverns, medieval fantasies, and battlegrounds of World War I, to name a few.
Platige Image (which produces The Witcher) and Mike Weber (The Wheel of Time) will be producing. No network or streaming service is attached at this point, but this one should draw some interest.
In renewal news, Amazon has officially given the greenlight to a third and final season of Good Omens and that is set to start production soon.
In casting news, Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) will be joining Apple TV+’s Foundation for its third season as a series regular and will play the psychohistorian Dr. Ebling Mis.
In scheduling news, the release for the new Disney+ series Echo has been moved up by one day. That one will premiere January 9th at 9 PM EST with all episodes available for viewing. You can see a teaser for it below.
Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV
Sci Fi TV Trailers
Echo (Disney+/Hulu): The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. Premieres January 9th.
You can see more sci fi TV trailers at this link.
More from CancelledSciFi.com:
Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
