Display until October 17, 2016 TV GUIDE SPECIAL | Y | fag EET | FROMTHE EDIToRs oF | ^ TheFlas E ВС The CW GUIDE Display until October 17, 2016 SPECIAL | Su bergirl Mondays, 8/7c, Тһе CW — FROM THE EDITORS OF (R) GUIDE Р LECT АП. 4 COVERS! Display until October 17, 2016 TURAL, PERN AND MORE * t f SPECIAL m GUIDE X X X X X X X X X X X X X Y X Y X X X X X XOX Y X X X X Y X X X Y X OY ++ Display until October 17, 2016 X X X X X Y X X YX X YX XY X XXX OOO OO A OO A FC OFC CFC FC OF TV GUIDE SPECIAL — - Хх ххх хх ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ RE I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kk kK WARNER BROS. (4) COLLECT ALL FOUR COVERS! This special issue will be available at the Warner Bros. booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego (July 20—24) and on newsstands all summer long. You can purchase individual copies or the entire set by calling 866-745-3337 or via tvguidemagazine.com/comiccon. The magazine is also available digitally for the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play and Zinio. ONTHE COVERS Jaimie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton of Blindspot; Grant Gustin of The Flash; Melissa Benoist of Supergirl; and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles of Supernatural. All photo illustrations by Warner Bros. PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER: Paul Turcotte CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Joe Clemente EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Nerina Rammairone EDITORIAL SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Rich Sands MANAGING EDITOR: Michael Fell DEPUTY EDITOR: Amy Miller SENIOR CRITIC: Matt Roush SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Scott Sode ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jason Clark SENIOR WRITERS: Damian Holbrook, Rob Moynihan, lleane Rudolph STAFF WRITERS: Aubry D'Arminio, Marisa Roffman, John Russell COPY CHIEF: John Hogan EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Emily Maas WRITER AT LARGE: Michael Logan CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Hogan, Danny Spiegel ART AND PHOTO DESIGN DIRECTOR: Kevin Newman ART DIRECTOR: Andy Ryan ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Philip Welsh DESIGNER: John Bernikow DEPUTY PHOTO EDITOR: Alyssa Adams PHOTO EDITOR: Erin Kelly ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR: Eryn Norton PRODUCTION DIRECTOR, EDITORIAL OPERATIONS: Angel Gonzalez Jr. ART PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jennifer O’Brien ART PRODUCTION ASSOCIATES: Sandra Jurevics, Edward Montayes ADVERTISING SALES SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Robert Leibowitz ACCOUNT MANAGER: Sherrill Flaum HEAD OF WEST COAST SALES: Sheri Jennings DIRECT RESPONSE SALES: Rob Schollenberger MARKETING SENIOR MARKETING ADVISOR: Lisa Natale ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED MARKETING: Natalie Echevarria BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Alyssa Kopelman MARKETING COORDINATOR: Nancy Kaplan MARKETING INTERN: Samantha Ferro MARKETING RESEARCH RESEARCH DIRECTOR: Jennifer Popper DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY MANAGER: Lori Perna EDITOR AND DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER: Joel Keller CIRCULATION SHAIN & ORINGER: Denise Heller, Harold Shain PRODUCTION OPERATIONS VP, PRODUCTIONFINANCE: Steve Kain DIRECTOR, MANUFACTURING: Marta N. Rubel DIRECTOR, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS: Al Robertson PRODUCTION MANAGER: Susan Little SOFTWARE ENGINEERS: Ken Wallace, Tony Green SENIOR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR: Thai Nguyen SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR: Thomas Mullen FINANCE VP, FP&A: Mark Okean VP, ACCOUNTING AND TREASURY: Michelle Lindquist MANAGER, ACCOUNTING SERVICES: Lisa Calhoun MANAGER, FINANCIAL PLANNING: Karen Lee FINANCE MANAGER: Julie Weitner AD SERVICES SUPERVISOR: Carol Woodson MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION: Jean Curnyn FACILITIES COORDINATOR: Richard Gerlich COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 1 L1| Contents | 4 SUNNY SMILES A look back at the famous faces who stopped by TV Сире MacaziNE's Comic- Con photo studio last year. 6 BLIND MATES Jaimie Alexander and Sullivan Staple- ton on keeping calm and carrying on. 8 BEHIND THE SCENES 10 BURNING QUESTIONS Debriefing executive producer Martin Gero on the crazy finale and what’s to come in Season 2. 11 CRACK THE CODE Can you unlock the mystery of В/їпа- spot's episode titles? THE FLASH 12 SPEED ROUND Quick questions for star Grant Gustin. 14 SHARK AND AWE How those Flash-y effects take shape on their way to your screen. 16 BURNING QUESTIONS Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg on all of the dark twists and where Season 3 is headed. ARROW 18 ARROW ATOZ Our comprehensive guide to four seasons of Oliver Queen and Co. 20 BURNING QUESTIONS What's in store for Green Arrow after Damien Darhk? 22 BEHIND THE SCENES 2| TVGUIDE MAGAZINE SUPERGIRL 24 “MY FIRST YEAR IN THE CAPE" Melissa Benoist talks about fight train- ing, working with hubby Blake Jenner and what it means to don that famous blue-and-red outfit. 26 BEHIND THE SCENES 28 BURNING QUESTIONS What changes are ahead for Kara's second season? GU LE "IN | u 29 BEHIND THE SCENES 30 SUPER WOMEN The ladies who have made their mark in Dean and Sam's lives. 32 LONGLIVE THE KING (OF HELL) Mark A. Sheppard on Crowley's demonic plans for next season. 33 BURNING QUESTIONS Previewing the road ahead for the Winchesters. GOTHAM 34 ABOVE THE LAW Ben McKenzie isn’t afraid to get Detective Gordon’s hands dirty. 35 BURNING QUESTIONS Postfinale intel on all those villains on the loose. 36 BEHIND THE SCENES 38 THE WOMEN OF GOTHAM Celebrating the city’s forceful females. = 7 40 BEHIND THE SCENES 42 DIRECTING THE UNDEAD Executive producer Julie Plec and star Paul Wesley on calling the shots behind the camera. 44 BURNING QUESTIONS Who-or what-is Mystic Falls' newest mystery threat? 45 THEIR FINEST HOURS The cast on their favorite Season 7 episodes. TI [s ды m LEFT: DIYAH PERA/THE CW. RIGHT: © 2016 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. CLOCKWISE FROM ТОР: KATIE YU/THE CW; ВОВ МАНОМЕҮ/ТНЕ CW; © 2016 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; JEFF NEUMANN/NBC THE ORIGINALS 46 KLAUS ENCOUNTERS Joseph Morgan on his character's very difficult year. 48 FATHER FIGURE Fill in the missing branches of Klaus's twisted family tree. 49 BURNING QUESTIONS In the wake of that shocking season finale, showrunner Michael Narducci shares what's next. 50 BEHIND THE SCENES 52 PICKING HER BRAINS Rose Mclver's five favorite personas. 54 BOND OF BROTHERS The men of iZombie discuss all of their on-set shenanigans. 56 BEHIND THE SCENES 57 BURNING QUESTIONS How this year's revelations will rever- berate in Season 3. 58 ONE HELL OF A ROLE The devilishly charming Tom Ellis reflects on Season 1. 60 BEHIND THE SCENES 62 BURNING QUESTIONS Even the Devil has mommy issues, but how will he deal with them in Season 2? 63 TOOLS OF THE DEVIL From angelic wings to wicked good scotch: Lucifer’s must-have props and accessories. 64 FORMULAS FOR LOVE The cast analyzes Season 9’s most romantic moments. 66 BEHIND THE SCENES 68 BURNING QUESTIONS What’s going on between Leonard’s dad and Sheldon’s mom? Executive producer Steven Molaro weighs in. 7O BEHIND THE SCENES 72 OH, BROTHER! Bob Morley on his character’s question- able life-and-death choices. 73 BURNING QUESTIONS Executive producer Jason Rothenberg talks flashbacks and the apocalypse. 74 BEHIND THE SCENES 76 BURNING QUESTIONS These time-traveling heroes are headed for more legendary adventures. 78 PEOPLE OF EARTH 79 FREQUENCY 80 TIME AFTER TIME AND RIVERDALE 81 POWERLESS ANIMATION 82 READY FOR ACTION Justice League Action lives up to its name with an all-star lineup. 84 TUNE TITANS The top five songs everyone was humming from Teen Titans Go! *^ 85 MAKING A KILLING Batman: The Killing Joke is every bit as graphic as the classic tale it's based on. DC ENTERTAINMENT 86 DC SUPER HERO GIRLS "Girl power" takes on new meaning with this popular kid-friendly line. 87 MORE FROM DC COMICS Check out the new spin on animated fave The Flintstones and the rebirth of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. 88 COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 3 In between panels, parties and greeting fans, the stars of Comic-Con 2015 stopped by our photo studio for some fun REPORTED BY CARITA RIZZO "I met Mike Tyson, which was an awesome experience,” shared Gotham's Sean Pertwee (third from left, with Cory Michael Smith, Robin Lord Taylor, Ben McKenzie, David Mazouz, Erin Richards and Camren Bicondova). "| made a bit of a fool of myself. My voice went weird. My legs started shaking. | shook his hand and made this bizarre noise. He looked at me, put his hand on my shoulder and went, ‘Shhh, shhh: So | did.” “Fun.” “Delirious.” “Amazing.” “Fantastic.” Those were a few adjectives the cast of Lucifer (from left: ОВ Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Tom Ellis and Lauren German) used to describe their inaugural Comic-Con experience. Supergirl stars Mehcad Brooks (left) and David Harewood had an interesting idea for a crossover: “Dancing With the Superheroes,” Hare- wood said. "| want to tango with Scarlett Johansson.’ Added Brooks, "| want to tango with Thor. He's got long, luscious hair.” The 100's Lindsey Morgan (with Bob Morley) revealed her TV A 2 crush: “The Game of Thrones Pes) ! cast. | would freak out if | got | A to meet Peter Dinklage.” 4 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM OLSZEWSKI AND KAREEM BLACK DC's Legends of Tomorrow star Caity Lotz loved seeing the evolution of her character, White Canary, from page to screen. “I was reading comics on my way here,” she said, "and it was so cool to see how we're translating that into film and bringing those characters to life.” Before he took a leap over costar Carlos Valdes, The Flash's Grant Gustin shared his crossover idea. "How about Workaholics?” he suggested. “It doesn't make any sense at all, [but] | love that show. Good times would be had.” Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham (with Carice van Houten) made a nighttime visit to some fans waiting in line for the next day's panels. “I went over there at 11:30 and popped out and said hello to everybody,” he revealed. “I’m sure they must have been bored silly sitting there. So | thought ГА give them a little fright. It was good fun. They're just so lovely.” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 5 C] | | New timeslot: Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC We interrogate Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander. Can the crime-fighting duo remain calmunder pressure? BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK 6 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE e plays a stoic but sensitive ЕВ! H agent. She plays a heavily tattooed amnesiac who can kick pretty much all of our butts. And together, Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander steamed up Blindspot all season long as Kurt Weller and Jane Doe fought, flirted and finally kissed. But how well would these two do in an interrogation? We grilled the dynamic duo individually to see what they would say about working with each other, which plot twist threw them the most and where they may be headed next season. Whois the better morning person? Definitely me. Definitely me. But only with a cup of really strong coffee to wake me up. Prefer- ably Melbourne coffee; there's nothing like it. Tattoo application aside, who takes lon- ger in hair and makeup? Me, again. Jaimie. I’m pretty fast. | don't need much makeup. [Laughs] Tell us an embarrassing thing about each other. All my answers to this question are inappropriate! What happens on Blindspot stays on Blindspot. But there's definitely a lot of laughs on our set. Which of you is better at figuring out the anagram in each episode's title? Neither of us. Ashley Johnson [who plays forensic scientist Patterson] is the reigning champion. If anyone can solve those epi- sode titles, it would definitely be Ashley. What's the quickest way to make each other break during a take? Stare into his eyes and not blink. | think it freaks him out. When | forget my lines, the words that | use—which can't be said on TV—make my costars crack up. Of all the characters within the FBI, which one would you personally trust the most and why? Patterson. She's too genuine to be corrupt. Dr. Borden [Ukweli Roach]. It's his job to keep patient confidentiality. Why is Jane often sent on missions in sexy getups, but Kurt is never sent undercover at Chippendales? | plead the Fifth. [Laughs] Alexander o — апа Жай MUS ERI Stapleton: | think the audience has seen enough nudity from me in Strike Back and 300. Definitely more than NBC would ever allow! Of all the twists and turns in Season 1, which shocked you the most? Alexander: The death of Jane's secret handler, Oscar [Francois Arnaud]. Stapleton: My character's father [Jay O. Sanders] saying on his deathbed that he killed Taylor Shaw. Any shockers that you figured out before they happened? Alexander: Most of them | never saw com- ing. It's intense. Stapleton: No. | don't want to know about things too far in advance, because | think that can affect the performance before it should. | like to work things out at exactly the same time as the audience. During breaks in filming, who is most likely to be found napping? At craft ser- vices? Checking Twitter? Alexander: Sully eats all the time. And he does like to nap. I’d be checking Twitter or taking silly pictures with the crew. Stapleton: lm a great napper, but I’m also pretty good at finding the best stuff to eat at craft services. Jaimie would win at the social-media game. TINTA MA What is the craziest fan theory you've | RN RCM Gus heard so far? WM \ Alexander: That Jane is a man. | THAI na AEN Stapleton: That Kurt Weller is evil and is MAH the mastermind behind Jane's organization. | Whatis the one thing you'd like to see for each other's character in Season 2? Alexander: I'd love to see Weller go rogue. Stapleton: Well, since Kurt arrested Jane in the Season 1 finale, а like to see what's going to happen to her in prison! COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 7 42 k کک‎ „> Re “q>. cA = A US LO P Lt = WEN APR Nu WW FROM LEFT: SANDRO/NBC; PETER KRAMER/NBC; SANDRO/NBC C | Blindspot. BEHIND THE SCENES 804 Blindspot had a bangin’ first season, thanks to all the hard work that went into making sure that the breakout action drama looked as tough as its cast. BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK 8 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE « The first rule of Blindspot's fight club is...practice! To make sure Weller's beat- down on a baddie is framed properly, Sullivan Stapleton and a camera guy “both line up their shots,” explains supervising producer Brendan Gall. A. Action! The camera slate for Episode 105, “Split the Law,” directed by Mark Pellington (who also helmed the pilot), sits up against a grave marker in a New York cemetery. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2); VIRGINIA SHERWOOD/NBC; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. PAUL SARKIS/NBC; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. N Ar: a соон Сі ?. күт. д HE ү ees Í =ч ава EP} 102 ê DAVID TUTTMAN 1 0 tas, "© Facebook.com/NBCBlindspot Twitter: @NBCBlindspot Jaimie Alexander: @JaimieAlexander Ashley Johnson: @TheVulcanSalute Rob Brown: @BrocoliRobBrown Ukweli Roach: @ukweliroach Executive producer Martin Gero: @martingero Executive producer Greg Berlanti: @GBerlanti Executive producer Sarah Schechter: @SarahSoWitty Writing staff: @BlindspotRoom COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 9 C | Blindspot. “A lot of Season 2 will be the team working together toward a new goal,” executive producer Gero says BURNING QUESTIONS BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK 1 п f | I J " f -ension í аа! = ы, ГО] = LU P» | V | | \ 7 No < ` п IA Y + РА f Д ` v oo L. ^ч Em rye епт aown INT | lat Cr | pA =, S = j| 7l inale and VS Lu L II | < When was it decided that Jane (Jaimie Alexander) wasn't the missing Taylor Shaw? “I pitched the clos- ing moments of the finale back in May 2015, reveals Gero, who mapped out the season's entire arc before shooting began. "This job would be so much harder if we were making it up as we went along." So when will we find out who Jane Doe really is? Set those DVRs for the second season premiere, folks. e "You get the answer right away,’ Gero promises. We'll also learn why Weller’s dad (Jay O. Sanders) murdered young Taylor. “It’s bad,” Gero hints. “It’s super dark.” Is Mayfair (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) dead dead? Sadly, she is. Calling the disgraced FBI head's w ! Е Osca buti group nt stillad à ge be agoner— shadowy ked for uu 5 to Jane? | i demise “one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make,” Gero concedes that killing off Mayfair was better than wasting Oscar nominee Jean-Baptiste. "We just couldn't find a place for her [in Season 2] that made sense to have an actor of her caliber in such a limited role,” he says. There will, however, be three new charac- ters joining the show next season. Will the group Oscar (Francois Arnaud) worked for pay for trying to turn Jane against her FBI friends? Have you met Jane Doe? "She wants to bring them down in Season 2,” Gero says, adding that once Jane is able to win back everyone's trust, it'll become a group effort. “For the first time since the early episodes of the show, the entire team will be working toward a single goal without secrets from each other.” Can we expect to see Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) again? You know it! Fan favorite Esmer, who plays the comical criminal mastermind, “has been one of my best friends for all of 10 years now,” Gero says. “I wrote that part for him, and it’s been so fun watching America lose their mind over this guy. We love having him on the show.” #Awesome Any chance of Jane getting her tattoos lasered off? Even though Patterson [Ashley Johnson] mentioned the option in Episode 21, Gero doesn’t see Jane undoing her ink anytime soon. “For her, she hasn’t known anything different, so they feel like her skin,” he says. It also helps that the faux body art can now be applied on the fly. "We've got it down to a tight 20 minutes now,’ he says. "It's not a seven-and-a-half-hour process anymore.” What's with the quirky episode titles? Since B/ind- spot is essentially a puzzle show, Gero decided that turning each episode's name into an anagram (see our quiz on page 11) would "be a fun thing to do" for fans. In addition, he reveals that the titles from Episodes 11 to 23 lead to a phone number you'll be able to call: “There is a great game we're playing all summer on Twitter with puzzles created by David Kwong,” the show's puzzle maker and a New York Times crossword expert. Was Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) and Jane's kiss supposed to blindside us? Sexual tension usually erupts in season finales, so it was shocking that the pair locked lips in the previous episode. "We took a page from Game of Thrones—to get people super excited about the finale, you've got to load the penulti- mate episode,” Gero says. “In that hour, we had the kiss, Mayfair's murder and Weller finding out that his father supposedly killed Taylor Shaw. We just wanted a lot | | of big things.” And ya got 'em! OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) 10 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE mans = a — ——' — — Er 4 — D — VIRGINIA SHERWOOD/NBC EI » = * + Crack the Code All the Blindspot episode titles are anagrams. See if you can figure out the mystery locked within each title! By DAMIAN HOLBROOK 1. “Cease Forcing Enemy” __ ____ __ _________ 2. "Scientists Hollow Fortune" 3. "Erase Weary Youth" 4. “Rules In Defiance” ____ 2 ______ ____ 5. "Older Cutthroat Canyon" 6. “Апу Wounded Thief” — ____ ___ ____ 7. "Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts” 8. "One Begets Technique" 9. “In the Comet of Us” 11. “Of Whose Uneasy Route” __ ____ | | ____ _____ 12. “If Love a Rebel, Death Will Render" 13. "Why Await Life's End” _ Answers: кемү рә|!4 S3] UƏYM "€L pe[ee^e eg |IIAA JepJO [еш 9U | "ZL ƏSNOH əJeS MAN JnOA OL "LL SSƏJDDV 47} 104 ге U3U 1 "OL OWI | 943 uo sn20J "6 e»uanbegs au u!8əg o| "9 YOO] NOA эЭе|а SL] BY} 3souJ|y U| "Z рээм под 1euM ри! "9 Je|pUeH INO, 3223009 01 "© BUI] әләс̧ L pulJ "# әлү под 9J9UM А35 "€ suononuisu| esau | Ao||ojJ "Z AouasJ8uJ3 Jo ƏSL) U| "l COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 11 Tuesdays, 8/7c, The CW ампоа Since he plays the Fastest Man Alive, we just had to see what Grant Gustin could do when we—quickly!— ran him through a few random questions BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK In a real-life race, who'd win: you or Teddy Sears, who plays Zoom? To be honest, | have a feeling | would beat Teddy. He's an athletic guy, but I think with my being smaller than him, | would smoke him. No one ever wants to race me! [Laughs] Which DC Comics character would you trade cos- tumes with? Arsenal. That costume's dope. What was the last comic book you read? All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison with [artist] Frank Quitely, is in my backpack. | have been traveling with it. It’s really cool. Have you hidden any personal items on set? No, not personal items, but no one seems to notice that we have a Glee stories? The Supergirl wardrobe guy also worked on Glee, so the three of us were talking about Glee the entire time! What do you do during your downtime on set? Dur- ing the second half of Season 2,1 got into reading other things. l've been reading a lot of classics and stuff that's really far off from The Flash, because it was just so emo- tional this season. | needed а book to take my mind off things at times. Best Flash-related item you've been given? One of the coolest things, just for its sentimental value, is that John Wesley Shipp [star of the original | Flash series, who plays Barry's father, p” Henry] had a custom Flash ring made rubber duck that we've fit into almost LT for me. every single scene in the police station. ¢ y 4 = Which episode has made you cry We have been doing it since early in = K> the most? Gosh. The finale. | had to Season 1. Sometimes it’s in an evidence bag that а сор is carrying. When you guest starred on Supergirl, did you and Melissa Benoist trade 12 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE А p EE. REN = cry the most, because Barry cried the most. | think over the course of time, the Season 1 finale will always be the one that hits the spot. What was your biggest surprise this past season? Barry giving up his speed willingly to save Wally [Keiynan Lonsdale]. | was sur- prised he consciously went through with that. Do you understand any of the time- travel stuff on the show? Most of it. Maybe close to all of it, l'd like to think. [Laughs] After two seasons, is kissing Candice Patton (Iris) now like kissing your sister? A little bit, actually! [Laughs] | mean, kissing scenes in general are technical, but we are close in a way that's more like brother and sister. How much trouble is Barry going to be in for going back in time and saving his mom? |’m going to sit down with the writers before Comic-Con so I have an idea, but at this point I’ve tried not to think about it too much. I'm scared to find out! The beginning of Season 3 is going to be rough, | would imagine. FROM LEFT: ROBERT VOETS/WARNER BROS.; DC ENTERTAINMENT; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Facebook.com/CWTheFlash Twitter: @CW_TheFlash Grant Gustin: @grantgust Tom Cavanagh: @CavanaghTom Candice Patton: @candicekp Danielle Panabaker: @dpanabaker Carlos Valdes: @Tha_Los Keiynan Lonsdale: @KeiynanLonsdale Executive producer Greg Berlanti: @GBerlanti Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg: @AJKreisberg Executive producer Aaron Helbing: @aaronhelbing Executive producer Todd Helbing: @chipeyt Executive producer Sarah Schechter: @SarahSoWitty Writing staff: @FLASHtvwriters COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 13 i ~ {, Җ | LASH-Y EFFECTS Aow does The Flash’s Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) dash so quickly throughout Central ` City? And how do those metahumans get so extraordinary? “We present visual effects supervisor Armen Kevorkian and his team at Encore VFX with impossible tasks and they pull it off week in, week out,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says. "It's really important to us to feel like you're watching a summer movie every week.” A Kevorkian, who earned an Emmy nomination ` MU for special visual effects for the first season of ~ re » . T4 ^ Я eam and the producers is gre m. because wes í { I — Can go back and forth? he Says. “It’s always a Š for the benefit of tf the show” s PLN P Taking on established DC Comics characters that must be cre- ated solely with special effects—like the shark-human hybrid who debuted in the "Fury of Firestorm" episode—sends the VFX team to the source material, which provides "a rough map of what that character is probably going to look like,” Kevorkian says. "Sometimes in the comic books it works in the still, but it might not work as a photo-real creature. That's where the fun begins: taking what's been established and then working with the artists to come up with a different design that works for the screen.” They pulled off King Shark so well that producers later planned an entire episode around the beast. How The Flash pulled off King Shark, the Speed Force and other VFX miracles in Season 2 BY MARISA ROFFMAN 14 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE SPEED FORCE A powerless Barry spent time in the Speed Force—the mysteri- ous extra-dimensional source of his special abilities—in an attempt to finally gain closure on his mother's murder. *Be- cause there was so much emotion in those scenes, we didn't want [that and the effects] to compete with each other," Kevorkian says. “We had to have something that was cool but at the same time didn't overtake the actors.” The solution: an electrically charged funnel cloud that gave an otherworldly feel and helped heighten the performances. Says Kevorkian: *The effects should be the frosting on the cake." ZOOM When the Flash team set out to design Season 2's primary antagonist, Zoom (Teddy Sears), the priority was clear: "He had to be scary—scarier than Season T's Reverse- Flash,” Kevorkian recalls. After the costume was designed, the next step was to alter his eyes "to give him that soulless look.” Finishing it off were "crackles of lightning on top of him, which is a departure from what we did for Reverse-Flash, when we had the vibrating of the red eyes,” Kevorkian says. "We all agreed that was our spookiest villain.” Crafting Barry and Zoom's season-finale racing sequence was complicated because it “had alot of all-computer-generated sequences,” Kevorkian says. “It’s where they're racing, what they're racing on, why they're racing on it... There are whole scenes that go on and on that are all visual effects.” Television is a fast-moving business, and even as the team was finishing up Season 2, they were already laying the groundwork for Season 3's main foe. "That will give us a head start, so by the time production starts, everybody knows what this thing is going to look like,” Kevorkian says. “And it gives us enough time in our world to make it great.” GRODD The menacing, superintelligent tele- pathic gorilla made his debut in Season 1 and received a bit of a makeover for his return. *The hair was groomed, and we added wear and tear to the skin—which | think also worked with the story that he had been out for a while now,” Kevorkian says of the entirely-computer-generated creation. “You can't really change him completely and make him look too for- eign to everybody, but he definitely looked different from the first time you saw him.” Kevorkian credits the actors who appear opposite Grodd for giving the creature an extra layer of believability. “There were a lot of great moments with Danielle Panabaker and Tom Cavanagh having to act against Grodd;" he says. “It’s not just the dialogue; there's emo- tion involved. Because they're able to pull that off so well, if we're able to do our job right, effects-wise, the scene really works.” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 15 OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (5) oner to be Jay Garrick of Earth-3—the doppelganger of ES. wanted Henry nd of EarthH (John Wesley Shipp), aka Barry's me to play from dad. (Here's your friendly reminder that shows featur- the beginning.” ing time travel and alternate universes are rarely simple!) Shipp says “The only question in our mind was: When do we let that reveal happen?” Kreisberg admits. “It switched around a lot.” Jay’s costume was a nod to Shipp’s run on the origi- nal The Flash in 1990, right? Of course! In fact, the initial plan was to put the actor into his old bright-red foam-rubber outfit. “It was going to be more of an Eas- ter egg,” Kreisberg says with a laugh. "Then we decided on [a suit] somewhere in between,” based on the classic costume of the original comic book Flash of the 1940s. Have Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and his daugh- ter, Jesse (Violett Beane), left Team Flash for good? S.T.A.R. Labs without some version of Harrison Wells? Please. Cavanagh's and Beane's characters are set to resurface "a little bit later in Season 3,” Kreisberg says, adding that "how they come back and why...is going to be fun and cool. The fans are going to be jazzed by it.” What about Jay? Even though he joined the Wells dad- daughter duo on their trip back to Earth-2 in hopes of using their world's tech to get back to Earth-3, we're hearing the man in the metal helmet's homecoming won't be permanent. "They've built a universe in which this new Jay Garrick has a very prominent place going BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK TOWA; Shipp says, "Of course, | can't say what [the writers' plans] are! Will Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) and Jesse pick up any je Flash founc speedster skills after being caught in the second | | particle accelerator explosion? Maybe, maybe not. But Kreisberg promises that loose thread "will be ad- dressed" during the third season. 5 : Who's our next big bad? Start your theories now! 1d to make heads or tails of “We're going to try to do something that's never been done on television before, so we're very, very excited about the possibility; the showrunner teases, keeping mum about the identity of the next member of Flash's rogues' gallery. "We were so excited for Season 2 and all the [Zoom] stuff we had come up with, but somehow we're even more excited about Season 3, which | didn't With Barry (Grant Gustin) going back in time to think was possible.” save his mother, does that mean we're going to see arewrite of Season 1? Not exactly. Kreisberg says the show is planning "our own version of Flashpoint,” the 2011 storyline from the comic books “where the ramifi- cations of Barry saving his mother have come to pass and seeing how that plays out for not just him but for all the characters." So we could see the return of Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett), who died in the Season 1 finale? "There's always a possibility of seeing him again,’ Kreisberg teases. “lIl just leave it at that.” We'll take it. When was it decided who the man in the iron mask W-onsdale, va would be? Kreisberg says that the producers had al- Nc апа М ways planned for Zoom's (Teddy Sears) disguised pris- | 16 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE “This is the role (2) KATIE YU/THE CW “WHAT DO YO жь я T. " < ‘het INDULGE YOUR SOUL AT KAS HOTTEST NIGHTCLUB ) | I > = зы s s s NN ` е 8 Wednesdays, 8/ 7c, The CW Looking back at four seasons’ worth of trivia surrounding the adventures of Oliver Queen BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK AND RICH SANDS Star City's one- time dynamic duo, Arrow and Arsenal rsenal Colton Haynes's pickpocket turned hero Roy Harper developed what the actor called a "big brother-little brother relationship" with Oliver (Stephen Amell) during his stint as the Arrow's sidekick. rother Blood Former mayor of Starling City Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro) tried to help his constituents by aligning with Slade Wilson's army of followers. “He was out to save the city,” executive pro- ducer Marc Guggenheim says. "The irony [was] that he thinks Oliver is standing in the way of that.” NRI City Necessary Resources Initiative was the legal aid office where Laurel (Katie Cassidy) worked in Season 1. Its potential pronunciation foreshadowed her future superhero alias as the Black Canary. iggle The name of Oliver's right-hand man, John Diggle (David Ramsey), pays homage to writer Andy Diggle, whose seminal 2007 DC Comics series Green Arrow: Year One updated the character's origin. leven Fifty-Nine The episode in which Laurel was killed by Damien Darhk and pronounced dead one minute before midnight. 18 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE elicity Smoak Originally Queen Consolidated's IT whiz, the brainy hottie (Emily Bett Rickards) has stolen Oliver's heart—not to mention saved the day— countless times as an indispensable member of Team Arrow. Not bad for a character who was initially sup- posed to last two episodes. "It's insane, and | love it!” Rickards marvels. lades Star City's crime-addled low-rent district was largely destroyed by Malcolm Merlyn's (John Barrowman) Undertaking earthquake device in the Season 1 finale. After years of reconstruction, the re- gion is home to a massive sinkhole created by the de- struction of the terrorist group H.I.V.E’s lair and what we Can only imagine are the lowest rents known to man. 5 elena Bertinelli The crime boss's daughter (Jessica De Gouw) took up the identity of the Huntress in an attempt to kill her father, who had ar- ranged for the murder of her fiancé. Her battle with Sara/Canary (Caity Lotz) in the episode "Birds of Prey" was a callout to the DC Comics series of the same name, which features versions of the characters. ED ARAQUEL/THE CW FROM LEFT: DYLAN PERA/THE CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; BETTINA STRAUSS/THE CW | ron Heights Serving the penal needs of Star City and nearby Central City, this penitentiary has hosted such luminaries as Moira Queen, China White, Count Vertigo, the Huntress and the wrongly accused Henry Allen. ohn Constantine After his own NBC series ended, the cheeky occult detective from the Hellblazer comics visited old friend Oliver (they'd first met on the island Lian Yu) to help resurrect Sara Lance. "Oliver and John are both the antihero,” actor Matt Ryan explains. "And their methods, at times, can be questionable." K atana The masked-hero moniker of the sword- wielding Tatsu Yamashiro (Rila Fukushima), who helped heal Oliver after his near-fatal fight with Ra's al Ghul. She was forced to kill her own husband while trying to stop the League of Assassins from unleashing the Alpha Omega virus. L^ Yu The mystical Chinese island where Oliver was shipwrecked and transformed into an archery ace. The Mandarin name translates to “purgatory,” a fitting spot for the many life-changing moments Oliver has experienced there. M irakuru The supersoldier serum developed to give the Imperial Japanese Army a leg up during WWII. Slade Wilson used it to create a homicidal bat- talion that pillaged Star City in the Season 2 finale. N anda Parbat The Tibetan home of Ra's al Ghul and his League of Assassins. It previously housed the Lazarus Pit, which could bring the dead back to life, as it did with Sara Lance. О" Felicity's superhero code name was inspired by the title of showrunner Guggenheim's 2014 CIA conspiracy-thriller novel. D almer Technologies Star City's answer to Microsoft was previously run by genius Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), who left Felicity in charge after being presumed dead in an explosion. He's currently making a big impact asthe tiny hero the Atom on DC's Legends of Tomorrow. ventin Lance Laurel and Sara's father (Paul Blackthorne) has had his ups and downs in the Star City P.D. Originally not a fan of Oliver Queen, he has come around to become a vital member of Team Arrow, as well as Donna Smoak's beau. R a’s al Ghul The late League of Assassins leader (Matt Nable) passed his role to Oliver after their fateful final battle, but the job was soon overtaken by Malcolm, then Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Nyssa (Katrina Law), who dismantled the group entirely. tarling City/Star City Oliver Queen's hometown got aname shortening (which syncs up with the DC Comics moniker for Green Arrow's stomping grounds), thanks to Ray Palmer, who hoped to inspire the city after a series of major attacks. ommy Merlyn *He was a serial screwup who was doing what he could to prove himself worthy to everyone around him,” says Colin Donnell, who played Malcolm's son and Oliver’s best bud in Season 1...until he died saving Laurel during his father's Undertaking. Which makes him a hero in our book. ndertaking Malcolm Merlyn's plan to destroy the Glades (where his wife had been murdered) culmi- nated in an earthquake created by the Markov Device (a nod to Brion Markov, the DC hero known as Geo-Force, who has the ability to cause ground tremors). ixen The superhero alias for Mari McCabe (Megalyn Echikunwoke), who can channel animal powers through a magical totem. Vixen made her live-action debut in Season 4 following what Oliver referred to as a previous "animated adventure,’ a sly reference to the character's cartoon spinoff series (see page 23). alter Steele Oliver and Thea's stepfather (Colin Salmon) was frequently suspicious of his wife, Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson), and her involvement in nefarious Starling City activities. They eventually di- vorced and he was last seen at Moira's funeral in Season 2. , Task Force The secret project of government agency A.R.G.U.S., which took criminals and gave them the opportunity to commute their sentences by serving on black-ops missions. Following A.R.G.U.S. direc- tor Amanda Waller's death, Task Force X was suspended. ou have failed this city! The signature line of the Hood, Oliver's first vigilante alias, delivered to busi- ness leaders who were behind the corruption that was destroying Starling City. ytle, Werner. The crime boss (Peter Stormare) who took over as the villain Vertigo following the death of Count Vertigo. Hobbies include trimming his goatee and dosing Oliver and his crew with the hallucinatory drug Vertigo during fights. Currently doing time in Iron Heights. Oliver has survived Malcolm's Under- taking, partnered with Vixen and become allies with Quentin COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 19 El Arrow. Olicity shippers may (ог may not) have reason to be optimistic for a romantic reconcil- iation between Oliver and Felicity BURNING QUESTIONS BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK Now that Damien Darhk—he’s magically malicious!—has been vanquished and the Green Arrow has become a public hero, what's next for Oliver and Co.? A lot of work, a more human foe and some very heavy accents, previews executive producer Wendy Mericle. The Glades have been destroyed, Slade Wilson's army invaded, half the police force has been killed and now there's a massive hole in the middle of town. Can it get worse for Star City? As Curtis (Echo Kellum) said in the finale, it requires a special kind of tenacity to live (or just survive) in Star City. Just don't expect it to land on any Best Cities to Live In list anytime soon. "When we come back in Sea- son 5, it’s overrun with crime,” says Mericle, pointing out that Star City is a soft target for gang activity and corruption. Next stop, Russia? Da! Aiming for more integration between Oliver's 20 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE (Stephen Amell) past and present, Mericle says, "We're going to Russia in the flashbacks" to explore our hero's time with the Bratva. At the same time, the current story- line will see the Russian Mafia making trouble for a wave of self-appointed vigilantes running amok in Star City. Can Team Arrow be salvaged? More like rebuilt. Since Diggle (David Ramsey) is heading back to the military “То find his moral compass" after killing his own brother, and Thea (Willa Holland) has retired her Speedy alias to work in Mayor Queen's office, Mericle predicts, "Oliver is going to have to go out and find some new people.” Such as? Mr. Terrific! Having unleashed his heroic side to help Oliver last season, Mericle reveals that Curtis Holt will attempt to become an official member of the crew. "We will be doing a real origin story for Mr. Terrific in Season 5.” Any chance of Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) reenlist- ing? "We would love to bring Colton back,” Mericle replies instantly. And seeing how Thea is done with the costume, her ex is free to don the red leather as Arsenal again. "If Colton's available and we can make everyone's schedules work, we would absolutely do it.” What should we take from Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver being together in the last scene of the finale? With the team essentially dis- mantled, the exes ^were the only two people left in the bunker, which we felt was symbolic,” Mericle says. But don't assume that means Olicity lives again. "We deliberately left it ambiguous.” Whois the Green Arrow's next nemesis? We can't tell you his name, but we can tell you his game: revenge. Season 5's villain "is somebody Oliver unwittingly created in Season 1 when he was a killer in a hood,” Mericle teases. "This guy is going to be collateral damage who lost someone to the Hood and [has] spent the last several years training and plotting for revenge. He will be a true dark mirror to Oliver Queen.” Will someone else take up the mantle of Black Canary? Because the controversial death of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) was actually the second time a Canary was clipped (though Caity Lotz's Sara Lance came back as DC's Legends of Tomorrow's White Canary), it wouldn't be crazy to see a third bird. "| can't say too much about that,” Mericle hedges, quickly add- ing that, “I can say with confidence that, in Season 5, our decision will make more sense...even to the fans who were really vehemently opposed to it.” What the hell did Laurel whisper to Oliver before she died? We're as curious as you are, but the good news is, the wait is almost over. According to Mericle, the late Black Canary's last words will be revealed in the season premiere. CATE CAMERON/THE CW (2) IN? WE MAVE А BOOK FOR THAT. TH s Ф № A J т w УД СУ ES Fe 4 BE! D'E mm шш н! (>. “>. ШЫ | счас) Н Р UN Ж AX | / NU 7 EFN pan y) | / VS LN C “TY № = = Exc „27 ру: \ >. ZN Ms am apes ll Xz Сожы | uy 82 Wl FOLLOW 9GREMERCYBOOKS FOR NEW MYSTERIES #GRMEOFIANE | (646) 434-5861 [1| Arrow | TTIYTIITITITITITTTITTIT) *...... .n n : | | Е { ! N : ^ "M 3 IÍ | е >. \ fe je } - i LJ "LJ ] } = ` I h I ) I2 = = h | ^ H ПЕ >. b I BEHIND THE SCENES SP I АШИ e costumes,” which І g des the snazzy new GAAL S een Arrow getup, Hudolin Every superheroneeds a -gő6odhideaway. And . | | says. “We started off with when the Green Arrowcredted his newest COM Coca 216 converted IT со OUr OWN _ bunkermhewent all out. Off-screen, the sleek x4 oU. nech kwast thanks to production designer x more than five, that set is rd Hudo who: ShareShow.heand his ` designed so уои сап Кеер team crafted í O liv Newest lair. adding costume pods: is . Or you can make it less.” BY MARISA ROFFMA | : ^ i š RIP,Black Canary! 22 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (4) A The new set design gives the illusion of having multiple levels. *We wanted to have different ways to enter and exit it on amuch bigger scale, since we have more characters coming in and out,” Hudolin says. А "She's іп con- trol, which is the whole idea of Facebook.com/CWArrow isolating that set;" Twitter: @С\\ Arrow Hudolin says of Stephen Amell: @StephenAmell Felicity's (Emily Willa Holland: @Willaaaah Bett Rickards) David Ramsey: @davic_ramsey updated computer Emily Bett Rickards: @EmilyBett hub, which he Paul Blackthorne: @PaulBlackthorne | John Barrowman: (üTeam Barrowman likens to Саре Echo Kellum: @EchoK Canaveral’s mis- Executive producer Greg Berlanti: @GBerlanti sion control. “It’s Executive producer Marc Guggenheim: a360-degree set. (ümguggenheim The screens are Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg: @AJKreisberg curved, and we got Executive producer Wendy Mericle: @MericlesHappen Executive producer Sarah Schechter: @SarahSoWitty Writing staff: @ARROWwriters the most cutting- edge equipment for her" Vixen Returns! Last summer, we met Mari McCabe just as she was learning about her heritage and her powers. This summer, when the second season of Vixen streams on CW Seed, she learns how to be ahero. The animated spinoff of The CW’s Arrow-verse returns with another six episodes as Mari will be “expanding her sense of obligation beyond the borders of Detroit,” execu- tive producer Marc Guggenheim says. "There's a much larger world out there that needs her protection.” Vixen (voiced by Megalyn Echikunwoke, who made her live-action debut as the character on Arrow this past season) uses the mystical Tantu totem, a family heirloom, to channel the abilities of the animal kingdom. In Season 2, she'll cross paths with the heroes of The CW, including Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), The Flash (Grant Gustin), Atom (Brandon Routh), Firestorm (Franz Drameh) and Black Canary (Katie Cassidy). (This story is set before Black Canary was killed.) "In keeping with Mari's journey of acknowledging that there's a bigger world out there, we wanted to dramatize that by doubling down on the number of char- acters we reveal in animated form,” Guggenheim says. "It's something that's really cool and it’s not just a gimmick. It plays directly into Mari's character journey.” —Rich Sands COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 23 New network: Mondays, 8/7c, The CW Melissa Benoist opens M "T ve alw ays had this blin = > LL =» faithin elissa Benoist doesn't need a Kryptonian cos- M tume to be super. Supergirl fans have been cheering on the Colorado native's heroic, relatable take on Superman's cousin since she first suited up as Kara Danvers (aka Kara Zor-El). Now as the series preps to relocate from CBS to The CW (and production moves from Los Angeles to Vancouver), Benoist gives us the scoop about playing the high-flying heroine and proves, ironically, to be totally down to Earth. So there are big moves ahead for the show. How was it for you waiting to find out where Supergirl was going to be scheduled? It was hard not to think about it constantly, but I’ve always had this blind faith in the char- acter—l did with the pilot and when we were waiting to hear about getting picked up for Season 1—so | just knew that the show would find the right place and that it would all be good. | knew we weren't done telling her story. This is an epic, iconic role and a lot of work. What has been the best advice you've been given so far? 24 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE e ~ EN а Wing role and why hecharacter" By DAMIANHOLBROOK = Greg [Berlanti, executive producer] said, “You’re just like me: You internalize everything and you might be over- whelmed [by the] pressure. But we wouldn’t have put you in this role if we didn’t think you were capable.” Those words of encouragement meant a lot coming from him. And [executive producer] Ali Adler was on set quite a bit, and she would give advice every day. If | had a moment where | felt like giving up or was just in a mood, she would be like, “Just be Supergirl. | don't know what to tell you. You’re Supergirl!” [Laughs] Do you remember the first time you felt like Super- girl? That’s a good question, because there were a few times. There was one day on the Red Tornado episode [pictured above], was in blinding heat, in the suit and dehydrated, and а have moments where | wanted to give up, sit down and tell everyone to leave me alone, but | couldn’t. | had to forge through. Those are the days that | felt like Supergirl. Did you keep up with training for the fight sequenc- es throughout the season? The show is such a mon- DARREN MICHAELS/CBS strous undertaking with so much going on and we work | “We're making a long days, so we didn't have time to really train. That movie a week,” | was scary, but it also just kept me on my toes in terms of | Says Benoist (with е - sr aie et Jeremy Jordan and learning and retaining that stuff so that | didn't hit Mehcad Brooks) of someone by accident. [Laughs] Supergirl's ambi- It seems like the entire cast is having a ball. Everyone | tious production is here because we care about it. We want it to be the best quality. There's a lot of love there. We're spending so much time away from our families, so it's got to be something good! [Laughs] Speaking of family, you got to work with your hus- band, Blake Jenner, when he guest starred as Cat's son. That was so fun! We love working together. It's one of my favorite things, to act with him, and | would love it if he came back. Now that your show is filming in Vancouver, that opens the door for potential crossovers with the other shows up there: Arrow, The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. That would definitely be excit- ing, and I think so smart for the fans. Grant Gustin, aka the Flash, told us that he has all of his Glee songs except one on his iPod. What about you? [Laughs] That's so funny! | don't have any on my iPod, but every once in a while, 71 be like, "Let me just take a little gander at this one" and l'Il look it up on Spotify. What are the biggest things you've learned about yourself since donning the cape? I’ve learned things about myself that | never thought | was capable of, things that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’m such a yes-person that | had to learn how to say no when it needs to be said. | have learned about collaborating and being a leader. I'd never thought about that part of the job. | was just excited to play Kara, didn't realize every- thing that came with it. | think it was good to go into this situation with that kind of naiveté, because | really have grown as a woman, and | am so proud of this past season. SU PERGIRLS EAE ELON Ер ыт The adventures of Supergirl cannot be contained in just one hour of TV a week. That's why DC Comics created a companion comic book series—titled, naturally, The Adventures of Supergirl—to expand the show's universe. Sterling Gates, who wrote DC's main Supergirl comic from 2008 to 2011, has told a fantastical story involving classic comic villains and introduced a mysterious new nemesis with ties to the TV's show's Fort Rozz prison plot. It's been an easy transition for Gates to explore this new [catu ss d version of Supergirl. “She is an unwaveringly optimistic voice in a rotating £ very dark and cynical world,” he says. “No matter how things are, team of ar she's always trying to do the right thing. And I think that carries ists, includ- ; | through every incarnation of Supergirl.” ing Carmen | The entire Adventures of Supergirl story will be collected in Carnero (who ў paperback on September 21, and the digital chapters are currently тоты available via the DC Comics app, readdcentertainment.com, and most major e-book stores. —Rich Sands Adventures сһарї COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 25 TOP: CLIFF LIPSON/CBS. BOTTOM: DC ENTERTAINMENT [3| Supergirl | BEHIND THE SCENES Ж Up, up and...off camera! The cast of Supergirl finds time in between saving the world to share a few laughs and entertain a squad A Shooting on the CatCo stage, Mehcad Brooks loves п п һ hi п f ri “ " š x of real-life su pergirls. that his version of James Olsen is “coming into his own" after years of being Superman's pal. “[It’s] put BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK him through confidence boot camp." The *Supergirls" of the Eastern Oklaho- ma Girl Scouts struck a pose with their hero during a visit to the set. *They were special girls to begin with—they had | ' been to the White House,” Melissa Ben- Á f oist raves of the troop, which was hon- Ho — ored Бу the President for а science-fair | = № invention. “Апу time we have young girls | ) ' f like that come and visit, | just can't help s but get wrapped up in their excitement.” 26 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE | < Livewire (Brit Morgan) and Silver Banshee (Italia Ricci) taunt Calista Flockhart's Cat Grant during the Flash crossover episode. “It took two days to film / [thebattle]” R | recalls Benoist, who often learns fight sequences “minutes before we shoot them.” > “Melissa апа! have been having a whole lot of fun, because we are learning things about these sisters as we go,” says Chyler Leigh, here being framed for ashot with Benoist on the DEO stage. "It's a lot to pick up, but we have a blast together.” x A That rooftop scene in the pilot was no sound- stage, kids. Jeremy Jordan and Benoist shot Winn's first peek at Kara's super skills atop the Arco Tower in down- town Los Angeles. Melissa Benoist: @MelissaBenoist Chyler Leigh: @chy_leigh Mehcad Brooks: @MehcadBrooks David Harewood: @DavidHarewood Jeremy Jordan: @JeremyMJordan Executive producer Greg Berlanti: @GBerlanti Executive producer Ali Adler: @AliAdler Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg: @AJKreisberg Executive producer Sarah Schechter: @SarahSoWitty Writing staff: @SupergirlStaff A “We are one big happy family,” says Brooks (far right, with Jordan, David Harewood, Benoist, Leigh and guest star Helen Slater). “I’ve never been part of a cast that was this much fun.” CLIFF LIPSON/CBS; ROBERT VOETS/CBS; CLIFF LIPSON/CBS; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DARREN MICHAELS/CBS; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 27 CJ | Supergirl BURNING QUEST BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK ral " —À What's in store for Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Co.? A lot of growth. “I think on CBS, our charac- ters were born, and now on The CW they're going to get a chance to crawl and walk and fly and really come into their own,” executive producer Ali Adler says. "It's really about all of our charac- ters not just succeeding in the work- place or as superheroes but in their personal lives and in their own con- nections with each other.” When will we learn who was in the second Kryptonian pod that crashed down to Earth in the season finale? "We're not going to hold on that for too long,” Adler promises, adding that “we'll definitely know who or what is in the pod" early in Season 2. Should we be Team James (Mehcad Brooks) or Team Winn 28 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE (Jeremy Jordan)? Even though Kara locked lips with James at the end of the season, we bet that Winn hasn't given up hope for a super romance. "Everything in that arena is still up in the air,’ Benoist says coyly. Will we see Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain) again? Toward the end of the season, it was revealed that Kara's adoptive Earth dad, Jeremiah (played by Lois & Clark's former Superman), was still alive and being held at the clandestine Project Cadmus genetic engineering facility. Surely Kara, Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Hank Henshaw (David Harewood) will come up with a DEO rescue plan, right? "[He] is very much at the forefront of our charac- ters’ minds as they begin Season 2,” Adler says. “We defi- nitely hope to include Dean in our adventure this season.” Does the show's move from Los Angeles to Van- couver mean sunny National City might experience some climate change? "There's quite a bit of rain in Vancouver,’ agrees a laughing Adler, adding that she thinks we might see “а small weather change" in Kara's environs. Still, she looks forward to utilizing British Columbia's great outdoors. "| do think that Vancouver will give us an opportunity to go out much more, so it'll feel larger in some ways,” she offers. "There's more water and a lot of physical stuff for Kara that we can take advantage of...maybe they'll all go skiing!" Has Season 2's main villain been decided? It has, but Adler's not talking, only noting that “what [executive producer] Greg Berlanti's shows do so well is they make the conflict personal, and we hope to do that again.” Where in the Multiverse does Supergirl live? We learned on the crossover episode with The Flash that Kara lives in a different, parallel universe to Earth-1, home of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Arrow's Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). However, it's still too early to specify which Earth she calls home. "We haven't gotten that specific yet, but all things are possible now,” execu- tive producer Andrew Kreisberg says. When can we expect a crossover with the other CW superhero shows? Regarding possible plans for Kara to team up with The Flash again, or with the characters from Arrow and DC's Leg- ends of Tomorrow, all Adler will reveal is that "these people will interact at some point this season,’ and that it would be "in a completely logical way” Sounds like the DEO and S.T. A.R. Labs need to get to work! What about a musical episode? Adler was an executive producer on Glee, where Benoist and Gustin both routinely sang. Plus, Jordan is a Broadway vet. That kind of crossover would be music to our ears! "| would love to do that,” Adler confesses. "It's obviously a huge production undertaking, but there are some conversations afoot, so we'll see.” FROM TOP: CLIFF LIPSON/CBS. BOTTOM: JASON MERRITT/GETTYIMAGES FOR NFMFS (3) OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. New timeslot: Thursdays, 9/8c, The CW C] | Supernatural | “We're a really plot- driven show;" says Robbie Thompson, who wrote the epi- sode. “But as а result, you don't always get to have moments of shining a light on different aspects of characters we all love. In the car scenes, you get one or two fun moments. So | thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to write awhole episode of just those scenes— the moments between moments?” M үү BEHIND THE SCENES 8“ Supernatural took on one of its craziest con- cepts yet in Season 11’s “Baby,’ an episode “told” A Inthis episode, viewers got a true ; | glimpse of the real-life dynamic between from the perspective of Dean's beloved car. Ackles and Padalecki. “There аге а few BY MARISA ROFFMAN minutes of us just driving the car [to get to our mark]. They took some of that footage and spliced it in with the final edit,” Ackles says. “It’s just two really good friends hanging out.” р Due to the confined space, the crew rigged up the Impala (“Baby”) with their equipment and let Jensen Ackles (Dean) and Jared Padalecki (Sam) just start filming the scene. “We couldn’t see them or be with them until they came back,” says director Thomas J. Wright (center, with Ackles, left, and Padalecki). “Then we'd check the camera and decide if we needed another take.” Facebook.com/Supernatural Twitter: @cw_spn Jensen Ackles: @JensenAckles Jared Padalecki: @jarpad Misha Collins: @mishacollins Mark A. Sheppard: @Mark Sheppard COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 29 JUDY ИЦ» (Kim Rhodes) Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki) helped the kindly Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sheriff save her town from zom- bies, including her own son. Since then, they have worked together numer- ous times to rid the world of monsters. “Sheriff Mills took the boys under her wing,” Padalecki says. “She is a really cool, really independent female character.” JRBADBURY (Felicia Day) The irre- pressible computer hacker got into supernatural hunt- ing after she helped the brothers destroy the Levia- than Dick Roman. She teamed up with Dorothy to save the legendary Land of Oz from evil but met her demise while working on the translation of the Book of the Damned, a powerful spell manual. “Charlie is one of my favorite charac- ters ever on the show,’ Ackles says, “and Felicia is infectiously charming.” reaper of souls, she took over for Death (of Four Horsemen of the Apoca- lypse fame) after Dean killed him. Later she came to claim the dying God after his confrontation with Amara. “She wants to run Hell,” Ackles says, “and she’s a great foil for the boys. Lisa was sup- posed to do one episode, but she was so talented and badass that she keeps coming back.” ) Z9 i | +%\]#1%,41 (Emily Swallow) Older than light and even her brother, God, the destruc- tive primal force known as the Darkness was inadver- tently released from God's eternal prison and set out to destroy the world. Only her pet Dean (Jensen Ackles) would have been spared to become a part of her. Thankfully, a celes- tial sibling sit-down post- poned her nefarious plans. "It was hard playing a human in a scene with such an omnipotent char- acter,’ Ackles admits. “Emily did a fantastic job, and | just played dumb.” т (Alaina Huffman) The ambitious Knight of Hell was trained by Cain (of Biblical fame), slaughtered the occult scholars known as the Men of Letters and was determined to be- come queen of the under- world once she dispatched Crowley. “A delicious vil- lain; sexy and almost un- stoppable,” Sheppard says. “Alaina played her with wonderful whimsy.” Ironi- cally, Dean killed Abaddon with Cain’s knife, known as the First Blade. 07 ` ra тт д RATA AITTA N ANC CTTV (Briana Buckmaster) The sunny Minnesota sheriff rarely lets anything get her down, and that includes the world of monsters, vampires and evil spirits that she was introduced to by her friend Jody Mills and the Winchesters. “Donna is amazing comic relief ina show that can be so dark,” Padalecki says. "| was thrilled that they brought Briana on so somebody could hold their own against Jensen’s perfect comic timing.” CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2); DIYAH PERA/THE CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; JACK ROWAND/THE CW; KATIE YU/THE CW 30 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; KATIE YU/THE CW (3); MICHAEL COURTNEY/THE CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SERGEI BACHLAKOV/THE CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2); KATIE YU/THE CW; RUBY (Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Cortese) "Ruby was Supernatural's original femme fatale,” says Padalecki, who is now married to Cortese (above, who took over from a pre-Arrow Cassidy as Ruby's prime portrayer in Season 4). "Sam was seduced by her demonic charms and addicted to her blood.” He thought she was helping him prevent the Apocalypse, but instead she tricked him into releasing Lucifer. Dean then killed her with her own knife. LILITH (Katherine Boecher) The first demon Lucifer created, and the queen of the Crossroads demons, Lilith ordered her army to destroy Sam, whom she saw as a rival because of his powers. Sam eventu- ally killed her, believing it would stop the Apoca- lypse, but instead her death was the final step in Ruby's secret plan to free Lucifer from his cage in Hell. BELA TALBOT (Lauren Cohan) Bela was arelic thief who sold her soul to a demon so it would kill her abusive parents. When her con- tract came due, she bargained with Lilith to get her deal canceled. In the end, hellhounds dragged her to the under- world, but a few years later, Cohan landed a sweet new gig. "We're like the boarding school for demon hunting, zombie killing and vampire Slaying.” Ackles jokes. “l assume that’s why The Walking Dead hired her.” EILEEN LEAHY (Shoshannah Stern) The brothers met Eileen at Oak Park Retirement Living, where she was tracking a banshee. The granddaughter of a Man of Letters, she became a hunter after the creature killed her parents and its shrieks made her deaf. "Shoshannah is so talented and has a wonderful sense of humor,” Padalecki says of the deaf actress. “The director asked us to ad-lib, and Shoshannah Said, ‘Maybe we can go bowling. I’m good with 55 my fingers. Last ss MILDRED BAKER (Dee Wallace) Banshees hunt the vulnerable, and if the one haunting Oak Park thought Mildred would be easy prey, it was dead wrong. She was feisty enough to seriously hit on Dean! "Dee treated every scene like she was working for Spielberg on ЕТ.” Ackles says, referring to one of the veteran actress's many film credits. "That's a testa- ment to who she is as an artist and as a person” Dean and Sam Winchester may run the show, but here are the strong ladies who've left their mark on Supernatural ву ILEANE RUDOLPH - MEG MASTERS (Nicki Aycox and Rachel Miner) The endearingly sarcastic demon switched loyalties like other demons switch meat suits. (Though she, too, changed bodies, first portrayed by Aycox, then later by Miner, above.) Dean and Sam could never be sure whether she was an ally or an enemy. She had an unlikely romantic attrac- tion to the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) and hated Crowley, who eventually killed her when she helped the boys and Cas. 4 | ELLEN AND JO HARVELLE (Samantha Ferris and Alona Tal) The mother- and-daughter team of hunters died heroically saving the Winchesters from a pack of hellhounds, with Dean tenderly kissing the wounded young Jo goodbye. “Ellen and Jo represented a home base for hunters,” says Ackles. "We really loved working with these ladies. CLAIRE NOVAK (Kathryn Love Newton) After Castiel took Claire's father, Jimmy, as his hu- man vessel, her mother left and the runaway teen became a thief. The bud- ding hunter and bundle of teen angst now lives with Sheriff Mills and helped save her foster sister, Alex Jones, from vengeful vampires. "Claire adds a nice twist to Castiel as he tries to bea father figure,” Ackles says. “Kathryn is a fan, cast and crew favorite.” ALEX JONES (Katherine Ramdeen) “The Winchesters would usually kill someone like Alex, who lured victims to anest of vampires,” Padalecki says. “But she was being tricked.” The fangsters had raised her and even though they were using her, she still thought of them as her family. Big mistake. Sam and Dean eventually killed the vamps and Alex went to live with Sheriff Mills. r ROWEN (Ruth Connell) “Ruth is proof that great things can come in wee packages,” Mark Sheppard says of the Scottish actress who plays the powerful witch, who's also Crowley's mother. "It's the best love-hate relationship on the show. Deadly,” he adds. The Win- chesters put up with the wicked witch (and her ever-changing alliances) because of her exceptional skills at casting and breaking spells. —additional reporting by Marisa Roffman COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 31 [1 Ѕбирегпа Ҹа (of Hell) Mark A. Sheppard embraces the ups and downs of life for the charismatic demon Crowley BYILEANE RUDOLPH “Crowley is a hope- less romantic,” Sheppard says. *He believes any- thing is possible" \ ) a place in the underworld. All Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) wants is to have his old job back—but he’s having a hell of a time winning support from his former minions. Sheppard shares Crowley's pain and his plans for next season. T he king of Hell is having a tough time finding his My, how the mighty have fallen. Well, Crowley's worst nightmare came true when Lucifer [Mark Pellegrino] was let out of the cage. The fact that he didn't deal properly with his mother, Rowena [Ruth Connell], who's a powerful witch, didn't help his case. Crowley wasn't very happy this season, was he? He missed Dean [Jensen Ackles]. Their bromance was impor- tant to him, and when that went up in smoke, he didn't do a good job of running Hell. The demons kicked him out, so at the end of the season, he was a man without a country. 32 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE Nobody seems to want to work with him to get the crown back. He's burned all his bridges. Crowley's a good guy! The Winchesters kill a lot more people than Crowley does. He wants everyone to like him. Crowley has flambéed plenty of demons. Oh, demons come and go. Crowley and Billie (Lisa Berry), the soul reaper, appeared to be flirting in the finale. Might some- thing be percolating between them? She's taken over for Death [who was killed at the end of Season 10], so she's a woman who has everything Crowley wants. He's definitely enamored, so there might even be a relationship! That would be fun. We haven't had enough of sexy Crowley. Which was worse for Crowley this season: his mother trying to kill him or Lucifer sadistically making him lick Hell's floor? People keep asking, "What does the floor taste like?" My response is, "It's not the worst floor you've ever tasted.” Lucifer putting a dog collar on him was the worst. His mother trying to kill him is just an occupational hazard. God, aka Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict), and his destructive sister, Amara (Emily Swallow), made peace in the season finale. Can Crowley and Rowena? Could be, but you can't trust her as far as you can throw her. The possibility is always there that they might kill each other given an opportunity. He could fix the Rowena problem, but it's been quite fun that he hasn't. What's Crowley's goal next season? He wants to be in charge. But he has a few overpowering obstacles. Lucifer is the biggest one. He was cast out of Castiel's [Misha Collins] body, but we don't know where he went. He could be hiding in plain sight in some new body. If Crowley was unhappy on the throne in Hell, why does he want back in? That's his destiny. He likes to pretend he doesn't care, but he'd be a bit lost without the job. Maybe he's destined to fail, but it's so amusing watching him try to regain the throne. What feedback do Supernatural fans give you? | spend most of my time knocking Misha, which is fun because of the angel status. They boo and hiss me for that. As for Crowley—it's that he killed Meg. [Meg, played by both Nicki Aycox and Rachel Miner, was a demon who eventually allied with Castiel and the Win- chesters; Crowley ended her in Season 8.] What's Crowley's saving grace? He's actually an asset who does more for the boys than he does against them. Is he fun to play? He is. It's like playing Daffy Duck. If Bugs Bunny symbolizes our aspirations, then Daffy Duck epitomizes our realization of what we truly are. Crowley is areflection of that which we truly are, rather than that which we want to be. | also believe that, like Green Acres' Eddie Albert, Crowley really is the last sane man in the universe. So you relate to him? Totally. I'm literally going, “These people are insane. If they'd just do what Crowley tells them to do, everything would be fine!" NINO MUNOZ/THE CW ТОР: KATIE YU/THE CW . BOTTOM: JORDON NUTTALL/THE CW. BURNING QUESTIONS BY MARISA ROFFMAN Sam and Dean averted one crisis, but they were im- mediately thrown into a new one Why was now the right time to play the God card? After years of speculation, the drama finally confirmed that Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict)—a prophet who had been writing Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean's (Jensen Ackles) story—was indeed the Almighty himself. “It was really nice to get it confirmed,” Benedict says. "We're not guessing anymore. You can make some serious choices, because we're all on the same page.” Though the cre- ative team had intended on Chuck being God for years, Season 11’s tale of “Amara being God's sister [meant] we certainly had to pay it off,” executive producer Robert Singer explains. “It was almost a relief that we had finally done it.” What do the British Men of Letters want? We al- ready knew about the American members of the Men of Letters—the secret organization that researched/ tracked all things supernatural—but the season finale introduced a U.K. division, who haven't allowed a supernatural-related death in their territory since 1965. One of their members, Lady Toni Bevell (Elizabeth Blackmore), made quite an entrance, showing up in the Winchesters’ Kansas bunker and shooting at Sam. Though his character was the target, Padalecki under- stands where she is coming from. “She really thinks of Sam and Dean as villains,” he says. “To her, they started the Apocalypse and nearly got God killed.” Who will save Sam? Castiel (Misha Collins), the Win- chesters’ angel ally, will be “extremely motivated to get Sam back,” executive producer Andrew Dabb says. “He [does] things we know Cas is capable of but we haven’t seen him do in recent years.” What does the return of the boys’ mother mean? Mary Winchester’s (Samantha Smith) death in 1983 (as seen in Supernatural’s pilot episode) was a wound that haunted the brothers for years. Now that she has returned—a gift of thanks from Amara (Emily Swallow) for Dean’s help in ending her feud with God—Mary learns “these two kids [she left behind] have grown up into men who are hunters—something she tried to avoid,” Dabb says. “She’s kind of their mother in name only. [She’s] meeting her sons again, but they are not what she expected. In some ways, she is not what they expected.” Where the hell is Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino)? When Amara ejected Lucifer from Castiel's body, the fallen angel went MIA. Since Castiel let Lucifer out of his cage (and into his vessel) in an attempt to fight the Dark- ness, he feels responsible for any damage that could come from the Devil's newfound free- dom. “Cas feels like it's his mission to try to make that right,” Singer says. Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) is also on Lucifer's trail, but unlike the Winchesters and Castiel, he doesn't merely want to stop him; “he wants payback,” for humiliating him in front of his former minions, Dabb says. “I think it's very personal for Crowley, in a way a lot of stuff isn’t.” What's next for Rowe- na (Ruth Connell)? The Scottish witch, who had brief alliances with both Lucifer and Amara this past season, may take her wicked ways down a notch now that she “has seen that being all- powerful maybe isn't all it’s cracked up to be,” Singer says. “But one always has to be suspicious of Rowena.” —additional reporting by lleane Rudolph Blackmore COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 33 {һе A on't call him an antihero—yet! Gotham’s leading Г) man, Ben McKenzie, has taken Jim Gordon from Boy Scout with a badge to a rogue crime fighter with a /ot of blood on his hands. But while this season's walk on the dark side may have cost Batman's future bestie a life with true love Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) as well as his standing within the GCPD, McKenzie says it's all good as long as Jim gets to bea little bad. Jim's dark turn this season gave you so much great stuff to play. Yes, ії did! One of the things | think we did was learn from things we could've done better in the past. After the first season, we felt we needed to lean into the serialization way harder, so I’m proud of this season in terms of how it really focused on the charac- ters. Not just Jim but the evolution of Oswald [Robin Lord Taylor] and Nygma [Cory Michael Smith]. Bruce [David Mazouz] has evolved a lot too. Between Oswald in Season 1 and Galavan (James Frain) this year, Jim is the guy who can't kill people for good. [Laughs] | know. He's awfully ineffective for such a heroic guy. As much as we want to dig into the characters and give them the sort of pathos that helps ground the series in reality, we also wanted to open it up to doreally fun reversals and rebirths and body swapping-type things. 34 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE Mondays, 8/7c, Fox — Ben McKenzie opens up about how good it feels to go bad BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK This season was all about the villains. Who's your favorite bad guy? It's always been Nygma. I’ve always had a soft spot for him, and | think what Cory Michael Smith's doing is great. He's been brilliant this year and last year.| think we've got some plans for him next sea- son. And there's one villain I’m really excited about that | cannot share with you. [Laughs] What about a favorite scene this season? That's a tough one. It's not one scene, but the episodes where Jim goes to prison and we see him reorient his life and then emerge anew. It was a really enjoyable journey to goonasan actor. So much superhero lore is about over- coming a loss through fantastical elements, but Jim's just a man. So to experience the loss of Lee and his child—l can imagine going through something similar in my personal life—was a powerful experience. Without Lee or the GCPD, where does Jim go now? The plan is to kick him into Season 3 unmoored from all of the things she helped him hold on to and, in some dark way, enjoying a life free from any attachment to anybody. We could [see] him roam the streets at will for a bit and come back [to the GCPD], possibly as a leader of men. I think that's what we're aiming for. You weren't a comic book kid growing up. Have you gotten better versed in the Batman business since the show started? | definitely feel more learned in this world, for sure. Don't quiz me on it, though! [Laughs] OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. E Г. eturn “to the Ser uin of oldnext >, . season,” executive -A 5-3. ЖНА А "=>" says of Cobblepot... — *(third fromeft)-— —- \ officially set, but Smith is game, especially now that Miss Mooney has mad new skills. "Folks had better watch out, that is all | can say!" Stephens says with a laugh. With Indian Hill closed and the murder of Bruce's BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK parents solved, will Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) rejoin the GCPD? In time, but first he's got to work through his own stuff. "We're going to see a different version of Jim at the beginning of next year” Stephens The villains rose in Season 2, then roared into the night after Arkham Asylum’s Indian Hill says, hinting that an event at the top of Season 3 will was shut down. So what awaits Gotham now rock Gordon's worldview. "He's much more of a loner... i | i | and he'll be walking into very dangerous situations in that Jim Gordon is no longer on the force and order to have a spark of life. He's tempting fate in a way.” half of DC Comics’ craziest are on the loose? What's next for #Nyguin? Stephens happily reports We have some post-finale intel even the GCPD | EdNygma (Cory Michael Smith) and Oswald "Penguin" a*Strange" / ~“version оп SSS tk COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 35 doesn’t know about yet | Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) will "become a real duo for the first half of the season,” as Oswald lures the riddle- We met the Court of Owls in the wild Season 2 tossing maniac into his plan to regain control of Gotham. ender. Who exactly are they? "They're a shadowy, Will we ever meet the Joker? Get ready to smile! After Illuminati-like group which basically controls Gotham,” the death of Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) earlier last executive producer John Stephens explains. The masked | season,the ginger killer developed scores of devotees. cabal, first introduced into the Batman comic book "The idea of the Joker and the cult that Lori Petty's canon in 2011, was revealed to be pulling the strings. The | character was a part of [in "This Ball of Mud and Mean- Š organization employs an enforcer named Talon, who is ness” |—we’re going to keep seeing that grow through- = set to appear in Season 3. out Gotham,” = What other characters from the comic books are Stephens Е on deck for next season? Hugo Strange's (BD Wong) promises. ^The 5 experiments-gone-wrong escaped from Indian Hill, Joker is such a Ë which means Gotham is now host to a plethora of new huge part of = baddies, including the Mad Hatter and his henchmen, the mythology š the Tweed Brothers. We'll see more of zombie Solomon that we want Š Grundy “deeper into next season,” Stephens says, to approach Š adding that the appearance of Clayface Bruce Wayne [that story] = (also played by David Mazouz, right) is “going to have very slowly E major repercussions next year as well." and build it Bruce may = What about Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith)? in a way no want to watch Е Following the former crime boss's resurrection late іп one's seen it р his back with Season 2, Stephens hopes to bring Fish back. Nothing is built before.” ГЛ! Gotham. Director Nick Copus (left) blocks a scene with Robin Lord Taylor, aka Pen- guin, on the Arkham Asylum mess hall set, which production designer Richard Berg describes as “Bellevue times 10.” The Dickensian vibe, Berg explains, was inspired by the works of comic book artist Jim Lee, DC Entertainment’s copublisher. “His illustrated version of Arkham was an old orphanage that was converted into an asylum.” ~ +L AL LI BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK r 36 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (6) « Costume designer John Glaser adjusts the helmet on Nathan Darrow's original Mr. Freeze outfit, which went through a series of high-tech upgrades throughout the season. р “| love working so closely along- side Tonya Pinkins;" raves Broadway vet BD Wong (far right) of his fellow Tony winner, who plays Dr. Strange's sassy associate, Ms. Peabody. “I’ve also had wicked fun in my scenes with Robin [center].” > Erin Richards, who plays Barbara, isn’t the only one who’s been caught lying down on the job while shooting in the Arkham infirmary (with Morena Baccarin). “I have often come down at lunch and seen people making use of the beds;" Berg says with a laugh. 4 “That pea green is typical of a hospital, so everyone can relate to it,” Berg ex- plains of the putrid walls surrounding the institution- alized Nygma (Cory Michael Smith, far left) and an Arkham guard (Shadner Ifrene). *But we've dialed more gray and more dark into it, so now it looks like it’s generations old.” « Whether it's a camera angle or color scheme, *everything stylistically on the show is very much discussed;" says Ben McKenzie. That includes his character Gordon's taste for dark clothes and action. *This is not your father's Jim Gordon! He's not going to sit behind a nice little desk.” Facebook.com/GothamOnFox Twitter: (Gotham Ben McKenzie: (üben mckenzie Donal Logue: @DonalLogue Morena Baccarin: @missmorenab Sean Pertwee: @SeanPertwee Robin Lord Taylor: @RobinLordTaylor David Mazouz: @realdavidmazouz Erin Richards: @ErinRRichards Camren Bicondova: @camrenbicondova Cory Michael Smith: @Mister_CMS Jessica Lucas: @jessicalucas Chris Chalk: @chalkchris Drew Powell: @thedrewpowell Michael Chiklis: @MichaelChiklis COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 37 _ — 2296 p” p” Р (Erin e WHY WE LOVE HER After falling out of a cathedral window, slipping into a coma and then enduring Hugo Strange's (BD Wong) bizarre “therapy,” the bisexual babe remains devoted to winning back ex Jim (Ben McKenzie). "Barbara is a pretty mixed-up individual," Richards says. "She acts on impulse and is driven by what she needs.” WHY WE FEAR HER Her quest usually involves attempts to kill Lee. And now that she's in cahoots with Tabitha and Butch (Drew Powell)? No good can come from that. 38 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE OCC . The Women of ae 14 ABITE IA (Jessica yim WHY WE LOVE HER Loosely inspired by the DC Comics villainess Tigress, Theo Galavan's (James Frain) kid sister proved to be a leather-clad badass who can crack a whip as well as she can crack the shell of Penguin's (Robin Lord Taylor) former thug Butch. WHY WEFEAR HER Because this assassin is not done wreaking havoc. "She and Barbara are going to form an alliance and become a power structure inside the Gotham underworld next season,” executive producer John Stephens previews. e - ee ren Bicondova) WHY WE LOVE HER Feline and frisky, the teen urchin has helped toughen up Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) while edging to- ward her destiny as a master criminal. Whether it's hearts of gold, bods for sin or brains for crime, these ladies are keeping the Gotham guys on their toes Bv DAMIAN HOLBROOK WHY WEFEAR HER Because the kitten is becoming a cat. "Sheis going to grow up and get involved in a few love trian- gles that will change her in fundamental ways,” Stephens teases. "You will see her going from Cat- girl to Catwoman.” ; FOX; FROM LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) ER дин NEN COM um EQ I.E P. 558 ELI LE 4.3 "EDI | = > R ] zi ый Ful mm F Ll d d 2899 Li š A F^ B Fl т $m mm р SZ umi ГЭ V í < РАТЬ р иа киймин E Bos DR | As Жыш A » ый фый) а (Могепа Вассагїп) WHY WE LOVE HER The GCPD's hot doctor has been the only voice of reason in Jim's life, so we were heart- broken when she lost their unborn baby soon after he forced her to leave town to escape the madness of Gotham’s evildoers. WHY WE FEAR HER Women scorned by Jim Gordon don’t tend to take it well. Stephens is mum on how much we'll see of Lee in Season 3, but he does hint that when these two reconnect, “her relationship with Jim will be different." BRIDGIT PIKE (Michelle Veintimilla) WHY WE LOVE HER As arsonists go, Bridgit is probably the most sympathetic we've seen. Years of being abused by the fire-starting felons who took her in turned this orphan into a true baddie, Firefly. She eventu- ally landed in Indian Hill as one of Strange's experiments. WHY WEFEAR HER Well, she did want to burn Selina to acrisp for trying to bust her out of Arkham's dungeon. And nobody should like a flamethrower that much. "She started out timid, meek and deathly afraid of her brothers,” Veintimilla says, “and ended a human firecracker.” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 39 a та EF \ p ' ci РИ MO 1 `. BY NERINA RAMMAIRONE > “Опе of the background actors dressedas Santa fellasleep between meandlanduring a scene,” says Paul Wesley (left, with Somerhalder). “He was snoring! We kept going but eventually had to wake him.” 40 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE | <“Todd Lasance | Amsterdam!" BEHIND THE SCENES Ж The Vampire Diaries’ Season 7 slayed baddies (goodbye, Julian), reunited old loves (hello, Steroline) and brought new life (welcome, Josie and Lizzie). Here's how it all came together. [Julian] and! hada killer time shooting this scene,” says Michael Malarkey, who plays Enzo. ^We're both expe- rienced in stage combat, so we rehearsed the hell out of it. The stunt doubles were like, *Uhhh, we don't need to be here: It's my all-time favorite scene." <“This was the first episode back for the season, and filming in hot Georgia,” says Kat Graham, aka Bonnie. “We tried everything we could to make it look like A "I loved the friendship between Bonnie, Damon and Alaric [Matt Davis, left, with Somerhalder];" Graham says. “I wish we'd developed it more. But I especially loved seeing Bonnie's genuine concern for Alaric as he struggled to bring his wife, Josette, back.” Elizabeth Blackmore, Jaiden Kaine, Scarlett Byrne, Annie Wersching and lan Somerhalder Facebook.com/thevampirediaries Twitter:@cwtvd lan Somerhalder: @iansomerhalder Paul Wesley: @paulwesley Candice King: @CandiceAccola Kat Graham: @KatGraham Zach Roerig: @zach_roerig Matt Davis: @ErnestoRiley Michael Malarkey: @mkmalarkey Executive producer Kevin Williamson: @kevwilliamson Executive producer Julie Plec: @julieplec Writing staff: @TVDWriters OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; ВОВ МАНОМЕУ/ТНЕ CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (4) COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 41 | The Vampire Diaries | convince Julie Plec. She fell for it, and that was it. [Laughs] How was it directing your friends? | thought it would be uncomfortable, but my costars tell me they prefer me as a director more than an actor, because they think I’m more empathetic and less self-involved. [Laughs] And it’s true; | really try to make everyone feel good, because | know that if you want me to do a great job as an actor, | need to feel like there's some sort of appreciation. And | don't want to feel like a puppet. So | never want an actor to feel that way when they're working with me as a director. Did anything funny happen on your first day behind the camera? The crew gave me a director's chair—only it was alittle kid's chair, 24 inches high. And I sat in it! What was the most challenging TVD scene you've directed? The massive fight sequence in "Requiem for a Dream" between Damon [lan Somerhalder] and Bonnie [Kat Graham]. It was very emotional and extremely technical. It was like doing an action film but having to really deliver good performances, and do it in two nights! Julie Plec Directed Season 6's "Let Her Go” and Season 7's “I Went to the Woods" Fi E] You're busy producing and writing. Why direct? Much е C in of showrunning is directing, so | was able to use all the skills that | had developed over the years in terms of how to shape a show and how to capture it tonally, and t h use it to actually direct. It was thrilling. e T) eg How did you choose your first episode to helm? | really wanted to tell the story of Liz Forbes’s [Marguerite Maclntyre] funeral in "Let Her Go.” Marguerite is a good Action! Executive producer Julie Plec and friend, and she played a character | loved so much—| star Paul Wesley both sat in the director's wanted to say goodbye properly. In “I Went to the Woods,” you directed Paul Wesley chair this Season BYILEANE RUDOLPH not only as vampire Stefan Salvatore but also as a serial killer temporarily occupying his body. Paul was Paul Wesley thrilled with the content, and he called me with all these Directed Season 5's "Resident Evil," Season 6's "Woke Up questions about how to shift his character. When he digs With a Monster" and Season 7's "Things We Lost in the in, he's magnificent, and there's not that much work you Fire" and "Requiem for a Dream" have to do with him, because he's such a strong actor. Why direct? It's always been ingrained in me. When | How would you describe Paul as a director? Paul is a watched films as a kid, | was interested in the directing die-hard indie filmmaker. He wants to understand the equally, if not more, than the acting. At 19, | asked the pro- camera, the angle, the lenses, the color scheme and ducer of the pilot | was doing if | could direct an episode! build the visual palate. He's got a real gift for it. What filmmaker inspired you most? Stanley Kubrick. How did the cast and crew react to you in the chair? Full Metal Jacket, 2001, The Shining—they're all | joke that | really haven't had the completely different films, and directing experience yet, because they all viscerally moved me. How would you describe directing? It's like a Tetris game. You have to put the pieces to- gether and make sure you've got what you need—vision and style. How did your first directing gig on The Vampire Diaries come about? | knew | was capable of doing it, so | just needed to 42 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE there were no arguments! What's your favorite scene you di- rected? In "| Went to the Woods,” the phone call between the brothers when Stefan's stuck in the snow and Damon is in the car searching for him. It's three-and-a-half pages of great conflict written by Neil Reynolds. Including the snow and the camera work, it was everything | love. TOP: BOB MAHONEY/THE CW. BOTTOM: TINA ROWDEN/THE CW THE LEADING VOICE IN NATIONAL CITY... AND BEYOND! LIFESTYLE + TECHNOLOGY ` FASHION POLITICS - CULTURE - ICONS PRINT DIGITAL OR BOTH! For fastest service. visit usonlinc at www.CatCoWW.com SPEAKING FOR WOMEN... E" SPEAKING FOR THE WORLD! CATCO WORLDWIDE MEDIA | The Vampire Diaries | if J \ | “S a ome unseen MET monster has stripped JH Damon [Somerhalder, ı14 left] and Enzo =~, [Malarkey] of “humanity and any emotion.” exec producer Plec say8 BURNING QUESTIONS BY ILEANE RUDOLPH 2K | Are Damon (lan Somerhalder) and Enzo (Michael Malarkey) still on their murderous rampage when Season 8 opens? Yes. The big thrust of the first part of next season will be: How do we rescue these two people from whatever stripped them of any humanity and led them to these extremely horrific actions? Bonnie [Kat Graham] has lost the two men she loves—her best friend and her boyfriend—at the same time, so she's driven to try anything to get them back and vanquish a villain she can't even identify. Is next season's arc about the gang figuring out who— or what—the new big bad actually is? It's definitely about unraveling the mythol- ogy of this new, very creepy, very ancient unseen pres- ence and then working on how to defeat it. But it's also about whether these two men can come back from 44 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE what they've done. Where does their salvation lie? Will Caroline (Candice King) and Stefan (Paul Wes- ley) have time to work on their relationship during all this despair? My wish is that, in spite of this sad- ness, Stefan and Caroline will be strong and allow themselves the opportunity to be in love as they work together for the greater good. In other words, there might be a few brief, fleeting moments of happiness! What's going to happen to Alaric's (Matt Davis) little witch kids, whom Caroline has been raising? Alaric made a beautiful speech to Caroline in the finale, saying, "We will always be family,” and that is true. She's never going to turn her back on him or those girls. Besides being a devoted daddy, what will Alaric be up to? Га like for Alaric to use the resources of the Armory and its artifacts, despite all the dangers its vault had posed, so he can be that guy we first met: an archaeologist and geek fascinated with supernatural lore. We always joke his destiny is to be a professor at the X-Men's Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. When last seen, Matt (Zach Roerig) abandoned his sheriff duties and left Mystic Falls. Is he off the show? No! Matt has gone off to find himself. It will be interesting deciding what he's going to do, who he's going to be and how we'll fold him back into our story. He could be hunting vamps out in the world with former buddies Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Jeremy (Steven Р. McQueen)! [Laughs] We won't know for a bit what he's doing. My hope, though, is to see Tyler and Jeremy again. What new characters will show up next season? The core group has gotten pretty small. First, we'll figure out how to portray this new villain. There will be at least one character, if not more, that will represent this evil. As our heroes head out on their adventures, there will also be new people they come across. lan and Kat have said next season will be their last. Will it be the final season for The Vampire Diaries? That's yet to be determined. | have to have conversations with the actors to see if they want to continue or if it's time to bring it to an end. Once those conversations are had, we'll approach the network with a plan. Nina Dobrev, who left the show a year ago, did a voice- over for the finale. Does that mean Elena could be seen before the series finale, which you've said Dobrev would return for? I’ve long felt that the story is going to end when we see Elena Gilbert again. But anything could change along the way if [certain] things happen— or don't happen. | know I’m waiting for that moment. So you might alter the curse keeping Elena coma- tose until her BFF, Bonnie, dies? That’s in my head—and (2) OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. А it's very sweet. wy | 4 FROM LEFT: FRANK OCKENFELS 3/THE CW (4) Michael Malarkey Their Finest Hours Stars bite into their favorite episodes from Season 7 Bv NERINA RAMMAIRONE CANDICE KING “Mommie Dearest” A shocked Caroline learns she’s carrying Ric and his late wife Jo’s twins thanks to a magic spell. "| was excited to not have to hide my pregnancy anymore! | was almost six months pregnant and really starting to show. As a cast and crew, we have been through so much, which made it beautiful going through this chapter of my life surrounded by their love and support. | was ecstatic to celebrate the freedom of my baby bump! Then realized Caroline was having twins and | had to wear a fake baby bump over my real one. It's always an adventure on Vampire Diaries" MICHAEL MALARKEY “Somebody That I Used to Know” In the season's most romantic episode, we learn how Enzo and Bonnie (Kat Graham) fell in love. “Obviously we all love it when we have a chance to further explore our characters' psyches. For this episode, | was able to delve deeper into facets of Enzo's personality that had only been touched on before—and also to go into James Bond mission mode! It had a little bit of everything: romance, vio- lence, flashbacks, Billie Holiday... what more do you need?" KAT GRAHAM "Requiem for a Dream" Bonnie inherits hunter Rayna's compulsion to kill vampires. "This was my favorite episode because of all the levels Bonnie had to go to. Some of my favorite movies are Being John Malkovich, Fight Club, Alice in Wonderland and The Matrix...so to get to go into another world is always the best kind of adventure for me. It was also the most physically demand- ing, as there were a lot of stunts— more than ever before. | love to see the fans happy, and | believe they were waiting all season to see a lot of what we did in that hour.” PAUL WESLEY “I Went to the Woods" Stefan wakes up in another man's body and must struggle to survive— and find his true self. "The production was fantastic—it felt very realistic. But | enjoyed this episode especially because it was a challenge for me as an actor. It wastruly challenging to play an alcoholic who was going through withdrawal. The storyline allowed me to stretch myself in ways I don't usually get to with Stefan. Also, in this episode, | was a human and not a supernatural being— that is always welcoming as far as I’m concerned.” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 45 CJ The Originals || Midseason, The CW The evildoer finally pays for his sins. Now what? а BY ILEANE RUDOLPH Encounters 46 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE MATHIEU YOUNG/THE CW BOB MAHONEY/THE CW (2) arma's a bitch. Klaus Mikaelson's (Joseph Morgan) supernatural offspring got their revenge on dear old dad in Season 3. Lucien (Andrew Lees) —the К first human Klaus sired—killed Klaus's love Camille (Leah Pipes). Then, in the finale, a betrayed Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) sealed Klaus inside a wall in unending agony. We talked to Morgan about his char- acter's "difficult year" and what could come next. After a life dedicated to selfishness, Klaus finally lived up to his oft-cited vow “Family always and for- ever" and gave himself up to the aggrieved Marcel to keep his siblings safe. Yes. Klaus managed to gain at least some form of redemption by sacrificing himself to a waking nightmare in order to keep his family alive. He's in a comalike state that's agonizing pain where your worst fears play like a silent movie in front of your eyes. Can you imagine? The show will time-jump next season. When Klaus finally gets out, will he try to kill Marcel now that his once favorite “son” has become an all-powerful mon- ster thanks to Lucien's were- wolf venom potion? | don't think So, unless it’s necessary for his sur- vival. The bond with Marcel is one of the show’s foundations. That’s why it was so hurtful to Klaus when his brother Elijah [Daniel Gillies] tore out Marcel's heart. I’m happy for Charles because in the last two episodes he’s done some very special work, but I’m sad for the lost relationship between the characters. Can that rift between them ever be healed? | don’t know. | certainly don't think they'll be drinking whiskey together. The Mikaelsons wrestled New Orleans from Marcel when they returned to the city [in the pilot], and now he's taken it back. This could be the beginning of a war! There will be a score to settle, for sure. Will Marcel and Klaus's sister Rebekah (Claire Holt) still have their century-old romantic feelings for each other when the show returns? Yes. And that adds complications to this twisted family drama. How will Cami's death affect Klaus? Is it the end of the healing she wanted for him? Cami was cast as the love interest for Klaus, but she ended up as so much more. She nurtured his humanity, which allowed him to be areal father to Hope, his daughter with Hayley [Phoebe Tonkin]. With Camille's death, he fears he'll go back to the guy who turned up, guns blazing, in Mystic Falls a couple of years ago. But as long as he has his daughter in his life, there's hope for him. Quite literally. With two vampire-werewolf hybrids as parents, and witch genes as well, Hope could grow to be very powerful. So maybe she will be Klaus's savior in ways that might also include rescuing him from his current imprisonment? His savior—or his downfall? How old would she have to be to kill her father? She could have a lot of resentment. | have always felt Hope would be the key to everything. How was filming that romantic death scene in which Klaus gave Cami one final vision of a perfect day in the French Quarter? It was great. They wrote such poetic speeches for me. We filmed for the whole day together out in a small Georgia town, and it was the culmination of our work together over the last three years. We're all really sad to see her go. Klaus is always bad news for women. Considering all the havoc he has caused in his near thou- sand-year lifetime, does Klaus deserve a happy ending? | want him to have redemption. That might not mean a happy ending for him, but Ра want it to bring happiness to other people, espe- cially Hope. Whatever form that redemption takes, it should end up making a better life for her. You play this powerful immor- tal with a strong sense of self-worth and a hair-trigger temper. Does your wife (Persia White of The Vampire Diaries) ever say, "Whoa, Klaus is coming out, honey"? He does come out now and again. [Laughs] She says, "You're giving me that look...." But she knows how to handle Klaus. Davis (above); Tonkin with Riley Voelkel са | The Originals | Father Figure Klaus boasts a longer sire line than any of his siblings. Can you guess who is missing in his twisted family tree? BY NERINA RAMMAIRONE € JENNA SOMMERS u . Kingmaker ESSE 2??? ЕИ ГЕ | . Marcel's former right-hand man kF | E . Talented violinist . Doppelganger of Amara . Herbrother drowned himself . Refusedto feed while transitioning Bonnie's mom ELENA GILBERT JESSE COLIN UOS|IM 31euueg ÁqqVv 7. 599104 |!я `9 uenouoQ IIA `S 92Jeld ƏulJəƏU1ey % V19 `£ Амеци `2 ese? UA!INT 11 :su3MSNV CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MICHELE К. SHORT/THE CW; QUANTRELL COLBERT/THE CW; PATRICK ECCLESINE/THE CW; FRANK OCKENFELS 3/THE CW; BOB MAHONEY/THE CW; FRANK OCKENFELS 3/THE CW 48 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE BOB MAHONEY/THE CW (2) ALS ^ . Will Klaus come out a changedm next season: > С а +4 BURNING QUESTIONS BY ILEANE RUDOLPH In the shocking Season 3 finale, the prophecy that predicted the fall of the Mikaelson clan came true. Showrunner Michael Narducci shares what's next for the vampire family. The Mikaelsons are technically not dead, but do this season's events mean the end of the prophecy that decreed they would fall by friend, family and foe? Yes, it's the storyline's conclusion. The prophecy just said they'd fall at the hands of someone who was their friend, someone who was part of their family and some- one who was a foe. Klaus's "son" Marcel Gerard [Charles Michael Davis] fulfills all of those prerequisites. When the show returns, will Klaus (Joseph Morgan) still be walled up and staked, and will his siblings—Freya (Riley Voelkel), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), Rebekah (Claire Holt) and Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic)—still be in comalike states? Yes. We'll tell the story of how they get out of this predica- ment, whether it's by them- selves or that they are summoned by someone who may need them. How much time will have passed when Season 4 opens? Is it at least three years to catch up to The Vampire Diaries’ timeline? Yes, at least three years. When The Vampire Diaries' Caroline [Candice King] came to New Orleans looking for Klaus, she was told that no one had seen him for three years. What's Klaus's baby mama and fellow hybrid, Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), been doing during that time? She'll stop at nothing to find a way to cure Kol and Elijah of Marcel's mortal wolf bite by gathering werewolf venom from the seven packs for a vaccine. Will Klaus and Hayley's daughter, Hope, be old enough to wield any of the witch powers she has inherited? We'll explore those powers and how her family will influence her use of them. There will also be people who think Hope is an enemy who must be killed and others who believe the child should be taken from the Mikaelsons. Now that they've finally given in to their love, can Elijah and Hayley make it as a couple? If two people care about each other but they're separated by pain and suffering and time, can they pick up where they left off? We'll answer that. You killed off two strong female characters this season: Klaus's human love Camille (Leah Pipes) and Davina Claire (Danielle Campbell), a teen witch loved by Kol. Why? We didn't take that deci- sion lightly. We put those courageous characters in stories with real stakes. So there had to be conse- quences. As Hayley said at one point, “loving a Mikaelson is a death sentence" Though we may not have seen the last of Davina. What about Marcel? What can we expect now that he has gained awesome power from drinking the werewolf serum? He has a code of honor and wants peace and prosperity in his city for everyone. He'll still have a very complicated relationship with the Mikaelson family, but the power dynamic has shifted because his bite can kill Elijah and Klaus, and we don't know if he can be killed. He may be furious with Klaus and yet he still loves Rebekah. Marcel is not the villain. Really? Then who or what is next season's villain? There's trouble coming to New Orleans in the form of vampires no longer tied to Klaus, thanks to the witch Davina's severing of their connection. Now if he dies, they won't have to, so they are very dangerous. They hate him because of all the terrible things he's done to them, and they want revenge. What's next season's theme? It will be about bringing the Mikaelsons back together. They will have to wonder if there is any value, any worth, to this family. Is there anything worth saving? Any hope for redemption? COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 49 C | The Originals | 4 “This is me and Charlie—one half of our adorable set of twins who play Hope,” says Phoebe Tonkin, aka Hayley. “I have known these girls since they were 5 months old, but | feel bad because alot of the time lam holding them lam covered in blood! We pretend it's ketchup." For this harrowing s cene — in *The Devil Comes Here and Sighs;" Joseph Morgan spent two days BEHIND THE SCENES “chained to that magi- cal didgeridoo,” he says. “More scenes with Klaus drinking whiskey by the fireplace, please!” The Mikaelsons were finally made to pay for | their centuries of evil, but that doesn't mean оа mag ctm Season 3 was all doom and gloom. Here's how the stars kept things light on set. BY NERINA RAMMAIRONE Meer З A “Мот only was this gentleman a fine actor, but he A "Reunion! This was the first time the family had been together since was also sporting a gorgeous choker,” Gillies jokes Season 3 of The Vampire Diaries,” says Morgan (far left, with Nathaniel of working with a stuntman in the episode *For the Buzolic, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt and Caspar Zafer) of the Mikaelsons. Next Millennium." 50 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE A "Working with Jason Dohring [Det. Will Kinney] is like being back in drama school,” says Yusuf Gatewood (left), who plays Vincent. “He loves rehearsing and always has interesting ideas.” A “Ah, yes, here's Marcel on a morning walk through the French Quarter, picking up the Sunday paper and sharing alaugh with the locals,” jokes Charles Michael Davis, who plays the vengeful vampire. Facebook: Facebook.com/cworiginals Twitter: @cworiginals Instagram: @theoriginals Joseph Morgan: @JosephMorgan Daniel Gillies: @danieljgillies Phoebe Tonkin: @IPhoebeJTonkin Yusuf Gatewood: @yusufgatewood Riley Voelkel: @Lifeofrileyv Executive producer Julie Plec: @julieplec Executive producer Michael Narducci: A “Definitely the most interesting experience I’ve ever had in a House of Worship,” @MichaelNarducci Gillies says of this deadly scene from “Beautiful Mistake,” where Elijah goes to ex- Writing staff: @OGsWriters tremes to protect sister Rebekah (Holt). CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; BOB MAHONEY/THE CW (2); QUANTRELL D. COLBERT/THE CW (3) COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 51 CJ | | Returns midseason, The CW trying to get a grasp on just one character. But iZombie's Rose Mclver is tasked with playing a new character every week: When undead assistant medical examiner Liv Moore eats the brains of the corpses who come her way in the morgue (to avoid be- coming a full-on zombie), she takes on characteristics and memories of the deceased as a side effect. “I had a lot of fun pushing outside of the characters that | had been allowed to play before,” Mclver says of this role's inherent diversity. “I feel like we took it a little further, and for me as an actress, that was really fun.” Mclver shares her favorite personas from Season 2. N ormally, television actors have their hands full “Zombie Bro" College proved to be deadly for a frat boy, and Liv bro-ed out—hard—after she ingested his brain during the case. The stark contrast between the victim's loose, partying persona and Liv's more reserved demeanor allowed Mclver to tap in to new places as an actress. "It was a sense of humor and a sensibility l'm never normally cast in;" she notes. Among the things Liv got to indulge in while she was on the frat brain? She held her own at a wild party (complete with pulling off a keg stand) and drew on her colleague Ravi (Rahul Kohli) while he was sleeping. But mostly for Mclver, she enjoyed "all of those dumb boy jokes | pretend not to laugh at but | find really funny,’ she says. "Everyone broke a lot during the taping, because we were filming things like me playing beer pong!” “Abra Cadaver” A death at a magic conven- tion led to Liv channeling her inner David Copperfield as she and Seattle police detective Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) worked the case. "| enjoyed the magician, because | got to learn behind-the-scenes magic secrets,” Mclver says. To get a bit more insight into the magician's world— and to prep for Liv's newfound expertise in the episode— Mclver studied with a magic consultant who taught her a few sleight-of-hand tips. However, that glimpse be- hind the curtain did have a real-life drawback. "It defi- nitely spoiled the [Los Angeles magic club] Magic Castle for me a little bit,” she acknowledges. "Now I’m very skeptical and suspicious, and | have a little bit of insight into the tricks people use.” “Real Dead Housewife of Seattle” Liv embraced her inner rich bitch when she investigated the death of a trophy wife who was pushed off a balcony. As Liv reluctantly spent her birthday alone, she took on the persona of a lady who From frat boy to real housewife, Rose lunches. She got sassy with those who annoyed her (апа = Mclver reveals the coolest personalities slap-happy with Robert Buckley's Major) and overly : : : emotional during the case, including getting clingy with š she sunk her teeth into Ш Season 2 the real killer. She went all out with the outfits, hair, nails = BY MARISA ROFFMAN and shoes—even if it wasn't exactly practical for work. = 52 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) "*The Real Housewives of Seattle’ was such a different look for Liv," Mclver says. "To be able to have some sort of physicality to the brain she's eaten: straighten her hair, put on these dresses Liv would never normally wear [is rare].” “Eternal Sunshine of the Caffeinated o Mind" When Liv ate the brain of the Positivity coffee shop owner, she became very perky—a trait that rubbed off on Mclver during that hour's pro- duction. “It was just really uplifting,” the Kiwi actress notes. “It’s funny: You reprogram your own brain a little bit when you're saying these joyful and inspiring things, as silly as they аге. It makes for an uplifting environ- ment when that's the kind of mantra we have all day, every day” A few episodes later, Buckley got to do his own twist on the concept after Major ate a bit of the leftover brain. "It was fun, and it opens the door for lots of opportunities to play with that next season,” Mclver points out. "When various characters eat the same brain, how muchis it informed by who they are as a person as [it is] by the brain they're eating?" “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues” Eating the brains of a murdered singing wait- ress from a country bar gave Liv the chance to find a new way of working through her complicated feelings about love and loss: music. “I love singing, and is \ № \ m it was an excuse to play some music, get on the guitar and sing a little on set,” Mclver says. “I had alot of fun with that.” iZombie had a few other musical moments in Sea- son 2 (singer Rob Thomas guest starred and performed as himself in the finale), but Mclver now has a bigger goal in mind: to follow in the footsteps of fellow genre series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “It made me want to do a full musical episode, which I’m plugging for,’ she says. Liv crooned a song about love and loss while under the influence of a singer Frat boy: Who needs a toga? Liv used what was at her disposal for a frat party COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 53 C1 | Zombie | Bond of @rotiers The men of iZombie chat about their easy chemistry, on-set shenanigans and...ass slaps! Bv MARISA ROFFMAN In the case of iZombie, that would be star Rose Mclver’s fantastic four: David Anders (or “Ders,” as his costars call him), who plays zombie baddie turned amnesiac human ally Blaine DeBeers; Robert Buckley, aka zombie Major Lilywhite and Liv's (Mclver) former fiancé; Malcolm Goodwin, as Clive Babineaux, a Seattle detective who frequently partners with Liv; and Rahul Kohli, who plays Ravi Chakrabarti, Liv's boss at the medical examiner's office. Their characters may have increasingly complicated relationships on screen, but off screen, the cast has formed a tight bond. "When you film away from everybody you know and love, your coworkers can really make or break the experience,” Mclver says. “I feel like | just won the lottery.” The costars spilled on their dynamic...and a few secrets about each other. DB ehind every great zombie there are great men. What's it like when several of you share scenes? Robert Buckley: Malcolm's very professional, and for some reason, that drives me to be so immature and un- professional. Our first scene together, | was just so excited to be with him. Every time, right before they called action, | would hold Malcolm's hand, and he'd try to jerk it away. Malcolm Goodwin: He slaps my ass. In the last episode, he got Rose into it. They call action and he hit me on one cheek, Rose hit me on the other. David Anders: A lot of ass slaps from Buckley. Buckley: If you take one thing from [this], it's that Buckley comes with a lot of ass slaps. Goodwin: We get along in real life, so it makes it that much easier to jump into a scene, work with one another, comment on what each other is doing and help each other out. That dynamic brings out the best in all of us. Rahul Kohli: We've all worked on various jobs where you're not as close with other people. With this partic- ular show, having that connection allows us to bring a certain energy to the scenes. What's been your most surreal experiences related to working on this show? Anders: | think it's really cool doing these conventions. I’ve had a mother-son team dressed up as Liv and Blaine. Buckley: When the first [collectible] statue of Liv came out and when the iZombie action figures came out, that blew me away—then they came out with these little mini- figures of Blaine and Liv. l'm crossing my fingers we get the whole cast soon, because that's on my bucket list. Kohli: | was in McDonald's, and as | walked in, the woman 54 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE at the counter screamed. She made me sign a napkin, and she came round with her headset on to take a photo. At aMcDonald’s! That was surreal. You don’t even real- ize other people watch it outside of Twitter, you know? Which Liv brain would you have liked to experience? Buckley: The frat-boy brain. I’m already a bit of a dude- bro, and | think it would be a fun personal challenge to see how hard | could bro the hell out. Kohli: With your Doritos and your Gatorade. Buckley: When we hung out after the pilot, Rahul was the first one who came over to my house, and he was like, “You’re a proper dude-bro...there’s your Xbox, your Mountain Dew; you probably have Doritos in the cabinet.” | did. Goodwin: Seeing Buckley as Major when he was on positivity brain—that was hilarious. You crushed that, man. | think that would have been fun: Clive interacting with Major when he’s on positivity brain. Buckley: There would have been an ass slap. What do fans not know about your castmates? Anders: Careful! Buckley: This is mutually assured destruction. Kohli: Malcolm can sleep anywhere. He’s the worst per- son to take a flight with, because he can fall asleep on the runway and is gone for hours. Ders is the hardest on him- self; he doesn’t need to be, because he’s fantastic. Buckley is acrafty snacker; on set, he’ll have six plates, five sand- wiches, three drinks, a little cup of nuts and a comic book. Buckley: Malcolm is the most professional on set. Rahul is the worst napper I’ve ever met. He’s aware of it, and he tries, but if he takes a nap, he is a proper grouch. Ders is probably the most exciting and surprising to work with, because you really never know what the hell he’s going to do. [Laughs] Kohli: Rose is super professional, very sweet and just awesome. Every now and again | can break her; she can draw something dirty on a clipboard. It’s always worse than | could hope for, and it’s always too explicit. But it’s my favorite thing. Goodwin: Ders has a mean basketball game. Even in the old-man costume, | watched him making a jump shot. Rahul and Bucks will surprise you with little things. | like candy and [Buckley brings me some]. He thinks about everybody in these little moments. Rahul's the same. If Rose is having a hard day, she'll go into her trailer and he'll have flowers [there for her]. During lunchtime, usu- ally | don't eat, but if there's something | like, Rahul puts some in my trailer. There's a great generosity. BETTINA STRAUSS/THE CW “I feel like | inherited four brothers;" Mclver says of (from left) Buckley, Goodwin, Kohli and Anders We get along in real life, so it makes it that much easier to jump into a scene, work with one another, comment on what each other is doing and help each other out — Goodwin ADAM OLSZEWSKI PHOTOGRAH BY ADAM OLSZEWSKI COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 55 Мын Town,’ she too = | ' „^^ + J = | وھ‎ = ` = £ ~ 9-0) í A == aiy- ECS URES EF An. BY MARISA ROFFMAN Hashtag Blue Swallow 56 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; DIYAH PERA/THE CW; KATIE YU/THE CW; DESIGN CONCEPT BY MICHELLE HUNTER, ILLUSTRATIONS BY IVAN LEHNER (5) QUESTIONS BY MARISA ROFFMAN Facebook.com/cwizombie Twitter: @CWiZombie Rose Mclver: @imrosemciver Malcolm Goodwin: @malcolmjgoodwin Rahul Kohli: @RahulKohlit3 Robert Buckley: @robertbuckley David Anders: @QuestionAnders Aly Michalka: @alyandaj Executive producer Rob Thomas: @RobThomas Executive producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright: @rugz19 Writing staff: @iZombieWriters Clive (with Liv) finally sees undead people ‚ ини” ——— How will things change now that Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) knows the truth about zombies? During their partnership, Liv (Rose Mclver) let her Seattle Police Department colleague think she gained insight into cases because she was a psychic. Now that Clive knows her skills are Zombie-powered—and Clive sacrificed his relationship and risked his career to help Liv—their dynamic will shift. For executive producer Rob Thomas, the change, while needed, is bittersweet. “Some of my favorite moments have been Malcolm’s reactions to Rose’s per- formances [while on the бгаіпѕ]” he says. “I'm a little unsure how that will play now that he’s in the loop. lIl miss that. But we knew since the beginning of the season, so I’ve had a while to try and get my head around that.” Can Vivian (Andrea Savage) be trusted? Vivian made a splash with her soldiers, but things might not be peachy with Liv. "Imagine Vivian Stoll as Magneto and Liv as Professor X [from X-Men], < Thomas says, noting ү Ке | Jemison Liv will loop in her is still friends for additional the boss assistance. "They're all mutants in the same way Liv and Vivian Stoll are zombies. Both sides want zombies tothrive...but they have radically different views about the best path to survival.” What's in store for Mr. Boss (Eddie Jemison)? Blaine's (David Anders) former employer has his hands in drugs, smuggling, prostitution and more, prompting the formation of a task force to take him down, led by Assistant District Attorney Peyton Charles (Aly Michalka). The crime lord was originally set to die in the Season 2 finale, but "honestly, we ran out of space,” Thomas shares. "If he was going to die, [it needed] a great death scene. He survived, [and now] | don't plan on killing him.” Will Liv and Major (Robert Buckley) reconnect? Now that Major is a zombie again, a reunion could be in the works for the estranged couple. “It was very specific wording,” Buckley says of the duo's decision to stick to their own kind. “I remember thinking, ‘It feels like they're leaving a crack in the door.” Major now understands her plight, executive producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright adds, but it's complicated because Liv's boyfriend, Drake (Greg Finley), just died. “Liv and Major are primed to be together," Ruggiero-Wright says, "but it's also the absolute worst possible time.” How will the Ravi-Peyton-Blaine triangle progress? Speaking of romantically complicated entanglements, Peyton has found herself with two suitors: her one-night stand/amnesic witness for her case against Mr. Boss, Blaine; and her ex-boyfriend, Ravi (Rahul Kohli). With Michalka now a series regular in Season 3, the triangle will only heat up—and cause extra tension for the two men in her life. “| hope I have far more Blaine interac- tions,” Kohli says. "They've been superfun to play.” The feeling is mutual, Anders says: “I love the love-hate [dynamic] and the love triangle thing that's going on between Peyton, Ravi and Blaine.” Is azombie cure on the way? In Season 2, the team had aclear quest to attempt a cure: find the tainted Utopium (which caused the zombie outbreak) and use it to create an antidote. But attempts so far have led to fatalities and amnesia, and the next step is a bit murky. That also means Blaine's cure-erased memories won't be a quick fix; if the effects were temporary, other zombies (includ- ing Major and Liv) could opt to go through a few months of struggle to be free. "We need our zombie series to last 80 to 100 episodes,” Thomas says. "It can't be that easy!” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 57 С] Lucifer | x Mondays, 9/8c, Fox One ofa Role Devilishly charming Lucifer star Tom Ellis is embracing the humanity of his captivating version of the original fallen angel BY ROB MOYNIHAN 58 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE e have plenty of sympathy for this Devil. From his heavenly battles with angel-orother Amenadiel (DB Woodside) to his newfound knack for sleuth- ing alongside LAPD detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), Lucifer (Tom Ellis) experi- enced his fair share of family squabbles, earthly conundrums and romantic foibles during the Fox drama's freshman season. Ellis reflects on his favorite moments from Season 1 апа previews the action to come. How did you approach the character of Lucifer to bring us your own version of the Devil? | didn't really think about playing the Devil part of it. It was this character on the page. The notion of the Devil is often a very OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. fixed notion. What | loved about this particular take on it was that it was about a guy who hadn't chosen to be that and wanted to get away from it, but because he was the Devil, he still had all those traits. The experience of humanity changing and evolving him was the thing that was more exciting to me than just playing the bad guy whois intrinsically evil. How do you think Lucifer grew over the course of the season? When you're working on a new series, there are a few episodes where you have to keep estab- lishing the dynamic that was set in the pilot. But when we got to Episode 6, “Favorite Son,” where Lucifer's wings were stolen, this was the first time something affected him and the stakes suddenly went up for him— and subsequently everyone around him. That's when the show really hit its stride. And obviously, the stakes are immediately higher in Season 2, because we realize that Mom has escaped Hell. That's pretty ominous for every- body. [Laughs] What do you know about Lucifer's relationship with his mother? Mom being around means that we've got a character that Lucifer is afraid of. The show is firmly rooted in some sort of real family dynamic. The fight between Lucifer and Amenadiel in Episode 12 is just a bigger version of the fight they used to have in their bedroom when they were 5 years old. We don't want [the show] to become stagnant. We want to keep moving and evolving. What was it like filming Lucifer’s huge fight with Amenadiel? It was a lot of fun, but it was pretty ex- hausting. Watching DB's stunt double get thrown into my whiskey collection was exciting and depressing at the same time! [Laughs] What was your favorite episode to shoot in the first season? Episode 9, “A Priest Walks Into a Bar,” mainly because of the guy | was working with, Colman Domingo [playing a priest who figured out Lucifer's true identity]. He's a wonderful man outside of the whole thing, but we really had a great time as actors working on that hour. l'Il never forget shooting the piano duel in Lucifer's penthouse. It was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had on any set. Colman and | are huge fans of music, so we just loved telling that story through music. It's funny, | do get asked a lot on Twitter if that is me playing the piano and singing. | left the mystique there by not answering them. It is me singing, that's for sure. But I’m very good at air piano, let me put it that way! [Laughs] The big relationship at the center of Season 1 was between Lucifer and Chloe. What's your take on their connection? When working with Lauren, we laugh a lot. She's got an amazing sense of humor, and we've used that a little bit with our dynamic on the show. | love that people have reacted to that relationship, because it's in many ways the heartbeat of the show. The idea that people are rooting for them to get together is great, because when you're making a TV show, that's exactly what you want. But | think if you get these characters together, that's the end of your show. What does Lucifer make of Chloe's mysterious power over him? When he realizes that Chloe is the person who makes him vulnerable, he literally bleeds. It's a penny-dropping moment for him when he's realizing it’s a choice to be with this person [who can bring him harm]. It's almost like a fairy-tale feeling to that rela- tionship, a little bit like Beauty and the Beast. What else are you hoping to explore in Season 2? People keep writing to me, saying they want more singing! Lucifer has an appreciation of music and creativity. would like to have more opportunity to do that, maybe with some other characters as well. The most fun is when Lucifer's guard is down. He's very comfortable when he's got his veneer of protection and feeling of “Рип in charge of every situation,” but when that guard drops, that's when we have fun seeing this character surprise himself, other people and the audience. The Doctor Is In! Even the Devil has personal demons to face. And for that, Lucifer consults Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris), the psychiatrist who helped him process his infatuation with Chloe and his deeply con- suming daddy issues. "She's a person who is, at her core, trying to help people,” Harris says. “Не really doesn't understand his feel- ings that he's having as he's be- coming more human, so there's a source of desperation for him, and she genuinely wants to help him.” As Lucifer and Dr. Linda contin- ued with their appointments throughout the first season, Ellis and Harris bonded when the cameras weren't rolling. "She's possibly the funniest person I’ve ever met, and our relationship in real life has taken on a similar dynamic,” Ellis says of his costar. “She was there once every eight or nine days when we were shooting, so we always had a catch-up outside the therapy sessions themselves.” Early in the season, Lucifer paid for consultations through sex, but the patient and doctor soon de- veloped a deep emotional connec- tion and sense of trust. And although Lucifer continues to insist to Linda that he is the Devil himself, she still views this claim as an extended metaphor and not in the literal sense. But if she dis- covered the truth, that could com- promise not only their relationship but also her instincts as a psychia- trist. “She would be blown away,” Harris admits. “She’s operating from a place of ‘he’s not the Devil; so she would be rather horrified. I’m hoping it would be insanely dramatic and Тип” —RM — P чү, “You need these / scenes with Linda to see that Lucifer truly is struggling,” Harris says. “He’s like a little boy” COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 59 BY ROB MOYNIHAN 60 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE Facebook.com/LuciferonFOX Twitter: @LuciferonFOX Tom Ellis: @tomellis17 Lauren German: @LaurenGerman DB Woodside: @TheReal_Db Lesley-Ann Brandt: @LesleyAnnBrandt Kevin Alejandro: @kevinmalejandro Rachael Harris: @RachaelEHarris Executive producer Joe Henderson: @Henderson_Joe Executive producer 10у Modrovich: @ildymojo Writing staff: @LUCIFERwriters COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 61 OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (6) The rivalry between Amenadiel (Woodside, left) and Lucifer (Ellis) will continue in Season 2 BURNING QUESTIONS BY ROB MOYNIHAN i Arri 7 £F» + می می حمر مص‎ \7 NA Arn C агі IV a | Ol ITIOITIHELTIV Иса res What can we expect from Mom in Season 2? After crooked cop Malcolm (Kevin Rankin) shot Lucifer (Tom Ellis) in the Season 1 finale, the former lord of Hell briefly returned home to discover his mother had disappeared. "For whatever reason, she's in prison in Hell and Lucifer has been her warden;' Modrovich says. "He has got to be a little worried that she is going to be pissed at him.” Producers insist that viewers will not have to wait very long to see Lucifer's mom in the flesh and she may have alot in common with her son right off the bat. "If Amenadiel [DB Woodside] takes after God, you can only imagine who Lucifer takes after," Henderson teases. How will her presence affect the brotherly bond between Lucifer and Amenadiel? Satan and his angel brother spent the majority of Season 1 bickering over Lucifer's unwillingness to listen to their father and return to his duties in Hell. But the 62 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE * two found common ground in their search for Malcolm and might become even closer now that Momis in the picture. “Both the camaraderie and the resentment be- tween them is a big thing | want to keep going into Sea- son 2,” Henderson says. “Amenadiel feels like Dad always loved Lucifer the most no matter how hard he tried, but Mom is the other side of the coin, so what surprises might she have in store for Amenadiel?” Will Lucifer and Chloe (Lauren German) get closer? The detective found an unlikely ally in Lucifer, and their partnership will only get stronger since Lucifer risked his life to save Chloe’s daughter, Trixie (Scarlett Estevez), in the season finale. “Lucifer has solidified his usefulness and value to her working on cases, so they’re closer than ever, but there are still some elements to Lucifer that Chloe doesn’t understand,” says Henderson, who also confirms the on-again, off-again fling between Chloe and ex-hus- band Dan (Kevin Alejandro) will take a backseat in Season 2. “Ме might have an opportunity for Chloe to be open to new experiences in the relationship world,” he adds. What’s up with Lucifer’s vulnerability? Lucifer may enjoy being in Chloe’s company, but her presence com- promises his immortality—and ability to withstand guns and knives. In Season 2, Lucifer will continue on his quest for answers about Chloe’s curious power over him and even confront his own deep-seated emotions to- ward her. “The question is, Do you work with someone who makes you vulnerable, and if so, what does that say about you?” Henderson says. Modrovich adds, “She is more than a normal human, and he'll continue to try to figure out what to do with these genuine feelings of love for someone that are beyond lust.” Will Lucifer continue to see Dr. Linda (Rachael Har- ris) ? Lucifer will have plenty of mommy issues to work through in therapy, but he will have to be more forth- coming to his doctor. "Does she want to deal with this person and is it worth her time to be the therapist to someone who can't decide whether or not he wants to help himself?" Henderson asks. "We want to dig even deeper into that dynamic between Lucifer and Linda.” What's next for Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt)? Lucifer's right-hand woman and bartender at his nightclub, Lux, discovered that her boss and his brother both used her as a pawn as their family drama unfolded. "Maze needs to blaze her own trail, and Season 2 will be the emancipation of our demon,” Modrovich says. "She's а little weary of both Amenadiel and Lucifer and needs to get her groove on.” Can we expect to see other new faces in Season 2? Lucifer and Amenadiel's mom isn't the only newcomer. "We're looking at fleshing out our police de- partment more;' says Modrovich, who notes that Dan might be getting a new female partner who will "bring a little excitement. Lucifer, Amenadiel—who knows whose head she might turn?" TOP: FOX. BOTTOM: MICHAEL COURTNEY/FOX OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (4) Tools of Giving props to the team behind Lucifer’s prized accessories BY ROB MOYNIHAN he devil is in the details, especially when it comes to the mythological props and set pieces used during Lucifer’s first season. The show’s Vancouver-based production design team carefully crafted each artifact to bring a piece of Hell to Earth. Prop master Ben Krakowsky gives us insight into the stories behind Lucifer’s fabled treasures. my LUCIFER’S WALL OF SCOTCH Lucifer had amassed an impressive collection of rare Scotch and other whiskeys that he proudly displayed in his penthouse apartment. Unfor- tunately, the wall was destroyed during a bloody brawl with Amenadiel. In order to film that scene, Krakowsky and his department filled around 100 fragile breakaway bottles with fake alcohol—usually iced tea or colored water—and gently put them into position. "All it takes is drop- ping one, and that will ruin a lot of money and a lot of time,” Krakowsky says with a laugh. і 1 / ТАР? - ` vd We , ] ^ * ° V у, ү 4 F ү < Р, ale v. t , 4 1 UR. | od ^ (ae te g . 1 ' P “Sh ў f у , "is J ` ' I 5 y { A yo ‘ Ca 0 54177, Г. » " ¿ "к 4 š ү, Y * - , | De Sy =. bt 4 AD ` КЛА" П y А , ы 1 i À wi? 4 | 4 у imu [ү ' wh pu ` ‚ D Me ( n ` b у t b D f ї Ld yp > ^ ^ ; ў LUCIFER'S PENTECOSTAL COIN Described by the Devil as his subway token for the damned,” this coin allows Lucifer (Tom Ellis) to travel to Hell. While the pilot episode fea- tured plastic variations of the coin to enhance the engraved satanic imagery, most of the remaining coins on set were made of silver. "They don't look like something that was forged in Hell,” says Krakowsky, who didn't know much about their history. “I’m curious as to the mythos of them, because | know as much as the viewer does.” MAZ DEMON DAGGERS The curved blades possessed by Lucifer's ally Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) are the only weapons— that we know of!—that have a damaging effect on celestial beings like Lucifer and his angel brother, Amenadiel (DB Wood- side). Krakowsky enlisted the help of a California blacksmith to forge the design elements, and the props department keeps one model of the sharp and danger- ous knife in a locked safe on their truck. "We haven't had to use that one yet,” Krakowsky says. "We've got several different rub- ber versions as well, because if you have the chance of making contact with somebody in a fight « scene, you want the softer ones for safety." LUCIFER'S WINGS The fallen angel lost his wings—which he cut off after renouncing his place as the lord of Hell and moving to Los Angeles— when they were stolen from their hiding spot, his secret shipping container. Although the majestic wings eventually turned up in their full glory, in reality, they were computer-generated. "We had a rendering of them printed full-size so our actors could act off of that instead of against some green-screen markers,” Krakowsky explains. "But when we see Lucifer pluck a feather from the wings, that was a 4-foot-by-4-foot real section that was made only for that specific close-up.” Now that's some TV magic. COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 63 Mondays, 8/7c, CBS (returns to Thursdays, 8/ 7с, on Oct. 27) a m — Le o. TE „а -- т `A ` pp. ge STARTED THE SEASON The scientific sweethearts split up after Amy (Mayim Bialik) needed time to step away from the relationship just as Sheldon (Jim Parsons) was on the verge of proposing. The two began to explore single life in their own ways, with Amy going on a series of dates with a new suitor, Dave (Stephen Merchant). ENDED THE SEASON The two reconnected after Sheldon had an earworm of the Beach Boys song “Darlin’” that made him realize how much Amy means to him, and the couple decided Formulas for , - to forge ahead as official boyfriend and girlfriend. What S the secret to the chemistry WHAT'S NEXT Sheldon and Amy reached a major milestone in behind The Big Bang Theor y S Season 9 when they engaged in coitus for the first time in "The couples? The cast members break Opening Night Excitation" episode. "It felt like we were doing y н something that the audience waited for, yet it was still surpris- down Season 9 S milestone moments ing," Parsons says. "And the relationship is intrinsically un- and preview the romance ahead changed. They are still with each other in the same ways that BY ROB MOYNIHAN they were before.” With sex now out of the way, the couple is opening up to each other more, including when Sheldon admit- ted to being a hoarder in "The Solder Excursion Diversion." "We're going to show the funny parts of what it's like to be vulnerable,” Bialik says. "Moments like that are more significant for their relationship than anything.” MICHAEL YARISH/CBS 64 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE STARTED THE SEASON The lovebirds at the center of the CBS sitcom eloped to a Las Vegas wedding chapel as their friends watched the nuptials via live stream. Married life got off to a rocky start, however: Leonard (Johnny Galecki) admitted to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) that he kissed another woman on his scientific expedition two years prior. ENDED THE SEASON Leonard's mother, Beverly (Chris- tine Baranski), revealed she was upset that she was not invited to the wedding, leading Penny and Leonard to plan a second ceremony for family and friends. WHAT'S NEXT Tying the knot was an event that both actors looked forward to for nine years. "All my dreams came true for these characters, because | wanted that from the pilot,’ Cuoco says. “It made me super happy.” Although marriage did not fundamentally change them, Leonard and Penny did hit a few speed bumps in their relationship during Season 9, including the reveal of Leonard's secret bank account. "| would like to see them come to more of an intellectual butting of the heads,” Galecki says. "There is so much love and chemistry between them, but what do they have in common? In marriage, those small questions become big questions." STARTED THE SEASON Raj (Kunal Nayyar), the guy who spent the first several seasons not being able to speak to women without the aid of alcohol, finally had a girlfriend in dermatologist Emily (Laura Spencer). ENDED THE SEASON The new Casanova found himself juggling two women after asking out bartender Claire (Alessandra Torresani), whom he met at the comic book shop when she was doing research for a sci-fi screenplay. WHAT'S NEXT Unable to break up with either Emily or Claire, Raj has yet to make a decision about which woman he wants to continue seeing. “Raj is usually a pretty moral person, but for some reason, he has no idea what he’s doing,” Nayyar says with a laugh. "He's never done anything like this, but he doesn't realize the implications of dating two women. It's not a nice thing to do.” Nayyar says he does not have a personal preference for whom Raj should choose, but he hopes the character makes up his mind soon, before anybody gets hurt. "At some point, it’s all going to come back and blow up in his face;" he says. "Maybe he'll just come back [in Season 10] with a full harem of women.” STARTED THE SEASON The married duo (Simon Helberg and Melissa Rauch) moved into the home of the late Mrs. Wolowitz and found themselves living with a house guest who was inno hurry to leave, comic book store proprietor Stuart (Kevin Sussman). ENDED THE SEASON After successfully evicting Stuart, the couple thought they would be getting more alone time. But that won't be the case for long, now that Bernadette has revealed that a baby is on the way. WHAT'S NEXT Since Bernadette had previously expressed her disinterest in ever having children, Rauch and Helberg say they were both surprised by the story development. "We didn't know that it was happening until we read it in the script,” Rauch says. "But | can't wait to wear the fake belly.” Helberg is excited to see former horndog Howard transform into a loving and doting dad. "He'll definitely have every kind of BabyBjörn,” Helberg says with a laugh. "He will really step up in some ways to compensate for his own absence of a father, and | would imagine him even being overbearingly affectionate.” Wn сс со T NN. с = г = = ш m LL < = < O п e = = = Lu = = < = c ш = = ш Ж. О сЕ са [а 4 ші 2, сЕ =< = > = = < > = ш < I 2 > FROM TOP: SONJA FLEMMING/CBS; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 65 “ a X а p T BS sitcom ele S to celeb rate кс (йт > Parsons) birthday, including Wil Wheaton as ` himself (far. \ right, Standing), Kripke (John Вд55 Bowie, far left) ‘and Leslie Winkle (Sara Gilbert, far / right), “It was a party in the epi- sodeanda party _ for us oñ the stage” says showrunner Steve Molaro ¿rt BEHIND THE SCENES P BY ROB MOYNIHAN m | . | 1 | T Ў = 66 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE MONTY BRINTON/CBS (6) A Holy guest star, Batman! TV's original Caped Crusader, Adam West, made his first appearance on the show when the guys hired the star to surprise Sheldon. “Не was amazing, hilarious and such a treat to have on the stage.” Molaro says. episode. “We realized this was an enormous mile- stone,” Mayim Bialik says. “But we put the same love and attention into 199 and 201.” JE к š E sy d. te Gis, pe Facebook.com/TheBigBangTheory Twitter: Qbigbangtheory Simon Helberg: @simonhelberg Kunal Nayyar: @kunalnayyar Mayim Bialik: @missmayim Melissa Rauch: (üMelissaRauch Executive producer Steven Molaro: @SteveMolaro Executive producer Bill Prady: @billprady COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 67 entirely comfortable with it,” Molaro adds. "And they know that this is only going to lead to more discomfort and fighting with Leonard's mother.” Will Judd Hirsch be back? The Taxi vet was personally courted by Galecki to appear on The Big Bang Theory as Leonard's father. Molaro expects that Hirsch will make the occasional guest appearance, similar to Baranski and Metcalf. "He just fits right in,” Molaro says. "He was excited to be there and full of energy. What a treat to have him.” Will we meet any new family members in Season 10? With the wedding ceremony just a day away, expect more out-of-town visitors to trickle into Pasadena for the big occasion. “I’m excited to be meeting more of Penny's [Kaley Cuoco] family, including her mother and hopefully her brother,” Molaro teases. Is Penny going to be changing jobs? Marriage wasn’t the only big life event for Penny this season—she found success as a pharmaceutical sales rep, but she later admitted to Leonard that she was not happy in that occupation. “She might start to think about branching out,” says Molaro, who hints that a return to acting is not out of the question. "That movie Serial Ape-ist has been floating around and become a cult favorite, so who knows what will stem from that.” What's next for Sheldon and Amy (Mayim Bialik)? The couple affectionately known as Shamy had a mo- BY ROB MOYNIHAN mentous season full of significant milestones, including breaking up, reuniting and finally having sex for the first time. While Molaro does not anticipate the two march- The Big Bang Theory ended its ninth season ing down the aisle any time soon, he does not see them with friends and family converging to celebrate separating again. “They can certainly have all the con- š flicts that people in a relationship would have without a second wedding ceremony for Leonard and going to the extreme of breaking up,” he says. “That Penny. In a hilarious turn of events, Leonard’s | breakup was such a huge part of Season 9 that | would father and Sheldon’s mother appeared to hesitate to try to replicate it.” | skip out for a romantic rendezvous, leaving CORONATA moos minas i | ‚ Nayyar) have any reason to be worried about that their sons somewhat befuddled. Executive message from the government? After putting the producer Steven Molaro breaks down the finishing touches on their new state-of-the-art guid- pote ntial fam | ly affai r. ance system, Howard received a cryptic email from the United States Air Force inquiring about their work. So what happened with Alfred (Judd Hirsch) and “Clearly [members of] the Air Force have caught wind Mary (Laurie Metcalf)? Season 10 will likely begin of this patent, and they want an open dialogue regard- immediately following the events of the finale, and ing it,” Molaro says. “It could be a great moneymaker, or Molaro hopes to explore just what transpired between it could be threatening.” the parents, who bonded over their mutual disdain Will Season 10 be the end? Even though The Big Bang for Leonard’s mother, Beverly (Christine Baranski). Theory continues to be one of the most popular shows “Right now, all we know is two adults left to go on television, it has currently have a drink and maybe turned their phones off,” he says. So Leonard been renewed only through Season 10. “I don’t know when the end will be, and it certainly (Johnny Galecki) and seems likely that 10 won’t be Sheldon (Jim Parsons) the end,” Molaro reveals. “The might have to get used mind-set is to jump in one to the idea of becoming stepbrothers. “They’re not episode at a time and make each one as great as we Can.” 68 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE MICHAEL YARISH/WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC (2) Try it! You'll Love it! N Е .. em am’ Ў f ees VA EU You Can Eat! ji Family Restaurant Ffar the right to limit por ior 1S, and may den у customers is offer ©2016 WBEI. All Rights Reserved e rson’ s Managen Midseason, The CW BEHIND THE SCENES 8 BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (4); CATE CAMERON/THE CW; OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Facebook.com/cwThel00 Twitter: @cwthel00 Eliza Taylor: @MisElizaJane Paige Turco: @itspaigeturco Bob Morley: @WildpipM Marie Avgeropoulos: @iamAvgeropoulos Devon Bostick: @DevBostick Christopher Larkin: @clarkinlarkin Lindsey Morgan: @linzzmorgan Richard Harmon: @RichardSHarmon Isaiah Washington: QIWashington Henry lan Cusick: @hicusick Executive producer Jason Rothenberg: @JRothenbergTV Writing staff: @Thel00writers COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 71 Bob Morley reflects on some of Bellamy Blake's more questionable choices in Season 3 BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK bad boy of The 100. This season, though, he really earned his rep when he aligned with Chancellor Pike (Michael Beach) and helped carry out Pike's genocidal campaign against the Grounders. Thankfully, Bellamy's inner hero reemerged when it came time to stop ruthless Al Alie (Erica Cerra), but can he ever truly be redeemed? (Pike did execute Bellamy's sister's Grounder soulmate, after all.) Here, Morley looks back on his character's deci- sions and speculates on where he might be going. В ellamy Blake (Bob Morley) has always been the What did you think of your arc this season? Of course there were bits that were tricky, but it's my job to try to figure out why Bellamy is doing these things and try to play them honestly. So | can understand where he came from and what his mind-set was. He doesn't necessarily completely think things through. Was there alot of talk on set about his actions? Michael, Henry [lan Cusick, who plays Kane] and | all sat down and had some good, lengthy discussions. There was one day where we were having a real debate over where Bellamy's [loyalties] should lie, and it was quite fun. And ultimately the story gave you great stuff to do. Absolutely. A lot of things were baked into the storyline from the first two seasons that dictated Bellamy's 72 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE trajectory this year. Season 2 Bellamy spent a lot of time being the action man and doing the right thing— | think he was just trying to redeem himself for throwing away the radio and killing all those kids' parents in Sea- son 1. That guilt made him go, “OK, I’m just going to sacrifice myself and go into Mount Weather and try to do everything right.” Then Pike came along this year with a philosophy that was similar to how Bellamy felt about the Grounders in the beginning. | think it was tricky for the audience to get on board that train, but as these episodes went along, they started to come back around. | don't mind people hating my character. They hated him in Season 1! [Laughs] While you were filming, were you anticipating the backlash? | always think that Bellamy's relationship with [his sister] Octavia [Marie Avgeropoulos] is a barometer for how people feel about Bellamy. It's the one thing that really humanizes him, so if those two are not good, then | know I’m going to be having a hard time on Twitter. Will Octavia be able to get past everything he's done? For these first few seasons, I’ve seen it as not only a brother-sister relationship but also a father- daughter relationship. But Bellamy wasn't equipped to be afather figure, and Octavia was going through her angsty teen phase. Hopefully we become more like brother and sister and talk to each other as equals, as adults. Thankfully you have a fourth season to hash things out. Yeah, we just might be able to mend it. We'll see what happens! OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2) BURNING QUESTIONS BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK Clarke and Co. had a rough Season 3, and now the clock is ticking toward potential extinction. Executive producer Jason Rothenberg drops some truth bombs about the explosive finale and what fans can expect in Season 4. nthe City of Light, | Will there be another time-jump like last season? ! г) There's no time for a jump! With Armageddon less than two months away and counting, Rothenberg says things will "likely be a direct pickup" from Clarke (Eliza аай... Taylor) warning Bellamy (Bob Morley) that they're all «e «ees herself | doomed because a bunch of abandoned nuclear plants all over the world are finally melting down: "The big story in Season 4 is essentially that everybody's going to die in two months, so what are they going to do?" Seeing as this is The 100, don't expect the gang to just give up and wait for the radiation clouds. Rothenberg imagines "a little bit of a Noah's ark story" as our heroes prepare for the worst. "They will do what they can to try to stop it, but when they figure out whether they can, it will become about surviving, who survives and who decides,” he says. Yeah, Alie (Erica Cerra) triggered the first apoca- lypse, which destroyed most of mankind. And then she tried to wipe everybody out again. But was the Al bombshell all bad? Depends on your perspective. “We built up this entire story where we felt like Alie was the big bad,” Rothenberg says of the fashionable artificial intelligence. "But the tradition of our show is that the bad guys usually are the heroes of their own stories. [With the first apocalypse] she was really trying to save humanity." Of course, trying to destroy the world a second time was a bit aggressive, but Rothenberg points out that her intention was pure. "She was aware of this bigger [apocalyptic] threat that was coming quickly for the human race, and essentially she was trying to save the people" from the horrors of another nuclear catastrophe. Will we see more flashbacks of that original apoca- lypse? There were glimpses of it in this season's epi- sode “Thirteen,” and Rothenberg isn't ruling out showing us more. Especially now that "Version 2;' as he calls it, is imminent. “Thematically, it could be interesting to do some flashing between the two of them,” he says. Was Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) always sup- posed to kill Pike? Nope. It all came down to that final showdown with Alie's chipped acolytes. After Clarke pulled the kill switch on Alie and everyone was saved, "Marie did some of the best acting that l've ever seen her do,” Rothenberg recalls, explaining that the actress's transition to "cold, hard killer" rang the death knell for Pike (Michael Beach). “I hadn't decided yet on how we were going to end that story, and then | was watching dailies of Marie's performance, and it was like, well, there you have it.” Will she pay for her crime? While Rothenberg realizes that fans may "argue Pike deserved it" for assassinating Octavia's love Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) earlier in the sea- son, he points out in the burgeoning society of the Sky People, "it's not up to an individual to exact that justice on their own because they're getting revenge.” So look for O to suffer both from the emotional fallout of essen- tially murdering the man who saved her life minutes before, as well as a potentially more formal punishment. "Something we're likely to explore in Season 4 is: Who sits in judgment?" Rothenberg says. How could Clarke see her now-deceased love, Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey), in the City of Light? The Flame that Clarke put into her head before entering the virtual world contained the consciousness of all the previ- ously deceased commanders, so Clarke was able to interact with them and be protected by them—including Lexa. And of course Lexa would show up to kick some ass and save her former lover. “Hope- fully the audience felt some satisfaction with that moment,” Rothenberg says. COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 73 Thursdays, 8/ 7c, The CW BEHIND THE SCENES While Rip Hunter may be the captain of the Waverider, it’s Legends of Tomorrow produc- tion designer lan Thomas who takes the most pride in the time-traveling spaceship. BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK From Yesterday to Tomorrow 1700 BC Т HH The Wild West wasn't so much won as it was overrun when the team dropped in to this old-timey town overseen by DC Comics' scarred bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Johnathon Schaech). *There was trouble already brewing [in Salvation], and they just made things alot worse,” Schaech says with a laugh. ^ Before he was Vandal Savage (Casper Crump), he was Hath-Set, an Egyptian priest obsessed with priestess Chay-Ara. Only she was destined to be with Prince Khufu. The three are doomed to battle throughout time, setting off the mythology of continually reincar- nated Hawkman (Falk Hentschel) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée). ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (3); CATE CAMERON/THE CW (2) CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: OWARNER BROS. 74 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE « Hunter's (Arthur Darvill) Jules Verne-ish hide- away turned out to Facebook.com/CWLegendsofTomorrow ; Twitter: @TheCW Legends be Thomas'sfavor- Brandon Routh: @BrandonJRouth ite spot. Mostly Caity Lotz: @caitylotz because of Easter Franz Drameh: @OfficialfranzD eggs buried into Arthur Darvill: @RattyBurvil the time traveler’s Executive producer Greg Berlanti: @GBerlanti decor. “We built Executive producer Marc Guggenheim: ()mguggenheim some stuff from Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg: @AJKreisberg | Executive producer Phil Klemmer: @philklemmer a м a ы seg Executive producer Sarah Schechter: @SarahSoWitty | Writing staff: @LoTWritersRoom away in there.” 1958-1960 HARMONY FALLS IVY TOWN | " ار‎ MOSCOW Ray (Brandon Routh) and Kendra In the pilot, Prof. Martin Stein It took a Cold War visit to start (Renée) called the Oregon hamlet (Victor Garber) met his younger, k e to thaw the chilly partnership home—and fell in love—for two pot-smoking self in the quaint | between Jax (Franz Drameh) and years after being accidentally college town (the comic book Stein, the two personalities be- left behind during the Waveriders home of The Atom) while hind Firestorm. Thankfully, the escape. attempting to locate a missing pair learned to play nice together part of Ray's Atom suit. E before Savage's Soviet Firestorm sent everything up in flames. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (2); DIYAH PERA/THE CW FROM TOP: OWARNER BROS. COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 75 BURNING QUESTIONS BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK Martin bonded with Firestorm partner Jax liter- ally and figuratively in Season! From Yesterday to Tomorrow 1990 With the Time Masters’ assassin the Pilgrim chasing down their younger selves, the team abducted a teenage Mick right after he torched his home with his family inside. They also headed back to the ’70s to save young Snart and to Star City circa 2007 to pick up Sara, and then it was off to 1993... 76 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE ..where Stein arranged for Jax to meet the father he never knew before he was deployed on the military mission that would even- tually end his life. Because it’s not a Legends mission unless someone cries at least once! Who is Rex Tyler (Patrick J. Adams)? That mystery man who showed up in the season finale is Hourman, a member of the Justice Society of America. Back in 1940s comics lore, Tyler was introduced as a scientist who discovered a vitamin that gave him superpowers for—you guessed it—one hour. What does his arrival mean? It means we're going to see some version of the JSA next season. "Having Patrick on this show is a dream,” Guggenheim raves of the Suits star, adding that the actor's recurring role is just one of the Golden Age heroes who will be heading into Legends territory. (Guggenheim is already a Justice Society expert, having written a yearlong arc of the DC Comics series.) Will there be any more roster changes for the team? Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), Sara/White Canary (Caity Lotz), Ray/Atom (Brandon Routh), Mick/Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) and the Firestorm duo of Jax (Franz Drameh) and Martin (Victor Garber) will once again report for duty in Season 2. And they should make room on the Waverider, because Guggenheim confirms that there will be some new faces on the bridge. He stops short, though, of saying who they will be or if they'll be Justice Society members looking for a new gig. "We know which DC characters we're going to introduce in Season 2,” he teases. "There are going to be alot of them.” With this many heroes on the scene, the new villain must be epic. “Honestly, it’s not a villain. It’s villains,” Guggenheim reveals giddily. “If you have a team of super- heroes, you want a team of supervillains.” Yes, we do! Are Carter (Falk Hentschel) and Kendra (Ciara Renée) gone for good? For the time being, Hawkman and Hawkgirl have flown the coop. With Vandal Savage’s (Casper Crump) curse lifted, the couple opted to take off and see what life was like as mortals, but there’s always the chance of someone else ruffling their feathers. “The door is always open,” Guggenheim says. What’s the plan for Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller)? In a pioneering move that echoes the comic book world's practice of having characters appearing in various titles, Captain Cold (aka Leonard Snart) is set to Former Time Master Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) began his quest to change history by gathering a team of Legends-to-be for a tour through the timeline to defeat Vandal Savage. BOTTOM: DEAN BUSCHER/THE CW TOP: CATE CAMERON/THE CW. wS ا‎ ага, Ray and Mick will continue their ` "^ unlikely partner- TUR ship next fall - "Ad. М 4 Ге pray = bounce around The Flash and Legends. Not bad for a guy Does that mean Arrow alum Katie Cassidy could who died sacrificing himself for the crew, as Snart did show up as Black Canary (coincidentally a JSA while saving his teammates from the Time Council. member in the comics)? “No, that conflicts with "That's the kind of thing you get to do when you've got other plans we have...he said, intentionally misleading the shared universe,” Guggenheim explains. "Dead is and hopefully teasing,” Guggenheim says with a laugh. certainty not goodbye.” He may be only slightly bigger than The Atom, but there is nothing small about our love for the LEGO Group's Ray Palmer minifigure. The Legends of Tomorrow good guy is this year's must-have Comic-Con giveaway for fans attending the San Diego event. There's a limited supply, so unless you can actually time travel, you'd better get there before they run out! —DH XXX NR eee 2 oe) | па DANIELE / ee OUTSIDE OF TIME Let’s just say someone is definitely going to fail this city. A malfunc- tioning Waverider crashed down into the shelled-out future of the Why is Rip so intent on stopping Not so much atime or a place, Savage? Because it’s here thatthe ^ seeing how this one exists out- immortal despot has risen to total іде of both, it’s the base of oper- power and turned the planet into ations for the now-disbanded Arrow’s hood, where an aged and something out of the Rise of the Time Masters council and their one-armed Oliver Queen (Stephen Machines meets Nazi Germany. time-manipulation machine, the Amell) was dealing with an up- Oh, and it's also where Vandal kills ^ Oculus. —DH start Green Arrow and Death- Hunter's wife and son. stroke's equally insane son. FROM TOP: OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; THE LEGO GROUP; DIYAH PERA/THE CW COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 77 PEOPLE OF EARTH, Coming this fall, TBS ЕЈ Гре E reason fo gr rapy: alien abduction, of course P JARMINIO EM в » в А hat you аге about їо read is 100 percent true. W To some people, at least. Aliens are real. They are studying humankind in preparation for taking over the Earth. And when they abduct us for a little probing, they wipe any memory of it from our minds and replace it with the false recollection that we simply blacked out after running over an animal with our car. So...hit any deer lately? If you have, you might get a little comfort from the upcoming TBS sitcom People of Earth. Comedian Wyatt Cenac stars as hard-hitting journalist Ozzie Graham, who, while reluctantly writing about a small therapy group for people who've had such otherworldly experi- ences, becomes its latest member. “I got the idea from an article about a real alien-abduction group,” says creator David Jenkins, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Conan O'Brien and The Office's Greg Daniels. “1 thought, if something like that did actually happen, you couldn't tell anybody about it. 78 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE They'd think you're nuts. So it would make sense that you'd need that outlet.” Jenkins did some digging and discovered a lot of such groups out there. Rather than create his own conspiracy theories or extraterrestrial races for the comedy, he decided to incorporate real beliefs into his tale. The three types of aliens on the show—reptilians, squat gray Yoda- types and white-haired humanoids with Scandinavian accents—are based on stories from survivors of alleged abductions. That's where Jenkins also learned that a fender bender with a furry jaywalker is widely believed to be a “cover memory" implanted by aliens. Hence, the “100 percent true,” bit. Ozzie keeps dreaming he hit a deer. On the flipside, People of Earth's space monsters aren't the überbrainy, incredibly efficient, Earth-conquering beings of pop-culture legend. And they have just as much trouble getting their probing done as you did your latest work-related task. "We humans have this collec- tive fantasy that aliens, if they exist, are a higher life CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TURNER (2); BETTINA STRAUSS/THE CW FREQUENCY, Wednesdays, 9/8c, The CW form,” says Ana Gasteyer, who costars as Gina, the group's under- qualified therapy leader. "That they are beings who know more than we do, who would do every- thing better and who would destroy us for being the a--holes that we are. And then they turn out to be just a bunch of aver- age, bickering aliens. It's just the same s--t playing out elsewhere.” Facebook.com/TBSNetwork Twitter: @TBSNetwork Wyatt Cenac: @wyattcenac Alice Wetterland: @alicewetterlund Tracee Chimo: @itraceechimo Luka Jones: @lukajones Da' Vine Joy Randolph: @DaVineJoy Oscar Nunez: @OscarNunezLA Ana Gasteyer: @AnaGasteyer Michael Cassidy: @michaelcassidy Ken Hall: @iTheKenHall Brian Huskey: @thebrianhuskey Executive producer David Jenkins: @jenkypants Executive producer Conan O’Brien: @ConanOBrien Executive producer Norm Hiscock: @normhiscock Father and daughter reconnect via radio...20 years after his death BY ROB MOYNIHAN he CW goes back in time Т“ fall with the new drama Frequency. When Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List) was 7 years old, her NYPD officer father, Frank (Riley Smith), went undercover on a mission, became corrupted and wound up dead. Now, 20 years later, Raimy is a successful detective with a loving boyfriend, Daniel (Daniel Bonjour), and a doting mother, Julie (Devin Kelley). But she's still haunted by her dad's past. One night, a mysteri- ous voice begins transmitting over her father's old ham radio, and Raimy discovers it's him, broadcasting from 1996. Although they are both shocked and con- fused, Raimy is able to warn Frank about the sting that leads to his death, which allows him to survive. “It’s lo-fi, high-concept,” says executive producer Jeremy Carver (Supernatural), who adapted the hit 2000 film starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. "Expanding the movie into a series presents the opportunity to tell a taut, grounded character drama wrapped in shim- тегу genre goodness.” The heart of Frequency lies in the restored connection between father and daughter and the ama i № Raimy makes contact with her long-gone father, thanks to an | old ham radio chance for Raimy to finally under- stand who this man was...and is. "Raimy is able to say all the things her younger self never had a chance to, both good and bad,” Carver says. “It is part wish fulfill- ment, part catharsis.” Carver praises List and Smith for being actors “with a certain soulfulness who can carry the weight and wisdom these roles demand.” But as Raimy and Frank work to change the past, their actions begin to have some unintended consequences in the present, such as Raimy discovering that saving her father in 1996 has led to the disappearance of her mom. “Everything is connected,” Carver says. “The greater mythology expands well beyond the concept of how these two communicate.” Over and out! Facebook.com/CWFrequency Twitter: (0C WFrequency Peyton List: @peytonlist86 Riley Smith: @RileySmith Devin Kelley: @Dev_Kelley Lenny Jacobson: @Lennyjacobson Daniel Bonjour: @danielbonjour Mekhi Phifer: @MekhiPhifer Anthony Ruivivar: @AnthonyRuivivar COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 79 CJ. | | | TIME AFTER TIME, Premieres midseason, ABC that’s how you dive into all the themes of good and evil,” executive producer Kevin Williamson says. While several of Williamson’s series utilize that complicated dynamic— see: The Vampire Diaries’ Stefan and Damon Salvatore and The Following’s Ryan Hardy and Joe Carroll—he says the relationship between Wells and Stevenson Stroma and Bowman | Жз more closely resembles that of the vampire brothers as “| opposed to the FBI agent and serial killer. "This show E is alot more fun; it’s not dark,” Williamson says. As the cat-and-mouse chase plays out through present-day NYC (and perhaps the occasional trip through time), the series will explore the inspirations for Wells's other novels. "We're going to dive into The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The War of the Worlds;" Williamson previews. "It's H.G. Wells's greatest hits." To prep to play the scribe, Stroma says, “I read The Time Machine, and then | watched Time After Time. I’m going through his [other] books at the moment; I’m - trying to learn as much as | can about Н.С. Wells.” One of Tim e X the essential elements of getting into the author's mind "was understanding his obsession with utopia,” Stroma adds. “He had this very wide-eyed approach to the -- world. He believes in the best in humanity." e Т me Though the series will explore Wells's tales, Williamson promises viewers can enjoy the series with only the most H G W ell S tr a ck S J a ck th e Ripp er in mo d ern- basic amount of knowledge about the author. “It's meant = to be a fun, twisty, epic drama that has elements of sci- day New York City BY MARISA ROFFMAN ence fiction drawn into it,” he says. “But it's grounded. We're more con- hat would happen if famed science-fiction cerned about the author H.G. Wells (The Time Machine) actual | relationships and | Connect | built a working time machine? The new АВС romance. That's the Facebook.com/TimeAfterTimeABC drama Time After Time—based on the 1979 film and book fun of the show. But Twitter: @TimeAfterABC of the same name—follows Wells (UnReal’s Freddie italsogetstogointo | Freddie Stroma: @freddiestroma Stroma) as he travels from 1893 to modern-day Manhat- | allthe twists and Genesis Rodriguez: @genirodriguez Regina Taylor: @TheReginaTaylor Executive producer Kevin Williamson: @kevwilliamson tan to pursue his friend, John Stevenson (Revenge’s Josh turns of the genre, Bowman), aka Jack the Ripper. “I love creating the strong which | love.” The best relationships between protagonists and antagonists; of both worlds! TOP: BOB D’AMICO/ABD. BOTTOM: DIYAH PERA/THE CW =. Apa and Perry Archie Andrews is all grown up BY DAMIAN HOLBROOK known as а squeaky-clean teen, the iconic comic book red- head Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his pals are getting edgy | in The CW’s Riverdale. “Imagine Twin Peaks but instead of the | homecoming queen being murdered, she's accused of murder,” says Archie Comics chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, whois executive producing the drama with Greg Berlanti. The series kicks off at the start of the school year at Riverdale High after Archie has spent the summer working construction T his ain't your grandfather's Archie! After 75 years of being 80 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE TOP: CHRIS LARGE/NBC. BOTTOM: COURTESY ARCHIE COMICS RIVERDALE, Premieres midseason, The CW К & б, I | mo m mi Rea s ad Pn г ta me. „тубун ШШ E B gig > Est КҮ. A uw Powerless í Meet the regular folks who don't always find superheroes so super BY MARISA ROFFMAN hen superheroes and villains cause mayhem and destruction, whois left to clean up the mess? Welcome to the world of NBC's Powerless, the first DC Comics comedy series, which follows insurance adjusters in Charm City tasked with handling the fallout of those epic battles. “If Superman were to lift your car and throw it at a bad guy, they'd have to go investigate that claim,” executive producer Ben Queen explains. Though living in a world with superheroes has its perks, there are some downsides for civilians. “How do you do [your job] when outside there are people who can fly and go back in time and stop bullets?" Queen ponders. “How do you get to work every day? Are super incidents built into your commutes because you're so used to them?" When one of those battles derails insurance adjuster Emily (Vanessa Hud- gens) on her way to the office, she stands up for the nonpowered people who are just trying to get through the day. This confrontation leads to some much- needed support from her colleagues, which is a good thing, because her mentor at the office has died and been replaced by a POWERLESS, Premieres midseason, NBC Facebook.com/NBCPowerless Twitter: @NBCPowerless Vanessa Hudgens: (QVanessaHudgens Alan Tudyk: Qalan tudyk Danny Pudi: @dannypudi Executive producer Ben Queen: @benqueenl *We're telling superhero- style stories on a human 1 í scale,” Queen says; left: Pudi and Hudgens nightmarish new superior, Del Heller (Alan Tudyk). “He’s got a vulnerable side, but he’s pretty tough,” Queen says. “They clash im- mediately. That back-and-forth is going to drive the story for a lot of the show.” Emily’s group of insurance company coworkers includes Community’s Danny Pudi and Christina Kirk. “She has them to rally around her, in a way, and stand up against this new guy,” Queen says. And while Powerless lives in its own uni- verse, separate from Gotham and the Greg Berlanti-produced superhero shows, look for some name dropping of known (and slightly lesser known) characters. “As a DC Comics fan, I’m excited about digging in and using as much of the library as they'll allow,” Queen says. “I will say the Global Guardians are the superhero group of Charm City; those are the ones we'll likely see more often than others.” Super! While that all seems like classic Archie fare, the show is really what Aguirre- Sacasa calls “teen noir,’ including a darker take on Archie's goofy sidekick, Jughead (Cole Sprouse), lots of music and, of course, murder. “There’s a rich Lili Reinhart: @lilireinhart family in town with twins, Cheryl (Mad- | | Camila Mendes: @camilamendes elaine Petsch) and Jason (Trevor Stines)” | | ColeM.Sprouse: @colesprouse Aguirre-Sacasa Says, revealing the ШШ Pets ch @madelainepetsch ca ddchen Amick: @madchenamick siblings’ fateful Fourth of July Luke Perry: @LukePerryll boat ride begins an ominous plot | | Executive producer Roberto Aguirre- that spans the first 13 episodes. Sacasa: @WriterRAS “Something happened on the Executive producer Sarah Schechter: river and only Cheryl came back. @SarahSoWitty | The details are a little bit sketchy.” Executive producer Greg Berlanti Sounds like maybe Cheryl is too! with his dad (Luke Perry), "and got really buff" Aguirre- Sacasa jokes. Meanwhile, his pal Betty (Lili Reinhart) was "in L.A. doing an internship and has decided she's no longer satisfied just being friends with Archie.” Unfortunately, her plans to turn up the heat are chilled by the arrival of spitfire Veronica (Camila Mendes), who has just moved to town with her mother (Marisol Nichols)—and it turns out Veronica has a taste for gingers. "This is the origin story, Aguirre-Sacasa says. "Veronica is meeting Archie and Betty for the first time. And Veronica's mom grew up in Riverdale and was in a love tri- angle with Archie's dad and Betty's mom [Madchen Amick], just like their kids are now.” Facebook.com/CWRiverdale Twitter: @CW_ Riverdale KJ Apa: @kj_apa @GBerlanti чоч ° COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 81 C] | Animation | JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION, Coming soon, Cartoon Network Cyborg (far left, voiced by Khary Payton, who also plays that role on Teen Fitans Go! ) fights alongside Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are joined by an all-star team in the fast-paced Justice League Action BY RICH SANDS f you’re going to put the word Action in your show’s says, but he promises that, even with 11-minute episodes, title, you’d better be prepared to deliver in the thrills there will be time to get to know the personalities. “You department. Justice League Action producer Butch still have to have the characters playing through. If the Lukic promises that the upcoming Cartoon Network characters aren't working, then the action isn't worth- series will feature plenty of quick, colorful adventures for while.” Fans of previous Warner Bros. Animation adapta- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and their superhero tions of DC Comics characters are in good hands, as the pals. "There's an element of danger that we stick То, he behind-the-scenes team features its own all-star lineup. 82 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE p «S » > ` : / AD í 2 A Wonder Woman (voiced by Rachel Kimsey) and Superman (Jason J. Lewis) team up with fan-favorite DC Comics characters like the nuclear-powered hero Firestorm (P.J. Byrne) | A Animation superstars fill the ЛА voice roster, including John DiMaggio (Futurama, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Adventure Time) as Lobo (above) a and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) reprising his role as the Dark Knight Lukic (who worked on the late, great Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series) is joined by fellow pro- ducers Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series) and Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series). JLA will feature a rotating team of heroes and villains from the DC Comics vault, including Cyborg, Booster Gold, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Firestorm, Mister Miracle and Kanjar Ro. Among the celebrity voices are actors James Woods as Lex Luthor, Mark Hamill as the Joker and Sean Astin as Shazam. "We've got a lot of characters to play with,’ Lukic says. “Storylines are based off decades of comics but [tweaked] to work іп Tl minutes.” 4 Great Hera! Wonder Woman battles a swarm of warriors dis- patched by alien despot Mongul OWARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (4) COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 83 ` Tune Titans BY DANNY SPIEGEL [1| Animation x s more than 100 surreal episodes have shown, A Teen Titans Go! doesn’t exactly follow the rules of your typical superhero toon. It’s got action, comedy and drama, so why not a few musical interludes as well? Here, producers (and budding songwriters) Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail choose their top five tunes from the series. 1. “Waffles” (from “Waffles” ) Musical Moment: For one whole episode, Cyborg (Khary Payton) and Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) think it’s hilarious to only say—or sing, in this case—the word “waffles.” Sample Lyric: “Waffles, waffles, waffles.” Behind the Music: “The word waffles was areference to the original series,” reveals Jelenic, referring to a scene from a 2005 episode of Teen Titans. In it, Raven (Tara Strong) wryly commented on Cyborg's upgrades to the Tower, which even included new kitchen appli- ances. "Evil, beware,” she said. "We have waffles.” 84 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE TEEN TITANS GO!, Thursdays, 6/5c, Cartoon Network 2. “Burger vs. Burrito” (from “Burger vs. Burrito”) Musical Moment: Beast Boy and Cyborg’s intense disagreement about whether a burger or a burrito is the superior food is taken to a musical level. Sample Lyric: “Buns, ketchup, pickle, cheese, put that patty in between!/It’s burger! It’s burger!” Behind the Music: Originally, Michail sang a temporary vocal track, thinking Cipes would come in as Beast Boy for the final version. However, that turned out not to be necessary. Jelenic says, “It was so ridiculous with Pete’s voice, we kept that.” 3.“I Gotta Go” (from “Serious Business") Musical Moment: As a desperate Robin (Scott Menville) waits for Raven to get out of the bathroom, he can't help but do the "pee pee dance." His helpful team- mates join in. Sample Lyric: "Step to the left, now step to the right/ Put your knees together and squeeze them tight!” Behind the Music: Songs like “The Electric Slide" inspired the step-by-step lyrics, but the melody came from one particular '70s disco hit. "It was KC and the Sunshine Band's 'Boogie Shoes; " Michail proudly admits. 4. *Pie Bros" (from “Pie Bros") Musical Moment: Cyborg and Beast Boy celebrate their mutual love for pie with this energetic ode to the baked good. Sample Lyric: "Apple, rhubarb, peach or pear—any kind, we don't care!" Behind the Music: "| never even knew there were pear pies, but | needed [a word] to rhyme with ‘We don't care; " Michail admits. 5. “All I Know Is Pain" (from “Little Buddies") Musical Moment: Cyborg adopts Brother Blood's side- kick, Pain Bot (Menville). But when the other Titans force his new little buddy to leave, Cyborg and Pain Bot perform a plaintive duet. Sample Lyric: “All | know is pain/Your not being here drives me insane." Behind the Music: Even though Payton had been given only the lyrics, he showed up at the recording session with a guitar, ^which was awesome," Horvath says. "This guy came in with a melody and everything." (02016 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (5) BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, Available Tuesday, July 26, on Digital HD, and Tuesday, August 2, on Blu-ray and DVD wait...you haven't heard this before, at least not in a cartoon. Batman: The Killing Joke is the first R-rated feature in Warner Bros. Animation's DC Universe Original Movie line, and it earns its rating with a shock- ing mix of violence, language and sex. It's every bit as hard- hitting as the 1988 Alan Moore-Brian Bolland graphic novel it's based on. “It’s so not for kids,” cautions actor Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill), who voices the Joker opposite Kevin Conroy’s Batman. Here’s why that is: While The Killing Joke is often considered the definitive Joker story, offer- ing one possible origin for the Clown Prince of Crime, it also features (spoiler alert) the savage shooting and sexual violation of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Tara Strong). “It’s really grim,” Hamill says. “I didn’t even realize when | was recording it. When you see it all put together, it’s a harrowing experience.” "It's unexpected,” Conroy adds. “The story sneaks up on you. It almost starts feeling like a Batgirl story. And then it evolves into a Batman-Joker battle.” Writer Brian Azzarello updated the script with a richly detailed opening storyline that takes viewers inside the complicated relationship between Batgirl and Batman and sets the stage for the Joker’s warped second act. S topusifyou've heard this one already. Actually, FROM TOP: BATMAN AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS AND ELEMENTS ARE TRADEMARKS OF AND @ DC COMICS (2); GARY MIEREANU (2) “The Joker de- fines Batman, and Batman defines the Joker,” Conroy says Instead of bringing Gotham to its knees, he settles on destroying the life—and mind—of one man: Commis- sioner James Gordon (Ray Wise). He’s determined to show that Gordon, like the Joker himself, can be broken and his grip on sanity can be shattered. Conroy and Hamill have been portraying these char- acters since Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s, and through the various other series and video games that have come afterward. For Hamill, making The Killing Joke was like the culmination of a dream deferred: "When Batman: The Animated Series was coming to an end, | said it's too bad we can't do The Killing Joke as a Swan song.” Hamill finally has his wish, but neither he nor Conroy is ready to say goodbye to these cherished roles. “All the Batman stories are intricate,” Conroy says. "The psychology of the characters is really complicated. | love that about it. For an actor, it’s so great to play." And while Hamill may be frequently busy spending time in a galaxy far, far away, he's in no hurry to stop giving life to the Joker's infamous cackle. "Since he is insane,” the actor says, “he is completely unpredict- able. And because he's unpredictable, he's never boring.” Least of all when he's telling The Killing Joke. BY JOHN HOGAN Hamill (top) and Conroy in the recording booth COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 85 BY EMILY MAAS After years spent on the sidelines in the male- dominated world of superheroes, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl and their pals are getting their time in the spotlight, thanks to a new initiative aimed at girls ages 6 to 12. DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. teamed up with Mattel to create the line, which includes digital video content, consumer products and books that bring a literal meaning to the term girl power. "We wanted to show girls that they could be the heroes of their own stories, and not just the supporting role as the love interest in a male super- hero story,’ says Shea Fontana, head writer for the project. DC Super Hero Girls features a diverse roster of characters, in- cluding Harley Quinn, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy and Katana, who attend Super Hero High to learn how to master their powers. The franchise launched last year with animated digital shorts and has since exploded М obody puts the DC Super Hero Girls in a corner. 86 | TV GUIDEMAGAZINE Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Bumblebee are ready for action with a one-hour special that aired on Boomerang in March, action figures, a clothing line, graphic novels, middle grade-reader novels, an app and more. (And while the line showcases female heroes and villains, some male characters are also in the mix, including Green Lantern and Beast Boy.) The animated properties feature a recognizable voice cast, with The Odd Couple's Yvette Nicole Brown as Principal Amanda Waller (“Нег voice is like warm butter,” Fontana says), former live-action Superman and Supergirl Dean Cain and Helen Slater as Jonathan and Martha Kent and Mae Whit- man (Parenthood) as Batgirl. Next up is the feature-length DVD movie DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year (available August 23), and the digital animated shorts will con- tinue to roll out. “We have something like 25 characters that episodes have been written about but not yet released,” Fontana promises. "All of your favorite characters will be in there sometime— you just have to be patient!" DC ENTERTAINMENT (2) YANICK PAQUETT COURTESY OF DC ENTERTAINMENT; COURTESY OF LONDIE BENSON CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT: DC ENTERTAINMENT; The Flintstones BY JOHN HOGAN et ready for more yabba-dabba-doo times. Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty and the rest of Hanna- Barbera’s modern Stone Age family return this July in DC’s new Flintstones comic book series, courtesy of writer Mark Russell and artist Steve Pugh, who are all set to make the historical hysterical once again. “What attracted me to this project was the world building,” Russell says. “Everything is brand-new to them.” That means starting from scratch and building a city-state out of virtually nothing—which is a lot harder than it looks. “They’re just starting to invent big-box stores, like Tar Pit and Bone Depot,’ Russell says, “and owning a giant iguana as a garbage disposal.” Plus, we'll meet the prehistoric 1 percent (which in- cludes Fred's boss, Mr. Slate) and fan favorite the Great Gazoo, who comes to Earth to help stave off an infesta- tion of “meathead” alien spring breakers. These pages right out of history also have a conscience. "The original Flintstones cartoon was built on social sat- ire, but it wasn't particularly biting,” Pugh notes. "Mark's take goes into inequalities and day-to-day problems that societies have.” That means taking on pesky relationship issues, as well as tougher topics like warfare and materi- alism, to name a few. “It is essentially a modern comic, but the backdrop is prehistoric,” Russell says. “First and foremost, these are stories about characters, but they are heavily imbued with commentary on civilization." м sn | ^ £ | 23 D A = x E | M Z > > - x “үе always loved television asacreative form of expres- sion says Shawna Benson (right,with her sister, Julie), “but I have to admit that comics are really growing on me" Batgirl and the Birds of Prey BY RICH SANDS he Birds of Prey comic books have always been about strong women T working together, so it's fitting that a team of sisters is taking the reins on a new adventure for the superhero trio. Julie Benson and Shawna Benson, staff writers on The 100, were person- ally recruited by DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns to author Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, which is part of the company's massive legacy-embracing Rebirth storyline. “It’s important to have new voices come into the universe. That's how the universe grows and changes in the best of ways,” says Johns, who was inspired by the Bensons' work on The CW's gritty postapocalyptic saga and offered them their first comic book job. (Scottish artist Claire Roe is bringing their story to life graphically.) In the series' initial arc, Batgirl/Barbara Gordon reunites with Black Canary/Dinah Lance to track down a mysterious hacker who has coopted Barbara's previous identity as technology-whiz Oracle. Along the way, they cross paths with the Huntress/Helena Bertinelli, who is hell-bent on revenge against the Mafia members who murdered her family. "We wanted to focus on a theme that is common with all three of these women, which is their families,” Julie Benson, a longtime comics fan, says. "Having abandonment issues and loss is something that unites them. And we needed to put them in a situation where the morality and the decision- making is a lot harder than just black and white—like it is on The 100.” Though Shawna Benson hasn't always been as much of a comics reader as her younger sister, she’s quickly embraced the medium—and the company's vast archives. "We have the entire legacy of DC open to us, she says. "It's fun for us to look at that history and find gems that haven't been used much in the last several decades.” Facebook.com/DCComics Twitter: @DCComics COMIC-CON SPECIAL | 87 [1| Crossword | ACROSS 1 5 8 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 23 26 28 29 32 34 35 38 ^1 43 Nightclub owner and mobster on Gotham The star of Lucifer, ^ Ellis Osiris alias in Teen Titans The Batmobile at a red light Brazilian city, for short A nostril Type of gun used by villain Rosie Boxer Superman fought in the '70s Grant Gustin sang on this show Chipper Nickname of a computer hacker on Person of Interest Interrupt (2 wds. ) The Huntress often wears one (2 wds.) Let Us Now Praise Famous Men writer Special Agent Zapata's nickname on Blindspot Cut the grass Flash's suit color Plastic Man's former nickname Persons regarded as arrogant and annoying Supergirl's real first name Batman's home Write music 88 | TV GUIDE MAGAZINE 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 ломом = oon dr 10 19 Elena’s current state on The Vampire Diaries Electorate Shouts from the stands Barry’s surrogate father after his mother’s death on The Flash Chapters in history Help the Joker commit a crime Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Christie's Deathonthe _ ` Come clean, with "up" Musical notes Sam's brother on Supernatural Billionaire software genius on Person of Interest Gem state More cunning than the Riddler Earth-2 Batman's biological daughter Jack Albertson in Days of Wine and Roses (1962) Cyborg villain the Duke of. _ Name of Oliver's mother on Arrow Breed of cat White crystalline sugar Bauxite, e.g. Family tree word Fix 38 Across 21 Columbus Day month (abbr.) 24 Anycar,affectionately 25 Late Gotham mobster Maroni 21 Cry of mock horror 29 It's higher on the hwy. 30 Gold, in Spain 31 Other creatures found on The Originals 33 Family that adopted Kara on Supergirl 36 Damien Darhk's minions on Arrow 37 Dean's brother on Supernatural 39 Downunder critter 40 Beat 42 Lilywhite,Liv's ex-fiancé on iZombie 44 Birds of Prey base 45 Aset of nonsensical syllables used while humming a refrain 46 Jim Gordon's wife Sarah's maiden name 49 Britain's air arm (abbr.) 50 Marge’s father-in-law on The Simpsons 52 iZombie comic setting (abbr.) 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GoONVENTION'S ë "> T MN Na NEU а= | \ : » »Mampire Danes ` OFFICIAL CONVENTIONS. у STARRING F IAN SOMERHALDER & PAUL WESLEY y mw Join the Celebration at Creation Entertainment’s Official Conventions. Coming soon to a city near YOU. AND VISIT OUR ON-LINE SHOP OF LICENSED QUALITY FAN SOUVENIRS AT CREAT;::: Єт | S T A N D S .COM SUPERNATURAL and all related characters and elements © & TM Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (816) THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and all related characters and elements © & TM Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s16)