Comic-Con 2012: 10 Smaller TV Panels Worth Checking Out

For TV fans headed to San Diego Comic-Con 2012, like myself, there is a lot of television show related stuff to do and see over the five days form Wednesday, July 11th thru Sunday, July 15th.

There are the big panels each day like Psych in Ballroom 20 on Thursday, Community and Firefly in Ballroom 20 and The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones in Hall H on Friday, Warehouse 13, Once Upon a Time and The Vampire Diaries in Ballroom 20 on Saturday, and Fringe and Sons of Anarchy in Hall H on Sunday.

But, what if you don’t like standing in long lines forever or don’t want to camp out in Ballroom 20 or Hall H all-day once you get in. What if you want to check out the Exhibit Hall, hit up an autograph session or just people watch for a bit, in addition to checking out some panels?

Well, that’s where this list of smaller television related panels comes in. While you may not be able to walk right in at the start of these panels, you probably won’t have to stand in line forever either. We talked about a few of them over on TV times Three Ep.142: Comic-Con 2012 Preview.

Thursday

• Battlestar Galactica: So Say We All from 10:30am-11:30am in Room 6BCF – Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Capt Apollo) hosts a 35th anniversary preview panel and fan discussion of the Battlestar universe, politics, philosophy, and 35 year history. Joining Hatch for this exciting BG celebration, roundtable, and Q&A session are Jane Espenson (producer/writer, Battlestar and Caprica), Lili Bordan (actress, Blood and Chrome), Michael Taylor (Battlestar, Caprica, Blood and Chrome), Toni Graphia (Battlestar producer/writer), and Dr. Kevin Grazier (science consultant for BSG and Defiance), plus surprise guests.

Friday

• Girls Gone Genre from 6:00pm-7:00pm in Room 7AB – Listen to and talk with women who write, read, game, and perform in arenas that are statistically dominated by men. What happens when traditionally “male” genres are reinvented by female writers and embraced by female fans? Sex and the City (or for that matter, Girls), it ain’t. Meet the women who like to play with trucks and Barbies. And Wolverine action figures. And flux capacitors. Panelists: Marti Noxon (Buffy, Angel), Jane Espenson (Battlestar Galactica, Torchwood), Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Angela Robinson (True Blood) and Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, The Terminator).
• Designing for the Undead from 6:30pm-7:30pm in Room 32AB – Costume designers guild members Chrisi Karvonides (costume designer, American Horror Story, Carnivale), Audrey Fisher (costume designer, True Blood), and Alexander Welker (costume designer, Grimm) and costume illustrator Imogene Chayes (True Blood, American Horror Story) talk about creating all those great paranormal television characters we know and love.
• Defiance from 6:45pm-7:45pm in Room 6DE – Syfy and Trion unite television and gaming in the biggest entertainment event of 2013: Defiance. Grant Bowler (Nolan), Julie Benz (Amanda Rosewater), Tony Curran (Datak Tarr), Jamie Murray (Stahma Tarr), Kevin Murphy (executive producer), Nick Beliaeff (SVP, development, Trion Worlds), Rob Hill (senior producer, Trion Worlds), and Mark Stern (president, Syfy original content and co-head UCP) discuss how Defiance defies everything you know about conventional storytelling. Moderated by Geoff Boucher (Los Angeles Times).
• And Then What Happened? Serialized Shows That Ended Too Soon from 7:00pm-8:00pm in Room 7AB – You saw every episode, you followed every storyline, you hoped against hope that they’d get another season…and they didn’t. What would have happened if the show had kept going? Hear writer/producers Andrew Chambliss (Once Upon a Time), Scott M. Gimple (The Walking Dead), Ian Goldberg (Once Upon a Time), Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost), and Jose Molina (The Vampire Diaries) talk about the stories that weren’t to be on such shows as Dollhouse, FlashForward, Firefly, and The Middleman.

Saturday

• A Conversation With Brian Fuller from 1:00pm-2:00pm in Room 7AB – Acclaimed television writer/executive producer Bryan Fuller (Heroes), the creative force behind Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, and Dead Like Me, for a Q&A with fans as he discusses two of his highly anticipated projects, Hannibal and Mockingbird Lane, both at NBC. In the midseason drama Hannibal, one of the most fascinating literary characters comes to life on television for the first time: psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The recently shot pilot Mockingbird Lane is an imaginative reinvention of the 1960s comedy The Munsters.
• The Write Stuff V from 3:00pm-4:00pm in Room 24ABC – Meet the writers and producers who make sci-fi, horror and fantasy entertainment what it is today, and get an incredible insider look from the scribes behind some of today’s hottest genre shows as they share their candid thoughts on how to make the series we love (and sometimes loathe). Find out the highly classified secrets to getting TV shows made and how to break in and break out in today’s highly competitive broadcast environment, the deep dark secrets (and, more important, fat-free snacks) of the writer’s room-and why network executives actually care about what you say on message boards and Twitter. No canned speeches and press releases here-get the straight scoop and candid skinny from television’s most talented writers and producers, including Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), Ashley E. Miller (Fringe, Transformers, The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Steve Kriozere (NCIS, Femme Fatales), Steve Melching (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Transformers: The Series), Gabrielle Stanton (Haven, The Gates), Dave Simkins (Grimm, Human Target), Jose Molina (Firefly, Terra Nova), Amy Berg (Eureka, Leverage), and Mark A. Altman (Femme Fatales, Necessary Roughness).
• Building Props for Sci-Fi in the 21st Century from 7:00pm-8:00pm in Room 24ABC – Sci-fi props already have the advantage of a sharp aesthetic, but in this day and age, how do you take sci-fi prop making and the replica making that tends to follow to the next level? Andy Gore (QMx), Jack Kenney (Warehouse 13), Andy Siegel (Avatar, The Amazing Spiderman, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), John Eblan (Star Wars: Episodes II and III), and Nick Robatto (Doctor Who, Torchwood) discuss how your favorite props are made, from concept to execution. The panel will discuss the impact of accelerated production schedules and technology on how TV and movie props are conceived and created. You will also learn the various types of prop making, from working props and digital modeling to 3D printers and the use of advanced materials.

Sunday

• Espenson: An Anagram for Openness from 12:00pm-1:00pm in Room 7AB – Writer Jane Espenson (Once Upon a Time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Husbands) discusses past and current work with moderator Jenna Busch (Zap2It). Artwork from an upcoming Buffy comic will provide the first look at an anticipated new character, and Husbands‘ Brad Bell (Pop-Up Videos), Sean Hemeon, and Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives) will be on hand to discuss the upcoming season 2. Attend to learn which sci-fi superstar is joining the Husbands cast.
• Behind the Music with CW3PR: Composers and Singers on Creating the Perfect Sound for TV and Film from 3:00pm-4:00pm in Room 7AB – Singer and composer collaborations are essential to the creation of poignant and thrilling moments in TV and film. Learn how these dynamic collaborations work and how a singer’s voice can amplify an original score from composers Trevor Morris (The Borgias), iZLER (Revenge), Michael Penn (Girls), Marc Shaiman (Smash), Danny Jacob (Phineas and Ferb), and Robert Duncan (Castle), singers Lisbeth Scott (True Blood), Laura Dickinson (Phineas and Ferb), and more! Moderated by Phineas and Ferb creators Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Dan Povenmire. A Q&A will follow the panel and giveaways for all Attendees.

Are you going to Comic-Con 2012? What panels are you most interested in seeing? Let me know in the comments.