San Diego Comic-Con International, the annual entertainment and comic convention, commences Thursday, with more than 100,000 fans converging (and cosplaying) in Southern California for the weekend. Initially focusing primarily on comic books, Comic-Con has branched out to include a whole host of other entertainment genres and pop culture elements, with a major focus on television shows.
Here are 20 of the top TV Comic-Con panels, in chronological order:
CBS’Extant,Limitless,Scorpion,Under The DomeandZoo-Thursday at noon
CBS will highlight a selection of its summer and fall dramas. There will be a panel and exclusive sneak peek for each of its trio of summer sci-fi series — Extant, Under the Dome and Zoo. In addition, CBS will hold a panel for Scorpion, which will return for its sophomore season in the fall, as well as Limitless, a new show based on the Bradley Cooper film. Stars slated to appear on the panels include Extant’s Halle Berry, Zoo’s James Wolk and Robert Patrick and Katharine McPhee of Scorpion.
BBC America’sDoctor Who-Thursday afternoon
Fresh off his first season playing the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi will make his Comic-Con debut. The Scottish actor will be joined by stars Jenna Coleman and Michelle Gomez, along with lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat. The most recent season gave BBC America its highest-rated season ever.
PBS’Sherlock-Thursday afternoon
Steven Moffat, the cocreator, executive producer and writer of Sherlock, will move down the hall to join EP Sue Vertue and Rupert Graves for the panel on the show, which will have an upcoming special on PBS Masterpiece.
CBS’The Big Bang Theory- Friday morning
The writers of the hit sitcom will peel the curtain back and explain their writing process. The ninth season of the Chuck Lorre-created comedy returns this fall on Mondays at 8 p.m.
AMC’sThe Walking DeadandFear the Walking Dead- Friday at noon
Ten stars of television’s most-watched drama, including Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, as well as a handful of producers, will appear on a panel hosted by @midnight’s Chris Hardwick to discuss the shocking season 5 finale and preview the upcoming sixth season of The Walking Dead. Afterwards, the stars and producer of Fear the Walking Dead will appear on a subsequent panel to preview and tease the highly-anticipated spinoff.
Fox’sMinority Report- Friday afternoon
Fans will get their first look at the television adaptation of the Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise film. The cast and producers will answer questions following a special screening of the show, which debuts Sept. 21.
HBO’sGame of Thrones- Friday afternoon
Ten cast members are slated to appear on a panel hosted by Late Night’s Seth Meyers. (The actor portraying a certain long-haired, seemingly-deceased Lord Commander of the Night's Watch is not among those listed.) They are Alfie Allen, John Bradley, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, Natalie Dormer, Conleth Hill, Hannah Murray, Sophie Turner, Carice van Houten and Maisie Williams. Director David Nutter and EP Carolyn Strauss are also expected on the panel for the show, whose fifth season concluded in June.
ABC’sMarvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.andAgent Carter- Friday afternoon
Jeph Loeb, Marvel's head of television, will be joined by the showrunners and casts of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter for surprises and announcements about the two series.
BBC America’sOrphan Black- Friday afternoon
Clone Club will descend upon San Diego for the Orphan Black panel, featuring chameleon-like star Tatiana Maslany, fellow castmates and cocreators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson, to talk about the series, which recently concluded its third season.
Syfy’sSharknado 3- Friday night
Nearing the tail-end of Shark Week, the writer, director and stars of Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! will answer questions about the phenomenon. The new movie premieres on Syfy July 22.
Fox’sLast Man on Earth- Saturday morning
Will Forte won’t be all alone on the panel for The Last Man on Earth. The creator and star of the Fox comedy, which returns for its second season on Sept. 27, will be joined by costars Kristen Schaal, January Jones and director/EP Chris Miller.
NBC’sBlindspot- Saturday morning
Looking for a new hit drama, NBC has turned to prolific producer Greg Berlanti with action thriller Blindspot. The pilot will be screened, followed by a Q&A with the stars and executive producers. The series debuts Sept. 21.
ABC’sThe Muppets- Saturday afternoon
The Muppets return to primetime television on Sept. 22 with a new mockumentary-style series on ABC. The panel will feature the cocreators, executive producers and, of course, Muppets.
Starz’sOutlander- Saturday afternoon
Leads Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, author Diana Gabaldon and the executive producers of Outlander will look back at the show’s first season and preview the second.
NBC’sHannibal- Saturday afternoon
It may have just been cancelled, but that shouldn’t lessen die-hard fans’ hunger for Hannibal, in the midst of its third season. Creator/EP Bryan Fuller, EP Martha De Laurentiis and star Hugh Dancy are set to appear on the panel.
DC Comics Shows - Saturday night
The main event Saturday night will be courtesy of Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment. There will be a screening of the pilot of CBS’ Supergirl, a sneak peek at new digital series Vixen and Q&A panels with the stars and producers of Supergirl, Fox’s sophomore series Gotham, returning CW series Arrow and The Flash and new CW series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
FX’sAmerican Horror Storyand Fox’sScream Queens- Sunday afternoon
The stars of Ryan Murphy’s two series will converge on this panel, which will include Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Sarah Paulson. Although Scream Queens won’t debut on Fox until Sept. 22, Comic-Con will host a world premiere screening Saturday night.
NBC’sHeroes Reborn- Sunday afternoon
Fans of the late series Heroes will want to check out the panel for Heroes Reborn, the 13-episode event series premiering on NBC Sept. 24. In addition to an exclusive extended trailer, cast members and creator Tim Kring will answer questions.
FX’sSex&Drugs&Rock&Roll,The StrainandBastard Executioner- Sunday afternoon
This FX panel will feature at a trio of the network’s series. Denis Leary, the creator/writer/director/EP of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, will talk about his new show, debuting July 16, with his cast mates and give a sneak peek. Fans will see an exclusive screening of season 2 of The Strain, returning July 12, and hear from the talent in front and behind the camera, including cocreator/EP/writer Guillermo del Toro, showrunner/EP Carlton Cuse and star Corey Stoll. Finally, there will be an exclusive first-look at The Bastard Executioner, the new show from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.
