Comic-Con@Home 2020: Quick SDCC TV Panel Breakdown

San Diego Comic Con is one of the most anticipated pop culture events of the year. However, because of the current pandemic, the convention has been forced to be held virtually. Today marks the start of panels, but Wednesday programming is predominantly dedicated to educators and librarians. Tomorrow the main event begins and AIPT is here to breakdown and highlight the TV panels. Consult SDCC programming for the entire schedule.

Thursday SDCC TV

The Star Trek franchise is one of the opening panels for the con and it will encompass the entire universe. There is a table read for Star Trek: Discovery, a first look at the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, and a discussion on Star Trek: Picard. Amazon Prime originals are also well represented with Utopia, Upload, comic-based series The Boys, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s new show, Truth Seekers. To get your adult animation fix, Solar Opposites, Duncanville, and Close Enough are also scheduled on Thursday.

Friday SDCC TV

Friday is the most packed day of programming with regards to TV. The Walking Dead has three shows they’re presenting including the flagship, Fear of the Walking Dead, and the upcoming, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Other comic related TV panels are I Am Not Okay with This and a first look at Marvel’s Helstrom.

Warner Media has tons of animation panels that caters to a wide audience. There is kid friendly stuff such as Adventure Time: Distant Lands and a look at the Cartoon Network Studios Collection while more mature audiences might enjoy Adult Swim’s YOLO: Crystal Fantasy and 12oz Mouse or the HBO Max: Adult Animation panel. If you like your Japanese animation, there is also The Dragon Prince and exploring the legacy of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Saturday SDCC TV

Fox’s Animation dominates Saturday with three hours of panels that cover The Simpsons, Bless the Harts, and Family Guy. All the space explorers out there can find out more about Cosmos: Possible Worlds, The Right Stuff from Disney+, and For All Mankind from Apple TV+. Fan favorites, Doctor Who and Farscape provide more sci-fi fun and the description for the latter teases its return. There can’t be an SDCC without some horror so check out Netflix’s The Order, HBO’s Lovecraft Country, AMC’s NOS4A2, and FX’s What We Do in the Shadows.

Sunday SDCC TV

Sunday is usually the slowest day of SDCC and this year is no exception. There is an eclectic mix of broadcast TV panels from the post-apocalyptic drama, The 100, to Fox’s brand-new science-fiction drama, Next, to traditional ABC sitcom, The Goldbergs. To round out the day there is Motherland: Fort Salem, which is set in alternative history where witches join the army, Looney Tunes, which will exclusively premiere a new cartoon, and Hoops which is an animated Netflix show about a foul-mouthed high school basketball coach.

SDCC TV Panel Picks

I always look forward to the different TV panels that SDCC has to offer every year. Though it won’t be the same to attend virtually, there are several shows that I’m excited for. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make quite the entertainment duo having worked on the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy previously. When I hear that the pair have their own TV series, Truth Seekers, about part-time paranormal investigators who travel to different haunted areas to film ghost sightings, I’m in.

The juggernaut that is Marvel has conquered movies but hasn’t quite reached the same success on the small screen. It’s interesting to see the direction Marvel Studios will take towards TV after the restructuring and Helstrom is the first series in this new wave. Also, I’m anxious to explore the horror side of the MCU.

I missed out on the What We Do in the Shadows panel last year at SDCC because 6BCF was so difficult to get into. Sesame Street, Critical Role, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine were all in the same room so there wasn’t much turnover. Luckily this year, it’ll be easier to watch and in the convenience of my own home. After a stellar second season, I look forward to hearing stories from the cast and creators and it’s hosted by season two guest star, Haley Joel Osment!

If you’ve read my reviews on AIPT, you might notice I have an affinity to animation. That’s why I’m curious to learn more about Netflix’s Hoops. There’s a lot going for the show like a great comedic cast that includes Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, and Ron Funches. Also, it comes from executive producers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Then it is animated by Bento Box, who also do Bob’s Burgers and Central Park. That’s a pretty good trifecta.

–Gary Catig

For tomorrow, I’m hoping that Season 2 of The Boys gives us a full length trailer–especially since we already got a cast reunion show and teaser just a few weeks ago.

On Friday’s panel for The Walking Dead, there has to be some concrete news about the unaired Season 10 finale, right? If this SDCC was happening in person, then I’m figuring they’d actually show it right then and there. For now, though, I’d bet good money we get a solid date. The panel should also have insight on the upcoming Rick Grimes movie.

Saturday is the day I’m looking forward to the most. I’ve already immersed myself in all this NOS4A2, but it’s going to be great to hear 3 amazingly talented people talk about their work on the show together. I know from personal experience that Jami O’Brien gives a great interview. Add Joe Hill (one of my favorite authors) and Zachary Quinto (one of my favorite actors) into the mix and getting to watch this panel feels like Christmas (land) in July.

I expect the panel for HBO’s Lovecraft Country to be the most illuminating for me. I read the book a while ago and don’t remember too much–just that it was pretty good, but distinctly thinking “I think I might enjoy this more as a television series.”

No, that’s not B.S. It’s legitimately what was going through my cavernous brain space at the time.

It will also be great to hear the cast’s thoughts on this, especially since there’s no possibility of embarrassing myself in person in front of lead actress Jurnee Smollett (one of my current television crushes). I don’t expect a new trailer since we’ve already gotten two, but it would be cool to see some new footage…especially if it features any cool Lovecraftian monsters like the first one did.

–Nick Nafpliotis