"Fringe," "Supernatural" and "Doctor Who": A Historic Triple-Play at Comic-Con - Ed Martin

In what had to be one of the most exciting television events in the history of the San Diego ComicCon fan extravaganza and in yet another significant development that proves television is increasingly the medium to beat at this annual celebration of all facets of genre culture three series that are enormously important to sciencefiction and fantasy fans were presented backtobacktoback in the largest arena at the San Diego Convention Center That would be the famous Hall H which seats more than 6000 people and is considered the Holy Grail for panel placement at the ConIt39s not unusual for panels for popular television series to be presented in Hall H the home of now legendary events for presentations by such genre standouts as quotHeroesquot and quotLostquot But this was the first time that three shows that belong in the company of those two were presented in succession and because rooms are not cleared between panels at the Con amp8211 meaning anyone who entered Hall H for the first panel could remain in there all day if desired the result was a crowd assembled outside of Hall H that far exceeded the 6000 person limitIn general enough panel goers exit a room after any given session that hundreds if not thousands of others are able to secure seats for the following presentation But it was obvious that few if any of the people who filled the 6000 seats for the first panel amp8211 a farewell session for the Fox scifi drama quotFringequot which will conclude its fiveyear run this fall amp8211 weren39t going to stay for the second amp8211 a panel for The CW39s longrunning horroradventure quotSupernaturalquot And under no circumstances were they going to exit before the final panel featuring the cast of BBC America39s quotDoctor Whoquot The lure of this destinedtobehistoric trifecta had fans lining up outside late on Saturday night as if waiting to buy tickets to a bigname rock concert This often happens at the Con with panels for huge movies such as those of the quotTwilightquot franchise but rarely for a television showAnyone with any doubts as to the power and influence of a television series amp8211 even one steeped in sciencefiction andor horror amp8211 need only have watched any one of these three panels to appreciate the emotional connections these shows have with their viewers Collectively it was unlike anything I have experienced in six years of Congoing It was a profound moment to say the least when cast members from quotFringequot who were appearing together at the Con for what will likely be the last time took a bow at the end of their panel as the 6000 people in the audience shot to their feet It reminded me of the emotional farewell session last year for quotChuckquot another favorite of Congoers but that session took place in a much smaller room so the emotional sweep of the quotFringequot farewell was even strongerSimilarly the quotDoctor Whoquot panel marked the farewell appearances by two popular cast members Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill who will leave the series during its upcoming season I think the cheering the applause and the emotions on display throughout the quotWhoquot panel were even more pronounced than those for quotFringequot Further and as predicted in this space two years ago current quotDoctor Whoquot star Matt Smith has become one of the undisputed Lords of ComicCon I saw more young attendees dressed as his character than any other throughout the conventionSome people might argue that the cast of any popular television series could fill a 6000person room at a massively attended convention that is an annual popculture phenomenon But the panel that followed these three amp8211 for the animated Fox comedy quotThe Cleveland Showquot amp8211 wasn39t nearly as well attended even with quotFamily Guyquot and quotTedquot creator Seth Macfarlane on hand The session after that for FX39s gritty biker drama quotSons of Anarchyquot fared better though it did not fill the great hall eitherNo matter the size of the room the connection and interaction between the stars of certain television shows and their fans in a positive environment remains an uplifting experience though I could do without much of the foul language that some panelists insist on using even though they are cautioned that some members of the audience may be under the age of 18 Among other things the Con is supposed to be a family friendly event so I can39t understand why so many actors see fit to use inappropriate language and turn the air blue when talking about their shows or answering fans39 questionsAnother television series earlier in the weekend made history with its first panel in Hall H amp8211 CBS39 quotThe Big Bang Theoryquot currently one of the most popular comedies on television In a nod to a big plot turn in last spring39s season finale Warner Bros Television amp8211 the studio that produces quotTheoryquot amp8211 gave away a prize during the show39s panel that is likely the largest in the history of any Con event A free trip into space in 2013 courtesy of XCOR Aerospace The prize is reportedly valued at 9500000 Imagine paying taxes on that Warner Bros which often finds clever ways to enhance fans39 experiences at Cons may have gone over the edge if not out of this world with that one but it came up with a truly inspired gift for fans of quotFringequot Every attendee at its farewell panel received a fedora much like the one worn by the mysterious Watchers on the series

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"Fringe," "Supernatural" and "Doctor Who": A Historic Triple-Play at Comic-Con - Ed Martin

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