[photo courtesy of Ian Knight]
Greetings, patient friends. Apologies for the delay. It is a very long story, but I was unable to attend the ALCATRAZ panel or be in the ALCATRAZ press room due to conflicting press obligations. Thankfully, a few fantastic friends came through with video and photos. And, although we might have to wait a few months, I can promise an interview of two here on the site before the show airs in January!
I did, however, have the opportunity to speak with the showrunner and cast of ALCATRAZ at an industry party the night before the panel. It is always a pleasure catching up with Jorge and Liz Sarnoff, both whom I had interviewed previously in Hawaii for LOST. And I was introduced to Parminder Nagra and Jason Harner Butler, who are very sweet. Jason was in the pilot episode of FRINGE, and is still very friendly with the cast (Jasika Nicole, John Noble and Anna Torv were at this party as well).
PHOTOS
Click here to view some very hi-res photos of the panel from Ian (@Zort70), who flew in with his lovely wife from the UK to attend SDCC.
PANEL VIDEO
A very special shout-out to @stardotgeek for volunteering to tape the panel for me when I discovered that I was unable to attend - this is her footage:
MAGNETS
If you would like a custom Inside Alcatraz magnet, simply email me your shipping address (jo at jopinionated dot com). And yes, I will send them internationally. And no, there is no cost!
ADDITIONAL ALCATRAZ SDCC VIDEOS
For other videos from SDCC, including interviews with the cast and Sarnoff/Bender, make sure to "like" the official ALCATRAZ Facebook page and follow @AlcatrazonFOX via Twitter as well.
REVIEWS/RESPONSE FROM SDCC
The responses to the screenings of the ALCATRAZ pilot at SDCC ranged from very high praise to cautious optimism. Because this site is strictly spoiler-free, and almost all published reviews contain far too much information about the first episode, I have chosen not to link to them here. However, a simple Google search will lead you in the right direction if you are so inclined.
As expected, many were quick to compare ALCATRAZ to LOST (and Hurley to Doc Soto, etc.), but they are two very different shows, aside from a few obvious J.J. Abrams touches. ALCATRAZ deserves your time and patience to establish its distinctive identity and develop into its own unique series, and I strongly believe that it will.
