Pandora In The Media: Galactic News

[Guest]

Media!

[tv echo]

‘Pandora’ Star Noah Huntley Teases The CW’s ‘Exciting, Dramatic’ New Sci-Fi Series
By ALLISON SCHONTER - July 11, 2019 
https://popculture.com/tv-shows/2019/07/11/pandora-noah-huntley-teases-cw-exciting-dramatic-new-sci-fi-series/

Quote

In an ever-expanding field of intergalactic sci-fi TV dramas, The CW’s new series Pandora has “much greater ambition,” star Noah Huntley told PopCulture.com. The Mark Altman-created series, set to premiere on the network on Tuesday, July 16, “incorporates the sci-fi world, that sci-fi lovers can appreciate.”

“The beauty of this production over any other sci-fi [productions] that come into manifestation is that he [Altman] seems like he is 6 feet knee deep into the show and the storyline, which from an actor's point of view is so refreshing,” Huntley said. “Our characters are really well fleshed out and there's a feeling that they could really evolve.”

Set more than 100 years in the future in the year 2199 following a mass migration to other planets after the “a realization that the resources of the planet are so limited, Pandora centers on Jax, who, following the loss of her parents, finds a new life at Earth’s Space Training Academy. There, she and others learn to defend the Galaxy from threats – “benevolent and malevolent forces, alien and colonized, earthbound races” of the future.

Huntley portrays the “removed,” “intimidating,” and “deeply fallible” Professor Donovan Osborne, Jax’s uncle and a “professor of war and battle politics” at the Academy.

“He's come from the military and he's embedded in the intelligence service in the future, the Earth's Intelligence Service, known as the EIS,” Huntley said of his character. “On the surface, again, he seems like a very unlikable character. What's been interesting is to find the hidden depths within that and the justifications and reasoning that transcend whatever personality traits may be favorable or unfavorable.”
*  *  *
“I feel like Marc Altman is our mentor. He's our everything really on the show. He's been wanting to make this for a long long time,” he said. “He goes to Mark Pedowitz, head of CW, 20 years ago. He's talking about wanting to do a Star Trek-style show and got the go ahead earlier this year. That's how it came into being.”

Drawing from the “great inferences and inspirations” of its predecessors, Pandora is “incredibly rich and incredibly detailed. Whether it's planet colonies or other races, or races that we are aware of that are barely even mentioned, or technology that's being used, or human development, the telepathy that are being used. Or the data stream, which is like a futuristic internet. So it feels very rich.”
*  *  *
“It becomes very optimistic, and I think that's going to land well with the CW, but it's never schmaltzy,” he said. “It's not like you go, oh, yes, it's the happy ending that we all needed. It leaves things for the audience to decide on, and from my point of view as an actor that's great.”

Edited July 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Advance review of the first episode of Pandora (ouch!) - WARNING: SPOILERS...

Pandora Is a Stilted Sci-Fi Disaster
by Josh Bell – on Jul 11, 2019  
https://www.cbr.com/review-pandora-stilted-sci-fi-disaster/ 

Edited July 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora episode ratings so far...
https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/pandora-season-one-ratings/ 

Quote

Air date                        Episode    18-49    demo    Viewers    Viewers
                                                       demo    change    (millions)    change
Tues    07/16/2019        01-01        0.13        0.718    
Tues    07/23/2019        01-02        0.11     -15.38%    0.591    -17.69%
Tues    07/30/2019        01-03        0.14      27.27%    0.523    -11.51%
Tues    08/06/2019    *  01-04        0.10     -28.57%    0.617    17.97%

Edited August 7, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

'Pandora': TV Review
by Daniel Fienberg  July 16, 2019
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/pandora-review-1224477 

Quote

As television networks and services endeavor to raise the bar on small-screen production values, there's something endearingly cute about The CW's summertime mission to give a venue to some of the cheapest and flattest-looking visuals and casting-pool-spread-too-thin ensembles this side of off-brand '80s syndicated action dreck.
*  *  *
With its clear inspirations ranging from Star Wars — the musical cues in an opening scene on a two-sunned planet feel like somebody owes John Williams a commission — to a satirically challenged Starship Troopers, to a recent run of variably Hogwarts-esque special school dramas (like Legacies only worse on all levels), the show has an unexplored subtext involving a society that went creatively stagnant nearly 150 years ago. I'm not going to watch long enough to see if it's explained.
*  *  *
By this standard, it makes total sense that the actors are all attractive and diverse and none of them are acting in the same show. There's no common accent, which I actually like. It's a future-as-melting-pot. Less good is that nobody has settled on a comma tone or common cadences. Quintana could be on Riverdale. Huntley thinks he's doing Shakespeare. Radcliffe has one scene in his alien race's native tongue and it's hard to explain what could make a fabricated language sound extra-fake, but that's what happens here. There's no character I particularly liked, no relationship that seems particularly interesting and no mystery embedded in the pilot to which I'd like to get any answers.

Maybe some people will tune in for Pandora and maybe they won't. It's better than The Outpost. As long as the programming strategy's goal is making Batwoman, Nancy Drew and Katy Keene look polished in comparison, Pandora is probably a total success.

Edited August 8, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Watching this SDCC interview now is somewhat bittersweet. Yes, the CW was willing to give a male Asian actor the opportunity to be the heroine's romantic interest, but apparently only because he was quickly killed off. It's pretty clear to me that they're developing Xander (Oliver Dench) to be Jax's ultimate love interest...

-- John Harlan Kim: "As an actor, it's so much fun to play love angles. I think at the epicenter of every good story is some type of love, um, that's being fought for. And I think, um, yeah, Greg was really one of my first opportunities to embody somebody romantically. Um, I think being a male Asian actor, you don't get too many opportunities to be a romantic interest, so, uh, it was sorta nice that CW was willing to give me a shot there."

Pandora Q&A with John Harlan Kim & Tehmina Sunny (SDCC 2019)
Published on Jul 23, 2019, by kyooltube

Edited August 9, 2019 by tv echo

[AngelKitty]

This is not better than The Outpost, which is a lot of fun to watch, in a Xena sort of way. This show takes itself way too seriously.

[tv echo]

Spoiler

Manu Bennett

will be guest-starring on Pandora...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B03fhrRh9XY/

And here's a description of the role that this actor will be playing:

Spoiler

... I'm accepting another crossover on CW, to an underdog series called Pandora. They've received some Rotten Tomato flack, which almost put me off, but honestly, I like these challenges, have worn critics bs before & if your gut tells you to act, then act. The role CW have offered me, reminds me a bit of Roy Batty, one of my favourite misinterpreted villains, played by the difinitive actor Rutger Hauer. No way I can repeat "Like tears in rain" but I can certainly put my own take, my job, into the performance of LEONE BOKK, described as "Bobba Fett" meets "Man With No Name" meets "Kraven the Hunter" meets "Cable". It's a dramatic premise I simply can't ignore & so jumping on a plane in an hour to fly to Bulgaria to join this production & cast. Obviously this show doesn't have anywhere near the budget of Bladerunner, but I've experienced the hard work of productions & emergence of underground shows that were forced to learn whilst cutting their teeth. My acting teacher, Sandra Lee Patterson, drilled into me one valuable lesson, there are no small roles, just small actors...

Edited August 9, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

^^^ The actor who's guest-starring in Pandora gets a costume fitting here and shows off an important prop for his character (spoiler!)...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B09KHlOhnE_/

Edited August 11, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Another post by the guest star mentioned above...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1UkogJBiFo/

[tv echo]

The Futon Critic has the titles and episode synopses for the next two episodes...

107:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190815cw07/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#107) "Time Out of Mind"
*  *  *
"Time Out of Mind" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, SV) (HDTV)

IDENTITY CRISIS - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) discovers a deadly secret from her past that she is desperate to understand with the help of Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) and Pilar (Banita Sendhu) while the CIS grows increasingly suspicious of Xander's (Oliver Dench) divided loyalties. Mike Hurst directed the episode with teleplay by Mike Hurst and story by Mark A. Altman (#107.) Original airdate 8/27/2019.

108:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190816cw07/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#108) "Under the Red Sky"
*  *  *
"Under the Red Sky" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, SV) (HDTV)

SPRING BREAK IN THE STARS - When Xander (Oliver Dench) enlists Jax (Priscilla Quintana) on a dangerous mission in which she must rekindle a relationship with an old flame, Xander, must confront his own feelings for Jax and question if all orders are meant to be obeyed. Tirsa Hackshaw directed the episode with teleplay by Marco Schnabel (#108.) Original airdate 9/3/2019.

Edited August 21, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Title and synopsis for episode 109:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190822cw08/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#109) "It Ain't Me Babe"
*  *  *
"It Ain't Me Babe" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, V) (HDTV)

STRANDED ON A DEADLY ALIEN PLANET - Trapped on an alien world, Jax (Priscilla Quintana), Xander (Oliver Dench) and Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) are stranded with no way home. They must band together to survive, but divided loyalties threaten to destroy them from within. And Jax will ultimately be forced decide her allegiances if they make it through the long night. Christian Gossett directed the episode with teleplay by John C. Kelley & Steve Kriozere (#109.) Original airdate 9/10/2019.

[tv echo]

I'm unclear as to the spoiler policy in this show's forum (the spoiler policy appears to vary from forum to forum)...

Exclusive: Pandora Casts Manu Bennett and Charisma Carpenter in Key Roles
By RUSS BURLINGAME - August 26, 2019 
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2019/08/26/pandora-casts-manu-bennett-and-charisma-carpenter-in-key-roles/

Quote

Manu Bennett (Arrow, Spartacus, The Hobbit Trilogy) and Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Veronica Mars) have been cast on The CW's sci-fi series, Pandora. In the series, both Bennett and Carpenter play characters who sound like they're, if not villains, at least villain-adjacent. That, of course, i snot a terrible idea, since casting familiar faces and beloved character actors in villainous roles gives the audience a built-in sense of empathy for the bad guy that can make them feel more complex and sympathetic with relatively little screen time given to their actual abckstories. You can check out the series trailer above and their official character descriptions below.

According to The CW, Manu Bennett will play Leone Vokk, an intergalactic bounty hunter sent by the malevolent Parallax Corporation to capture Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and gain the secret of portal technology. But Vokk will need to face off against Jax’s allies, who will sacrifice anything to protect their friend.

Meanwhile, Charisma Carpenter will play a mysterious woman named Laura, who might have all the answers to Jax’s questions about her origins, but who also might be Jax’s most dangerous enemy yet.

Edited August 27, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

TVLine Items: Charisma Visits Pandora, Manifest Adds Charmed One and More
By Vlada Gelman / August 28 2019
https://tvline.com/2019/08/28/pandora-charisma-carpenter-cast-season-1-cw/

Quote

Charisma Carpenter is returning to The CW, in a familiarly formidable role.

TVLine has confirmed that the Veronica Mars alum and onetime Supernatural witch will guest-star in Pandora‘s Season 1 finale (airing Tuesday, Oct. 1) as Laura, a mysterious woman who might have all the answers to Jax’s questions about her origins… but who also might be Jax’s most dangerous enemy yet.

Edited August 29, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Title and synopsis for episode 110 - airing on Sep. 17:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190829cw05/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#110) "Hurricane"
*  *  *
"Hurricane" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

TRIAL BY FIRE - Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) is on trial for his life after being accused of having sabotaged the Tereshkova. But even Jax (Priscilla Quintana) has her doubts about Ralen's veracity when his wife arrives from Zatar to defend him. Brett Simmons directed the episode with teleplay by Thomas P. Vitale & Brett Simmons (#110.) Original airdate 9/17/2019.

Edited September 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Title and synopsis for episode 111 - airing on Sep. 24:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190906cw07/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#111) "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
*  *  *
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, SV) (HDTV)

THE BIG DANCE - As the Fleet Academy, students prepare to celebrate Armistice Day (the anniversary of the end of the Zatarians war), Jax (Priscilla Quintana) continues to struggle with the revelation that Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) is married. And who will go with who to the big Armistice Dance? Meanwhile, Ralen must decide where his loyalties truly lie. Brea Grant directed the episode with teleplay by Gabrielle Stanton (#111.) Original airdate 9/24/2019.

Edited September 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Title and synopsis for episode 112 - airing on Oct. 1:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190911cw06/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#112) "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
*  *  *
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1

PANDORA

"Knocking on Heaven's Door" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

WHO IS PANDORA - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and Xander (Xander Oliver) have their hands full as a dangerous cat-and-mouse game erupts on campus. Various parties from across the galaxy arrive on Earth, all in pursuit of Jax, during which she encounters a surprise ally who not only protects Jax, but also sheds light on who she really is. Meanwhile, Atria (Raechelle Banno,) joined by Pilar (Banita Sendhu), bravely explores her new life mission on Adar, helping her clone brothers and sisters, while Thomas (Martin Bobb-Semple) searches for his missing father and Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) contemplates his return to Zatar. Manu Bennett and Angelica Celaya guest star. Christian Gossett directed the episode with teleplay by Steve Kriozere (#112). Original airdate 10/1/2019.

Edited September 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Title and synopsis for episode 113 (SEASON FINALE) - looks like a doubleheader on Oct. 1:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190911cw07/

Spoiler

Episode Title: (#113) "Simple Twist of Fate"
*  *  *
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1

SEASON FINALE

PANDORA

"Simple Twist of Fate" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

LOVE AND DEATH - Picking up the pieces from the attack on the Fleet Training Academy by Leone Vokk (guest star Manu Bennett), Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and Xander (Xander Oliver) must confront Tierney (guest star Tina Casciani) to stop her sinister plans for galactic domination while Atria's (Raechelle Banno) grassroots movement on Adar to run for Seeker may have serious consequences for the clones as well as her friends. Charisma Carpenter guest stars. Mark A. Altman directed the episode with teleplay by Mark A. Altman (#113). Original airdate 10/1/2019.

Edited September 12, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The final two episodes of this season (112, 113) will be airing together on the same night (Oct. 1) - here's the executive producer's tweet from two days ago...

Edited September 26, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The cast and crew of Pandora will be at New York Comic Con next weekend...

https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/Explore/Panels/Panels-And-Screenings/#/event/pandora-unboxing-the-hit-new-cw-series

Quote

Pandora: Unboxing the Hit New CW Series
Saturday, October 5
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
*  *  *
Join the cast and crew of the show that has been described as "Riverdale meets Stranger Things" by Publishers Insider and "Star Trek meets Buffy for the 21st Century" by Scott Mantz of KTLA including stars Priscilla Quintana (Jax), Oliver Dench (Xander) and Noah Huntley (Osborn) and showrunner Mark A. Altman and Executive Producer Thomas P. Vitale with more some surprise cast to be added including exclusive Pandora giveaways. Go behind-the-scenes of the season finale and discover what the writers are cooking up for the future.

Guests
Mark A. Altman
Noah Huntley
Oliver Dench
Priscilla Quintana
Thomas P. Vitale

Edited September 30, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited October 1, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

NYCC: PANDORA CAST TALKS END OF FIRST SEASON, HOPES FOR SEASON 2
Donnie Lederer   Oct. 5, 2019
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/nycc-pandora-cast-talk-season-one-unsure-of-season-2 

Quote

The CW's Pandora just wrapped up its first season, and there's a lot to unwrap. Where do our characters go from here? We got some of those answers at New York Comic Con where cast and crew held a panel at the Javits Center. On hand were showrunner Mark A. Altman, executive producer Thomas P. Vitale, and cast members Priscilla Quintana (Jax), Tina Casciani (Tierney), Ben Radcliffe (Ralen), and Oliver Dench (Xander).

The panel started with a bit of a "secret origin story" for the show. Vitale talked about his relationship with Altman helped get the show off the ground, "Matt and I have known each other for close to 20 years. When I [decided to] become a producer, I read Mark's script and felt it was so different. Every episode had a meaning, a message. We then thought The CW was the perfect home for the show, and they've been very supportive thus far."
*  *  *
Moving to the cast, Quintana talked about her audition, "It was a taped audition, and it was between another girl and me. I was so happy when I was cast because I feel the role was made for me." Radcliffe's previous background helped to make changes to his character, Ralen. "I used to dance when I was younger, so I knew how to do backflips and gymnastics. At first, Ralen wasn't going to be known as being such a strong fighter, but we were able to incorporate my skills, and it was awesome."
*  *  *
The discussion moved on to the season finale, with a cliffhanger revealing the return of Greg Li, who had died earlier in the season. When asked if they knew he was going to return, the cast said they felt the same kind of surprise the fans did. Altman elaborated on his process for this character, "I became friends with John [Harlan Kim, who plays Greg] at New York Comic Con a few years ago, and I asked him to play this part," said Altman, "I wanted to have a character the fans would fall in love with, then kill him right away. I was not expecting outcry I received."

Should the series continue, Altman asked the cast where they want to see their characters in the second season. Radcliffe wants Ralen to return home, "I want to go back to Zatar." Quintana wants to see growth in Jax's relationships, "I want to see Jax involved in an LGBTQ relationship next season."

As far as the continuing adventures of Pandora, that's up to the fans, "Reach out to the network and let them know how much you love the show," said Vitale. With The CW's reputation for listening to the fans and supporting their shows, giving Pandora a little love will help its chances.

Edited October 6, 2019 by tv echo

[UnknownK]

Well somebody dug out their change from the couch and ordered a second season of this show.

[Featherhat]

3 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Well somebody dug out their change from the couch and ordered a second season of this show.

Since that's about all the investment it requires, I'm not actually surprised they renewed it. I was expecting it once they definitely renewed Outpost a couple of days ago. 

The show never got to "so bad it's good" for me and I wish it felt like more care was paid to the scripts than just handing out the first draft of a film school project 5 minutes before filming, but we'll see where it goes from here. 

[tv echo]

[paulvdb]

CW 2020-2021 schedule

Pandora will air Sundays at 9PM in Q4.
 

Quote

 

The CW’s Q4 schedule features the final seven episodes of Supernatural, a second season of CW Seed-generated  Two Sentence Horror Stories, scripted acquisitions The Outpost and Pandora, which the CW has been airing as original summer series, as well as the newly acquired Tell Me a Story, Swamp Thing, Coroner and Dead Pixels, whose seasons are in the can.

Supernatural has two episodes to film, with the rest in post production. The Outpost and Pandora also were impacted by the coronavirus-related production shutdown but both also have a significant portion of their seasons completed, so the hope is that all will be ready to air in the fall. Some scripted series, which produce 13-episode seasons, may start airing a little earlier to conclude their runs before January. The rest of the Q4 schedule is devoted to alternative fare.

 

 

[tv echo]

Charisma Carpenter Back for Pandora Season 2, Promoted to Recurring
By Matt Webb Mitovich / June 5 2020
https://tvline.com/2020/06/05/charisma-carpenter-pandora-season-2-recurring/

Quote

Charisma Carpenter‘s mystery Pandora character isn’t done with Jax yet. Not by a longshot.

The Buffyverse alum guest-starred on the sci-fi series’ Season 1 finale, which aired Stateside last October, as Laura, a mysterious woman whom Jax recognized as her mother. As such, Laura might have all the answers to Jax’s questions about her origins — and yet she also might prove to be her most dangerous enemy yet.

Laura’s appearance teased much more to come in the storyline, and that will now unfold with Carpenter promoted to recurring for Season 2, TVLine has learned, which is expected to commence production this summer in Bulgaria.

Edited June 6, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Friday panel schedule for Comic-Con@Home (SDCC's 2020 virtual event) has been posted...
https://www.comic-con.org/cciathome/2020/friday

Quote

Friday, July 24
*  *  *
5:00pm PDT    Unboxing Pandora: Season Two On The CW This Fall
...
The cast and crew of The CW's hit sci-fi series previews the show's exciting second season debuting this fall. Join cast members Priscilla Quintana ("Jax"), Oliver Dench ("Xander"), and Ben Radcliffe ("Ralen") along with executive producers Mark A. Altman (The Librarians, Agent X), Steve Kriozere (NCIS, Castle), and Thomas P. Vitale (Slasher) along with moderator Scott "Movie" Mantz as they look back at the first season and share a special sneak peek of the new season as Jax learns whether she'll be the savior of our universe or its destruction. Pandora is a production of Radioactive Fishtank, Vital Signs Entertainment, and Starlings Television.

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited July 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Near the end of this video, moderator Scott Mantz asked the panel about what we can expect to see in Season 2. Pandora EP Mark Altman said that Season 2 will be "bigger," "better," "more action-packed," "more special effects" and "more romance." Altman then added that:

Spoiler

they'll start with a time jump (it'll be "a couple months later"), they'll get a new ship (The Dauntless), they built a bridge, Xander has an office, they have new sets, they created "new planetary environments," and they'll "spend a lot more time in space" (although they'll still have scenes at the school)...

Unboxing Pandora Season Two on The CW This Fall | Comic Con@Home2020
Comic-Con International    Jul 24, 2020

Quote

Unboxing Pandora: Season Two On The CW This Fall—The cast and crew of The CW’s hit sci-fi series previews the show’s exciting second season debuting this fall. Join cast members Priscilla Quintana (“Jax”), Oliver Dench (“Xander”), and Ben Radcliffe (“Ralen”) along with executive producers Mark A. Altman (The Librarians, Agent X), Steve Kriozere (NCIS, Castle), and Thomas P. Vitale (Slasher) along with moderator Scott “Movie” Mantz as they look back at the first season and share a special sneak peek of the new season as Jax learns whether she’ll be the savior of our universe or its destruction. Pandora is a production of Radioactive Fishtank, Vital Signs Entertainment, and Starlings Television.

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora - Season 2 - Comic-Con Promo
SpoilerTV   Jul 25, 2020

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by tv echo

[paulvdb]

The CW Network Sets 2020 Fall Premiere Dates

Quote

The season two premiere of the one-hour fantasy series PANDORA will air Sunday, October 4 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT).

 

[tv echo]

Pandora - Episode 2.01 - Things Have Changed - Press Release
Posted by SpoilerTV at September 19, 2020 
https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/09/pandora-episode-201-things-have-changed.html 

Spoiler

"Things Have Changed" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

SEASON PREMIERE - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and Xander (Oliver Dench), now both working for the Earth Confederacy Intelligence Services, attempt to track down the fugitive Tierney (Tina Casciani) and discover she is searching for a destructive weapon that can potentially destroy the entire Universe. Meanwhile, Jax comes face-to-face with a woman she never expected to see again: her mother, Eve (guest star Roxanne McKee.) Ben Radcliffe, Noah Huntley, Akshay Kumar, Nicole Mavromatis and Vikash Bhai also star.
Brett Simmons directed the episode written by Mark A. Altman (#201). Original airdate 10/4/2020.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

‘Pandora’ Ups Tina Casciani To Series Regular For Season 2
By Denise Petski   September 18, 2020 
https://deadline.com/2020/09/pandora-promoted-tina-casciani-series-regular-season-2-tierney-1234579556/ 

Quote

EXCLUSIVE: We can expect more trouble from Tierney in the upcoming season of the CW’s Pandora. Tina Casciani, who recurred as the character in Season 1, has been promoted to series regular for Season 2 of the sci-fi action series.

Casciani’s Tierney is the ruthless leader of the criminal organization the Hypatia Syndicate. A daughter of the Howard Hughes-like industrialist, Harlan Fried, Tierney has long sought to break away from her father’s shadow by living on the wrong side of the law. Intelligent, conniving, and charming, Tierney always has a card up her sleeve, and a knife at the ready just in case.
*  *  *
Casciani’s previous credits include Jane the Virgin, Reckless, CSI, Revenge, and features Bleed For This and Role Models among others. She’s repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment.

Edited September 19, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Warning: spoilery 201 episode description and promo pics...

Pandora - Episode 2.01 - Things Have Changed - Promotional Photos + Press Release
Posted by SpoilerTV at September 20, 2020 
https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/09/pandora-episode-201-things-have-changed.html   

Spoiler

"Things Have Changed" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

SEASON PREMIERE - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and Xander (Oliver Dench), now both working for the Earth Confederacy Intelligence Services, attempt to track down the fugitive Tierney (Tina Casciani) and discover she is searching for a destructive weapon that can potentially destroy the entire Universe. Meanwhile, Jax comes face-to-face with a woman she never expected to see again: her mother, Eve (guest star Roxanne McKee.) Ben Radcliffe, Noah Huntley, Akshay Kumar, Nicole Mavromatis and Vikash Bhai also star.
Brett Simmons directed the episode written by Mark A. Altman (#201). Original airdate 10/4/2020.

This article not only posts the promo pics, but also identifies the actors and character names in each pic:
‘Pandora’ Season 2 Episode 1 Photos: Preview of “Things Have Changed”
By Rebecca Murray -September 20, 2020
https://www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/pandora-season-2-episode-1/ 

Edited September 25, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited September 22, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora - Episode 2.02 - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Press Release
Posted by SpoilerTV at September 24, 2020
https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/09/pandora-episode-202-dont-think-twice.html  

Spoiler

"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, DLV) (HDTV)

A PLANET'S DEADLY SECRET - Jax (Priscilla Quintana), Xander (Oliver Dench), Ralen (Ben Radcliffe), and Matta (Tegan Short) track the fugitives Tierney (Tina Casciani) and Jax's mother, Eve (guest star Roxanne McKee), to a remote planet with a mysterious secret, only to come into the crosshairs of the planet's strange religious cult, who will stop at nothing to maintain their sinister order. Noah Huntley, Akshay Kumar, Nicole Mavromatis and Vikash Bhai also star. Brett Simmons directed the story by Mark A. Altman and teleplay by Mark A. Altman & Steve Kriozere (#202). Original airdate 10/11/2020.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

First Look At How Mark Altman’s ‘Pandora’ Is Even More Inspired By Star Trek In Season 2
| SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | BY: ANTHONY PASCALE 
https://trekmovie.com/2020/09/29/first-look-at-how-mark-altmans-pandora-is-even-more-inspired-by-star-trek-in-season-2/ 

 

*  *  *
Last year, the CW launched the sci-fi series Pandora, created by Free Enterprise writer/producer and certified Trekspert Mark A. Altman. Season two of Pandora debuts on October 4 and according to the CW it “boldly goes beyond the final frontier” for the sophomore season, with a move to more space-based adventures. With all the evoking of Star Trek, TrekMovie decided to have a chat with Altman about season two, plus we have an exclusive look at that new spaceship (the Dauntless) too.
*  *  *
Pandora is set in the year 2199 and focuses on the story of a young woman named Jax (Priscilla Quintana) who, after having lost everything, goes on a mission to find answers. She ends up enrolling at the Space Training Academy, making the first season a sort of sci-fi mashup of Harry Potter and The Paper Chase.

“The Academy was our Hogwarts. Instead of magic, we used spaceships and slycers (our equivalent of phasers and laser guns) to save the universe,” explains executive producer and showrunner Mark A. Altman. Season one wasn’t just about the cadets. “I wanted Pandora to also be about their teachers that helped them become who they were as adults. We were lucky enough to have a great triumvirate first season in Professor Osborn played by the wonderful Noah Huntley, Ellison Pevney, played by Tommie Earl Jenkins and, of course, the marvelous Vikash Bhai who plays Shral who really was our Professor Kingsfield/Severus Snape.”

*  *  *
He went into more detail on how Star Trek (and other sci-fi classics) has influenced Pandora:

"Obviously, I’m a huge fan of original Star Trek as well as Next Generation and Deep Space Nine so there’s was no way I could do a space show without those series being important touchstones, but I have to say that season two of Pandora evokes even more the spirit of the classic genre series and movies I grew up on. There’s a little Battlestar Galactica, a little Firefly, a lot of TOS and even a little Buck Rogers and Logan’s Run. You can’t avoid the giants, but you also don’t want to just pay homage, you want to use what you’ve learned from these shows as a jumping off point to create something new and fresh. You can’t just remake TOS which was a product of the sixties, you need to speak to today which is what I think we do every week."
*  *  *
Season one was mostly about introducing the main characters; if you didn’t catch it, you can still jump in with the start of season two. Altman describes the October 4 premiere “Things Have Changed” (all Pandora episodes are named for Bob Dylan songs) as a “re-pilot.” It is set about six months after the season one finale. According to the showrunner, “We basically completely bring new viewers up to speed with where the characters are and the mythology of the series, but there will be lots of rewards for our existing fans, or Boxers, as they call themselves which I love.”

Altman also draws a comparison to growth and evolution seen in his second season with season 3  of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He explained how Pandora‘s second season feels even closer to Trek:

"I think tonally it’s much more in the spirit of classic Trek than first season. It really becomes a space based adventure series in the second year and mission-oriented. Now that Xander has been promoted to Captain and has his own ship and been given the center seat, it’s hard not to draw the parallels with Star Trek in that sense. Of course, we have no center seat. On the bridge of the Dauntless we have what we jokingly refer to as the treadmill which is the equivalent of a standing desk, an operations station from which the captain controls the ship which was conceived by Christian Gossett, the creator of the two-bladed light saber."
*  *  *
While there were some space adventures during the first season, they usually involved Jax and the cadets having to borrow or steal a ship for their missions. In season one, Jax also befriended teacher’s assistant Xander Duvall (Oliver Dench), but it was revealed he was actually at the Academy undercover and was really an operative in the Earth Confederacy Intelligence Services. In order to not repeat the ship-stealing, the creative team came up with the Dauntless. “We knew we needed to give Xander a portfolio this year and a ship. As such, he’s given the Dauntless by the CIS, the Earth intelligence services, and Jax is given an official capacity as well,” explains Mark Altman.
*  *  *
Altman explains what the addition of the Dauntless does for Pandora:

"Under the aegis of our new production designer, Alexei Karaghiaur, we built a ton of great new sets including all the Dauntless interiors like the bridge, corridors, captain’s office, personal quarters, etc. and it just opens up the show in a big way. When we first started designing the Dauntless my marching orders to the concept designers were I wanted a ship that was iconic in the way the original and refit Enterprise and the original Battlestar Galactica or a Star Destroyer is, but could look nothing like any of them. And then I said it also has to be a great toy that would look awesome on the desk of my office. And, of course, even though I was joking that actually become an important plot point."

Edited September 30, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora - Episode 2.03 - Gates of Eden - Press Release
Posted by SpoilerTV at October 02, 2020 
https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/10/pandora-episode-203-gates-of-eden-press.html 

Spoiler

"Gates of Eden" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, V) (HDTV)

FACING THE FINAL JUDGMENT - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and the team visit the distant planet where Professor Osborn (Noah Huntley) first discovered Jax as an infant during the Earth-Zatarian War in an attempt to find the Ancients in the hopes of saving our Universe; but is dealt a tragic blow when Ralen (Ben Radcliffe) suffers a loss that will change him forever. Oliver Dench, Tina Casciani, Akshay Kumar, Nicole Mavromatis and Vikash Bhai also star. Chris LeDoux directed the episode written by Steve Kriozere (#203). Original airdate 10/18/2020.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

New Mark Altman interview - I'm surprised at who's not returning for S2 (also, it turns out that not all casting news that came out was correct)...

The CW's Pandora Creator Promises Season 2 'Fires on All Cylinders'
BY MEAGAN DAMORE     OCTOBER 3, 2020
https://www.cbr.com/cw-pandora-season-2-mark-a-altman-interview/ 

Spoiler

CBR: The Season 1 finale broke up the band, so to speak. Where should fans expect to see Team Jax when Season 2 picks up? Will there be a time jump?
Mark A. Altman: Ever since China Beach, Alias and, most effectively, Battlestar Galactica pioneered the time jump, it's been a staple of genre television and we're not immune to its possibilities to reset the table so to speak. So yes, there's a six month time jump and we find our characters in a very different place. Xander is a Captain in command of his own ship, the Dauntless, Jax is working alongside him with a much more established role in the Earth Intelligence Services. Their pursuit of the fugitive Tierney continues with the threat of the annihilation of the universe still hanging over them.

As Season 1 came to a close, we started to really discover the concept of a Pandora and what that means for Jax. How quickly will we learn more about that in Season 2?
Season 1 hinted at the mythology of the Pandora, but with Season 2, we really begin to explore what that means and even go back to the very beginning for Jax and see some flashbacks to the Earth-Zatarian War. We really delve into the Pandora mythology in a much deeper, and hopefully rewarding, way for fans. We understand what it means to be a Pandora and who the Ancients are as well as what the Protectors' role is in working with them.

It was so exciting to see Angélica Celaya as that otherworld Pandora. How much more of her will we see in Season 2?
Steve Kriozere (fellow EP of Pandora) and I love Angelica and we had the pleasure of working with her on Agent X a few years ago and always kept her in mind for other projects, so casting her as a Pandora from another universe was a no-brainer for us. Because of COVID and American travel restrictions to Europe, our plans for Season 2 evolved a bit, but it is our hope we'll definitely be seeing Angelica again in a potential Season 3. We can't say enough good things about her and definitely want her back.

This summer, Charisma Carpenter was announced as a recurring guest star for Season 2. So how does Jax's late mother, Eve, factor into this season?
We love Charisma, but I'm not sure where that announcement came from. We loved having her on the show and I'm a huge Buffy and Angel fan, so I suspect we'll be seeing her again in some fashion, but she's not with us this year. I can't wait to work with her again. I was lucky enough to cast her and direct her in last year's season finale and that was so much fun.

In Season 1, Xander rooted much of his identity in his role as Osborne's agent. How is he faring now that he is no longer tied to that position?
A lot of this season deals with escaping the shadow of the mentor and Xander coming to terms with whether or not he's ready for "the big chair" of command, so to speak. He's never really questioned orders, but he's starting to wonder if maybe he should through the course of the season, and how his relationship with Osborn can complicate his role as an operative in CIS and captain of the Dauntless.

The idea of Pilar teaming up with Atria on her home planet is fascinating to me. How quickly does Pilar acclimate to this new world and culture?
That's a good question and one we'll hopefully get to explore in the future. Right now, we're focused on the threat to Earth and, by extension, the Universe posed by the Ancients and the challenges Jax and Xander will face in the new season. Also, Jax has a new sophomore roommate with whom she has a completely different dynamic than she did with Pilar and will take some getting used to for her. Playing Jax's new roommate is Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis and we quickly learn that Zazie is not necessarily everything we think she is.

Thomas' powers have only grown since he was introduced in the pilot. Does he have any more surprises for us in Season 2?
Tom is off in the Universe looking for his dad, so we won't be seeing him this season, but we'd love to have Martin back on the show. We loved having him around Season 1. He's a lovely, lovely person, unlike one of our new characters, Jett, who returns from last season and is looking to find his place in the world and has a lot to make up for after what he did to Pilar last season. We really look at whether there are second acts. If someone has done something horrible, are they entitled to a second chance? It'll be interesting to see how the audience feels about Jett and whether they accept him and whether our group of friends on the show are welcoming or not, given everything he's done in the past.

Ralen is my personal favorite, so I saved him for last. Can you tease the consequences of his decisions to defend Earth against that massive army in the season finale? How do those ramifications impact his relationship with Matta?
Huge implications. Ralen, played incredibly by Ben Radcliffe, who also does all of his own stunts, is a pariah from Zatar now after helping Earth. By extension, Matta is as well. By standing by Ralen, Matta has lost her connection to her homeworld as well, but it's brought both Ralen and Matta much closer together, although Ralen's past affinity for Jax remains a stumbling block between them, given Matta knows how passionately Ralen feels about Jax. I think their dynamic is one of the most compelling aspects of the show this season and I suspect will prove very surprising.

Tell me a little more about how Akshay Kumar and Roxanne McKee factor into Season 2.
Well, Akshay is back as Jett and he may have seemed an unlikely character to make a reappearance, but after the first couple of episodes, I'd be shocked if audiences don't really feel for Jett and look at him in a new light. Akshay is an extraordinary actor and a gift to all of us on the show. Steve Kriozere and I saw something special in him and really wanted him back and I feel our decision will be validated by the end of the season.

Roxanne is also a wonderful new addition; she's smart, formidable with a devilish glint in her eye. She plays a bit of a sexy Hannibal Lecter character in the show. I'm not sure audiences will know what to make of her. Is she a hero or a villain… or both?

How would you describe the big threat of Season 2?
The Frieds are back. Unfortunately, we lost Ben Cross earlier this year, so that affected our plans at the end of the season, but we're lucky to have Luke Fetherston back as the Young Harlan Fried and he's always a pleasure to have on set. Ultimately, the villain is the threat to the Universe from the Ancients, who want to eradicate all life in the Universe -- which they feel is flawed -- and start again. It's up to Jax to stop the final judgment and convince them to rethink their plans. They're not evil, but just misguided, but it's not going to be easy to find them and convince them that our races deserved to be saved, which seems particularly relevant these days given the situation in the real world.
*  *  *
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from Season 2?
Honestly, and this isn't hyperbole, there are so many. Anyone that knows the genre knows how The Next Generation became a different show in its third season after the first two years, and I feel we really hit our stride this year. We really found out what works on this show, what doesn't and embraced the space adventure and character and serialization and I think it's firing on all cylinders.

There's some scenes in our third episode which look like a movie that will amaze audiences, but little things too, like Oliver [Dench] as Captain Duvall when he lands on a planet and is trying to get information out of the planet's leader and can't pronounce their native drink. As a Star Trek fan, we also gave our new ship, the Dauntless, a heroic introduction a la the drydock scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture that's spectacular.

I think by the time we get to the fifth episode, there are some things going on with Ralen and another returning beloved character that are just amazing. I think fans are really going to love the new season and, hopefully, we'll find some new fans as well. With so much genre television being dystopian, it was important to lean into what made original Star Trek and The Next Generation great, which is a hopeful, optimistic view of the future in which friendship and loyalty triumphs over adversity. Now more than ever.
*  *  *
Inevitably, I have to ask: how did COVID-19 impact Season 2's production?
Obviously, quite dramatically. Production was delayed from our original start date and we had to put a lot of time and money into mitigation, which thankfully was successful and allowed us to maintain some degree of normalcy on set. We did do less location days and it affected some scripts, but by the same token, we had more time to finish the scripts and plan the season, which was a benefit.

We lost some actors due to their fear of traveling, so there's not as much fun stunt casting as there was last year, like Erin Gray and Jeffrey Combs. But the fact that we successfully filmed the season safely, which was what was the most important thing of all, is something I'm very proud and grateful for. It's a testament to all our partners at The CW and Starlings Television and Sony that we were able to get back into production safely and smartly. It truly was a team effort.

What do you hope viewers take away from Season 2?
I think "Boxers" (which is what our fans call themselves) will love the direction we go in this year and really embrace some of the new characters, but I feel for viewers who haven't seen the show, they'll be able to jump in with the first episode and get up to speed rather quickly, so there won't be a barrier to entry. We really wanted to make sure people knew it wasn't too late to come to the show and hopefully, if they like it, they'll go back and watch Season 1. We have so much fun making this show and I'm so proud of it this year, so I hope we can do it for many more seasons to come.

 

Edited October 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

'Pandora' Season 2: Meet Ben Radcliffe, Priscilla Quintana, Tina Casciani and the cast of The CW sci-fi series
By Pathikrit Sanyal Oct 3, 2020
https://meaww.com/pandora-season-2-meet-the-cast-ben-radcliffe-priscilla-quintana-tina-casciani-oliver-dench-the-cw 

Quote

Priscilla Quintana as Jacqueline ‘Jax’ Zhou
...
The television actor’s most prominent roles include playing Mina in the supernatural horror film ‘Polaroid’, and playing Isabella in the drama series, ‘Good Trouble’. She has also appeared in shows like ‘Lethal Weapon’, ‘Masters of Sex’, and ‘Training Day’. 

At the New York Comic-Con in 2019, Quintana said that she wanted to see growth in Jax's relationships in season 2 of the show. She said, "I want to see Jax involved in an LGBTQ relationship next season."

Oliver Dench as Xander Duvall
...
The actor is the great-nephew of the noted British thespian Dame Judi Dench. Talking about ‘Pandora’ last year, Dench had said, “One of my first thoughts was of ten-year-old Oliver, given the opportunity to shoot a laser gun at aliens. But when I was ten I was allowed to make these little [laser] noises. So I was running around on set and making noises and our director saddled up to me and said, ‘You can’t be doing that.’ That’s not an uncommon problem in sci-fi, with lightsaber noises or whatever.”

Dench is best known for shows like ‘Ride’, ‘Noughts + Crosses’, and ‘The Athena’.

Ben Radcliffe as Ralen
...
The British actor is best known for his role as Robert in ‘Hetty Feather’, Iggi in ‘The Evermoor Chronicles’, Bruce in ‘Cuban Fry’ and Henry Cummings in ‘Ransom’. At the New York Comic-Con in 2019, Radcliffe said that he wanted Ralen to return home in the second season: "I want to go back to Zatar."

Tina Casciani as Tierney
...
Casciani’s Tierney is the ruthless leader of the criminal organization the Hypatia Syndicate. A daughter of the Howard Hughes-like industrialist, Harlan Fried. Her character was recently promoted from a recurring one to series regular for season 2 of the sci-fi action series.

The actor, model, and dancer, was born on June 1, 1988, in New York. Casciani is known for various film and television roles including ‘Role Models’, ‘The Nevsky Prospect’, and ‘Jane The Virgin’. She was the 2000 Miss New York Teen USA.

Edited October 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora's Season 2 premiere episode aired last night (warning: spoilers if you haven't watched it yet)...

‘Pandora’ Season 2 Episode 1 titled ‘Things Have Changed’ but have they? The show is still just as bad
By Pathikrit Sanyal   Oct 4, 2020
https://meaww.com/pandora-season-2-episode-1-review-things-have-changed-sci-fi-the-cw-priscilla-quintana-oliver-dench 

Quote

It’s always difficult to decide what is worse in The CW’s sci-fi series ‘Pandora’ -- the janky visuals or the hamfisted storytelling. But one of the two always wins in that contest. Lucky for viewers of the show, season 2’s first episode ‘Things Have Changed’ saw both winning. 
*  *  *
Out of nowhere, after a nightmare, Jax, who is not really a human -- a “mutt” in her own words -- suffers through an existential crisis in the episode. And Xander offers clichéd pop-deep lines in consolation. It's hard to sympathize with characters that are this shoddily written. Oftentimes while watching ‘Pandora’, one has to ask was this endeavor is undertaken, not just by the creators of the show, but also by viewers. The movement of the plot feels unnecessarily terse. The show is unappealing to the eye -- sometimes it feels like The CW just makes these shows to kill time because they appear to cost very little in terms of a production budget. The dialogues are wooden. Ralen (Ben Radcliffe), the terrible Spock-archetype in the show says things like, “This sounds, how do you humans put it, ‘Juicy’,” is the absolute pits of screenwriting.

And the characters offer nothing in terms of likeability. Even ‘Riverdale’ has characters who reel you in. But ‘Pandora’ just does not fit the “so bad that it’s good” category of ironic viewing. This exercise has to be labeled as “hate-watching”.
*  *  *
Showrunner Mark A. Altman recently said that "Last season was sort of ‘Harry Potter’ in the future. We realized that we wanted to go full-on ‘Star Trek’ and embrace the space adventure." But that promise is not to be taken seriously. This season, it seems, has a bit of both -- bad ‘Star Trek’ imitation, and really bad ‘Harry Potter’ imitation (the comparison is made only because the showrunner did. It has no legitimacy otherwise) as we see Jax and Ralen return to Earth and fraternize with classmates. 
*  *  *
Yeah, the show’s protagonist is not going to die in the first episode of season 2. This is not HBO. So, again, not at all as high-stakes as the show wants it to look. But that kind of mediocrity is on-brand for ‘Pandora’.

Edited October 5, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Priscilla Quintana on Sci-Fi Adventures of CW’s Pandora [Exclusive Interview]
GIG PATTA  October 4, 2020
https://lrmonline.com/news/priscilla-quintana-interview/ 

Quote

LRM Online’s Gig Patta exclusively interviewed the lead actor, Priscilla Quintana, via Zoom last month while she was in Europe filming the show. We discussed her character, being on a sci-fi show, and the success of this show.

Priscilla Quintana Interview for Pandora on CW
LRM Online   Sep 30, 2020

-- Gig Patta (LRM Online): "Are you back in production? Or you always been stuck in Europe this entire time?"
Priscilla Quintana: "Oh my gosh, no. We are back in production. Uh, our producer, actually, Mark [Altman], ended up getting stuck in Europe for a bit, because we were supposed to start filming and then COVID happened and he was here, and he was like, 'whoa, what do I do now?'"
GP: "Wow. So you just traveled from - what, Los Angeles all the way to, uh, Bulgaria? What did you do? Use a portal? ... How did that work for you?"
PQ: "Yeah, I just, uh, I activated one of my very handy portals and I got here in about - how long did it take me, Noah? About 15 minutes?"
Noah (off-screen): "Seconds, wasn't it?"
PQ: "15 seconds, exactly. Excuse the, um, background. So we are currently on a road trip heading to the Black Sea. Me, Ollie [Oliver Dench], Ben [Radcliffe] and Noah [Huntley]. And then Oliver last minute said he wanted to take the scenic route, which we did not realize was going to add, like, nine extra hours onto the road trip. So we were supposed to be at the hotel a long time ago. So please bear with me through these conditions."

-- GP: "So, congratulations on a successful first season... Were you surprised for a second season? Why - why do you think people love this show so much?"
PQ: "Um, I think people like to use - or at least I like to use TV as a way to just escape my normal life, and it takes you into a fantasy world, you know. And I feel like, what's more fantasy than sci-fi, science fiction? Um, but yeah, I was really happy with how the show was received, um, and I'm really grateful to be back here shooting our second season. We're actually about nine days out from wrapping up Season 2, and it flew by this time."

-- GP: "How were you brought on board onto a project like Pandora because it was - it was completely different from anything you have done before?"
PQ: "Um, it was just through a casting director. So Erica Bream was in charge of U.S. casting. So she ended up just casting - sorry, the boys are messing with me in the background... He's trying - they're trying to distract me... The band is back. Okay, boys. Let the big girls work, please. Jesus. Um, yeah, so I was brought on by Erica Bream, who is the casting director in L.A. Um, it was all through tape, which I had never done before. Everything else that I had booked in the past, um, is in-person auditions. So this one was all tape and I just kept getting, um, different notes from the casting director on what they wanted to see different and what the showrunner, who I now know is Mr. Mark Altman, um, wanted to see. And I ended up sending in, I think, about maybe five or six tapes before I got it. All these boys here only had to send one."

-- GP: "Were you much of a sci-fi person before taking on this project or now you're a sci-fi person?"
PQ: "Honestly, I wasn't at all. I hadn't even watched Star Wars yet at this - at that point when I was going out for it. But Mark gave us our list of homework and, um, I can safely say that now I'm more comfortable with the genre. But before, I was a rom-com girl all the way or, like, weird indies, you know, so sci-fi was very different, for sure."

-- GP "What were some of the sci-fi 'homework' that you actually ended up doing that now you're familiar with?"
PQ: "Um, we had to watch a lot of - um, let's see, what was on the list? Lots of Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, yes, um... Alias, which isn't sci-fi, but that was on the homework, too. Um, Mark gave us a very, very, very long list of things to read and watch, and I'm actually still working on it. So it's lasted me into Season 2."

-- GP: "Your character, Jax or Jacqueline or Pandora, is a very - how can you say, very caring, very tough and very unpredictable in her own ways... What do you enjoy about playing a character like Jax on - on this show?"
PQ: "I always say, the thing about Jax is, we have a lot of similarities because I try to bring out the things that I, uh, enjoy about myself, but she is so much cooler and braver and smarter and, you know, more spontaneous than me. So I - I like to bring that out about her. I think it's really fun her to life, to the best of my ability. And those are probably my favorite things about her. But I laughed when you said she's - what did you say? Spontaneous or... yeah, um, she's just, yeah, she definitely doesn't always think before speaking or doing... Just - just like me."
GP: "Oh, so you are very similar to your character?"
PQ: "I'm very similar to my character. Yeah, I really am. She's cooler than me, but I think we definitely share some things."

-- GP: "Talk about the stunts on this because, from what I hear, you love doing your own stunts."
PQ: "I do. Oh my gosh, doing my own stunts are my favorite. Um, we don't have a whole lot of time on set, so I've really learned how to pick up the coordination quickly. Ben is a dancer, so picking up the coordination comes, you know, like second nature for him. For me, it wasn't that easy at first. But now I can pick up a pretty hefty stunt sequence. And, um, I'm - I'm really proud of how quickly I can master it now, because before, oh my God, poor Ben, I was just swinging and he had to duck. You know, now I kind of know what I'm doing a little more. But speaking of stunts, Oliver, come here. Come show what happened to you. (Oliver appears on screen and shows a cast on one arm)  Oliver broke his arm on a scooter. Oliver broke his arm on his birthday in the middle of production. So to say that, um, when I compare how good I am at stunts to him, I would say I'm an expert. I might as well be a stunt woman at this point. He can't even drive a scooter."

-- GP: "Did you have prior, like, fight training before, um, taking on a project like this or you're just winging it?"
PQ: "No. Well, we - we do wing it a lot because of the time, um, the time frame that we have. I took a couple of stunt classes, um, a few years ago in North Hollywood just because I was curious about how to on stage or how to do on-stage combat and we learned a bit about swords, but nothing, um, in comparison to what we're doing now at all. But I had a little bit of experience. But I'm just not a coordinated person. So it took me awhile to get there. But now I'm pretty confident with my abilities. Now for my next audition, they'll be like, 'can you do stunts?' Before I'd be like, 'yeah.' Now I'll be like, 'hell, yeah, I can.'"

-- GP: "How about the green screen experience. I know that the show has a little bit of green screen because, being a sci-fi show, so - so that's inevitable. So how was that experience to you?"
PQ: "Sci-fi is, um, a whole new experience for me, like I said, but green screen acting is just so funny. There was a scene where me and Oliver, we go to a different planet and we're, you know, looking at everything. We see mountain tops - and it all gets, uh, put in in post later - but when we're there, we had one little measly string of Christmas lights to be reacting to in awe. So that's always really funny, you know, when you have to imagine things that aren't there. But I also - I also feel as though it's the purest form of acting. Right? Because you're using your imagination fully and completely."
GP: "Was there anything that, uh, you - it was difficult to imagine? Probably like those, uh, eight-foot tall aliens that were trying to chase after you this entire time."
PQ: "Yeah. Yeah. That - that definitely was a little bit strange at first, especially because, you know, before we shot that, they didn't really show us what they looked like. They didn't - they didn't even know what they were going to look like in post later. So we're kind of just imagining what we think it could be, what our version of scary is, and then, you know, hoping it reads. But green screen acting is definitely something, um, that I feel like, I don't know if - I don't know if you can ever truly, truly master it, because it's just so different every time. Right? But here's to hope."

-- GP: "So, um, being in Bulgaria, um, how is that like? How is the sci-fi sets are like? How's the locations like? I mean, it's a - it's totally different, because you - usually when we hear things being - sci-fi being filmed, we hear it, like, in Los Angeles or Vancouver. But Bulgaria is something else."
PQ: "It is. There's a lot of, um, really amazing locations here that I think just have never been seen on TV, because not that much films out here. Um, but there's, you know, the caves that we shot in in the pilot are incredible. We shoot in this quarry that is absurd and so amazing. There's so many, um, monuments here as well that just have never been seen on TV. So I think that we're able to just kind of show the world what they would have never otherwise seen, or what they probably won't see again on TV because it's just so random, right? It's not an L.A. studio, like you said."

-- GP "How much of the story does Mark Altman actually share with you guys? Or [does] he basically share one script at a time, so this way you guys are left in the dark?"
PQ: "Well, yeah. He - he is careful not to share too much. He, um, comes from the mindset of, like, I don't want to overwhelm you guys. And also sometimes they just don't know what they're going to do with the characters yet, so they don't want us to get too stuck on one idea if they might end up going another way with it. You know? So he answers the questions we have if they are, um, extremely important to the character and the plot or our development. But other than that, we kind of just figure it out. Um, we'll usually get the script a couple weeks before and so we have time to work with it. Um, but he does like keeping some secrets from us, for sure. Like, he - I just read the script for 9 and he definitely did not warn me about anything that was going to happen in that. Now I'm like, what in the world? Um, but he would have if he thought that I wouldn't be able to, you know, tackle it or handle it. So he - he's good about it, for the most part."

-- GP: "Talk about the family orientation that you guy - friendship that you managed to create with everybody, because obviously Oliver's right next to you."
Oliver (off-screen): "I'm the dad."
PQ: "You're not the dad... He's like my annoying little brother that's just always here, waiting to take over my interview."
Oliver (appearing briefly on screen): "I'm the friendly kind of, you know, people come to me for advice. That kind of stuff."
PQ: "We definitely all have created amazing relationships. I've heard of a lot of sets where the cast doesn't always, um, get along as well as we do or even at all sometimes, I think... Um, and you can see, this is our weekend and we've all decided to take a nine-hour road trip together to go see the Black Sea. So I really do feel lucky that I was blessed with such an amazing cast. They just tackled each other in the background. Did you see that? ... As I say that, Oliver is like tackling Ben. ... Yeah, we haven't had a day off for awhile, so we're all going a little crazy, I think."

-- GP: "Speaking of Jax, Jax have a few romantic relationships, uh, during Season - Season 1... So it's very ironic that Oliver and Ben is there, uh, listening in the background... Talk about where the romance of Jax, uh, you know, going with multiple guys and the introduction of what, uh, Greg Lee back - back onto the show again."
PQ: "Yeah. When John [Harlan Kim] came back, we were like, weren't you supposed to be dead? Like, what are you doing here? (Laughs) Um, Jax had multiple relationships with men and women. Um, she's bisexual, so I thought that was really cool. And, um, I think what I can say without giving any spoilers is the fans will be - I think what's happening this new season is what they wanted to see happen. I think that's all I can say. And then it all gets blown up in smoke. And that's all I can say about that, too. ... Obviously, right? What would a drama be without a little bit of heartbreak?"

-- GP: "Obviously, one of the things that they actually introduce is, uh, um, an evil Pandora at - towards the end of the first season. Um, how - how exciting is it that you're - you're basically playing  two characters on the same show? Not only you have the good Jax, but you possiblyhave, you know, a different type of Jax. How is that experience for you?" 
PQ: "That is crazy because it's just - it's so fun to be able to switch back and forth... Without giving any spoilers away, I'll say there may or may not be a third character that I play in this new season. So, um, and if there were to hypothetically be a hypothetical third character that I hypothetically play, um, it would be hypothetically difficult, because we're block shooting about four episodes at once. So, you know, one scene might be Jax, one scene might be the other character and then right back to Jax, you know. So it's - it's really interesting - we call it acting boot camp because of the schedule that we're on. You know, we're block shooting like four episodes at once. We have like, um, three or four days - or  four or five days to shoot it sometimes. So it's such a rush. So we have to be so on it, because there's not a lot of time for questions. There's not a lot of time for, um, really molding the scenes for the directors because, you know, we're just on such a tight time frame... We have to be really on it and know where we want to take those characters and - or where I want to take those characters and what I want to do with them. And I hope that it comes out good."
GP: "So how do you keep it all straight for yourself? I mean, you know, playing multiple characters could be confusing."
PQ: "Yeah, it gets a little confusing. Um, I - I have like a diary that I - I don't write into it as much for Jax, but in order to get into my character's mind, I'll write as them, um, about their days in the script and just days that I make up for them. Um, like, for instance, I'm going - Priscilla, I'm going on this road trip. And if I wanted to understand Evil Jax's point of view, I'd write in her diary as her, right? Or if Jax, you know, I want to understand something about Jax, I'd write in Jax's diary as her. So that's how I really keep the separate and also develop like the tiny things, uh, that are different about each of them. And, on top of that, it's just going over the scripts many, many, many, many times until I just know them by heart, you know. Because every time I go over it, I notice something new or I'll get a new idea when I read this line. So that's pretty much how I keep track of that."

-- GP: "Now, I know it's a silly question to ask, um, but, uh, but during times like this, obviously you're, um, you know, with the pandemic - uh, I was gonna ask you, like, how are you staying sane during times like this? But obviously you're traveling to the Black Sea, you're enjoying yourself with friends."
PQ: "Yeah. Um, well, it's - it's different here, I have to say. It's different here in Bulgaria then it is going to be when I head back to the States. Um, people - it's just not as, uh, big of a thing here as it is pretty much in the rest of the world. Bulgaria is a very secluded country. Um, not a lot of people come in and not a lot of people go out. Therefore, the rates here are just so much lower. So people aren't super worried about it, you know. We're wearing masks, you know, the cast and crew, of course, when we leave the house, and wearing masks. We're washing our hands multiple times. But when we're walking down the streets here, no one else is. No one else wears masks here. Everyone - it's just life as usual. Um, you only have to wear a mask if you, like, get in a taxi or go into a pharmacy. And when we walk down the street, if we're wearing masks, they honestly think that we're crazy and we're sick. So that will be different going back to the States, because it's just such a problem over there. Everything is shut down... Everything is locked down. So I'm a little bit curious and a little bit nervous to go back and deal with that. Um, another thing is, on set, they have the strictest protocols. We're getting PCR tests pretty much, uh, two or three times a week. Um, we have a doctor on set taking everyone's temperature every day. All of the cast - or all of the crew, um, and the makeup artists and producers and everyone is wearing masks and shields and stuff. So it's pretty much just the actors because of makeup. We can't really wear masks too often on set."

-- GP: "In the future, what kind of roles do you want to play? And did you always want to be an actor?"
PQ: "Um, it's funny, my mom and my grandma said that they remember me being a kid, getting all my cousins together and putting on plays - hold on, they're conspiring against me. They're going to throw rocks at me... You just threw a rock at me.... Um, I'm so sorry. As a kid, I was always putting on performances and stuff. But as I got older, my fam - my mom is extremely business-oriented... So I come from a very business-oriented family. My mom is the vice president of a company. My stepdad, um, is in real estate. My grandparents were in insurance. So they're very left-brained, that side of my family. So when I decided to start acting, everyone was like, what, how are you going to make a living? What do you mean you're going to act? Like, what are you gonna do for a real job? So I think it was a little bit surprising to everyone except for me, that I actually pursued it. But I'm glad that I did, because now I'm in the middle of Bulgaria with people throwing rocks at me. What's better than that?"
GP: "And what kind of roles in the future do you - you still want to play?"
PQ: "I would love to do some funny, um, like, dark comedies I really like. Um, let's see. I would love to do something along the lines of - I really like the indie, like Ryan Gosling movies, like Blue Valentine or Lars and the Real Girl. So kind of something along that vein, I think, would be really fun next. And also very different, because in sci-fi, there's, you know, you have to really stick to the script, there's not a whole lot of room to play. So my next project, I would really love to be able to, um, improvise and, you know, kind of just do something new every take. And so I think something like that would be really, really fun. I would love to work with Joe Swanberg. I really look up to him."
GP: "Well, yeah. Joe Swanberg, he's a very good director. Absolutely amazing."
PQ: "And he lets his cast riff. I heard that, um, for Easy, they'll just - he'll say, 'okay, well, this is - you guys know your characters, this is where I want the scene to go, here's like the big lines, and then just see where it takes you.' Like, I just think that would be so amazing. Because sci-fi is just so the opposite of that."

-- GP: "One of the most exciting things is that we don't have to wait very long for Season 2. It's coming on The CW on October 4th... Give us a little bit - a tidbit taste, because I know you can't give us spoilers, but what do - what do audiences expect - should expect?"
PQ: "Um, they can expect fun, they can expect, um, lots of adventure. Uh, it's very, very, very sexy this season, I'll say that. A lot of clothes tend to come off this season, I think. Um, and also just the development of our characters and our character relationships. Like I told you earlier, I think the fans are going to be really happy with where, um, Jax and her love life, uh, goes - goes this season. But overall, just tune in if you want to just escape your world for a bit and go to space. Come join us in space. We'll be waiting."

-- GP: "Why would you open that box, knowing it's called Pandora's Box?"
PQ: "That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, this really could have been avoided. I'm just throwing it out there. But you know what? Then there'd be no drama and that's just - you just gotta open it. It - it's like - it's like a horror film, right? Like, if you're being chased, do you, 'A,' run into the well-lit building or, 'B,' into the woods where you can't see anything and, you know, they're - you're probably gonna die that way. And, of course, you're gonna go in the woods because it makes for a better movie."

-- GP: "Personal question for - for your fans who are curious. What is your heritage?"
PQ: "Um, my mom is Mexican and Native-American, and my dad is English, Irish and German."

Edited October 5, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora | Humanity | Season Trailer | The CW
The CW Network    Oct 5, 2020

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Priscilla Quintana On The CW Network’s ‘Pandora’: ‘Jax Has Come A Long Way From Season One’ [VIDEO]
By DJ Sixsmith    October 8, 2020 
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/10/08/priscilla-quintana-pandora-the-cw-tv-show/ 

Quote

“It’s exciting and I’m so happy to have a season two,” said Quintana, in an interview with CBS Local’s DJ Sixsmith. “We love our fans and we are so grateful that people received the show in the way that they did. I hope in season three that they’ll let me in the writers room and develop Jax’s story from my own point of view. I think that would be really cool. I think she’s come a long way this second season from season one and I’m excited for everyone to see that.”

While this season features more of a focus on the relationship between Jax and Xander Duvall, played by actor Oliver Dench, Quintana believes there is much more to explore when it comes to her character’s emotional depth.

“I think it would just be really interesting to have a female voice in there [the writers room] and someone from the demographic we’re going for,” said Quintana. “She’s bisexual, but I don’t feel like she’s gotten as in-depth as she could’ve with that. It’s kind of like a fling thing. I think it would be really interesting to explore a relationship like that. I think it would be nice to have a voice for that community. I would love to bring something like that to the table.”

 (CBS Los Angeles)

Edited October 9, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Ratings for the S2 premiere were 0.10 (18-49 demo) and 0.331 M (viewers)...
https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/pandora-season-two-ratings/

Edited October 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Pandora - Episode 2.04 - Beyond Here Lies Nothin' - Press Release
Posted by SpoilerTV at October 09, 2020
https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/10/pandora-episode-204-beyond-here-lies.html 

Spoiler

"Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, V) (HDTV)

NIGHTMARES COME TRUE - Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and the team go in search of a lost alien race that may be the key to saving the Universe, but on the way, find themselves plagued by disturbing nightmares that arise out of each individual's personal traumas and most personal fears. Oliver Dench, Ben Radcliffe, Noah Huntley, Tina Casciani, Akshay Kumar, Nicole Mavromatis, and Vikash Bhai also star. Brea Grant directed the story by Mark A. Altman and teleplay by Susan Estelle Jansen (#204). Original airdate 10/25/2020.

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The CW TV PR gallery page of promo pics for Pandora is now showing promo pics for 202 and 203, but these are thumbnail size pics (warning: spoilery)...
https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/photos?page=1&show=pandora&season=2&episode= 

Edited October 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

To compare...

Edited October 11, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Akshay Kumar & Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis from PANDORA on CW - The TV Dudes Interview (Full Video)
thetvdudes   Oct 5, 2020

Quote

This week, Les chats with Akshay Kumar and Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis, stars of the CW show 'Pandora'. Akshay returns to the show as Jett, while Nicole brings a new character, Zazie, to the screen. Season 2 premieres October 4th, 2020, and we talk about filming during a pandemic, what they love about the roles, and much more. Check it out!

Major Takeaways:

-- They just wrapped filming 10 episodes of Pandora over the past two-and-a-half months and are now completely done.

-- Akshay Kumar didn't find out that his character, Jett, was returning until around October or November of last year, when he got an e-mail from showrunner Mark Altman saying that they'd love to have him come back if there's a Season 2. He said that he's leaped from having four scenes in episode 6 of Season 1 to being in almost every episode of Season 2.

-- Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis said that her character, Zazie, has "a really weirdly massive, upside down, roller coaster of an arc this season."

-- When asked what they're particularly excited for the fans to see this season (without spoiling anything), AK said that he's really excited for the fans to see "unlikely friendships form... from different parts of the galaxy." He thought that they're really bringing the "humanity" this season. NCM said that she is "super excited" for the fans "to meet this version of the characters maybe that they've seen before in Season 1 and all the new characters that are coming about for Season 2." She hoped that fans connect with the characters.

Edited October 11, 2020 by tv echo