Hundreds of thousands of people are filling San Diego for the annual Comic-Con International, where people hope to see a glimpse of TV shows and movies that might become their new obsessions in a few months.
SyFy got into the swing of things when it started its “Live From Comic-Con” show Thursday from on top of the Marriott Marquis hotel next to the Convention Center. The first show featured the newest member of NCIS, some familiar faces and a look at Wednesday night’s premiere of Star Trek Beyond.
Arnett showed to be an enthusiastic host, but seemed to miss some opportunities. While Alan Tudyk was briefly asked about his role in Star Wars Rogue One, he wasn’t asked about season two of his popular web-series Con Man, which will be featured in a big Hall H panel Friday. Arnett also talked to Zachary Levi and Rose McIver (iZombie) about their convention experiences.
The best part was his reunion with Arrested Development co-star, Emmy-winner Tony Hale. They had a “game show” where they had to identify their roles from past shows. That turned out to be very funny, and it would be interesting to see Arnett show up on Veep next year.
Wilmer Valderrama, who just joined NCIS, also made a memorable entrance, wearing a parachute and goggles.
The rest of the show relied on taped features, like a game show based on Sharknado 4, which is coming to SyFy at the end of the month. There was also a feature on the Star Trek Beyond post-premiere party featuring Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg.
The show will air live Friday and Saturday at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific, but there’s also an “after-show” on YouTube. It’s mostly two people talking about what they did at Comic-Con, but it would be better if they added guests.
SyFy doesn’t have the same coverage of San Diego Comic-Con that the old G4 network did, but it’s a bite-size taste of the con that some fans will enjoy. If they want to be more serious, though, they should expand both the talk show and the “after-show” on YouTube. Otherwise, savvy fans will just comb through YouTube and social media to get a better Comic-Con experience at home.
