Some familiar sci-fi icons have taken on interesting roles in the past few days on TV. A former time-traveler is getting a quick education in being a queen, while a guy who’s trying to escape sci-fi may have a future in musicals.

Over the weekend, PBS premiered its new series Victoria starring Jenna Coleman, who was Clara on Doctor Who. It covers the first three years of Queen Victoria’s reign, starting with the news that her uncle King William IV has died. Just like other historical dramas, there’s plenty of intrigue, like her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her friend, Sir John Conroy, trying to be the power behind the throne. There’s also the dashing Lord Melboune, played by Rufus Sewell (Man In The High Castle),who serves as a father figure to the young queen.
The drama aired in the UK last summer and got rave reviews. Another season and a Christmas special have already been scheduled. PBS hopes this will be as big as Downton Abbey.

Coleman is dazzling as the young queen, as she tries to figure out her new position despite her gender, youth and height. There are times when she acts like any 18 year old, too. While she is able to show her worth, she also learns from mistakes, like accusing a lady-in-waiting of having Sir John’s child.

The show will run for eight weeks on Sunday nights. You can learn more at the PBS website. Here’s a trailer:

Meanwhile, Con Man aired episodes seven and eight last week on ComicCon HQ. Wray (Alan Tudyk) is wondering whether he’ll get to join the cast of Doctor Cop Lawyer. His agent Bobbie (Mindy Sterling) says it’s between him and a Hemsworth brother so obscure Chris may not be aware of him.

The main story involves Lou Ferrigno trying to get Wray to be in a musical version of the classic novel Of Mice and Men. Thanks to taking the wrong turn into a boiler room, and a door that doesn’t open from the inside, they manage to put on a show. The cast includes mo-cap legend Dick Lansing (Nolan North) and Karen (Felicia Day), the convention girl who dresses as a decoy.

However, since this is Con Man, things don’t exactly work out for Wray. However, Jack Moore’s (Nathan Fillion) career may be in trouble, since he’s gone from blockbuster movies to christening cruise ships. He’s still hoping a Spectrum movie will turn things around. In fact, episode eight features a clip from the show.

All episodes are available at Comic Con HQ. Two episodes premiere on Thursdays.