Comic-Con at Home: Mike Moderates the 'Phineas & Ferb The Movie' Panel

Well, it sure wasn't the same thing as being at the San Diego convention center, in front of fans, and braving the crowds of attendees in cosplay. But nonetheless, Comic-Con International went on this weekend, via an at-home edition. My small contribution this year was moderating the "Phineas & Ferb" panel, featuring reators and executive producers Dan Povenmire (also known as Prof. Doofenshmirtz) and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh (Major Monogram), director Bob Bowen and stars Ashley Tisdale (Candace), Vincent Martella (Phineas), Maulik Pancholy (Baljeet), and Dee Bradley Baker (Perry the Platypus). We shared an exclusive sneak peek of Disney Plus's upcoming "Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe" and discuss the origins of the animated series, plus a lot more. (You may recall I moderated and helped organize the "Phineas & Ferb" farewell panel in 2015.)

Watch this weekend's panel below:

'DuckTales' Cast Reveals the Truth About Area 51 at Comic-Con (WATCH)

"DuckTales" star Paget Brewster knows *a lot* about the theories behind Area 51, and even has her own alien encounter story from her youth. Watch as Brewster educates her co-stars Bobby Moynihan, Kate Miccuci and Ben Schwartz on plans to rush Area 51 and discover what's really going on.

I interviewed the "DuckTales" stars at Comic-Con in July; earlier that day I had also moderated the show's panel:

'Superstore' Comic-Con Panel: What's Next for Mateo, Amy and Jonah, and Whether Dina Can Forgive Garrett (WATCH)

NBC's "Superstore" hit the San Diego Comic-Con stage for the first time last Thursday, and the reaction was electric. Much like last year's "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" panel, the fans couldn't contain their enthusiasm.

America Ferrera (AMY), Ben Feldman (JONAH), Mark McKinney (GLENN), Lauren Ash (DINA), Nico Santos (MATEO), Colton Dunn (GARRETT), Nichole Bloom (CHEYENNE), Kaliko Kauahi (SANDRA), and EPs Justin Spitzer, Gabe Miller and Jonathan Green discussed big questions, such as what happens to Mateo next, now that ICE has rounded him up for being undocumented. Serious subjects aside, there was room for plenty of antics as well.

Among the few revelations: The Mateo storyline will continue for some time, and not be easily wrapped up. But also, the march to unionization will continue, and there may be more conflict between Amy and Jonah.

Stay tuned... and watch a copy of the full panel above!

Scenes From Comic-Con 2019: 'Superstore,' 'DuckTales' and More

It was a quicker than usual Comic-Con for me, as I spent most of my time down in San Diego focused on moderating two panels: NBC's "Superstore," in its first time at SDCC; and Disney Channel's "DuckTales," a fan favorite with quite a few funny people in its voice cast.

Yes, that included getting to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda (who plays Gizmoduck/Fenton on "DuckTales") for the first time, and even taking an embarrassingly blurry selfie. I later had a wild sit-down video interview with the rest of the cast in town — Bobby Moynihan, Ben Schwartz, Kate Micucci and Paget Brewster — that involved a discussion of aliens and Area 51. (I'll post the video when it goes live.)

The "Superstore" panel was a huge treat, as the show's producers and stars visited Comic-Con for the first time and were overwhelmed by the fan response. That video is forthcoming as well. Check out some pics from the long weekend below:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Celebrates Its Revival at Raucous Comic-Con Panel — Watch

The highlight of this year's Comic-Con is quite easy. I had the honor of moderating this year's "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" panel, which was a celebration of the show's revival on NBC after having been canceled by Fox. The cast came ready to play, and I knew the audience was ready to go the second I asked them for a "NINE NINE!"

Here's who participated:

o Luke Del Tredici (WRITER)
o Dan Goor (EP)
o Andy Samberg (JAKE PERALTA)
o Melissa Fumero (AMY SANTIAGO)
o Terry Crews (TERRY JEFFORDS)
o Stephanie Beatriz (ROSA DIAZ)
o Joe Lo Truglio (CHARLES BOYLE)
o Chelsea Peretti (GINA LINETTI)
o Dirk Blocker (HITCHCOCK)
o Joel McKinnon Miller (SCULLY)

NBC has uploaded the entire panel, watch below!



And a quick shot from the stage:

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Plays Jenga, Purge City Opens, and More Scenes from Comic-Con 2017

Every year I wonder if I really want to head back to the craziness of Comic-Con -- the headache of getting down there, navigating crowds, running around to do a million different things. And then I end up at a party and watch astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson playing (and losing!) Jenga, while sampling various beers and wines, and I'm reminded that my Fear Of Missing Out will forever trump my dreams of a quiet weekend.

This was actually a pretty successful San Diego Comic-Con -- particularly because of my "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" panel (more on that in a separate post). I feel like I didn't overdo it, but did enjoy a bit more this year the parties I attended, the activations (particularly Purge City, as seen below), and covering some decent panels. Oh, and it didn't help that I lucked out with the hotel lotto this year and landed at the Marriott Marquis, right next to the convention center. That makes a huge difference.

Now, some sights from this year's SDCC:

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston at the "Breaking Bad" reunion panel. Read more about it here.

Aaron Paul brought out his baby to kick off the "Breaking Bad" panel.

An army of male Marges.

To promote the new USA/Syfy series "The Purge," the networks created "Purge City" — a play on the Party City stores. In this case, you were given $25 in Purge Dollars to buy some supplies -- t-shirts, bumper stickers and other things. It was a well-done activation, featuring actors playing clerks asking, "How will you be spending your Purge Night?"

"Born to Purge"

Purge gear that sadly wasn't actually on sale.

Purge cake demonstration.

Purge City advertisement.

The cast of "Fear the Walking Dead."

View of the San Diego marina.

Thanos keeps guard at the Lego booth.

"Cord Cutters Only" at the Amazon Fire activation.

Creepy Marvin the Martian.

Love this cosplay: Grimace, Jollibee and Panda Express with Iron Man.

More Jenga. I think NDT pulled the piece that collapsed the structure because he was kinda done.

"The Good Place" clowns.

KCRW's The Spin-Off: Comic-Con, TCA and Always Be Marketing (LISTEN!)

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I were joined by TV Guide Magazine's Marisa Roffman, and we talked about the just-finished Comic-Con and the upcoming Television Critics Association press tour:

Michael Schneider and Marisa Roffman have been to Comic-Con many times before, but this year managed to elicit some moments of actual emotion and surprise, including when it was announced that it would be the final season for Vampire Diaries, and when we learned Rihanna would be cast in a crucial role for the final season of Bates Motel.

Compared to last year, Roffman says it felt like there was more news to actually announce, but scheduling issues still prove problematic for the ever-growing fest.

In terms of what's coming up at the Television Critics Association, there are high hopes for HBO's Westworld, but over at the broadcast networks, the fall pilots have not inspired much confidence.

And Joe Adalian breaks down a recent article he wrote about how TV marketers are having to be more creative and more relentless when promoting their shows, due to the continuing evolution of the way people watch television.

Plus, summer TV! What's working? Game shows. What's not? Everything else.

Listen below!

Scenes from Comic-Con 2016: Ted Danson, 'Community' Reunion and Pokemon

How many times did I flatter American Treasure Ted Danson? Enough to make it funny -- but hopefully not enough to make it weird.

Moderating the panel for NBC's upcoming comedy "The Good Place," starring Danson and Kristen Bell, was clearly the highlight of this summer's Comic-Con in San Diego. It was my first for IndieWire -- but with our TV team in place and in town, we didn't miss a beat. A few highlights from this year's journey:



Other panels I moderated included NBC's "Powerless," starring Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, Alan Tudyk and Ron Funches. The panel was way too short -- they cut off our microphones when we went a touch over! But it was still a fun one.



On stage with the aforementioned treasures Danson and Bell, plus Mike Schur and Drew Goddard.



Spotted in town: Mr. Robot.



Speaking of Danny Pudi! We caught up backstage.



One of my favorite things about the Comic-Con green rooms: Impromptu reunions! Here, "Lost" masterminds Carlton Cuse, Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz run into each other. Carlton was there for "Colony" and "Bates Motel," while Eddy and Adam were back for "Once Upon a Time."



My third panel -- WGN America's "Salem," starring Janet Montgomery.



Among the highlights covering panels: Prankster Andrew Lincoln tried to get back at his "The Walking Dead" co-star Norman Reedus by blowing glitter in his face. Instead, it ended up straight back in his beard. D'oh!



Large-sized Kobe, seen on the floor.



Another green room reunion! "Community's" Yvette Nicole Brown and Danny Pudi meet up!



Hanh and I tour the 20th anniversary "South Park" activation. Yep, good ol' Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo.



The rowdy cast of "Archer" read an episode on a yacht deck.



Snoopy at his booth!



NBC Universal cable-themed cocktails.



This guy's gonna have to take a good, long shower.



Friday morning live on "Kevin & Bean" with Ralph Garman and Kevin Ryder!



Gotta catch 'em all!



Pretty realistic wax Negan and his "Walking Dead" prey.



Conan, back in San Diego for a second year.



Conan ad.



Who ya gonna call?


The crowded floor.



Spotted around San Diego: "Mulder? It's Me!"