San Diego Comic Con 2016 kicks off on Wednesday July 20 at 6:00 PM for those lucky enough to have scored Preview Night badges and the choice is relatively simple for attendees (enjoy that while it lasts): wander the Exhibit Hall floor or watch the WB pilot screenings in Ballroom 20. We’ve also got a few suggestions for those of you without Preview Night badges and where to find us at the end of the night!
Exhibit Hall
Preview Night allows attendees to get a first look at the Exhibit Hall floor and it’s a great time to gather your bearings for the rest of the weekend. Figure out where the big booths are for swag and signings – Fox, Marvel, the WB Booth are all good markers for the Exhibit Hall floor – and familiarize yourself with the layout. It’ll help later in the weekend when you’re trying to meet-up at certain booths with your friends or circling for that poster you need from Marvel!
For people who shop exclusives, it’s also a nice time to pick up what you want from those smaller booths – think Hallmark, Entertainment Earth, Skybound – with relative ease. Though keep in mind it may still take up a solid chunk of your Preview Night time in line to get everything you want.
Ballroom 20
If you don’t feel like wandering the floor or you don’t have any must-grabs on the first night, you can always settle into Ballroom 20 for a leisurely viewing of pilots and new episodes. Running from 6 PM to 10 PM, it’s a great way to find a new favorite show! This year the WB is showcasing:
Riverdale
Based on characters from the Archie comics, this live-action take on Archie, Jughead, and all your favorite characters in town will premiere midseason on The CW. If you miss the screening on Wednesday, there will be a screening and Q&A with cast and crew on Saturday from 6:30 – 7:25 in Room 6BCF.
Powerless
Also premiering midseason, this show on NBC, Powerless is the first comedy set in the DC Universe. It follows Vanessa Hudgens, an insurance adjuster, who helps regular people recoup the loses surrounding superhero shenanigans. If you miss the screening, it will be replayed with a cast Q&A session from 2:00 – 3:00 on Friday in Room 6BCF.
People of Earth
Coming to TBS this fall, People of Earth is another comedy offering that follows Wyatt Cenac as a skeptical journalist infiltrating a support group for alien abductees. However, the more he researches, the less skeptical he becomes! The pilot will be re-screened alongside Powerless, with cast and crew in attendance for a Q&A session, from 2:00 – 3:00 on Friday in Room 6BCF. We’ll be in the press room for this one, so be sure to check back with us for coverage!
Frequency
Based on the movie of the same name, this series, which premieres on Wednesdays at 9 PM this fall on The CW, follows a New York detective who is able to reconnect with her deceased father over a vintage ham radio. The second screening, as well as the cast and crew Q&A, will be shown again on Saturday from 7:25 to 8:20 in Room 6BCF. We’ll also be in the press room for this one! Stay tuned for our coverage after the convention!
Time After Time
Premiering midseason on ABC, this series re-imagines the inspiration for several H. G. Wells novels through his time-traveling adventures to catch his friend, Jack the Ripper, in modern day New York City. The pilot screening with cast and crew Q&A will be Saturday from 8:20 to 9:15 in Room 6BCF.
Teen Titans Go!
While not a pilot episode, Ballroom 20 on Preview Night rounds out its programming with a brand new episode of Teen Titans Go! The show currently airs on Thursdays at 6 PM on Cartoon Network. If you miss Wednesday night’s showing, watch it with the cast and crew, followed by a Q&A session, on Thursday from 10:15 am – 11:15 am in Room 6DE.
Offsites
But maybe you don’t even have a Preview Night badge at all! Some of the offsite events open up Preview Night and it’s a great time to get a look at those. The Batman v Superman Fan Experience, located behind the Omni, opens at 4:00 PM. There’s an Aliens screening at Balboa Theatre at 7:00 PM. You can hang out with the cast of Wynonna Earp at 6:00 PM at the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.
If you want to get a jumpstart on standing in lines, you can get up early and try for Conan tickets at the Spreckles Theatre! And we mean early, stand-by tickets are handed out at 8 AM. If you have a badge for any day of San Diego Comic Con, you can also begin lining up at 11 AM for chance to see the Star Trek: Beyond premiere in IMAX with the cast and crew in the outdoor San Diego Symphony Theatre at 8 PM!
We’ll personally be at Game of Bloggers for the second annual meetup hosted by Crazy4ComicCon’s Tony Kim at 9 PM on the patio of the Dragon’s Den if you want to stop by and say hello!
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