By the time Friday rolls around, you are knee deep in the chaos that is San Diego Comic-Con. Friday and Saturday have always been the most popular days, and for good reason as the programming typically includes A-list shows and movies, as well as notable celebrity guests.
While you may be tempted to plant yourself in Hall H all day on Friday (and if you really want to, by all means please do so), I encourage you to take a nice long look at the other programming in some of the smaller rooms and see how you can divide your time evenly. There may be some panels you have overlooked.
Ticket Drawings in Sails
If you are looking for the opportunity to draw tickets for autograph signings at the WB and Fox booth, or if you’re just hoping to get the opportunity to draw a ticket that will allow you to purchase exclusives from Hasbro, Lego, or Funko, Sails is where all of those will be held early in the morning.
We’ve spent many years lining up extremely early for the chance to draw tickets for signings and even getting in line at 4 am sometimes didn’t cut it if we were aiming for a popular show or film. It’s better to line up early rather than later. They typically start letting people into Sails around 6-7 am (it can vary from time to time) and when the line starts moving, its an all out rush to race to the end of the line first.
Star Wars: The Science Awakens 10:00 – 11:00 @ Room 7AB
Riding off the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this novel panel will explore the science behind the Star Wars films. With panelists from NASA, the production team of the Star Wars movies, and more, hopefully this panel can answer some of your burning questions.
Considering the seating capacity of room 7AB is only around 500 max and there’s more than 1100 people expressing interesting in the panel on SDCC’s interactive “mysched program” we recommend getting there early to guarantee seats.
Resident Evil’s 20th Anniversary 11:30 – 12:30 @ Room 6BCF
Considering it’s the 20th anniversary of this popular iconic survival horror series, this is a panel you don’t see every year and if you’re a fan of the saga, I highly recommend checking this out.
AMC’s The Walking Dead 1:00 – 2:00 @ Hall H
AMC’s hit zombie drama is sure to attract droves of fans of the undead. As is tradition, expect a new exclusive trailer for the upcoming new season of The Walking Dead to drop during the star-studded panel.
HBO’s Game of Thrones 2:15 – 3:15 @ Hall H
Immediately following The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones surely won’t disappoint, although with the reduced episode order for next season and the premiere delay, who knows how fans will respond.
The show may not be bringing many of its A-list stars this year, but they have quite the line up of supporting cast members slated to attend including John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth, Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, Conleth Hill as Varys, Faye Marsay as The Waif, Hannah Murray as Gilly, Kristian Nairn as Hodor, Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, and Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark. Moderated by Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D 3:00 – 4:00 @ Ballroom 20
Returning once again to SDCC this year with their hit television show, Marvel’s panels never seem to disappoint and always promises surprise moments and memorable interactions between the cast members.
STARZ Original Series American Gods 3:15 – 4:15 @ Room 6BCF
STARZ’s American Gods is one of the most highly anticipated new series that is dropping early next year. Based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, American Gods is a fantasy drama with a stellar cast. This is definitely a show to keep your eye on and we’ll likely be hearing some news and details regarding the show, its cast, and its future release.
TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorites 4:15 – 5:15 @ Ballroom 20
TV Guide is notably absent from a lot offsite events this year, but thankfully they’re still returning with their traditional fan favorites panel that I have been told is always a blast to attend. This years panel includes Marie Avgeropoulos (The 100), Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Tom Ellis (Lucifer), Rebecca Mader (Once Upon a Time), Jasson Ralph (The Magicians), David Ramsey (Arrow), Brandon Routh (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Tamara Taylor (Bones).
Preacher 6:30 – 8:30 @ Hall H
This small under appreciated show based on the comic book series of the same name may be the best show of the year and I hope to see them for many years at San Diego Comic Con. Preacher may not have the large fanbase that other shows do, but it’s slowly gaining a cult like following and during their extended panel on Friday night, they are promising a live table read of the show’s season one finale that will air a few days later on Sunday. Not many shows do live readings of episodes, so don’t miss this potentially once in a lifetime opportunity to see something special. Not to mention that the cast is incredible.
Offsite Events
Don’t forget to check out the dozens of other offsite events taking place outside the Convention Center.
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