3:22PM: Before we begin, this LIFE UNEXPECTED fan would like to kindly ask that we take a moment of silence. #RIPLUX
3:23PM: Reporter kicks off the panel by telling Britt Robertson that she’s always playing someone who moves somewhere and ends up in a weird situation. Somebody hasn’t seen SWINGTOWN.
3:25PM: Fun Fact: Much of the woods that are featured in THE SECRET CIRCLE’s pilot are the very same location that served as home for those annoying, not to mention hugely overrated, vampire movies that we shall not name.
3:26PM: “It’s not just a teen lust, our attraction is linked to our blood and our ancestry which is part of the history of the show,” said Thomas Dekker when asked about his character Adam’s attraction to Robertson’s Cassie.
3:29PM: “It’s not easy, it’s a challenge which is why it’s so fun,” said Kevin Williamson on what makes L.J. Smith’s novels so primed for Primetime. “She taps into the stuff that I love, which is sort of growing up, coming of age, teen angst and mixes it with the genre I love. Betrayal, deceit, friendship, lawyer, murder, all that stuff is my happy place and for that I kind of tip my hat to L.J. and say God bless you.”
3:29PM: Spoiler Alert! Evidently there are other witches in town who may-or-may-not be part of the six families.
3:30PM: Not doing members of the Television Critics Association any favors, an astute reporter asks Gale Harold if his character might be evil! “The easiest explanation is that there is not a clear expectation,” said a very diplomatic Gale Harold of his decidedly evil parental figure Charles Meade. “He’s not just the bad guy, he’s a very bad guy. I think he [Charles] character is very drawn to bringing back something that he thought he had his hands on when he was younger.”
3:33PM: Note to those fans holding their breath for a SECRET CIRCLE/VAMPIRE DIARIES crossover: Don’t! “Here’s the deal, you want it [THE SECRET CIRCLE] to be in its own world, it’s its own show. Vancouver [standing in for] Chance Harbor Washington gives us the luxury of pointing that camera outside where everywhere you get beauty,” said Williamson when asked about the potential for crossover episodes. “That and the worlds don’t mix. The witch mythology that’s at the core of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and SECRET CIRCLE don’t connect. And that would kind of limit us. With SECRET CIRCLE we need to start at ground zero and build our own mythology.”
3:36PM: “She is the Principal of the school and the mother of Faye who is sort of the one kind of pulling the strings,” said Natasha Henstridge of her character Dawn Chamberlain. “She is a much more dynamic character than I ever originally thought she would be. She does some not so great things and definitely has an agenda but also has a real sort of moral scale in which… she has morals. They’re very unusual morals, but they’re there nonetheless. Playing the straight-forward villain is far less interesting.”
3:39PM: “What chased Cassie’s mother from the town? What happened 16 years ago that was so horrific? Those are the questions that our new circle will try to uncover for fear of their own future,” explained Williamson with regards to the show’s central mystery. “We also have Jane who as Cassie’s grandmother has her own circle. Yes, there is sort of a generational aspect when you look at the show’s mythology.”
3:41PM: On what makes a good villain, Williamson opines that you may not like what they’re doing, agree with it, but you’ll understand them and hopefully they will resonate.
3:45PM: Giving even more credence to the practice comes the revelation that Britt Robertson was home schooled. Which for those counting at home is the second star at this week’s TCA who was home schooled. With the first being 2 BROKE GIRLS star Kat Dennings.
3:46PM: “100 episodes at least!” Was Williamson’s somewhat less serious answer to the reporter who asked how long he plans to drag out the Cassie and Adam romance. “I think it’s going to take some twists and turns. We have to sort of take that triangle and get to know them. It’s going to be interesting when we sort of get to know them better and learn what it is exactly was written in the stars.” Adding, “Or maybe they’ll find each other in the next episode and live happily ever after.”
3:46PM: Despite the plethora of high school aged characters, Williamson assures those who may-or-may-not be wary of the CW’s stock and trade that “it’s not just a teen show, it’s very much an adult show and while they’re young characters the show is going to get very adult very fast.”
3:47PM: Spoiler Alert! The series’ second episode will deal with the limitations of their powers. “That was the big fear. If you can do a spell why can’t you just do another spell to make that spell bigger,” admitted Williamson. “How do you ground it and make it real and tell this emotional story? The second episode will answer that question.”
3:48PM: Bad News SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH fans, they’re not making that show! “It’s very dark. Certainly it’s not that sort of hard edge, ripping hearts out as with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, but there are other ways to skin a cat.” said Williamson. 