In what we imagine will do absolute wonders for the Syfy Network, which has recently come under fire as a result of some harsh (albeit deserved) criticism directed at what some have called STARGATE UNIVERSE’s penchant for exploiting its female cast members, comes this eye-popping teaser poster for the network’s upcoming BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel CAPRICA. More details of which can be found over on Maureen Ryan’s Watcher site.

After two seasons GOSSIP GIRL’s Vanessa Abrams [Jessica Szohr] finally justifies her existence and bringing something to the table. That something — her TV mom Gabriela Abrams — who will be played by the phenomenal ALIAS/ FIREFLY alum Gina Torres [TVGuide]

In what we can only hope is some sort of friendly rivalry with Joss Whedon — who recently made headlines by snagging BATTLESTAR GALACTICA alum Jamie Bamber and Michael Hogan for his DOLLHOUSE — executive producer Jane Espenson has signed James Marsters to a sizable CAPRICA arc where he’ll play a dangerous terrorist leader by the name of Barnabus Greeley. Joss, it’s your move (Hint: Tricia Helfer would make an awesome doll!) [EW]

Sunday’s installment of TRUE BLOOD sucked in a record 4.5 million viewers. Further evidence that if you built it — ‘it’ being great television, even in the summer — viewers will come. How long until the big 5 networks get the message? [THR Live Feed]

“The Time Traveler’s Wife is being turned into a TV show. The plans are to go back in time and not cancel JOURNEYMAN.” — was our favorite reaction to ABC’s plans to turn the just released hit movie into a television series with [TheWrap]

Richard Hatch, once a survivor, now officially the biggest loser. [MSNBC]

Dear Universal Studios Home Entertainment,

While we at theTVaddict.com continue to be grateful to you for allowing the likes of Ronald D. Moore and Jane Espenson to tell stories in the form of direct-to-DVD movies such as CAPRICA and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN — would it be too much to ask for you to hire a graphic designer who doesn’t phone it in? I mean seriously, we get that in these troubling economic times you’re probably looking to cut down on costs and more likely that not aren’t spending your work days swimming ‘Scrooge McDuck’ style in a vault full of money. But come’on — the box art for CAPRICA and THE PLAN — we can’t see the difference, can you?

Sincerely,
The TV Addict

SyFy: Imagine Greater Less Boobies
One thing that won’t be coming with CAPRICA when it makes the jump from DVD to basic cable in January is the gratuitous nudity. That said, Moore does promise that when SyFy does rebroadcast the premiere, they’re planning to insert some new never-before seen goodies of presumably the non-nude variety. Joked fellow producer David Eick, “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ Jeffrey Reimer, who directed the pilot is known in the business for the speed in which he works. Yet somehow, on the days when he had to shoot the lesbian topless dancers… everybody’s standing around looking at their watch with Reimer saying, ‘Let me try and get one more shot!’”

THE PLAN = Awesome
After you watch the Edward James Olmos directed, Jane Espensen penned BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie THE PLAN — which tells the story of BSG from the Cylon perspective — you will want to go back and watch the entire series over again. “My hat is off Ron Moore, David Eick and Jane Espensen for creating a piece of artistic work that actually breathes new life into the series,” revealed Olmos. Adding, ” I can guarantee you this will not be the last BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie, It’s gonna be so successful it will rock their [NBC Universal, who produces the series] pants off.”

Edward James Olmos has a plan of his very own
One that we’ve already titled, purchased the domain for and trademarked “Admiral Adama: After the Finale.” Joked the actor, “When you next see Adama, he’s living in a rusty log cabin and there is a knock on his door. It’s his old friend Col. Tigh saying, ‘We have a problem.’ And the journey begins.”

It’s CAPRICA, Not a daytime soap
In fact, if you must compare CAPRICA to something, why not Buffy? At least according to BUFFY vet Jane Espensen who gave a shout out to her BUFFY peeps in her why-you-should-give-CAPRICA-a-chance sales pitch, “There’s a tiny essence of Buffy in CAPRICA. We’ve got ourselves an angry teenager and a robot. I think BUFFY fans will find something there.”

Seriously, really different
Which means don’t hold your breath for the epic space-battles that became standard with some of the most memorable episodes of BSG. “There are no Cylons coming to destroy Galactica and the fate of humanity doesn’t hang in the balance each and every week.” re-iterated Moore. “I’m fascinated by stories about people and you either love these character and you want to follow them every week and see what they do next [or you don't!]”

It’s FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (in the future!)
And who better to get audiences invested in the denizens of Caprica than Jeffrey Reimer, the critically acclaimed director of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS who Moore and co-producer David Eick went out of their way to single out (alongside co-write Remi Aubuchon) in their opening remarks at Monday’s Paley event for setting the tone of the series. Added actress Paula Malcomson who plays CAPRICA’s Amanda Graystone, “He [Reimer] had enough cameras sort of positioned so that all the self-consciousness of performance went away. As opposed to doing a master and a close-up, we had all that and it was like creating a play and really working and really doing a scene instead of, you know, we’ve done 13 of those and how was that one and was my close-up good. So it took all the math out of acting. It was really real.”

When in Rome
Further setting CAPRICA apart from its predecessor is that it requires absolute zero knowledge of prior BSG mythology. If you’re one of the many who think a toaster, is well, an actual toaster… don’t worry! Explained Moore, “I never say never, but the intention of CAPRICA is really to make it its own show, a series that stands on its own, that is part of this larger universe but is not predicated on knowledge of, or love of, the original. That was very important to us.” Added Eick, “The connections to BATTLESTAR should be subtle, ‘easter egg’ like, fun but not imperative, to understanding the show.” In other-words, joked showrunner Jane Espenson, fans should not be holding their breath for a surprise appearance by Col. Tigh’s father!

And finally, there’s no rush
Sure, NBC Universal would certainly like you to run out and buy/download CAPRICA right away, but the fact of the matter is that there’s really no rush. Especially since Sci Fi SyFy does not plan on premiering the actual series until early 2010. Which means moments after you jump fof your couch and shout, “Holy Frak! What happens next?” following an epically cool final act… it will quickly dawn on you that ‘next’ won’t happen for a minimum of nine months.

For a complete recap of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA/CAPRICA Paley Festival Event, click here.

For the love of the Gods, before you press play on that just purchased copy of CAPRICA, why not take a moment to ensure the series gets off on the right foot by joining executive producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore in a pre-screening libation, a tradition that goes back to the first initial bow of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA mini-series.

“We were very careful in those days to do it in private because we had a lot of dignity and a lot of self-respect,” revealed Eick mere moments before the curtain fell on CAPRICA at last night’s Paley Festival event honoring both BSG and CAPRICA. “But that’s all changed now.”

So with that in mind, grab your shot of tequila (or for our underage readers, may we responsibly suggest a shot of milk… we hear it does a body good!), press play on the video above, and toast CAPRICA on what will hopefully be the start of a beautiful four, five or fifty-eight season relationship.

So say we all.

One winner will be chosen at random and notified via email on Monday April 27, so please be sure to enter with a valid email address.

Talking Robots! Family Drama! Monolithic Cults! Boy the hybrid wasn’t kidding when it said, all of this will happen before and all of this will happen again. Seriously. Just in time to lesson the blow that is BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s epic ending comes a plethora of clips from the two-hour CAPRICA movie coming exclusively to DVD and Digital Download this April 21, 2009.

TheTVaddict.com is thrilled to share with you a first look at the box art for the highly anticipated BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel CAPRICA (available in stores this April 21, 2009).

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, CAPRICA follows two rival families and their patriarchs – Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

For more great photos,