San Diego Comic-Con opened Wednesday with the annual preview night offering the first glimpse inside the pop culture Mecca.
While film -- and yes, comics -- continue to have a large presence, TV continues to make a splash on the massive convention floor. With row after massive row of collectibles and swag drawing huge lines at booths including Fox, Lego, BBC America and more, broadcast and cable networks alike are going bigger in an attempt to literally cut through all the clutter inside the jam-packed venue.
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Here are five TV sights to see inside the convention.
1. Starz, which isn't having an official panel at all at Comic-Con, is promoting its upcoming Michael Bay pirate drama Black Sails with a massive pirate ship. As onlookers lined up for pictures, volunteers distributed slick postcards adored with a skull and crossbones promoting a Thursday screening for fans.
2. Not to be outdone, ABC brought its own pirate ship to Comic-Con to promote Once Upon a Time a year after the fantasy drama used its panel to announce the upcoming introduction of Captain Hook. Can Peter Pan be far off? Also not to be missed: Once Upon a Time Pedicabs that are decorated to support the series as well as its upcoming Wonderland-themed spinoff.
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3. Go inside the prison featured on the third season of AMC's The Walking Dead (pictured above). A year after allowing convention-goers mixed, mingled and fared for their own survival at the interactive Walking Dead Escape obstacle course, anyone on the floor can now mix and mingle with the undead inside a re-creation of the prison tower. Expect the same wait time for this photo op as last year's Michonne-themed booth. Fans of the comic can also head to the Skybound booth for four new t-shirts featuring the factions in the current arc of the series.
4. NBC is literally going big for its upcoming James Spader drama The Blacklist. Following a pilot season in which the script for the thriller about a terrorist who turns himself in just so he can help the FBI hunt other terrorists, promos for the series are hard to miss. With the network heavily investing in the series -- it garnered the prime post-The Voice spot that helped successfully launch Revolution this past season -- promos for the show are everywhere. Be sure to catch the huge and mysterious display across from the Convention Center.
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5. BBC America's booth. With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who being celebrated at Comic-Con, the line just to get near the booth had to be cut off less than an hour after the doors to preview night opened. But those in the line that snaked around the booth and beyond also eyed anything and everything connected to the BBC's latest hit, Orphan Black. Among the booth's hottest items: a new t-shirt featuring a few of star Tatiana Maslany's alter-egos that was at the top of every Clone Clubber's wish list.
Stay tuned to THR.com for more from Comic-Con.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
