Author: Evan Slead

March 12, 2016 9:22pm PT by Evan Slead

Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Scream Queens’  Courtesy of FOX

The Fox series’ PaleyFest confirmed Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Niecy Nash, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin and Billie Lourd as returning cast members for the hospital-themed season.

Jamie Lee Curtis will be back!

Scream Queens co-creator Brad Falchuk joined series stars Curtis, Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Niecy Nash, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin and Billie Lourd at day two of PaleyFest.

Panel moderator Debra Birnbaum jumped right in to revelations of season two for the cast, asking, “Who here is coming back?”

As each cast member raised their hands, Curtis, who will reprise her role as Dean Cathy Munsch in season two, laid out the facts. “This is the first we’re revealing this much of the cast. We’re all coming back.” 

The continuing story of the sorority massacre will also take an interesting turn into a fresh setting.

“Dean Munsch has taken her passion for education and brought it into the healthcare system. She has purchased a hospital,” said Falchuk. Jumping ahead in time, returning character Zayday Williams, played by Palmer, will be a medical school graduate working with the Dean. As for the rest of the girls, they have a similar tie to Munsch’s new plan as a medical head.

“All of the girls will be medical students under the rule of Munsch and three hunky doctors,” Falchuk revealed.

Speaking with THR prior to the panel, Fulchuk explained the inspiration behind season two’s hospital setting. “We looked at the horror movie model and saw this season as a sequel. Just like Friday the 13th and Halloween, Scream Queens’ second season is a continuation of the characters we all know,” he said, before adding, “Wait a minute. Halloween 2 was in a hospital.”

“We’ve started a Twitter hash tag to find the hunky men,” joked Curtis. “Again, this is breaking news that none of us up here even knew before.” Equally curious, Niecy Nash, returning as Denise Hemphill, echoed fans’ demand to know what happened to the dedicated officer.

“I need to know what happens to Denise Hemphill,” quipped Nash. “Well, she’s done her time in Quantico, which of course leads her to being FBI,” said Falchuk.

After the foundational plans for the upcoming season had been laid out during the panel, the cast began to reminisce on the moments that stood out from the series’ Kappa storyline. Chanel #3, played by Billie Lourd, expressed her love for her fuzzy earmuffs. “She never took the muffs off while we were filming,” said Roberts. Nash, channeling her inner Denise Hemphill, expressed her moments of improv as her most memorable moment: “I would always wonder what take they were going to use!”

Curtis was also asked about the show’s homage to Psycho’s famous shower scene starring her mother, the late Janet Leigh. “It was emotional. I won’t lie to you,” she said. “I may pale in comparison to my beautiful mother, but it was a moment.”

Horror movie references were on fans’ minds as they asked what to expect in that realm for season two. “We definitely will have more,” Falchuk teased. “It’s some of the best moments on the show.” 

Co-stars Palmer and Breslin also shared their hopes for season two for the PaleyFest audience. 

“I’m excited to see what’s to come, and I can create something out of it,” Palmer said. Without skipping a beat, Abigail Breslin also expressed her hopes for her character, Chanel #5: “I just want love.” 

PaleyFest Scream Queens

March 12, 2016 5:26pm PT by Evan Slead

Vince Gilligan  Austin Hargrave

A screening of the next ‘Better Call Saul’ episode before the PaleyFest panel revealed the return of a ‘Breaking Bad’ baddie with more cameos to come.

Better Call Saul’s Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould joined series stars Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian and Michael McKean to kick off day two of the 2016 PaleyFest at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The panel was introduced by moderator Debra Birnbaum with a screening of the next episode, set to air this Monday, which reintroduced audiences to a familiar face. “I told you that was a good episode,” Birnbaum said. 

Since the second season premiere Feb. 15, Better Call Saul has continued the establishment of Jimmy McGill, the down on his luck, would-be lawyer that eventually becomes the infamous Saul Goodman of Breaking Bad. With the theme of cameos and character arcs buzzing during the panel, the players of Better Call Saul gave their own predictions of what to expect from the remainder of the season. The fresh question on viewers minds was: When does Jimmy become Saul?

“Jimmy wasn’t ready to become Saul Goodman. We don’t want to see Jimmy McGill become Saul Goodman because we as writers like Jimmy better,” Gilligan said. 

Creating a viable and engaging follow-up to Breaking Bad is no easy task according to the creative team behind the series, but they engaged fan interest in incorporating characters from the Breaking Bad universe.

“One step at a time. I hate to say it, there’s no master plan,” Gould said of how they plan out the seemingly masterminded plot arcs and cameos. “Sometimes we talk about it being a transcontinental railroad that began on Breaking Bad and possibly ends with Better Call Saul.”

For a series that totes itself as a prequel, the creators also teased the possibility of more plot after the events of Breaking Bad. “People say this is a prequel, which it is, but it’s also a sequel. All bets are off when you get to Omaha,” said Gould.

As for the new characters that inhabit the world of Jimmy McGill, the deepening of his relationship with Kim Wexler, played by powerhouse actress Rhea Seehorn, has brought fans to the question of why she doesn’t appear in the Breaking Bad storyline. “Just because we didn’t see her doesn’t mean she’s not there,” said Seehorn. 

Gilligan and Gould revealed that many moments from both series originally written for the screen never made it to the final cut. Michael Mando, who continues his role as Nacho, quipped that there was a special scene locked away. “Is that the one of Patrick coming out of the shower in slow motion,” said Mando. “You wish,” Fabian said with a laugh. 

The fan questions brought an added layer to the panel as a longtime Breaking Bad plead for a chance to pitch his invention. “I left my job and made a board game about Breaking Bad,” said the fan. “Can someone take a look at it?”

Exchanging anxious glances, Odenkirk and McKean positioned each other as the lawyer to head the game. Gilligan stepped in to offer a guiding hand to the bold gamemaker, “We’ll connect you with the right person,” said Gilligan. 

Closing the panel with what to expect from the remainder of the season, Gilligan teased the possibility of a Breaking Bad favorite entering the series during the finale. “We had a perfect opportunity for someone from our Breaking Bad universe to show up.” 

He quickly backed away, explaining that the return ultimately won’t pan out. Gould, on a final note, expressed his feelings on the decision against it. “It killed me though. That would’ve been fun.” 

PaleyFest Better Call Saul