The preview night of Comic-Con was populated by hardcore criminals, teenage witches and an alcoholic homeless guy with crime-preventing abilities — and no, they weren't among the attendees.
Warner Bros. television kicked off this year's celebration of all things geek with the premieres of "Lost" mastermind J.J. Abrams' upcoming shows "Alcatraz" and "Person of Interest."
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"Alcatraz," scheduled as a midseason replacement on Fox, centers around police officer Rebecca Madsen ("Sons of Anarchy"'s Sarah Jones) and Alcatraz expert Dr. Diego Soto ("Lost"'s Jorge Garcia) as they investigate the reappearance of hundreds of wardens and prisoners who disappeared from the infamous island prison. The series also stars "Jurassic Park"'s Sam Neill.
"Person of Interest" features another "Lost" alum, Michael Emerson, who plays a wealthy, eccentric New Yorker named Finch. After developing an ubiquitous surveillance system, Finch begins using the technology to track down criminals in the making. He recruits John Reese (James Caviezel), a former CIA agent who's hit the skids, to help him preempt the crimes. As might be expected from Abrams, the pilot contains origami plot twists aplenty, laced with traces of conspiracy and paranoia. The CBS series is slated for a Sept. 22 broadcast premiere.
Warner Bros. TV also premiered the Kevin Williamson series "The Secret Circle," based on the L.J. Smith novel series, which stars "Dan in Real Life" acrtress Britt Robertson as Cassie Blake, who returns to her deceased mother's hometown to discover that she, like her mother and many other residents of the town, is a witch. It debuts on the CW on Sept. 15.