Sonya Salomaa as Allison O’Donnell in BBC America’s INTRUDERS.

Sonya Salomaa (left) and Zoie Palmer in the 2011 Canadian TV series THE GUARD
(many thanks to Vicky for this screencap)

Sonya Salomaa, who plays Madison’s adoptive mom Allison on INTRUDERS, was First Mate Laura Nelson in THE GUARD, a 2008 Canadian TV series which also starred Zoie Palmer of LOST GIRL. THE GUARD is, inexplicably, not available anywhere on DVD. Allison O’Donnell is one of only four characters who will appear in all 8 episodes of INTRUDERS. Salomaa will appear as Sarah Roberts in episode #25 of the Hallmark Channel series CEDAR COVE, due to air Saturday 4 October at 8pm Eastern. The episode is titled Resolutions and Revelations

Ellen Fox hosts WIZARD WARS on SyFy (US) and the Space Channel in Canada

Ellen Fox, host of SyFy’s WIZARD WARS, has coined a lovely term for fans of the show — Magicianados (rhymes with afficianado, from which it derives).

In WIZARD WARS, two teams of two magicians compete in each episode. Each team is given three everyday objects and must build original magic routines around them, but it is more of a variety show specializing in magic than it is a competition. The judges are Penn, Teller, and Christen Gerhart. Fox at one point surprised Gerhart by calling her “Stephen Hawking in hotpants” (Gerhart is not only a magician, but a former JPL researcher. She now is a telescope operator at Mt. Wilson Observatory. And she was wearing hotpants at the time.) SyFy has picked up WIZARD WARS for six more episodes, to air in January 2015.

Trenna Keating – photo by @MikeSask7

DEFIANCE has been renewed for a third season by SyFy (US). There is much hope for Season Three. Doc Yewll (Trenna Keating) is no longer considered a war criminal, because she helped thwart Arkrise in the last episode of season 2. The irritating lawkeeper Nolan (Grant Bowler) is, along with his daughter Irisa, securely encased in an underground pod and everyone in the town of Defiance thinks they’re dead.

Linda Hamilton as Pilar on DEFIANCE

Elsewhere in the Defiance universe, Kenya Rosewater‘s clone is off exploring something or other and could easily come back to Defiance and be given a normal lifespan by the Doc. On top of all that, Linda Hamilton has entered the show as Rafe McCawley‘s semi-sane wife Pilar, who has fled south after having kidnapped Christie Tarr, with the elder Tarrs in hot pursuit. There is the potential of having both Linda Hamilton and Mia Kirshner in one or more episodes of the show together. But that may be too much to ask for.