We’re just days away from 2011 Comic-Con and our interview countdown continues today with Executive Story Editor for Warehouse 13, Benjamin Raab.
Raab will be one of the panelists appearing at BuddyTV’s “Obsession: “How TV and Movies Go from Fascination to Phenomenon” panel this Thursday (July 21 at 11am in Room 23ABC). He recently took some time to discuss season 3 mysteries, guest stars, Warehouse 13 favorites and Comic-Con.
Season 3 of Warehouse 13 premiered last week. Can you tell us what new mysteries to expect this season?
We’ve got so many great episodes this season, so many different kinds of mysteries. But the biggest mystery of all comes in the form of this season’s Big Bad. This time around, the Warehouse team is going to find themselves up against a threat unlike any they’ve ever faced before.
Who are some of the guest stars coming up this season? Any Syfy favorites?
We’ve got an amazing slate of guest stars this year. In addition to Ashley Williams (the duplicitous FBI Agent Sally Stukowski, who we met in the Season 3 premiere), Star Trek Voyager’s Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan as well as Caprica’s Alessandra Torresani and Sasha Roiz. Fans of Season 2 will enjoy seeing the return of Rene Auberjonois as the quirky Hugo Miller (from “13.1”) and the ever-lovely Lindsay Wagner as Dr. Vanessa Calder (from “For The Team”). And the list goes on…
What has been your favorite moment, plot wise, from the show?
While I’m fond of many things we’ve done over the past two seasons, right now I’m most excited about what we’ve got in store for season 3. This time around, we not only dig deeper into Warehouse”mythology” and the roles of the Regents, but we also reveal some big secrets about our character’s pasts that I think will both surprise and entertain fans both new and old.
Who is your favorite character to write for?
I actually enjoy writing for all of the character for different reasons. Not just because of who these people are within the context of the show, but also because of the life our actors breathe into them. Eddie, Joanne, Saul, Allison, CCH, Aaron and Genelle are all such talented individuals with such distinctive personalities, it’s a real treat being able to write for each and every one of them.
The show has been compared to cult favorite, X-Files. What key elements of Warehouse 13 do you think fans latch on to in similar ways?
One of the things that so many people respond to about Warehouse 13 is the sci-fi/supernatural mystery element. Every week, there’s a different kind of strangeness that our characters have to deal with, just like Mulder and Scully did on X-Files. Only on our show, it’s some freakiness that comes from artifacts connected to real, historical figures rather than aliens. Also, there’s the chemistry between our two leads, Agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering, who’ve often been compared to Mulder and Scully. But where those two characters had that whole “Will they or won’t they?” sexual tension thing going for them, our guys are much more like brother and sister. As such, they relate to each other in a completely unique and relatable way.
Other than Warehouse 13, do you have a TV show you’d consider yourself obsessed with? What about the show do you think makes it a can’t-miss?
During the season, I don’t have as much time to watch TV as I would like, so a lot of my obsessions happen either as things are winding down or while we’re on hiatus. Last week, I finally got around to watching HBO’s Game of Thrones which had been sitting on my DVR since it aired. Wow, what a show! It’s hard to pin down any specific thing that kept me coming back for more. The writing, the acting, the production… All of it was simply epic.
Having been to Comic-Con before, what are you looking forward to most this year?
You mean aside from the BuddyTV “Obsessions” panel…? I’m very much looking forward to this year’s Warehouse 13 panel. Over the past two seasons, we’ve seen our audience grow at SDCC, and I find it incredibly gratifying to see how people respond to the show in person. It’s always nice to read the feedback online, but there’s nothing quite as rewarding as packing a room full of several hundred or more people who’ve come to love and appreciate your work. Such a rush.
Are you a comic fan?
I started reading comics when I was 6 years old. My first “grown up job” was as an editor at MARVEL. My first professional writing gigs were in comics. So, yeah, I’d say that qualifies as fandom.
Who was your favorite super-hero growing up?
As a kid, I tended to favor the team books more than the solo characters. I loved the ensemble element and how you got multiple stories for multiple characters. It always seemed like more bang-for-your-buck (or, more accurately, for-your-35 cents). And the team I loved most was the X-Men, circa the Claremont/Byrne run. What a run those two had back in the day.
How about now?
Lately, I’ve been a bit out of the loop on what’s going on in the super hero world. With all the crossovers and annual reboots, it’s hard to keep track of the status quo, let alone who’s alive and who’s dead and who’s been resurrected… But I have been enjoying Joe Hill’s & Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key. Now that’s a fun, creepy book if ever there was one.
Keep your eye out for tomorrow’s interview with fellow writer Deric Hughes and in the meantime get a sneak peek of tonight’s all new Warehouse 13 airing at 9pm on Syfy.
Don’t forget, time is running out to enter to win a Syfy Prize Pack including Warehouse 13 Season 1 and 2 on DVD>>
Read more interviews from BuddyTV’s Obsessions panelists:
Amy Berg of Eureka and Leverage
Mel Lowry of ChuckTV.net and True-Blood.net
Allison DuBois, the inspiration for Medium
Zack Stentz of Fringe and Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles
(Images courtesy of Syfy)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Rachel graduated from Washington State with a B.A. in English and Communication. When she’s not watching TV she’s chatting with other TV fans here on BuddyTV and Twitter. Some of Rachel’s can’t miss shows are long time canceled Friends and Party of Five or current shows: How I Met Your Mother, House, Life Unexpected and Glee. However, with DVR she can actually watch it all, and usually does. When she pulls herself away from the TV and internet, you can find Rachel pub crawling around Seattle or at a sporting event.
