Comic-Con has released the schedule for Preview Night on Wednesday, July 11th and the full schedule for Thursday, July 12th.  Preview Night won’t just have people trampling each other for Exhibitors Floor merchandise.  It will also have screenings of the pilots for Arrow, 666 Park Avenue, The Following, Revolution, and Cult.  As for Thursday, Comic-Con has wisely scheduled The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 as the first panel of the day in Hall H (although it doesn’t start until almost 1:00pm for some reason), so all the Twihards can get in, see the panel, and get on with their lives.  For the rest of the day, Hall H will play host to Frankenweenie, Oz the Great and Powerful, Wreck-It Ralph, Jackie Chan’s CZ12, The Expendables 2, and…not much else really.  No offense to Chan, but his directorial feature CZ12 is going to be packed only because Expendables 2 is coming afterwards.

On the TV side, there will be panels for returning series Psych, Wilfred, Archer, Nikita, Dexter, and Workaholics.  There will also be panels for new series Beauty and the Beast and Elementary.  Hit the jump for highlights from the Wednesday and Thursday schedules.  The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 12 – 15th.

The USA Network comedy series Psych returns for the remainder of its sixth season on February 29^th, with a special super-sized episode entitled “Indiana Shawn And The Temple Of The Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger,” marking the return of Despereaux (Cary Elwes). Joining Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill), the trio is in a race against an evil gang of art thieves to find a mythical dagger that, according to legend, will unlock the hidden treasure of a deceased billionaire.

During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor/producer/writer/director James Roday, who is ultra-charming and obviously very passionate about his craft, talked about what fans can expect from the remainder of this season, working with his first TV crush Mädchen Amick, how the fact that anything goes with the show really keeps things fresh after six seasons, how he decides which episodes he’ll direct, the process for determining what they’ll pay tribute to in each season, that they’ve already started lining things up for Season 7 (they go into production on it in April), and how invaluable he finds the communication with the show’s loyal fans. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

The black comedy Burke & Hare (currently available on VOD through SundanceNow and out in theaters on September 9^th), from director John Landis, is about two 19^th century grave robbers who find a lucrative business providing cadavers for an Edinburgh medical school. Selling dead bodies to medical schools became big business in the 1800s, and William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis) saw an opportunity to make their fortunes. The only problem was that there weren’t any dead bodies to be found, so to meet the demand, the two men began to arrange a series of deadly “accidents,” securing a steady stream of bodies and the cash for them, but also drawing more attention than the pair would ever want.

During a recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, Landis (Animal House, Trading Places) talked about the serendipity that led to him directing Burke & Hare, making serial killers likeable leads for a romantic comedy, and making Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis an evil Laurel & Hardy, his direct approach with actors. He also talked about his thoughts on remakes, the possibility of someone doing their own take on An American Werewolf in London, doing a film adaptation of the farcical play The Rivals for his next project, and what led him to direct some episodes of the TV series Psych. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Comic-Con has announced the schedule for Preview Night (Wednesday, July 20th) and the Thursday that officially opens the Con.  While Preview Night is usually a chance for attendees to roam the floor of the exhibitors and trample each other for swag, this year’s preview night will be hosting world premiere pilot screenings of Alcatraz, Person of Interest, The Secret Circle, and Supernatural: The Anime Series.  I don’t care about the last two, but since Alcatraz and Person of Interest both come form J.J. Abrams, I imagine they’ll be packed.

As for Thursday, Hall H belongs to (in chronological order): The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, Arthur Christmas, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Drive, an unannounced line-up from 20th Century Fox (expect Rise of the Planet of the Apes), a sneak peek at Robert Rodriguez’ upcoming films (yawn), and a discussion between Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau.  I would stand in line all day just for Drive and the conversation between del Toro and Favreau.  Hit the jump for the full schedule.  Expect the schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday over the next several days.

On December 1^st, viewers of the popular USA Network television series Psych will be treated to a special Twin Peaks-inspired episode, entitled “Dual Spires,” that celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the cult favorite. Co-written by show star and longtime Twin Peaks fan, James Roday – and with a cast including Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook, Sherilyn Fenn, Ray Wise, Robyn Lively, Lenny von Dohlen and Catherine Coulson – the episode kicks off with Shawn (Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) receiving a mysterious email inviting them to the annual Cinnamon Festival in Dual Spires, a small Northern California town that is barely visible on the map. When they arrive, they quickly find themselves in the middle of the mysterious death of a local high school student, and they begin unravel the many secrets of the town while working to figure out who’s responsible.

In a recent interview, James Roday and Sheryl Lee, aka Laura Palmer, talked about paying homage to Twin Peaks, in the true spirit of the original series (which first debuted on television in 1990), why the series meant so much to both of them, and the moving experience of reuniting so many of the cast members. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

The entirety of USA Network’s thriving original series will be returning next year. Series like In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Covert Affairs and Law & Order: Criminal Intent were already set to return and THR reports Royal Pains, White Collar and Psych will all be joining them for another season as well. Their drama line-up is starting to rival that of broadcast networks and they’re still planning to launch a couple more next year (with an eye towards some more comedy and maybe unscripted programming). Royal Pains will deliver 16 or 18 episodes (apparently an 18-episode order is more likely) while White Collar and Psych will be getting 16-episode orders. Fans of these series should count their blessings as broadcast networks can’t seem to hold on to their shows year after year.

NBC Universal and Netflix have announced a new agreement that will have Netflix adding every episode from all 35 previous seasons of Saturday Night Live to Watch Instantly.  Not only will Netflix have all of SNL, but day-after broadcast of episodes from the upcoming 2010-2012 seasons.  Personally, I can’t wait to re-watch the sketch where Norm Macdonald plays a car crash victim whose spends most of his dying words insulting Sylvester Stallone’s filmography.

Additionally, beginning next week the last seasons of 30 Rock, The Office, Friday Night Lights, and Law & Order: SVU will be going on Watch Instantly (all prior seasons were also renewed).  The deal also puts new shows on Watch Instantly including USA Network’s Psych, Monk, In Plain Sight and SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica, Destination Truth, and Eureka.  All the shows will become available next week.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

In a sign that this year’s Comic-Con is going to be bigger than ever, THR is reporting a huge number of TV shows are already confirmed to appear at the Convention.  Included are:

• FOX – Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi Fox show Terra Nova, Fringe, Human Target, Bones
• NBC – The Event, The Cape, Chuck
• CBS – Hawaii Five-O
• ABC – No Ordinary Family, V, Castle
• AMC – The Walking Dead
• The CW – Nikita, Vampire Diaries
• USA Network – Burn Notice, Psych, White Collar
• FX – Sons of Anarchy
• They even mention that Conan O’Brien might attend.  Can I say YES!

While the official schedule usually gets released about a month from now, with Comic-Con only getting bigger every year, I’d imagine a lot more shows will be added to this list.  After all, I know Stargate Universe will be there and that’s not listed.  Finally, if you don’t have a badge…better get on eBay, as Comic-Con has been sold out for months.  See some of you in San Diego next month.