SDCC 2014: Get Ready To Check In For The 'Bates Motel' Panel Highlights

Been dying to see what is going to happen on ‘Bates Motel‘ next season? The show’s San-Diego Comic-Con panel had a few details on what to expect! Present at the panel were executive producers Carlton Cuse (‘Lost‘, ‘The Strain‘) and Kerry Ehrin (‘Friday Night Lights’) who shared some exclusive details and video. Also on hand were Vera Farmiga as Norma Bataes, Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates, Olivia Cooke as Emma, and finally Nestor Carbonell who plays Sheriff Alex Romero. The panel itself was moderated by Dan Snierson from Entertainment Weekly.

It’s a nearly hour long panel which you can view completely at the bottom of the post or just check out the highlights below!

First up was a recap of the second season and the major events that happened. While this would usually be kind of the boring part, they played out a fake new title sequence for the show done in the style of ‘Arrested Development’ starring Norma, Norman, and Dylan. Hopefully this will get shared on YouTube soon.
There was a lot of talk on what the actors thought of the characters that they portrayed with one focus being on the kiss that Norma and Norman let last a little too long.
An audience member asked about any obvious ‘Psycho’ references in the future and Cuse and Ehrin both chimed in that some of the original film would be mirrored or hinted at in the future of the series. No confirmation if that would be during the upcoming season though.
In the third season we’ll see a return of Nicola Peltz as Bradley as well as Kenny Johnson who plays Norma’s brother and Dylan’s father, Caleb. I’m a huge fan of Johnson’s work since ‘The Shield’ so this is great news!
Speaking of Caleb’s return, they tease us that the truth of what happened between Norma and her brother hasn’t actually been exposed yet.
One view that they want to explore in the third season is that Norman now knows that he can both do as well as get away with doing some horrible things. They want to explore exactly how this changes him.
Another focus of the upcoming season will be how the town deals economically without a drug lord funneling money throughout the town. Also, how will that help or hinder the already hurting hotel?

So not a lot on details but a few overall story arcs for characters that they want to explore which should be fun to see. If you have almost an hour free you can watch the full panel below!

Video credit: Inside the Magic