(Edited by Mike Vicic)

Each day of the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Tour, TV Tango will highlight a few panels and important events with detailed information, insights and observations. Today, we focus on PBS's session for THE BEST OF LAUGH-IN on Day 4 and cover Friday's Starz sessions for CAMELOT and SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA. If you want up-to-the-minute live news about TCA, check out our Twitter feed since we are live-tweeting the event -- well, as often as our internet connection holds out.

THE BEST OF LAUGH-IN

Baby boomers everywhere will rejoice when PBS begins their March pledge drive with their special THE BEST OF LAUGH-IN. ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN, which premiered in 1968, was the birth of the sketch-comedy genre and was so enormously popular that it pulled in 60 million viewers according to creator George Schlatter. Along with Schlatter, panelists included cast members Ruth Buzzi, Jo Anne Worley, Lily Tomlin and announcer Gary Owens. Schlatter said he talked to Goldie Hawn that morning and "she was sorry she couldn't be there" since she was on her way to "the desert for a cleanse."

Though Buzzi gave many kudos to their writers, they all admit to using the scripts as a blueprint and ad-libbing from there. Schlatter says "a lot of it happened by accident; we never yelled cut," adding that they’d stay there until 2am to get it right and that they "taped 22 hours of of material to get one hour of material for each episode."

Photo Credit: George Schlatter Productions

And the cast hasn't lost its rapport. On stage, Worley brought out one of the dresses from the show, wore a hot-pink boa and pulled a Flying Fickle Finger of Fate from her purse. Plus, she even sang a song about Sarah Palin. Tomlin launched into one of Schaltter's favorite characters, a woman addicted to eating rubber, and she relived her audition where she performed Ernestine the phone operator and tap danced barefoot.

Photo Credit: George Schlatter Productions

Speaking of Tomlin, she and Schlatter shared the best conversation of the day. When Schlatter asked her whether she would return to DAMAGES for a new season, Tomlin responded "No, I'm not -- since my character killed herself last season."

Schlatter will narrate the special, setting up each act so that the audience has an idea of what to expect. When asked how he got away with airing some of the more risqué bits George says they cleverly learned to pitch the network a really offensive, inappropriate sketch in order to get something on air that wasn’t as bad.  “We were bawdy, but we were never dirty," he says.

SPARTACUS

Seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a film prequel being made, but rarely do you see one for a TV series. Well, on Friday, January 21, Starz will debut SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA, the prequel to SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND. Producers Steven DeKnight and Robert Tapert decided to move forward with a prequel instead of a second season after Andy Whitfield, the series lead, was diagnosed with cancer.

"The germ of the idea was there, I was planning episode 5 of season 2 to do a flashback episode. Once we found out what was going on with Andy and we stopped production on season 2, I thought about how about we blow that up to a two-hour show," DeKnight said.

GODS OF THE ARENA takes place just five years prior so fans will have a chance to see a broader range from characters such as Doctore and Lucretia. “It’s very similar to season 1 [of BLOOD AND SAND] except that the engine is going faster,” says Tapert. In addition to speed, Tapert says they actually built an arena for the prequel and are looking forward to employing some of the latest technology so that they can have much more “visual range.”

SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA. Photo credit: Starz.

Production on season 2 of BLOOD AND SAND will begin later this year. Fans will be happy to know that Whitfield is recovering from his illness and has given them their full support to recast Spartacus. Tapert said "We don't have casting news, but we're very confident where we are in the casting process that we will find an actor who will step in the sandals of Spartacus -- although we will never be able to replace Andy Whitfield. Nothing good came from losing Andy. But we had the luxury of building an infrastructure with having the prequel. If there is any upside to Andy's illness, it is that we are better equipped to support the new Spartacus."

Andy Whitfield in SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND. Photo credit: Starz.

Lucy Lawless, who plays Lucretia, confirmed that she'll return for a second season of BLOOD AND SAND. When asked how Lucretia survived her wounds, she replied, "It was just a little poke in the tummy." And she added that "what Lucretia does in Season 2 will make Season 1 pale by comparison."

CAMELOT

Though there are many versions of the classic tale of the sword in the stone, Chris Chibnall the showrunner of new series CAMELOT promises it’s “not like any version you’ve seen.” Filmed just outside of Dublin, the series focuses on how and why the King Arthur story may have become legendary. “We’re trying to figure out what might be the truth that lies behind the myth,” said Chibnall.

Jamie Campbell Bower as King Arthur in CAMELOT. Photo credit: Starz.

CAMELOT stars Joseph Fiennes (FLASHFORWARD) as Merlin, Jamie Campbell Bower (TWILIGHT) as King Arthur, Eva Green (CASINO ROYALE) as Morgan the sorceress, Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere and James Purefoy (A KNIGHT’S TALE) as King Lot.

Joseph Fiennes as Merlin in CAMELOT. Photo credit: Starz.

Fiennes describes Chibnall’s version of Merlin as “a cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Donald Rumsfeld.” Though he acknowledges the sorcery his character employs he adds “I think the magic really lies in the political essence of the piece.”

Eva Green as Morgan in CAMELOT. Photo credit: Starz.

While it’s clear there will be lots of medieval battles, pagan magic and racy sex scenes, Jamie Campbell Bower says viewers shouldn’t expect to see “a beefy King Arthur,” adding "We find this character when he's in his late teens. What I didn't want to have was this aloofness and beefiness to him because people should be able to see that he's a boy and he has to grow into this man." I’m sure the female TWILIGHT lovers can’t wait to see that!

CAMELOT will premiere on April 1, but Starz subscribers can catch a sneak preview on February 25.