TV, eh?

Bill Harris of QMI Agency breaks down the fall premiere dates, including Canadian shows:

• Fall TV getting weird
  “Our official fall TV preview section will appear in a few weeks, as the majority of shows are set to debut or return toward the end of September. But a significant number of programs will burst out of the gate before that, some even before Labour Day.” Read more.

Episode 6: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed

This week on the podcast, Anthony Marco and I talk about the sudden departure of CBC’s Richard Stursberg and what that might mean to my beloved Battle of the Blades (“the cheesiest thing on earth on skates”) and to American imports such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. We also almost-sincerely pity CBC for the enormity of their digital switch challenge, and almost-sarcastically pity Canadian journalists at the TV critics press tour for having to scrape for a Canadian angle – this time about The Kids In The Hall. And we discuss whether cable is making a dent in broadcast ratings, in the US and Canada.

The featured interview this week is with Brent Piaskoski and Barbara Haynes, writers of some great tween TV (The Latest Buzz, Naturally Sadie) and Twitter stars. We discuss the state of kids TV in Canada, how it’s mostly escaped the “Canadian TV sucks” stigma, and their spec pilot based on their blog and Twitter feed I Do Already.

Your links

• Richard Stursberg, former head of CBC’s English-language services who brought Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy to the network, is now available if you want to de-personalitify your public broadcaster
• CBC says switch to digital too onerous to make deadline
• The Kids in the Hall non-story: They may or may not come back and do something together! Or not!
• Is cable TV giving broadcast networks a ratings scare?
• Brent Piaskoski on IMDb and Twitter; Barbara Haynes on IMDb and Twitter; I Do Already on Tumblr and Twitter

Your hosts

• Anthony can be found at Dyscultured and lovehatethings, and on Twitter here and here.
• Diane can be found here at TV, eh? and here, and on Twitter here and here.

Have comments or suggestions for topics or guests? Let us know!

From Kelly Chase of the St. Louis Blues:

• Blog #2: Chaser Gets Punk’d
  “The first day of orientation camp was busy. We went out on the ice for about 20 minutes and skated around in our hockey skates. Then we were given these figure skates that they had us fitted for. And let me tell you, the figure skates were ridiculous. They are so different than hockey skates. They have these huge toe-picks on them that is probably going to get somebody hurt.” Read more.

From Kelly Chase of the St. Louis Blues:

• Blog #1: Opening Orientation
  “Earlier this summer, I got asked to participate in the second season of Battle of the Blades. It’s a reality show in Canada that is televised on CBC, and it’s very similar to Dancing with the Stars…except on ice.” Read more.

Episode 3: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed

Co-hosts Anthony Marco and Diane Wild discuss the CBC fall schedule, including arguing about the merits of Battle of the Blades, deciding Rick Mercer and the gang at 22 Minutes should never have holidays so we can have a Daily Show/Colbert type show in Canada,cheering Being Erica‘s renewal, and cynically deciding CBC had nothing better in development. In other news, 18 to Life was picked up by The CW, Haven got decent ratings, Degrassi introduced a transgendered character, and The Pillars of the Earth premieres Friday on The Movie Network/Movie Central.

Plus, a 20-minute interview with Gordon Pinsent about his role in The Pillars of the Earth, his 80th birthday celebration at the opening of his new play, Due South, the new series he has in development with son-in-law Peter Keleghan, what progress he’s seen in the Canadian TV industry over the years, his relationship with Sarah Polley, and how he’s been in every Canadian TV show and movie ever made.

Your links

• The CW picks up CBC’s 18 to Life
• Haven hits 300,000 viewers
• Degrassi introduces a transgendered character – controversial or same old, same old?
• The Pillars of the Earth premieres Friday, July 23
• The incredible career of Gordon Pinsent
• The CBC fall schedule
• Is Battle of the Blades a case of Schadenfreude or cheesy fun? You decide. (But it’s totally cheesy fun.)
• The Christina Cox vampire show whose title I couldn’t remember is Blood Ties. Last week, I couldn’t remember the Chris Leavins movie The Hanging Garden. Next week, maybe I’ll forget the name of this podcast!
• For information on specific shows, check out the sidebar of TV, eh? under Categories, or search for the show title in that little search box

Your hosts

• Anthony can be found at Dyscultured and lovehatethings, and on Twitter here and here.
• Diane can be found here at TV, eh? and here, and on Twitter here and here.



From CBC:

• Battle of the Blades earns Rose D’Or nomination
  “Seven Canadian television programs have earned nominations for Rose D’Or Awards, including CBC live event shows Battle of the Blades and Canada for Haiti.” Read more.

From a media release:

CBC TELEVISION CELEBRATES CANADIAN STARS, ICONS & HOMEGROWN HITS AT FALL 2010 SEASON PREVIEW

• Battle of the Blades is Back!
• Debbie Travis Comes to CBC Prime Time!
• Men With Brooms Brings Fresh Laughs for Fall! (pictured)

Kirstine Stewart, General Manager of CBC Television, previewed the network’s Fall 2010 schedule that features the highly anticipated new season of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, the debut of a brand-new format for ALL FOR ONE WITH DEBBIE TRAVIS on prime time television, a new half-hour comedy based on the popular Canadian movie MEN WITH BROOMS, and the return of several established CBC hits.

PAUL GROSS, DEBBIE TRAVIS, ERIN KARPLUK, RICK MERCER, PETER MANSBRIDGE, GEORGE STROUMBOULOPOULOS, DAVID SUZUKI, KURT BROWNING, DON CHERRY and RON MacLEAN, along with many other CBC celebrities, participated in the announcement for the Fall schedule that also includes THE RON JAMES SHOW, BEING ERICA, THE TUDORS, RICK MERCER REPORT, HEARTLAND, THE FIFTH ESTATE, DRAGONS’ DEN, the 50th season of THE NATURE OF THINGS, and CBC’s winning daytime lineup that includes STEVEN and CHRIS, BEST RECIPES EVER and KIDS’CBC.

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From Bill Harris of QMI:

• ‘Blades’ skates to new location
  “When Battle of the Blades returns to CBC this fall, the skating will take place on a sound stage in Toronto, rather than historic Maple Leaf Gardens.” Read more.

From Gayle MacDonald of the Globe and Mail:

• If numbers are what count, CBC’s made prime-time progress
  “Four of the public network’s TV shows drew million-plus audiences this season, but critics wonder if there are costs in quality.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• 22 Minutes Down to 13 Amid CBC Cuts for Fall
  “The most dramatic cut could come at the expense of the network’s longest-running entertainment series, 22 Minutes. The Halifax-based comedy may be down to a half-season, with just 13 episodes ordered, down from 18 last season and 20 the season before that.” Read more.

From Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter:

• Canadian sitcoms, reality TV outdo dramas
  The funny thing about Canadian TV nowadays are sitcoms and light reality fare are outperforming edgy homegrown dramas in primetime. The March 5 two-hour series premiere of the CTV police drama “The Bridge” from E1 Television debuted Friday night with 998,000 viewers, just shy of the 1.009 million viewers that tuned in to the recent series premiere for the CBC’s P.I. drama “The Republic of Doyle.” Read more.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

• 10 TV shows that mattered in 2009
  “From hockey lunks to modern families, our critic’s picks of the best stuff to hit the small screen this year.” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top programs – Total Canada
  #18 Dragons’ Den (1.746 million)
  #19 Battle of the Blades (1.736 million)
  #22 Flashpoint (1.589 million)
  #30 Heartland (1.210 million)

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Puts Cherry on Full Winter Launch
  “Cherry said he had a blast working Battle of the Blades last month as a judge, but said one guy associated with that show just isn’t getting enough credit. “I know I’m going back on everything I’ve ever said about the guy, but Ron MacLean held that whole show together,” sez Grapes. MacLean truly was the cool head who kept Blades on ice, so consider that oversight corrected here.” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top programs – Total Canada
  #15 Dragons’ Den (2.075 million)
  #16 Battle of the Blades (1.878 million)
  #20 Flashpoint (1.771 million)
  #28 Heartland (1.278 million)

From Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal:

• The girls did make the guys look great’
  “With ice and not much else in common, hockey and figure skating have long been strange bedfellows. But a CBC-TV series, Battle of the Blades, married the two winter sports in prime time this year.” Read more.

From a media release:

CBC-TV’S BATTLE OF THE BLADES RENEWED FOR SECOND SEASON

• Groundbreaking Canadian series a ratings and advertising success story

CBC Television announced today that its hit series BATTLE OF THE BLADES, featuring world-class figure skaters and former NHL’ers, will return next fall for a second season. The 14-episode series sold out to live audiences every week, and wrapped up on Monday, Nov. 16 with an unconfirmed television audience of 1.736 million tuning in for the one-hour results finale.

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From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Battle of the Blackout: Iced by Rogers?
  “The BBM Canada overnight estimates have an asterisk next to CBC’s Blades numbers, which currently stand at 1,754,000 viewers.” Read more.

From the Globe and Mail:

• CBC’s string of reality-show success: Public broadcaster has found ratings gold in home-grown Battle of the Blades and British imports
  “When CBC’s Battle of the Blades debuted Oct. 4, nearly two million viewers tuned in to watch the novel and sometimes awkward pairings of figure skaters and hockey stars. It was second highest premier for a homegrown CBC series since Little Mosque on the Prairie, and the ratings held strong throughout the show’s seven weeks, averaging 1.7 million viewers each episode. It’s the latest in a string of reality hits for the publicly funded broadcaster, which has found past success by poaching reality concepts from Britain and selling them to Canadian audiences.” Read more.