TV, eh?

From Maddy Pumilia of Blogcritics:

• Degrassi Season 10 Premieres July 19 With New Episodes
  “Degrassi: The New Generation has turned into a telenovela. Starting July 19, there will be 40 new episodes premiering every Monday through Thursday. In this season, the writers of Degrassi introduce new characters and new storylines that cause plenty more drama.” Read more.

From the DGC website – nominations include Being Erica, Flashpoint, Sanctuary, The Bridge, Death Comes to Town, G-Spot, Less Than Kind, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Degrassi, Heartland, How to be Indie, Overruled:

• The Directors Guild of Canada Announces the 2010 DGC Awards Nominees “The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) announces the 2010 DGC Awards nominations. Comedian Dave Foley will host the annual gala on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The Guild will celebrate the career of acclaimed director Sidney Furie (The Ipcress File, Lady Sings the Blues) and the extraordinary contributions of Don McCutcheon and Paul Bronfman to the DGC and the Canadian film and television industry.” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Keep On Loving You” – NEW EPISODE

Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) and Declan (Landon Liboiron – pictured) are closer than ever. They’ve made it through the year, Holly J’s applied for internships all over the city and with exams almost done, all they need to worry about is Declan’s musical. When Holly J and Declan are about to “do it” for the first time, she tells him those three little words: “I love you.” But when Declan doesn’t respond the way she wants, Holly J starts to worry. Can she be with someone who doesn’t feel the same way?

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Innocent When You Dream” – NEW EPISODE

Post-KC, Clare’s (Aislynn Paul – pictured) social life consists of building props for Declan’s (Landon Liboiron) musical and reading every book in the Fortnight vampire series. But when Clare has a sexy vampire dream about Declan, she’s shocked by her inner fantasy life. Meanwhile, Sav (Raymond Ablack) is lost without Anya (Samantha Munro). To keep himself busy, he throws himself into mixing his band’s latest track, “House Arrest” and when it turns out better than he thought, he wants to take it further – with a music video!

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “In Your Eyes” – NEW EPISODE

Riley’s (Argiris Karras) completed anger management and has been named ‘Degrassi’s Most Eligible Bachelor’. He’s been keeping his true feelings about guys under wraps but he’s not sure he wants to anymore. Meanwhile, KC (Sam Earle) is struggling in math and with the exam upon him, he takes Clare (Aislynn Paul) up on her offer of tutoring. When KC panics before the test, Jenna (Jessica Tyler) suggests he ask his good friend Clare to help him cheat.

From Dave Kilpatrick of TV Squad:

• Drake on ‘Degrassi’: A Rapper’s Early Days on Canadian TV
  “Drake was involved in some of ‘Degrassi’s’ hardest hitting story lines, not to mention some scenarios so ridiculous that they could draw a snicker from Sarah McLachlan on her weepiest day (she’s Canadian, you can look it up). So let’s take a look back at some of Drake’s best ‘Degrassi’ moments, shall we?” Read more.

CTV Announces Industry-Leading 2010-2011 Canadian Television Package

• CTV renews entire scripted slate: more FLASHPOINT, more THE BRIDGE, more HICCUPS, more DAN FOR MAYOR, more THE LISTENER
• CTV announces new daytime series THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, debuting this fall
• Season 3 of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA to premiere August 15
• New international co-production drama THE BORGIAS joins CTV and Bravo! in 2011
• COMEDY NOW! is back for Season 13, ETALK returns for Season and W5 marks Season 45
• THE JUNO AWARDS, THE GILLER PRIZE and WE DAY all return

Following one of its most successful seasons ever for original Canadian programming, CTV unveiled today its 2010-2011 Canadian television package. The network has renewed its entire scripted slate of five original series, ordered a new daytime series, and confirmed the premiere date for its award-winning Top 20 hit dance competition series. Delivering more viewers to Canadian programming than any other network, the roster of original programming totals nearly 100 hours of prime-time Canadian programming on CTV alone during the 2010-2011 season.

With the majority of the original productions due to go into production this summer, CTV’s original series will premiere throughout the network’s 52-week schedule in 2010/2011. However, CTV confirmed today THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, a new daytime series starring Gemini Award-winner and CHUM FM personality Marilyn Denis, premieres this fall. The series airs daily at 10 a.m. following LIVE! WITH REGIS AND KELLY and prior to THE VIEW, providing an uninterrupted flow of live programming on CTV each day from 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – Sundays at 7 and 7:30 p.m. ET beginning May 30 – NEW EPISODES

Sav and Anya have been planning for their Spring Formal for as long as they can remember. That’s until Sav’s parents announce that their family friends the Hassans are coming for a visit that night and are bringing their daughter Farrah – Sav’s maybe-possible-future wife. Unable to come clean with Anya, Sav digs himself deeper trying to please his family. Will Sav go to prom with Anya? Or is the girl his parents chose for him the solution to all his troubles?

HICCUPS – Mondays at 8 p.m. ET beginning June 7 – NEW EPISODES

Continuing on HICCUPS, Millie (Nancy Robertson) is jealous of Stan’s (Brent Butt) new client and Crystal (Emily Perkins) tries to sabotage Anna’s (Paula Rivera) opportunity to become “the dirty duchess”.

DAN FOR MAYOR – Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET beginning June 7 – NEW EPISODES

As the election draws nearer, Dan gets embroiled in a potential career-ending muffin issue. Meanwhile, campaign manager Jeff (Paul Bates) is in trouble at his own employment. Toronto Mayor David Miller makes a cameo appearance.

COMEDY NOW! – Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET beginning June 12 – NEW SEASON

Entering its 12th season, this hilarious all-Canadian, star-making stand-up series has won awards all over North America. A TV calling card for comedic success, COMEDY NOW! has featured some of Canada’s most successful comedians, including Brent Butt, Jeremy Hotz, Harland Williams, Shaun Majumder, Gavin Crawford, Gerry Dee, Nikki Payne, Roman Danylo and Russell Peters. Starring in the all-new 12th season are Ian Bagg, Dylan Rhymer, Dave Hemstad, JP Mass, Allyson Smith, Darcy Michael, Debra DiGiovanni, Ivan Decker, Kelly Taylor, Nick Beaton, Dana Alexander, Tyler Hawkins, Trent McClellan and Simon King.

From the Canadian Press:

• ‘Degrassi’ to air four nights a week this summer
  “Fans of “Degrassi” will get a daily dose of the series when the 10th season debuts this summer. The teen drama plans to air 24 episodes four nights a week in July and August before returning to a weekly schedule in September.” Read more.

From Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter:

• Canuck broadcasters add episodes for ratings
  “Canadian broadcasters have hit on a new local strategy to boost ratings by commissioning more episodes for new seasons of established properties. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. went from 10 episodes to 20 for the fifth cycle of Dragon’s Den, the local version of the original British venture capital reality series, and secured an impressive 1.96 million viewers for a special season finale Thursday night.” Read more.

From a media release:

New Class. New Year. New Channel.

• Season 10 of DEGRASSI: TNG Begins Production and Lands on MuchMusic Later This Year
• Exclusive engagement on MuchMusic begins Summer 2010

MuchMusic rings in a new school year when DEGRASSI moves exclusively to Canada’s premiere channel for young adults. MuchMusic is proud to announce the start of production on Season 10 of the critically-acclaimed series, DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION. Production commences Monday, March 29 in Toronto. This summer, DEGRASSI finds a new home with 48 brand new 30-minute episodes and the premiere of the television movie, D:NYC – Degrassi Takes Manhattan.

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From Guy Dixon of the Globe and Mail:

• A double dose of teen angst: Next season of Degrassi high-school series to spread over twice as many episodes
  “For its 10th season, Degrassi: The Next Generation will be modelled on the Spanish-language soap operas that are hugely popular south of the border, doubling the number of episodes in their season so fans don’t have to wait to find out whether, say, Dave will finally ask Jenna out, or if Snake is still around.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Battles on Without Blades
  “FRIDAY saw 1,575,000 show for the season finale of Flashpoint (with Hugh Dillon and Michael Cram, left), which tried to steal a little Blade glory by training its sights on Maple Leaf Gardens.” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Holiday Road” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Emma (Miriam MacDonald) and Kelly (Evan Williams) make a pit stop at Degrassi while on their Cross Country Bike Adventure raising awareness for their Re-Cycle project. Combining the great outdoors with her sexy boyfriend, Emma’s convinced she’s destined for the best summer ever. Meanwhile, Chantay (Jajube Mandiela) and Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid) have the best first date ever. But the next day, Chantay posts a “Date Ethics” blind item on her blog, and word spreads fast that Danny’s cheap. Ouch!

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Start Me Up” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

It’s been a tough year for Peter (Jamie Johnston). He has a severe need for some good news and, lo and behold, Peter’s been accepted to Toronto University. In need of a summer job, Peter opens a club above The Dot and gets hot new band Fritz Helder and the Phantoms to perform live! Meanwhile, the students are assigned to present autobiographical short stories and Clare (Aislynn Paul) thinks she has nothing interesting to share. Desperate, she appropriates a story she overhears from Declan (Landon Liboiron) in order to be considered cool by her classmates.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Heart Like Mine, Part 1” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

KC’s (Sam Earle) living the high school dream as the basketball team made it to the provincial finals and he finally has a mentor who gets him – Coach Carson (Damon Runyan, Cheaper by the Dozen 2). The only person raining on his parade is Clare (Aislynn Paul), and since they’ve been growing apart, KC’s really confused. Meanwhile, Marco’s (Adamo Ruggiero) back at Degrassi completing a teacher’s placement. When Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) begins to walk all over the “buddy teacher”, Marco struggles to be seen as the ultimate cool teacher – only to learn something about teacher-student boundaries.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Heart Like Mine, Part 2” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

With the final basketball game approaching, pressure is at an all-time high and Coach Carson has really taken KC (Sam Earle) under his wing. After spending some one-on-one time with Carson going over plays, KC begins to question if their relationship is inappropriate. Meanwhile, Declan (Landon Liboiron) has become Mr. High School – producing the musical, dating student council president Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) – and Fiona (Annie Clarke) can’t help but make fun of him. To Declan’s surprise, Fiona takes his advice to get involved and auditions for the musical. Sav (Raymond Ablack) and Anya (Samantha Munro) don’t think Fiona has the chops for it, but Declan won’t hear it. Will protecting Fiona only hurt her more in the long run?

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

It’s Matchmaker week at Degrassi and Declan’s (Landon Liboiron) not interested in a serious relationship. But when he sets his sights on Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) as his next romantic victim, he is surprised to find she’s immune to his charms. Meanwhile, when Leia (Judy Jiao) corners Chantay (Jajube Mandiela) about her rocky relationship with Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid), Chantay is torn because she’s secretly liked him forever.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Somebody” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Against all odds, Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) has fallen for Declan (Landon Liboiron). Suddenly she gets what everyone’s been so excited about for so long. Feeling this way about a boy, who feels the same way, gets Holly J to act outside of her comfort zone. Will Holly J’s relationship jeopardize her ‘Type A’ life?

From Sara Liss of CBC:

• Essential viewing: The 10 most important television shows of the 2000s
  “Degrassi: The Next Generation: Yeah, it’s soapy and frequently corny, but this teen angst-fest has become one of the most successful domestic television shows Canada has seen to date.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family:

• Canuck TV Scores With Flash, Blades, Heart
  “What’s this? Canadians watching Canadian TV shows? It was true all weekend as these made-in-Canada favourites pulled mass audiences across the nation.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Gives Thanks As Blades Stays Sharp
  “Heartland drew 709,000 at 7 p.m. … CT’s double pump of Degrassi, drawing 245,000 and 230,000 at 7.” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Close to Me” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Jane (Paula Brancati) and Spinner (Shane Kippel) have been through so much together. Jane’s just come out of a difficult year at home, so hanging out with Spinner is safe and… easy. But when a challenge arises for Jane at school to work on the year-end production, not only does she have to come up with a concept to pitch to the class, she also has to work with the smart, poised and gorgeous Declan (Landon Liboiron, pictured). Jane tries to resist his charm, but eventually gives in to a little flirtation.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”– ALL-NEW EPISODE

Holly J’s (Charlotte Arnold) friendship with Jane (Paula Brancati) is put to the test when she finds out that Jane is cheating on Spinner (Shane Kippel).

From Brian Gorman of the Sudbury Star:

• Smiling through the generation gap
  “Melinda Shankar has quickly established herself as something of a queen of generational conflicts. Last year, she joined the cast of CTV’s “Degrassi: The Next Generation” in the dramatic and somewhat dark role of Alli, a high-spirited teenager clashing with conservative South Asian parents. Now Shankar is getting to play the sunnier side of this sort of thing in “How to Be Indie,” airing Fridays on YTV. ” Read more.