What's up in Canadian Television

With roles in jPod, Heartland, The Tudors and Endgame, Vancouver actor Torrance Coombs has become a familiar face — with stunningly recognizable eyes — in the Canadian television industry. He answered TV, eh?‘s questions about his career, his Internet following, and the chaos of pilot season in Los Angeles.

I’ll start with the hard-hitting question — did that cool actorly name destine you to be an actor? Assuming not, though, how did you get into acting?

I was actually going to be named Tory, but my mom thought I should have a more formal sounding name in case I got into politics. That didn’t happen. Although I guess acting is somewhat like politics. We’re all in the business of deception.

I got into acting through school choir, doing a couple of musicals. But I didn’t really start to take it seriously until Sally, my high school drama teacher, recruited me for the theatre company. I really connected to the other weirdos in the program and found a real passion for it during long rehearsals. I ended up in theatre school in university and now here I am.

With jPod, Heartland, The Tudors and Endgame you’ve had some diverse roles. What do you think your strengths are as an actor?

Let’s be honest here, I owe an awful lot to my eyes. They’re a feature that allows me to stand out in a group of relatively comparable actors. My other biggest strength I’d say is my diversity. I’ve played geeks, bad boys, cowboys, rapists, murderers. Sexy and unsexy. On the one hand it’s an advantage, because I’m in the mix for a lot of different roles. On the other hand, I think it takes a little longer for a guy like me to establish an identity, because I’m not the guy who immediately springs to mind for any one particular type of role.

What’s been a career highlight so far?

jPod was an early highlight. Most of the cast of that show are still dear friends of mine. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard so consistently in my life as I did on that set every day. The Tudors was another highlight, and in every sense has changed my life. It’s the meatiest role I’ve had the chance to play. It’s also pretty hard to beat shooting on location in Ireland. I really felt a connection to the country and the people there.

jPod had a devoted online following, as well as Endgame, which gained new fans through Hulu. How does that kind of Internet fan base help a show?

The jury’s still out on how much it’s helped either of those shows. But from my perspective, it’s a great way to connect with the audience. TV lacks the immediacy of theatre. It’s hard sometimes to know whether people are actually watching, or what they might be thinking about your work. The feedback at times can be devastating, but mostly it’s really lovely.

How much hope do you have that Endgame could get a second season based on the Hulu success? (And if it did, would it end up as a web exclusive series?)

The word on the street is that there is a decent possibility of more Endgame getting made. Without any knowledge of what’s going on behind closed doors, I can’t say how close it is to happening. My understanding is that if it does return, it will also return to TV on Showcase in Canada.

You’ve been in LA during pilot season – what’s that process like? How does it differ from your experience in the Canadian TV market?

Quite frankly, it’s chaos. I’ve never actually booked a pilot during pilot season. I seem to have much more luck in the off-season. There’s something about the pressure and intensity that isn’t conducive to doing your best work. The process is similar to what happens in Canada, there’s just a lot more people doing it. It can psych you out a bit because you can see what you’re up against and how terribly the odds are stacked against you. I prefer being blissfully unaware of the odds. It frees me to just do the work and hope for the best.

What’s next for you?

I’m going back to Banff to finish shooting a movie I started on last year called Drawing Home, about Peter and Catharine Whyte. Other than that, nothing concrete, but a lot of pokers in the fire.

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From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family:

• More moves ahead for Hulu hit Endgame?
  TV Feeds My Family has learned, however, that renewed interest in the show after a recent launch on the U.S.-based Internet streaming service Hulu has the producers seriously contemplating resurrecting the series. Read more.

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By Diane Wild of TV, eh?

I am neither arrogant enough to declare the best of Canadian TV nor modest enough to keep my opinions about shows to myself. Here, then, is my idiosyncratic list of the noteworthy in Canadian TV this year.

(more…)

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Bid now in the TV, eh? Midseason Charity Auction, benefiting Kids Help Phone. See all auction items here.

Donated by Thunderbird Films.

Note: This auction uses proxy bidding. You place your maximum bid and therefore only have to bid once. Your bid will register as the lowest possible winning bid. When you are outbid by another bidder, the auction will continue to bid on your behalf up to your maximum until the auction closes. Placing your maximum bet eliminates the need to monitor an auction and place increasingly large bids.

The auction closes January 13, 2012.

 

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In the latest podcast, Anthony and Diane debate who will win and who they want to win on tonight’s Gemini telecast. Here’s a summary of our predictions:

Best Comedy
Nominees: 22 Minutes, Call Me Fitz, Good Dog, Halifax Comedy Fest 2010, Living in Your Car, Rick Mercer Report
Will Win: Diane predicts Call Me Fitz, and Anthony agrees. Shocking!
Want to Win: Diane really, really wants Call Me Fitz to win, and Anthony reluctantly does too because it’s the only show where he watched a full season.

Best Drama
Nominees: The Borgias, Endgame, Flashpoint, Skins, The Tudors
Will Win: “These are apparently Canadian, are they?” says Anthony. “This list makes me depressed about the state of Canadian television,” says Diane. She thinks The Borgias will win and he agrees.
Want to Win: Diane says “anything but a minority coproduction” before picking Endgame over Flashpoint (the only two truly Canadian shows in the bunch) just for the novelty factor. Anthony says “My honest answer: I don’t care.” He chooses Endgame in case a win would help it stick around and another actual Canadian drama would remain on the air.

Best Actor in a Comedy
Nominees: Peter Keleghan of 18 to Life, Chris Leavins of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Jason Priestley of Call Me Fitz, John Ralston of Living in Your Car
Will Win: Diane says “it’s gotta be Jason Priestley” and Anthony thinks he’ll win too.
Want to Win: Diane wants Jason Priestley … to WIN that is … while Anthony is picking Chris Leavins because he wants a winner from Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, just for the show title.

Best Actor in a Drama
Nominees: Enrico Colantoni of Flashpoint, Hugh Dillon of Durham County, Callum Keith Rennie of Shattered, Michael Riley of Being Erica, Sam Witwer of Being Human
Will Win: Diane predicts Enrico Colantoni for the win and Anthony can see that happening. Which I guess is a decision.
Want to Win: Diane wants Callum Keith Rennie because he’s Callum Keith Rennie. Anthony wants him to win, too.

Best Actress in a Comedy
Nominees: Angela Asher of 18 to Life, Tracy Dawson of Call Me Fitz, Grace Lynn Kung of InSecurity, Brooke Nevin of Call Me Fitz
Will Win: Diane picks Tracy Dawson and Anthony agrees.
Want to Win: Diane goes for Tracy Dawson here too. Anthony goes with Brooke Nevin to split the Call Me Fitz decision.

Best Actress in a Drama
Nominees: Erin Karpluk of Being Erica, Carmen Moore of Blackstone, Krystin Pellerin of Republic of Doyle, Lauren Lee Smith of The Listener, Camille Sullivan of Shattered, Michelle Thrush of Blackstone
Will Win: Diane and Anthony say Erin Karpluk will win.
Want to Win: Diane wants Camille Sullivan to win. Anthony says “it would be awesome if someone from Blackstone won,” thinking it would be great to see a winner from APTN.

Episode 59: Listen or download hereor subscribe via iTunesor with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed

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