TV, eh?

Alex Strachan of CanWest News Service lists the best of TV, including Intelligence, Corner Gas, and Robson Arms:

• Cheer up, television has never been better
  “Good grief. So that was the TV year that was. A writers strike. Catfights, celebrity spats and family feuds — and that was just The View. Here’s a look back, through the prism of the stages of grief, as defined by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of On Death and Dying.” Read more.

Joel Rubinoff of the Waterloo Record isn’t as optimistic about the state of TV, and gives Falcon Beach and Whistler the dubious distinction of being among the worst of 2007, while Degrassi is one of his best:

• TV’s Year of Living Dangerously
  “Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV): The greatest teen show on the planet rediscovers its mojo with a same sex romance between control freak Paige and teen rebel Alexa. The year’s most compelling — and bittersweet — love story.” Read more.

Rob Salem of the Toronto Star includes Little Mosque on the Prairie in his best of 2007:

• We’re crazy about TV’s Mad Men
  “A provocative premise, a terrific cast … and, however unlikely and unprecedented, a large and loyal Canadian audience. (Runners-up: Durham County, Across the River to Motor City.)” Read more.

The Globe and Mail names Zarqa Nawaz of Little Mosque on the Prairie one of their people of the year:

• Arts Person of the year runners-up
  “The public broadcaster gambled that Little Mosque would be the breakout hit it so desperately needed. Turns out, it placed the right bet. In its first season, roughly 1 million viewers tuned in weekly. This season, the average was 785,000 — a respectable turnout for a show that managed to lure away two top writing guns from its comedic rival, CTV’s Corner Gas, the most-watched Canadian comedy on TV.” Read more.

Rob Salem of the Toronto Star gives the lineup of new and returning shows this fall, with blurbs from Jim Bawden about Canadian content relegated to its own little listing ghetto within:

• Fall TV preview: Day-by-day
  “Rob Salem takes a day-by-day look at the U.S. television season.” Read more.

From the Hollywood Reporter. the news about Falcon Beach being cancelled and Robson Arms renewed, plus a roundup of other recent cancellations, renewals, and question marks:

• Falcon beached by CanWest
  “CTV re-upp[ed] two teen dramas of its own from Epitome Pictures: “Instant Star” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Both series air stateside on the N. CTV also has renewed its hit comedy “Corner Gas” for a fifth season. The broadcaster has not yet decided whether to renew the homegrown comedy “Jeff Ltd.,” from Seymour & From Prods. and S&S Prods., for a third season.

From CBC:

• Summer’s over for Falcon Beach
  “ABC said it was disappointed Falcon Beach, about the lives and loves of a group of young people in a resort town, had not drawn viewers outside the teen demographic.”

From Sun Media:

• Falcon Beach leaves Manitoba
  “The Lake Winnipeg shoreside town was stunned after learning this weekend that TV series Falcon Beach, a drama about the goings-on of a sexy group of residents of a Manitoba resort community, has been cancelled after two seasons.”

From Indiantelevision.com:

• Star renews deal for Falcon Beach
  Television format owner and distributor Fremantlemedia has announced that Star TV has renewed the Asia rights for the show Falcon Beach.

From Playback:

• Today Canada, tomorrow the world
  “Typical of international broadcasters, the French caster wanted a Canadian-made series dealing with universal kids themes that TV audiences would assume was set in the U.S.”

From World Screen:

• FremantleMedia Scores New Broadcast Deals for Falcon Beach
  “FremantleMedia Enterprises has secured a new round of international broadcast deals for its teen drama Falcon Beach, which has now been licensed to 115 territories worldwide.”

From Playback:

• Global discovers Canada
  “Gone are the bad old days of next-to-no Cancon and Train 48. Original scripted programming on the net for 2007 includes eight series. Count em: Eight. Hour-long preems are The Best Years, Painkiller Jane and Durham Country, new half-hours are Da Kink in My Hair and Love You to Death, and returns are Falcon Beach, The Jane Show and ReGenesis.”

From Global:

*SEASON FINALE*
Friday, March 30 at 8pm ET/PT
Summer’s over, and Paige’s happiness with Jason is shattered when she discovers Lane’s dark secret. Tanya spirals further out of control. Erin surprises Danny by showing up in town to be with him but he is not sure that is what he wants.

From Jim Bawden of the Toronto Star:

• Hot Box – Television to talk about
  “Whether [Falcon Beach] returns for a third season depends on how it fares this summer on the U.S. ABC Family channel. ‘Chances are good’ is all I can get out of my Global sources. But the network has another Canadian-made teen series airing this summer, The Best Years (Global at 8)”

From Global:

Episode 212: Vigil
8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT
Jason considers Courtney’s offer to spend the winter with her in Switzerland. Danny mounts a vigil on the beach when Trevor fences it off. Paige quits her job with the resort and helps Jason land a deal that gives him the money he needs to get the marina back from the bank.

From Playback, ratings for Test the Nation, The Next Great Prime Minister, The Jane Show, Falcon Beach:

• CBC scores with Test

From Global:
Episode 209 – “Thirteen Minutes to Midnight”

Synopsis
The events leading to a brawl during Talent Night at the Sunset Bar are seen from different viewpoints. While Nathan and Jason keep each other on edge, Paige does everything she can to show she’s over her former flame. Lane’s animosity toward Adrian and controlling behaviour drive Tanya to drink.

From Playback:

• Advertisers eye online version of Falcon Beach 

From the Toronto Star, with mentions of Royal Canadian Air Farce and Falcon Beach:

• Hot box by Jim Bawden: Television to talk about 

From Global:

January 26
Episode: “Tidal”
Facing bankruptcy, Jason and Peggy decide to accept an offer for the marina while Tanya begins her community service teaching modeling and Paige plans to leave town.

More on Falcon Beach:

• Official show site 
• More TV, Eh? posts 

From Global:

January 19
Episode: “The Spins”
Tanya is going to court on charges stemming from her accident last season. Jason and Danny are just trying to keep her sober. But a new friend, Nathan Rai the brilliant young lawyer working for the Bradshaws, says he can get her off if she presents the “truth” in the right way. Erin’s behaviour becomes extreme.

More fun from Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star:

• TV mash-ups: Holmes gets Gas 

From Media in Canada, includes ratings for season debut (276,000):

• Virtual interaction strategy backs Falcon Beach