Everything about Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, eh?

Link: Telly With Melly: Bob Martin of Michael: Every Day talks own phobias

From Melissa Hank of Canada.com:

Link: Telly With Melly: Bob Martin of Michael: Every Day talks own phobias
“I’m very much a control freak. There’s a lot of me in that character, for sure. In fact, I would say that David is all the worst parts of me. I would love to be a psychologist, so it’s great for me to live vicariously through that character, to enact all my worst possible scenarios in life through that character.” Continue reading.

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Link: That time the CBC let me make a TV show about my mental health issues

By Matt Watts for TIFF.net:

Link: That time the CBC let me make a TV show about my mental health issues
The experience was in itself the ultimate exposure. When you have a crew of 30 people standing around, waiting for you to show up and do your job, you don’t really have a choice. I HAD to do it. Every day, for 12 to 16 hours a day (even 22 hours on one particular day), I did what was required to make the show a reality. (Apparently, my fear of disappointing others overrides my fear of being confined in a small space.) And it helped. So much. Continue reading.

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Michael: Every Day returns to CBC after a five-year hiatus

Matt Watts had finally gotten over the cancellation of Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays when Bob Martin called, saying CBC wanted a Season 2. Yes, five years after the events of the first season, the comedy renamed Michael: Every Day is back.

Returning Sunday, Jan. 15, at 9 p.m., the first two episodes find Michael—David’s (Martin) former patient—in full control of his life and enjoying success in a new city. The same can’t be said for David, whose home and psychiatry practice are in a shambles. It doesn’t take long, however, for Michael to call on David for help, leading to darkly comic moments over the course of six episodes. Written by Watts, Martin, Don McKellar (who also directs) and Lynn Coady, and co-starring Jennifer Irwin (Eastbound & Down) as Sammy, Tommie-Amber Pirie (Bitten) as Claire and Ed Asner as Dr. Wasserman, we spoke to Watts and Martin about the circumstances surrounding the series’ revival and what viewers can expect.

Clearly, Tuesdays and Thursdays wasn’t enough. It has to be every day now.
Bob Martin: We’re kind of embracing the idea that each season, if we do a third, is a standalone and you don’t have to have watched each previous season.

Maybe Wednesdays next season…
BM: Or maybe space! We don’t know.

Did you always, in the back of your minds, hope Michael would come back?
BM: After we completed the first season, we were working on a second season and were outlining it in great detail. And, for certain reasons, that didn’t happen. So, no, we didn’t think it would come back. We thought that was it, that was the end, and we were very happy with the first season and glad we had made a serialized show that had closed on the story beat. It didn’t feel like an open-ended show, necessarily. But then, yes, we were very surprised to be invited back.

Matt Watts: There was a lot of behind-the-scenes string-pulling that I’m not privy to. There were conversations between very important people and then a phone call to you and then you made a phone call to me.

BM: Yeah, that’s right. It was a surprise. It was out of the blue. Speaking for myself, I had booked a lot of other stuff to survive. I was like, ‘Oh my God. I love these characters and would love to revisit them.’ It was a bit of a logistical problem to get all of the creative together to do it. But, they knew we were excited about continuing to explore these characters. And you had an idea about doing a TV-movie version of Michael as a revisit.

MW: I always like this idea of one of the first lines is about the 15-year relationship. It kind of sets itself up about a relationship over a long period of time, so you could revisit these characters like what they did in the Seven Up series or Boyhood. It was always in the back of my mind that we could go that route. It took me a long time to let go of the show. We were both upset and you buried yourself in work. I got kind of depressed and anxious and spoke to the press about everything that was going on. And then I took a few more years and finally let it go, and then I get a phone call from Bob going, ‘We’re doing it again!’

BM: This feels like a bonus season.

MW: Also, a lot of the crew came back. When we wrapped the first season, I didn’t have a great last day on set. But I figured I’d see them again next season and then I didn’t get that. It was getting to revisit camp again.

When we start the season, Michael is the one that has it together and it seems David’s life is falling apart because he’s trusted someone and got burned.
BM: That’s my favourite scene of the two seasons. David finally thinks he’s found someone he can trust.

MW: The question we asked ourselves this season is, ‘Why this patient and why is he so special?’ We answer that this season. There is a revelation that comes later to explain all that.

How different is the original Season 2 from what became Every Day?
BM: We had to condense the episodes down to six.

MW: And we had to pick up five years later, so we took that into affect. The original second season picked up six months later. This was a five-year gap, so we had to make a lot of adjustments and changes. The last two episodes stay the same because we always had this idea for the season that we really wanted to do and that’s in the show. The show builds to this event in the fifth episode that carries into the sixth.

Michael: Every Day airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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CBC announces winter broadcast premiere dates for new and returning series

From a media release:

CBC today announced premiere dates for its winter 2017 television season, featuring distinct, premium storytelling anchored by extraordinary Canadian voices and creative talent. The winter lineup includes five new primetime titles and five returning series spanning comedy, drama, factual and arts programming.

New additions to CBC’s primetime lineup include drama series PURE (6×60), premiering Monday, January 9, which tells the story of a Mennonite pastor battling drug trafficking within his community; Catherine Reitman’s bold new comedy WORKIN’ MOMS (13×30), premiering  Tuesday, January 10, which tests the modern ideal that women really can have it all; acclaimed BBC One drama THE A WORD (6×60), premiering Sunday, January 15, centering on a messy, extended family with an autistic child; docu-series TRUE NORTH CALLING (6×30), premiering Friday, February 17, which offers an intimate look at Canada’s North and young Canadians living in one of the harshest environments in the world; and drama series BELLEVUE (8×60), premiering Monday, February 20, which stars Oscar® and Golden Globe® award-winner Anna Paquin, Allen Leech and Shawn Doyle and unravels the mystery of a missing transgender teen in a small blue-collar town.

January will also bring all-new episodes of returning primetime favourites to viewers. Beginning Tuesday, January 10, Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Catherine O’Hara,  Annie Murphy and Chris Elliott are back with a new season of hit comedy series SCHITT’S CREEK(Season 3, 13×30); and World War II espionage drama X COMPANY (Season 3, 10×60) returns on Wednesday, January 11 with a thrilling series finale, as the first group of operatives from Camp X complete their final covert mission.

Picking up five years after the critically acclaimed Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays, Matt Watts, Bob Martin and Don McKellar return to CBC with MICHAEL: EVERY DAY, (Season 2, 6×30) with weekly back-to-back episodes beginning Sunday, January 15.

Lastly, CBC’s innovative arts programming is back to inspire audiences on Sunday, February 5 with the high-energy, immersive series CRASH GALLERY (Season 2, 5×30) and the 2016 International Emmy® Award-nominated docu-series INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM(Season 2, 5×30).

Highlights of the CBC 2017 winter television schedule are as follows:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) — Marketplace (Season 43 continues)
8:30 p.m. (9 NT) — Hello Goodbye (Season 2 continues)
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) — the fifth estate (Season 42 continues)

MONDAY, JANUARY 9
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) – Murdoch Mysteries (Season 10 continues)
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) — Pure *NEW DRAMA SERIES*

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) – Rick Mercer Report (Season 14 continues)
8:30 p.m. (9 NT) – This Hour Has 22 Minutes (Season 24 continues)
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) — Schitt’s Creek *SEASON 3 PREMIERE*
9:30 p.m. (10 NT) – Workin’ Moms *NEW COMEDY SERIES*

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) – Dragons’ Den (Season 11 continues)
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) – X Company *SEASON 3 PREMIERE*

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) — The Nature of Things: The Secret Life of Owls (Season 55 continues)
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) — Firsthand: Once an Immigrant (Season 2 continues)  

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
4:30 p.m. (5:00 NT) – Exhibitionists (Season 2 continues)
7 p.m. (7:30 NT) — Heartland (Season 10 continues)
8 p.m. (8:30 NT) – The A Word *NEW DRAMA SERIES*
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) – Michael: Every Day *SEASON 2 PREMIERE*
9:30 p.m. (10 NT) – Michael: Every Day (Season 2 continues)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) – Interrupt This Program *SEASON 2 PREMIERE*
9:30 p.m. (10 NT) – Crash Gallery *SEASON 2 PREMIERE*

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
8:30 p.m. (9 NT) – True North Calling *NEW FACTUAL SERIES*

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20
9 p.m. (9:30 NT) – Bellevue *NEW DRAMA SERIES*

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Production begins on Michael: Every Day

From a media release:

PRODUCTION BEGINS IN OTTAWA ON THE RETURN OF
MICHAEL: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS

  • SEASON 2 TITLED MICHAEL: EVERY DAY

Rhombus Media is pleased to announce that production has commenced in Ottawa, Ontario for the long anticipated return of the Canadian Screen Award nominated comedy series, Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays. Picking up five years after the first season, Season 2 will be titled Michael: Every Day.

Directed by Genie and Tony Award® winner Don McKellar (Sensitive Skin, The Grand Seduction), the series began shooting its second season for the CBC last week. Returning to the series are Canadian Screen Award nominee Matt Watts (The Grand Seduction) as Michael and multiple Gemini Award winner and Tony Award® winner Bob Martin (Sensitive Skin, Slings & Arrows) as Dr. David Storper. The second season is set to air in Canada on CBC in early 2017.

The new season picks up five years after the first, with Michael (Matt Watts) well established in his new city, and David (Bob Martin) struggling to continue his practice without the comfort of his twice weekly sessions with Michael. When Michael suffers a surprising and devastating panic attack at the airport on his departure for a business trip, he returns to Ottawa for help, only to find that David is in worse shape than he is. Michael depends on David to help him get over his fear of flying and David depends on Michael to help him get his mojo back.

“I’m excited to return to Ottawa,” explains Don McKellar. “We have excellent scripts, funny and complex. This season is more of a psychiatric detective story, replete with mysteries, revelations and a whole new spate of diverting and perplexing dysfunctionalities. Very much looking forward to getting Michael and David into treatment.”

“It’s wonderful to be able to revisit Dr. David Storper and his patient Michael after five years have passed,” says Bob Martin. “Both have changed, for better and worse, but they still remain dependent on each other. Season 2 is hilarious and touching and even shocking at times. And Ottawa has never looked better!”

Also returning to the series are Gemini and Canadian Screen Award nominee Jennifer Irwin (Eastbound & Down) as Sammy, Canadian Screen Award and Canadian Comedy Award nominee Tommie-Amber Pirie (Bitten) as Claire, and Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) as Dr. Wasserman. The series was created by Bob Martin and based on the real life neuroses of Matt Watts. Michael: Every Day is produced by Niv Fichman and Sari Friedland and executive produced by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The series is directed by Don McKellar, and written by Bob Martin, Matt Watts and Lynn Coady. Michael: Every Day is produced by Rhombus Media, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF). The series is distributed by Tricon Films & Television.

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