TV, eh?

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Mercer Tops CBC Winter Numbers
  “Numbers are in for how the CBC shows have fared over the first ten weeks of 2008 and the Rick Mercer Report stands at the top of the list, both in total households and in the 25-54-year-old demographic, CBC’s targeted demo.” Read more.

From Playback:

• Sci Fi kills Painkiller Jane
  Global Television is sticking with its plans to air season one of Painkiller Jane this fall, though the B.C.-made action series has been cancelled by Sci Fi Channel for failing to draw an audience. Read more.

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

• She’s no pain Jane: They may have similar powers, but Painkiller Jane is no Heroes rip-off
  Call it the Battle of the Bulletproof Blondes … though you might not want to call it that within earshot of either. Particularly not “Painkiller Jane,” the more seasoned and violence-prone of these two rival super-heroines, making her Canadian television debut this week, Thursday night at 8 on CH.

The show premieres April 21 on CH:

From Blogcritics:

• TV Review: Painkiller Jane – Relief For Friday Nights (Spoilers)
  “Painkiller Jane may get canceled after one season. That doesn’t mean it should.”

From Comic Book Resources:

• Palmiotti talks Painkiller Jane the TV series
  More than a decade ago, Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada introduced the world to a character called Painkiller Jane in a comic of the same name.

From IF Magazine:

• Exclusive Interview: Kristanna Loken kicks arse on Painkiller Jane 

From the Orlando Sun-Sentinel – the show premiered April 21 on CH

• Crime fighter lives in a world of pain
  “She heals as quickly as the cheerleader on Heroes, narrates as chattily as Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy and battles as fiercely as Sydney Bristow on Alias. Jane Vasco is a hybrid of others’ traits, sort of like a monster composed of spare body parts.”

From the New York Times – the show will premiere April 21 on CH:

• ‘Painkiller Jane’: Giving All for Her Country but Also Feeling the Pain
  “Someone appears to have encountered the gritty comic book character, thought, “Wouldn’t that be a cool title for a TV series?” and then decided to make one. The result is just what you’d expect: The name ends up being the best thing about the show.”

From AfterEllen.com:

• Interview with Kristanna Loken
  “Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name by Jimmy Palmiotti, the television show is about a covert agency that tracks down neurological aberrants, or “neuros.” Loken’s character, former DEA agent Jane Vasco, discovers that she has some abnormal skills of her own: She can be injured — and she can certainly feel the pain — but she heals very quickly and can survive experiences that would kill ordinary people. In the process, she kicks a lot of ass while taking down the bad guys.”

From TV Blend:

• TV Review: Painkiller Jane
  “The first two episodes offer little substance for viewers to tear into. This is a shame because if you can look past that you’ll see the potential.”

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

• Sci Fi’s Jane is just a pain to watch
  “What really makes you shake your head while you’re watching “Painkiller Jane” is that it wouldn’t have taken that much to get people hooked.”

From the LA Daily News:

• ‘Painkiller Jane’ could become a quirky addiction
  “In “Heroes,” the characters with special powers are largely the good guys, being hunted by a shadowy group with ostensibly sinister motives. In “Painkiller Jane,” the shadowy group comprises the good guys and those with bizarre powers are neutralized.”

From PlanetOut.com:

• Painkiller Jane
  “Dark and slightly green-tinted, like everyone’s wearing dark-green shades, or watching “The Matrix” on continuous loop. It’s so murky, in fact, that you can’t even tell if secret agent Jane “Painkiller” Vasko (sexy sometime “L-Word” guest star Kristanna Loken) is straight or gay.”

From Comics2Film – the show premieres April 21 on CH:

• Exclusive: Jimmy Palmiotti talks ‘Painkiller Jane’
  This Jane series is different. Joe [Quesada] and I are involved and have something to say if we really see something we don’t agree with. The comic exists on its own and will come out exactly as we see it with no one telling us to change anything and that’s great.

From TV Barn – Painkiller Jane premieres April 21 on CH:

• Not-so-sweet ‘Jane’: Sci Fi’s ‘Painkiller Jane’ has a familiar ring
  “The effects-laden pilot of “Painkiller Jane” is certainly watchable. And you can’t bet against Sci Fi channel, which took that 1970s clunker “Battlestar Galactica” and transformed it into a 21st-century cable hit and cultural metaphor machine.”

From TV with MeeVee – Painkiller Jane premieres April 21 on CH:

• Totally Frakked: Painkiller Jane – Bring the Pain!
  “The newest original series from Sci Fi, Painkiller Jane, took a circuitous route to the small screen. Originally a comic book, then adapted by Sci Fi for a 2005 TV movie, and now revived and rebooted as a weekly series with a brand-new cast. While Painkiller Jane’s hardly a new idea, it seems like the show-runners are trying their hardest to make it fly on a weekly basis.”

From Playback, includes ratings for Degrassi and Royal Canadian Air Farce and scheduling information for Painkiller Jane:

• Juno ratings plunge, but by how much? 

Articles are about the US premiere – the show premieres April 21 on CH Television in Canada.

From Kansas.com:

• Sci-Fi’s Painkiller perfect match for star
  “Kristanna Loken is as perfect in person as she was battling Schwarzenegger, and those flashing fists, gymnastic gyrations and perfect proportions are being drafted again for the Sci-Fi Channel’s series, Painkiller Jane.”

From Comic Book Resources:

• Bringing Painkiller Jane to the small screen
  “‘If you guys are familiar with the comic, it’s a little bit of the comic, it’s a little bit of X-Files thrown in with a little bit of madness,’ said [co-creator Jimmy] Palmiotti of the new series.”

From CH Television:

PAINKILLER JANE
**CANADIAN ORIGINAL SERIES PREMIERE**
Saturdays at 10pm ET/PT Beginning April 21

Jane Vasco (Kristanna Loken), a.k.a. “Painkiller Jane,” and a covert government unit must track down and contain the spread of “Neuros” – genetically altered humans who possess extraordinary, and often deadly, neurological powers. Based on the comic book created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada.

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.”

PAINKILLER JANE **CANADIAN ORIGINAL SERIES PREMIERE”
Saturdays at 10pm ET/PT Beginning April 21
Jane Vasco (Kristanna Loken), a.k.a. “Painkiller Jane,” and a covert government unit must track down and contain the spread of “Neuros” – genetically altered humans who possess extraordinary, and often deadly, neurological powers. Based on the comic book created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada.

From CanWest MediaWorks:

CanWest MediaWorks Announces “In Production” and “Spring 07″ Premiere Slate For Original Programming

New and Returning Drama Series Including FALCON BEACH Season 2 Premiere, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning January 5, 2007 THE BEST YEARS From Writer/Creator Aaron Martin

CanWest MediaWorks today unveiled details on its premiere slate of original programming in production for 2007 – an exciting roster of new and returning series and documentaries across its conventional and specialty networks – delivering on its commitment to producing the most unique and innovative programming on the Canadian television landscape.

In all, CanWest’s wide-reaching original programming palette for 2007 includes seven scripted series now in production – including the sophomore return of steamy summertime drama, FALCON BEACH and the premiere of THE BEST YEARS; 78 hours of factual entertainment currently commissioned and in production; 35 featured documentaries now airing or in production, plus an additional 10 original series (124 hours) of original content across CanWest’s specialty networks.

“This new slate of programming provides Canadian TV viewers with the finest in content and choice, combining the momentum of our returning successes FALCON BEACH and THE JANE SHOW with strong, engaging new series and documentaries,” said Christine Shipton, Vice-President, Original Programming for CanWest MediaWorks. “We’re delighted to work with our producing partners to develop and deliver programming that’s sure to resonate with audiences.”

CanWest’s 2007 original programming rollout begins with the second season premiere of international hit FALCON BEACH (13 x 60 min), Friday, January 5, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global Television. Other diverse series in production and set to premiere in Spring 2007 include:

• Season Two of acclaimed, observational workplace comedy THE JANE SHOW (13 x 30)
• THE BEST YEARS (13 x 60), a campus-life drama from writer/creator Aaron Martin (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
• DA KINK IN MY HAIR (13 x 30), a heart-warming series based on the popular stage play
• LOVE YOU TO DEATH (13 x 30), a black-comedy anthology starring cult filmmaker John Waters
• PAINKILLER JANE (22 x 60), a sci-fi stunner starring Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3) and Rob Stewart
• DURHAM COUNTY (6 x 60), an intense police drama starring Hugh Dillon and Justin Louis.

Also in production: second seasons of the Debbie Travis-led FROM THE GROUND UP, cuisine competition THE NEXT GREAT CHEF and the compelling cosmetic surgery exposé VANITY INSANITY. New documentary series include VERY BAD MEN, examining seedy, real-life criminals and PRETTY DANGEROUS, which profiles femme fatales who commit crimes for cash.

Exclusive new content for CanWest’s specialty networks includes commercial culture favourite AD PERSUASION, TV trivia gamer INSIDE THE BOX, and quirky news of-the-world showcase THAT NEWS SHOW.