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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
The Spencer Sisters

CTV original series The Spencer Sisters premieres Feb. 10 on CTV

From a media release:

A mother-and-daughter duo become budding crime investigators in the new CTV Original drama THE SPENCER SISTERS, airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning February 10. Created by award-winning executive producer Alan McCullough (PRIVATE EYES, ROOKIE BLUE) and co-showrun with Jenn Engels (SORT OF), the female-led series is a light-hearted, one-hour procedural that follows mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Lea Thompson, Back To The Future, CAROLINE IN THE CITY) and her daughter Darby Spencer (Stacey Farber, VIRGIN RIVER, SCHITT’S CREEK) who are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in the fictional town of Alder Bluffs, Ont. Filmed in Winnipeg, the first season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.

In THE SPENCER SISTERS, after a string of bad luck, Toronto police officer Darby Spencer (Farber) quits her job and is forced to return home to her estranged mother, internationally renowned mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Thompson). After the duo are thrust into solving a crime together, Darby discovers a side to Victoria she never knew, and ultimately takes the plunge into the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming her partner in a private detective agency. Despite their opposing personalities, generational differences and complicated history, they discover they may have more in common than they thought. Each episode brings a new case to solve, and while the tightly-wound Darby and the carefree Victoria may never quite see eye to eye, they discover that maybe – just maybe – they need each other more than they realize.

Joining the cast in supporting roles are Thomas Antony Olajide (Learn To Swim) as Darby’s high school best friend and Alder Bluffs cop Zane Graham; Edward Ruttle (ARCTIC AIR) as Darby’s high school flame Doctor Lucas Collins; Husein Madhavji (SAVING HOPE) as Victoria’s “IT Consultant” (a.k.a. hacker) Alastair Dhumal; Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves (SORT OF) as Victoria’s feisty literary agent Sarita Stark; Rodrigo Massa (EL DRAGÓN: RETURN OF A WARRIOR) as Zane’s (Olajide) husband Antonio Pereira, who operates a Brazilian bistro in Alder Bluffs; Kaitlyn Leeb (SPINNING OUT) as Lindsay Yip – a hotshot lawyer who is Lucas’ fiancée; and Adam Hurtig (Cult of Chucky) as the lead detective of the Alder Bluff’s police force.

Season 1 also features guest appearances by Paul Popowich (MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN), Andrew Bushell (HUDSON & REX), Cindy Sampson (PRIVATE EYES), Seán Cullen (MURDOCH MYSTERIES), Matt Wells (Crown and Anchor), Alex Ozerov (CARDINAL), Jennifer Hui (STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS), Nancy Sorel (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE), Mercedes Morris (AMERICAN GODS), Julius Cho (CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING), Mika Amonsen (EZRA), Daniel Kash (The Man From Toronto), Paul Essiembre (THE PORTER), Tova Epp (TITANS), Zarrin Darnell-Martin (GINNY & GEORGIA), and Hazel Venzon (BURDEN OF TRUTH).

On the series premiere of THE SPENCER SISTERS, “The Scholar’s Snafu” (Friday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app), after her life in the city falls apart, former cop Darby Spencer (Farber) is forced to return to her childhood home and her estranged, best-selling mystery novelist mother Victoria Spencer (Thompson). But when Darby’s friend Kaia (guest star Jennifer Hui, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS) is wrongfully accused of plagiarism, Darby and Victoria must put aside their differences and investigate, uncovering a wide-ranging scandal. A special preview of the debut episode airs Sunday, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7p.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, immediately following the conclusion of the NFL Conference Championship.

Exclusive videos are available throughout the season on @CTV’s social channels and on CTV.ca and the CTV app, providing viewers with an extension of the series with bonus digital content that includes behind-the-scenes videos and more.

A CTV Original series, THE SPENCER SISTERS is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Buffalo Gal Pictures. The series is created by Alan McCullough and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels .

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Documentary Doug and the Slugs & Me is a filmmaker’s love letter to her childhood

Growing up in the 1980s, I heard a lot of Doug and the Slugs music.

The group’s music videos for tunes like “Too Bad,” “Making It Work,” “Tomcat Prowl” and “Day by Day” were MuchMusic staples. Heck, I have “Day by Day” as part of my most-played songs on my iPhone. But, aside from knowing they were from Vancouver and created some wild videos, Doug and the Slugs has been a bit of a mystery to me.

Until now.

Debuting Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC, Doug and the Slugs & Me follows filmmaker Teresa Alfeld as she explores the story of Doug Bennett. And while he led one of the most iconic 80s bands in Canada, Alfeld only knew him—during her childhood—as the cool dad of her best friend next door in East Vancouver.

Unlike most music documentaries that simply trace the birth and growth of a band, Doug and the Slugs & Me adds Alfeld’s personal journey, including chats with her mother, to round out Bennett and the band’s story. That, along with interviews with the Slugs, Bob Geldof (who worked with Bennett before Doug and the Slugs formed), Bif Naked, Steven Page, Ron Sexsmith, Michael Williams, Denise Donlon (who was the band’s publicist!) and Terry David Mulligan—and treasured home video—paint a wonderfully moving picture not only of Bennett but capture a slice of Canadiana well worth checking out.

Doug and the Slugs & Me airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of Hans Sipma.

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Featured, Podcast

TV, Eh? Podcast Episode 257: Canadian winter TV on CBC and Citytv

Welcome back to another bi-weekly (ish) chat about the latest news in Canadian TV! First, Greg and Amy go through debuts and returns on the Canadian TV calendar.

Then, we cover the latest Canadian TV news, which includes the debut of Citytv’s newest original series, Wong & Winchester, and CBC’s Sort Of and Best in Miniature being renewed.

This podcast brought to you by Sipsmith Gin and Wayne Gretzky Pinot Grigio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Run the Burbs

Links: Run the Burbs, Season 2

From Aisling Murphy of the Toronto Star:

Link: ‘We laugh a lot on set’: Andrew Phung and Rakhee Morzaria on running the ’burbs for a second season
“One thing we noticed right away was that our audience was much younger, was often families and often families of colour. That’s something I’m really proud of. In order for us to make those changes in our media landscape, we have to engage audiences who haven’t always been engaged by mainstream broadcasters.” Continue reading.

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: What about Bob? Albertans Andrew Phung and Gavin Crawford face off in Season 2 of Run the Burbs
In the three years that Andrew Phung worked at Calgary’s Village Square Leisure Centre co-ordinating youth programs, he got a good look at bureaucracy. Continue reading.

From Courtney Shea of Toronto Life:

Link: “King Street nightlife is fun, but then you turn 30 and just want to be in bed by 11”: A Q&A with Run the Burbs creator Andrew Phung
“If Full House was about the Tanners, you could say Run the Burbs is about their neighbours—the people whose stories never got told. But our show is unique in other ways: a lot of family comedies are about bickering, whereas my show is about two adults who love their kids. It’s funny that such a basic premise feels fresh.” Continue reading.

From Noel Ransome of The Canadian Press:

Link: ‘Run the Burbs’ has a new showrunner and renewed focus on authenticity for Season 2
Newly minted “Run the Burbs” showrunner Anthony Q. Farrell firmly believes that authenticity is a central part of diverse storytelling — from the script to diverging perspectives on set that express what is real versus “what doesn’t feel true.” Continue reading.

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