Tag Archives: Global

Private Eyes: William Shatner guest-stars

I enjoy what William Shatner brings to a television show. He adds a certain gravitas to a role that I’ve loved since Boston Legal. This week he adds his panache to Thursday’s new episode of Private Eyes as a rival to Angie and Shade’s business.

Here’s what Global’s official episode synopsis says about “The PI Code,” written by Derek Schreyer and directed by Sudz Sutherland.

Shade and Angie are hired by a stunning lawyer, Melanie Parker, to look into jury-tampering in the high-profile murder case she’s prosecuting. During their investigation, they stumble upon a rival PI, Norm Glinski (guest star William Shatner), working the opposite side of the bench. With the odds stacked against them, our PIs find evidence that may put the entire case, and their careers, in jeopardy. 

And here’s a few more tidbits we can add after watching a screener.

Private Eyes goes dark
Listen, we’re not talking about HBO’s True Detective here, but the case Angie and Shade are involved in is more violent than the tales we’ve seen before. The humour we’ve come to expect is still there though.

William Shatner isn’t the only guest star
Veteran actor Ron Lea plays an attorney,  ET Canada‘s Sangita Patel shows up as—you guessed it—a reporter and Bree Williamson portrays lawyer Melanie Parker, who makes an immediate impact on Shade if you know what I mean. And Murdoch Mysteries fans will recognize Daiva Johnston, a.ka. Eva Pearce, in a key role.

Speaking of catching one’s eye…
Don seems to have a lady friend. Good for him!

As for Mr. Shatner…
He’s a delight as Norm Glinski who, as he says, “puts the dick in private dick.” He’s a liar, a cheater and a thief. And, of course, Angie and Shade have to interact with him.

Private Eyes airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Link: William Shatner on Canada’s 150th, adapting to role of the guest star

From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:

Link: William Shatner on Canada’s 150th, adapting to role of the guest star
William Shatner doesn’t get all the fuss about Canada’s 150th birthday on July 1.

“I was there at Confederation,” jokes Shatner, not quite Canada’s age at 86. “I said to John A.,” he continues, “you know, you should incorporate this country.” Continue reading.

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Private Eyes gets ghostly in Episode 5

Season 2 of Private Eyes has really been a joy to watch. It’s the perfect summer confection, packed with fun with a side of light drama; the perfect program to sit down and fully enjoy on a steamy evening. The writing in this sophomore go-round is tighter and the acting crew have truly embraced their roles. That continues in this week’s new storyline, “Now You See Her…,” which injects a little of the paranormal into the proceedings.

Here is the official episode synopsis from Global for Thursday’s episode written by James Thorpe and directed by Kelly Makin:

A brilliant orchestra conductor hires Shade and Angie to find his missing fiancée. But there’s a catch – she died a year ago. On the trail of a ghost, Shade and Angie unearth a dark secret with fatal implications for everyone involved.

And, as always, here are a few tidbits to tease you after watching a screener.

Don gets a plot of his own
Daddy Shade has been in the background for much of the series so far, able to offer a supporting shoulder or a well-timed quip. This week a phone call puts Don front and centre, and throws his and Matt’s lives for a loop.

Nolan returns
It’s been a few weeks since Clé Bennett (above) has been on-screen and it’s great to have his whisper-voiced, detective back in our lives, especially if it leads to some super-awkward scenes involving Angie as they discuss the case. (Also, I love the writing team giving a shout-out to Cobourg, Ont.)

Follow the moving donut box
I’m a total TV geek and take immense pleasure in the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating a television show from the writing to the incredible sets and set decoration. That’s why I spotted a donut box that switched position a couple of times in one scene. See if you catch it too. Mon Dieu!

Second Jen co-star alert!
Samantha Wan, of course, plays Zoe this season. While we await the fate of Second Jen—ahem Rogers—keep your eyes peeled for a guest role by Wan’s co-star Amanda Joy.

Private Eyes airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Mary Kills People: Amy Cameron on the last-minute renewal and what’s coming in Season 2

In a perfect world, the creators and producers of a television show find out their show’s been renewed with plenty of time to develop scripts, scout locations for filming and nail down schedules for cast and crew.

That didn’t happen with Mary Kills People. On June 5, Corus announced via press release that a second season of the drama, starring Caroline Dhavernas, had been ordered. The producers were informed of the renewal just days before the press release dropped.

“People kept asking me if we’d been renewed and they thought I was being coy,” executive producer Amy Cameron says. “I really didn’t know. We got a surprise phone call from Rachel Nelson [Corus’ director of original content] who said, ‘We want to release the news, so don’t tell anybody.’ It was that specific and that quick.” Days later Dhavernas was in Toronto promoting a second season that is, well, still be developed. It’s suddenly a very busy year for the trio at Cameron Pictures. The production company, consisting of Amy and Tassie Cameron (Rookie Blue) and Caledonia Brown, has got Ten Days in the Valley set for broadcast this fall on ABC—and CTV in Canada—and Little Dog in production in Newfoundland to air this winter on CBC.

But back to Mary Kills People. When we last left Mary (Dhavernas), she was no longer being investigated for her role in the deaths of terminally ill patients, Des (Richard Short) seemed to have gotten his life back on track and Ben (Jay Ryan) and Mary appeared to be a couple. Meanwhile, Grady (Greg Bryk) was dead and Mary’s sister, Nicole (Charlotte Sullivan), announced she wanted to be part of Mary’s team. Will the duo angels of death become a trio in Season 2’s six new instalments?

“We are moving quickly,” Cameron says. “We’re at outline stage on about half of the episodes and hoping to be pitched the back half in the next week or two.” She’s particularly excited to have—in addition to series creator Tara Armstrong, writer Marsha Greene, script coordinator Justin Giallonardo and showrunner and executive producer Tassie Cameron—newcomers Lara Azzopardi (Backstage) and Rookie Blue and Saving Hope co-creator Morwyn Brebner in the writing room. Cameron acknowledges Mary Kills People deals with dark subject matter, but credits the writing team and cast for keeping the tone from being too heavy and a downer to watch. Cameron is mum on sophomore season storyline details—those are still being worked out—but did give us a hint.

“The writers have come up with an organic direction to go in that is still going to surprise the audience,” Cameron says. “We’ve always talked about exploring the edges of the line, that grey area, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Big Brother Canada goes on hiatus after five seasons

It’s the end of the road for Big Brother Canada. For now, at least. Host Arisa Cox made the surprising announcement on Monday afternoon with a post on Twitter.

“It’s been FIVE BRILLIANT SEASONS and now it’s official, @BigBrotherCA is on hiatus,” she wrote. “MASSIVE LOVE to our BB fam from the bottom of my heart.”

The announcement came the same day Corus made its upfront announcement, outlining American primetime acquisitions and Canadian original orders and renewals. Big Brother Canada wasn’t listed on any of the press materials, but it being a spring program isn’t always on fall materials.

“We CAN and we WILL get through this together!” Cox tweeted a few moments later. “The second we know more I’ll share it, so stay tuned. LOVE! #BBCAN @BigBrotherCA @Global_TV”


Listen to our interview with Big Brother Canada supervising producer Trevor Boris


The hiatus comes following the series’ May 18 season finale when professional poker Kevin Martin of Calgary emerged victorious, scoring the $100,000 grand prize, $30,000 gift card from The Brick and 2017 Toyota ’86. Season 5 of brought back some of Canada’s favourite houseguests from the past to battle new houseguests from the present, pitting them against each other in a fight for future supremacy inside the Big Brother Canada “Odyssey” house. Second chance houseguests included Gary Levy from Toronto; Neda Kalantar from Vancouver; and Bruno Ielo from Ottawa. First-time houseguests joining the returning players included Andre “Dre” Gwenaelle, a masters student from Montreal; Mark Chrysler, a bartender from Edmonton; William Laprise Desbiens, a marketing student from Trois-Rivieres, QB; and Emily Hawkin, a bartender from Lindsay, ON.

Though fans should still hold out hope Big Brother Canada could return, Insight Productions—the folks behind the program—placed Canadian Idol on hiatus with CTV after six seasons. It never came back. Insight produces Top Chef Canada for Food Network Canada and The Amazing Race Canada for CTV.

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