Tag Archives: Jade Fever

Fan-favourite original series Jade Fever returns March 23 on Discovery

From a media release:

Discovery digs into spring with a new, high-stakes season of the MADE®-in-Canada original unscripted series, JADE FEVER, with two, back-to-back episodes airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, beginning March 23.

Following the success of its last season, where back-to-back episodes made Discovery the top English entertainment specialty channel in the timeslot, JADE FEVER returns with 14 new, half-hour episodes. Season 6 continues to follow the Bunce family, as they gamble in search of million-dollar boulders of jade, in Northern B.C.’s Cassiar Mountains. After years of struggling to survive in the tough business, the Bunce’s luck may finally take a turn for the better when they get an unexpected early season call from a Vietnamese buyer. While the big sale could be a game changer, harsh weather, devastating breakdowns, and family turmoil make it tough to keep their eyes on the prize.

The new season kicks off with a bang on Monday, March 23 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with “The Big Deal,” when Claudia receives a $250,000 jade order. But things quickly turn sour when her crew questions if they have a big enough boulder to complete the sale. Then, at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, after years of getting the raw end of the deal with Scrappy Larry, Robin pulls a prank on his old buddy, but the fun and games abruptly end when Claudia’s buyer makes an unexpected request.

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New seasons of Mighty Cruise Ships, Last Stop Garage, and Jade Fever crop up on Discovery this spring

From a media release:

Discovery sails into spring with the return of several of the network’s fan-favourite original Canadian series, including LAST STOP GARAGE (Season 2), MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS (Season 3), and JADE FEVER (Season 5). Also on deck for March is a special presentation of the conservation documentary TIGERLAND, an official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Jam-packed with homegrown programming, the spring schedule kicks into gear when the Discovery original LAST STOP GARAGE returns for Season 2 Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning March 21. With two new half-hour episodes airing weekly, Season 2 follows the rag-tag team of mechanics from CRB Automotive in North West River, Labrador, the sole auto repair shop in their remote town of 553 people. Each half-hour episode follows the staff of CRB as they use backwoods ingenuity and mechanical wizardry to fix and build just about anything for anyone.

Then, the world’s most luxurious and cutting-edge cruise ships are highlighted when the Discovery original series MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS sets sail for Season 3, airing Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT beginning March 31. The six-episode season takes viewers to the tropical refuges of the Caribbean and French Polynesia, the classic waterways of the Mediterranean, and the remote coastlines of Norway and the high Arctic, highlighting the best vessel on which to set course for each tantalizing destination. Every episode delivers a see-all, hear-all journey through every moment above and below deck, from the mechanics of modern sea-going to the human dramas of the seafarers and guest service staff. Produced by Discovery’s in-house production unit, Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS is distributed to 110 countries worldwide by EPI’s distribution arm, Exploration Distribution Inc. – the international distributor for all of EPI and Bell Media programs.

With demand for jade skyrcocketing in China, the Bunce family continues their hunt for Grade A jade in Season 5 of Discovery’s unscripted original series JADE FEVER, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning April 8. With two half-hour episodes airing back-to-back each week, the Bunces are in desperate need of success after failing to find Grade A jade in the previous mining season. With their life savings on the line, Claudia hopes her father Steve, a jade mining veteran, will be her lucky ticket, but fireworks ensue when three generations of her family attempt to work together. Adding to the complications, treacherous roads, freak spring snowstorms, and raging wildfires threaten to derail their mining season.

From Academy® Award-winning filmmakers Ross Kauffman (Born into Brothels) and Fisher Stevens (The Cove), Discovery presents the feature-length documentary TIGERLAND on Saturday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The film illustrates how shifting political realities in Russia and India created a lucrative poaching underworld that decimated the tiger population. Inspired by the documentary, Discovery Canada’s parent company Discovery Networks International (DNI) and World Wildlife Fund US have partnered to help preserve Russia’s Bikin National Park, which is featured in TIGERLAND, as part of its Project C.A.T. initiative. DNI has committed to fully funding the site through 2022, bringing the total amount of preserved land through Project C.A.T. to more than 5.6 million acres since its launch in 2016.

Subscribers can access live streaming of Discovery programming through the Discovery app, and catch up on full seasons of Discovery series on demand through the Discovery app and at Discovery.ca.

Below is a closer look at Discovery’s new and returning programming highlights for March and April. All programming is subject to change (all times ET; visit discovery.ca to confirm local broadcast times; programming subject to change).

Thursday, March 21
9 p.m. – LAST STOP GARAGE – “Medi-Sled” – *Season 2 Premiere*
The CRB crew reboots a ski club’s snowmobile and builds a custom rescue sled with a detachable stretcher for the trails.

9:30 p.m. – LAST STOP GARAGE – “Dog Sled Van”
Collin and Corey help the owners of an adventure trekking business transport their huskies and sled across the rough roads of Labrador.

Saturday, March 30
9 p.m. – TIGERLAND – *Special Premiere*
In the span of only a handful of generations, the tiger has been transformed from a venerated creature into a major source of revenue, and the population of wild tigers in Asia has dropped from more than 100,000 to less than 4,000 as a result. In the face of corruption and cultural apathy, Russian scientist Pavel Fomenko and the conservationist family of Kailash Sankhala of India lead inspirational tiger-preservation movements to keep the legendary animal from disappearing entirely.

Sunday, March 31
7 p.m. – MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS – “Koningsdam” – *Season 3 Premiere*
Sail through the Norwegian fjords on Holland America’s Koningsdam, the newest, largest, and most technologically advanced ship in the Holland America fleet. Sailing the narrow Norwegian fjords presents numerous challenges for the bridge team, whether it’s snaking through the winding channels carved by the glaciers, searching for suitable anchor sites, or ferrying guests ashore with the ship’s tender boats. But it’s well worth the effort, leading to one of the steepest train rides in the world, waterfalls that cascade into verdant valleys, and hikes that climax with picnics on sheer cliff tops.

Monday, April 8
10 p.m. – JADE FEVER – “The Long and Grinding Road” – *Season 5 Premiere*
With no jade to show for last season, Claudia is desperate to start digging out the huge jade lens they found late last year. The crew set out on the first trek of the season to their mine, but deep mud and high waters turn the trip into a major disaster. For Claudia, it’s an ominous start to a critical season.

10:30 p.m. – JADE FEVER – “Nose for Jade”
With the road into their camp unpassable, Claudia puts mining on hold and sends Guy and Gary out to repair the torn-up road. Meanwhile, the newest member of the crew arrives – Claudia’s father, Steve. He placer mined the Two Mile claim 40 years ago and with everything on the line this year, Claudia’s desperately hoping he’s the lucky ticket she needs to turn this make-or-break season into a success.

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This March on Discovery: New original Canadian series Rocky Mountain Railroad and Season 4 of Jade Fever

From a media release:

This March, Discovery’s primetime schedule embarks on a bountiful lineup featuring a slew of new and popular returning homegrown programs.

The exhilarating month of authentic, character-driven programming is led by the debut of Discovery’s new original Canadian series ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET beginning March 5. The all-new series casts a spotlight on the elite crews assembled to keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides, and dangerous wildlife. Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD takes viewers on an exclusive journey to Canada’s most extreme railways, where the resilient crews do whatever it takes to keep the critical lifeline running smoothly.

Also in March, after a five-year hiatus, Discovery revives the iconic, fan-favourite, customized motorcycle series AMERICAN CHOPPER. Before the series makes its big return to Discovery’s spring schedule, viewers can catch a full-episode sneak peek of AMERICAN CHOPPER as it kicks off Discovery’s “Gear Head Week”, Monday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Before that, “gargantuan” takes on a whole new meaning with the return of DAILY PLANET’s “Gigantic Week”, weeknights at 7 p.m. ET, beginning March 5. Later in March, Discovery heads to Northern B.C. for Season 4 of JADE FEVER, airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13.

Below is a closer look at Discovery’s new and returning programming highlights for March. All programming is subject to change (all times ET; visit discovery.ca to confirm local broadcast times; programming subject to change).

“Gear Head Week”
Driven by an array of automotive-focused programming, “Gear Head Week” (March 5-9) invites viewers to test drive the finely-tuned programming with adrenaline-charged content including:

NEW SERIES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD – New Original Canadian Series
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning March 5

Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, the new eight-part series follows the resilient crews battling ferocious weather and treacherous terrain to keep Canada’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling through the winter. Shutting down is not an option.

NEW SEASONS OF RETURNING SERIES
DAILY PLANET– Theme Week!
Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

If it can be sized up on a truly massive scale, DAILY PLANET is on the case with its annual “Gigantic Week”. Scouring the world for the biggest and most over-the-top science and engineering stories, co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin invite viewers to witness the world’s whopping inventions, escalated experiments, and even exceptionally large creatures.

JADE FEVER – Original Canadian Series
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13

Season 4 of JADE FEVER follows the intense adventures of the Bunce family as they gamble in search of million-dollar boulders of jade in Northern B.C.’s Cassiar Mountains. Claudia and Robin Bunce are taking the ultimate risk this season – mining without investor support and putting their family’s life savings on the line in search for “Grade A” jade. Over a six-week period, viewers can catch a double dose of the Bunces’ exciting, high-stakes search with weekly back-to-back episodes.

 

 

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Discovery announces 2017/18 original programming slate; Canadian hits headline network’s 2017 fall lineup

From a media release:

Discovery, primetime’s most-watched entertainment specialty network in Canada among total viewers and key adult demos, announced its 2017 fall lineup today, headlined by an unrivaled 2017/18 original Canadian programming slate. Discovery’s primetime schedule continues to be underpinned by an unprecedented array of wildly popular homegrown programs for fall and winter, produced both in-house and in partnership with some of the country’s most successful independent production companies. In all, Discovery features six brand new programs joining 13 returning original series to headline its schedule for the 2017/18 broadcast year.

New to Discovery’s production slate are character-driven series LAST STOP GARAGE, airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 23; ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD (Winter 2018); and HELLFIRE HEROES (Spring 2018). These series are complemented by one-of-a-kind original specials, including the Exploration Production Inc. (EPI)-produced SATURN: INSIDE THE RINGS (Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT), featuring DAILY PLANET’s Dan Riskin, as well as the cutting-edge mystery solver from Discovery’s popular “DRAIN” series, DRAIN ALCATRAZ, coming this November.

Following the network’s first foray into original scripted drama last fall, Discovery features the exclusive and thrilling world debut of FRONTIER’s second season, airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 18. Featuring international film star and Canadian Screen Award nominee Jason Momoa (Justice League), the new season sees new alliances threatening to topple the established power dynamic, as loyalties shift and old wounds fester.

But first, the Fall 2017 schedule kicks off with Season 23 of Discovery’s flagship series DAILY PLANET – currently enjoying its most-watched year in series history –continuing to go where no one else dares. Kicking off a new season with “Boldly Go Week”, airing Monday, Aug. 28 through Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, the original series currently reaches more than 1.4 million viewers each week, and continues to win its 7 p.m. ET timeslot versus other Canadian entertainment specialty channels among key adult demos.

The 2017 fall season follows a highly successful broadcast year for Discovery’s original Canadian programs, which featured the debut of HEAVY RESCUE: 401 in January as the #1 original Canadian series launch of the season on entertainment specialty television, followed by last fall’s world debut of the network’s new scripted series FRONTIER. In 2016/17, Discovery was also home to the most-watched unscripted specialty series in Canada among A18-34 and A18-49, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER.

Winning three of seven nights per week in primetime among A25-54 viewers – more than any other entertainment specialty network – Discovery also claims four of the Top 10 series on entertainment specialty television in the current broadcast year withCANADA’S WORST DRIVER, HEAVY RESCUE: 401, GOLD RUSH, and HIGHWAY THRU HELL.

Looking forward to Discovery’s 2017/18 original programming slate, below are key programming highlights in chronological order:

Fall 2017 Original Programming Highlights

  • Internationally recognized winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best News or Information Series, DAILY PLANET returns for its 23rd season – Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT beginning Aug. 28.
  • Top 10 Entertainment Specialty program HIGHWAY THRU HELL returns for Season 6 – Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 5.
  • Investigating the stories and science behind major aviation crashes, Season 17 of MAYDAY – Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 8.
  • Exploring the genius of flight technology with the aid of high-end CGI is Season 4 of MIGHTY PLANES – Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 10.
  • Long-time international favourite, HOW IT’S MADE returns for Season 30 –Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 11.
  • Traveling the world to explore how everyday objects can be deconstructed and reimagined in incredible ways, MADE BY DESTRUCTION returns for Season 2 – Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 11.
  • **NEW SPECIAL** As its final act, Cassini – the largest interplanetary spacecraft NASA has ever built – will dive into Saturn’s atmosphere, collecting unprecedented science to end its 13-year mission orbiting the ringed jewel of the solar system. The one-hour special SATURN: INSIDE THE RINGS(Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) unveils the engineering of the mammoth spacecraft, while shining a light on the team that responsible for a range of incredible discoveries.
  • As new alliances threaten to topple the established power dynamic, loyalities shift and old wounds fester in the thrilling second season of FRONTIER (Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 18), headlining Discovery’s fall schedule with a six-episode broadcast event.
  • **NEW SERIES** LAST STOP GARAGE (Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 23) follows the often hilarious antics of CRB Automotive, the sole auto repair shop at the end of the only road left before hitting the most remote North American wilderness.
  • Discovery’s most-watched original series among key adult demos, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER (Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 23) enters its 13th season.
  • Season 2 of TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS (Mondays at 11 p.m. ET and 11:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. PT beginning Oct. 23) stars CANADA’S WORST DRIVER’s Andrew Younghusband in search of wildly different experiences in each episode.
  • **NEW SPECIAL** The world’s most infamous prison was also its most inescapable. But why? Many have tried to solve this mystery, but none have searched beneath the waves…until now. DRAIN ALCATRAZ (November 2017) uses cutting-edge CGI and sophisticated technology to “drain” the seas and scrub the sediments, revealing once and for all why Alcatraz was so difficult to escape.
  • **NEW SPECIAL** Inspired by the best-selling book from author and DAILY PLANET co-host Dan Riskin, MOTHER NATURE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU (Fall 2017) takes viewers on a lively romp through the underbelly of the natural world. With a unique combination of animation and live action footage, Mother Nature has never looked so twisted. The one-hour special brings to life the sordid tales of insects, animals, and creatures behaving in such shocking fashion that viewers will surely never think of nature in the same beautiful, pleasant way again.
  • Long-running international hit MIGHTY SHIPS (December 2017) sets sail on a new high-stakes voyage for Season 10, taking viewers on the journey and below the surface to explore places and technologies that are usually off-limits to land lovers.

Additional NEW Original Series Coming in 2017/18

  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD (Winter 2018) takes viewers on an action-packed journey to discover an extraordinary Canadian way of life, meeting everyone from off-gridders whose sole source of resupply is the rail to the hardy crews who do whatever it takes to keep these extreme railroads running.
  • Character-driven docuseries HELLFIRE HEROES (Spring 2018) gets up-close-and-personal with firefighters who’ll do just about anything to keep their community safe in the bullseye of the forest fire danger zone, Alberta’s remote Slave Lake.

Additional Returning Original Canadian Series Coming in 2017/18

  • Last season’s most-watched Canadian program debut, HEAVY RESCUE: 401(Winter 2018) returns for a second season to follow Heavy Rescue operators as they keep some of North America’s busiest highways moving.
  • Following the adventures of the jade-mining Bunce Family in northern B.C. is Season 4 of JADE FEVER (Winter 2018).
  • Season 31 of HOW IT’S MADE (Winter 2018) returns for a second helping this broadcast year, continuing to look behind the scenes at how everyday things are manufactured during Season 31.
  • Returning to investigate more major aviation disasters is Season 18 of MAYDAY (Winter 2018).
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Comments and queries for the week of March 17

I watch Jade Fever a lot and have operated heavy equipment for 30 years. Just wondering why at the end of the season you don’t properly get all heavy equipment in for winter storage and then leave at mining site? These long trips back and forth are doing a lot of damage to these two machines. The excavator and bulldozer are not designed for this much punishment; this is why we have flatbed trailers to move to each of our sites on short or long trips. And in winter they are stored on-site. —Bruce


I very much liked This Life. Well-produced with top-notch performances. Tori Higginson was a joy to watch. —Edward


I knew this was coming on Saving Hope when Alex made that promise at the end of last season. No TV hospital drama romance is ever smooth sailing, so we can’t expect that from Charlie and Alex, especially considering their circumstances. I’m siding with Charlie though, look at the real, physical signs. Alex shouldn’t live her life in fear. Good start to the season, I know it’s going to be a good one. —Hallie

This show is just too good to end. Somebody, please save the show. It’s amazing 😀😀😀😀😀 all good things don’t have to end. Use your imagination and make a Lifetime story of it. People come and go in the hospital and there is always a story to tell. 😢😢Please, please save the show. —Jessica

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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