Yearly Archives: 2015

Featured

Comments and queries for the week of March 27

2 Comments

I was just curious if Blood, Sweat & Tools may run a second season and when or how you may be able to enter to possibly get on it?—Ashley

Hey Ashley, thanks for the email. Unfortunately, there is no casting information for Season 2 of Blood, Sweat & Tools because the first go-round hasn’t aired yet. You can catch the debut on Monday, April 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery. Check out the cast and judges.

What I think will happen [on Murdoch Mysteries] is that Edna’s husband will be the murderer next week, or (much more likely) one of the victims. George will be under suspicion for his death and the detective’s position will go to someone else, and even after everything comes out, the relationship with Edna will still be over. So he’ll end up with nobody and will still be at Station House No. 4 at the end of the season. As for who the murderer might be? Maybe a crazed Leslie Garland, but I don’t think so. I’d love if it looks like it’s him, only to get murdered as well. I’m holding out for a return of Gillies, since I think Murdoch was right about his theory that he could have faked his death. And I think he’d go for Leslie because he wouldn’t like that someone pretended to be him.—Enhas

Poor, George Crabtree! I was so sad for him. I just love the character and it looked like all was finally falling into place for him. But, alas, it was not to be. At the very end of the episode there appeared to be someone watching when George and Edna met up. Was it her husband? Will he turn up dead? Will George be blamed? Will Edna? Have I been watching too many murder mystery shows? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out in Season 9.—Joyce

[What] channels [for pick and pay]? I want whole broadcasts from South Africa, Mauritius, Nigeria, Chile, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Turkey, France, Spain, Finland, etc. We lack much internationalization here.—Bill

About the only channels I would keep are TCM, Showcase (although endless repeats of NCIS may make me want to cancel), BNN, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, CNBC, maybe CNN, but not during presidential election year when that is the only thing that exists in their small universe, Vision (for the British comedies) and maybe AMC and Bravo. I would definitely dump every single sports channel, History, Space, HGTV, A&E and Discovery, They are all dominated by reality crap now and I don’t even bother to check them any more.—Dorf

We want CBC, TVO, the American channels, YTV and Teletoon.—Leh

Food TV: Triple-D, Knife Fight, YGEH, Eat St.
Documentary Channel: For documentaries
Smithsonian: For documentaries
Love Nature: For documentaries
HIFI TV: Lots of Bourdain reruns, music content
Cottage Life: Because winters are long
Discovery Velocity: Planes, trains and automobiles—TJ

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Let me know below or via @tv_eh.

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Uncategorized

Carver Kings premieres April 5

From a media release:

Top-Notch Chainsaw Carvers Transform Trees into Treasure in Carver Kings

  • HGTV Canada Presents Jaw-Dropping Look at Producing Custom Art from Raw Wood
  • New Series Premieres Sunday April 5 at 10pm ET/PT

HGTV Canada expands its royal family this spring with the new series Carver Kings, a captivating and entertaining look at the unique world of chainsaw carving. A companion to the hit Timber Kings series, Carver Kings follows a passionate crew of elite chainsaw mavericks based out of Williams Lake, B.C. as they turn raw wood into stunning custom art for the owners of the world’s most spectacular log homes. Carver Kings premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday, April 5 at 10pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Part of the team at Pioneer Log Homes, these chainsaw experts are challenged with creating extraordinary, one-of-a-kind carvings for the Timber Kings’ most prestigious clients. Faced with near impossible deadlines, demanding clientele, last minute changes and work yard egos, the Carver Kings will stop at nothing to make sure their works of art are the crown jewel of some of the most magnificent log homes on the planet.

As some of the best carvers in the world, the Kings know every detail about the subjects they carve – from the number of feathers on a bird’s wing to the exact angle at which a bear’s claw curves. Each incredible carving comes with a unique story and viewers get an up-close look at the precise work required to create a range of carvings. Whether it’s an eagle, a mountain lion, a family tree, a gazebo or even a tiki bar, every carving becomes a striking focal point in homes across North America.

“After seeing the incredible fan base that Timber Kings has developed in its first two seasons, we think viewers are going to be thrilled to experience another aspect of the log home building industry,” said David Paperny, President, Paperny Entertainment. “Some people create art with paint and canvas, others with stone and chisel. Carver Kings will showcase the incredible artistry that can come from the unlikely chainsaw. We’re excited for viewers to meet this talented bunch of characters living in the high-pressure world of chainsaw carving.”

The premiere episode follows the Carver Kings as they create a modern totem pole for a Colorado log stunner that Timber King Peter Arnold needs to complete the build. The homeowner requested a piece that stands 13 feet tall and represents the native animals of Colorado – but they only have five days to complete the work. In this high-stakes job where timing and quality are everything, one mistake could prove very costly to the whole project. Meanwhile, across the work yard at Pioneer Log Homes, the most seasoned carver of the bunch gives Pioneer’s rookie carvers a surprise job to cut their teeth on.

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Continuum

Production starts on final season of Continuum

From a media release:

  • Season Four premieres July 26 on Showcase
  • Rachel Nichols, Victor Webster and Eric Knudsen lead ensemble cast for the critically acclaimed show

Reunion Pictures, in association with Shaw Media, today announced that production is underway on season four of Continuum, Showcase’s Canadian original action-drama about a policewoman from 2077 who travels back in time to track down escaped Liber8 convicts from the future. The six one-hour episode conclusion wraps production in late May and premieres July 26, 2015 on Showcase.

In season four of Continuum, Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols, Criminal Minds, Alias) and the mysterious time traveler, Brad Tonkin (Ryan Robbins, Falling Skies, The Killing) must battle the Future Soldiers who arrived in a flash of light in the last moments of season three. Meanwhile, Kiera’s alliance with the remaining members of Liber8 challenges her relationship with both Carlos (Victor Webster, Castle, Melrose Place) and Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen, Jericho, Scream 4).

Kiera must also face off against Kellog (Stephen Lobo, Arctic Air, Smallville), who is using every option available to him to become the ruler of a dark future built in his image. Ultimately Kiera is put to the test when the dream of potentially reuniting with her family is reignited.

“The final season of Continuum is built around the opportunity for Kiera to finally get home, and poses the question: what are we prepared to compromise to achieve our ultimate goal?” said creator/executive producer Simon Barry. “Kiera must put those she loves at risk to pursue a dream that she thought was impossible.”

Returning cast include Roger Cross (Motive, Arrow), Omari Newton (Blue Mountain State, Sophie), Luvia Petersen (The L Word) and Terry Chen (Bates Motel, Combat Hospital).

Continuum is created by Executive Producer Simon Barry (The Art of War) while DGC Award winner Patrick Williams
(Shattered, Smallville) is Executive Producer and Director. Reunion Pictures partners Tom Rowe, Lisa Richardson and Matthew O’Connor are Executive Producers.

Viewers can catch up on previous seasons of Continuum on shomi.

Filmed on location in Vancouver, BC, Continuum is developed and produced by Reunion Pictures. International distribution is handled by Endemol. The series is now seen internationally in over 100 countries.

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Vikings

History greenlights Season 4 of Vikings

From a media release:

HISTORY® announced today that it has picked up a fourth season of its hit scripted series Vikings, created and written by Michael Hirst (The Tudors, Elizabeth).  Five new episodes remain in the current season airing Thursdays at 10pm ET/PT with the season finale slated for Thursday, April 23rd at 10pm ET/PT.

The first four episodes of season three took viewers by storm, averaging 895,000 (A2+), 428,000 (A25-54) and 375,000 (A18-49), making the new season of Vikings the #1 specialty drama on Thursday nights in all key demos*.  Vikings has been the #1 specialty drama since its inaugural season premiere in 2013** and this year earned four Canadian Screen Awards including Best International Drama.

Production on season four will begin this spring in Ireland.

Vikings tells the extraordinary tales of the lives and epic adventures of these warriors and portrays life in the Dark Ages through the eyes of Viking society. The gripping family saga of Ragnar (Travis Fimmel), Rollo (Clive Standen), Lagertha (Canadian Katheryn Winnick) and Bjorn (Canadian Alexander Ludwig) continues in season three as alliances and loyal friendships are questioned, faith is catechized and relationships are strained.

Created and written by Michael Hirst – one of the premier historical story-tellers in the industry (Academy-Award winning film Elizabeth; and the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Tudors), Michael serves as Executive Producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo; The Tudors), Sheila Hockin (The Tudors; The Borgias), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors; The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn (The Tudors; The Borgias).

 

Vikings is an international Irish/Canadian co-production being co-produced by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions. HISTORY broadcasts both domestically in Canada and in the U.S. MGM Television is the worldwide distributor outside of Ireland and Canada. Vikings is produced in association with Shaw Media.

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Call Me Fitz, Featured, Mr. D, Podcast, Trailer Park Boys

TV Eh B Cs podcast 17 – Jonathan Torrens’ Reflections on Canadianity

Jonathan2015-highresJust over the past couple of years alone, in addition to winning a Canadian Screen Award playing Robert Cheeley on Mr. D., he was the host of Wipeout Canada and TV with TV’s Jonathan Torrens on TVTropolis, on which – in addition to hosting – he serves as writer/producer/director. He was also part of the multi-award winning sitcom Call Me Fitz on HBO Canada.

Before that, Torrens was seen as “Gerald” on Spike TV’s popular reality show parody Joe Schmo 2. Hosting stints include both The Kids Are in Charge for the Travel Channel U.S. and Popularity Contest for CMT U.S., as well as co-anchoring and reporting on Reality Remix, Fox’s Reality Channel’s daily flagship show, and making frequent appearances on the E! Network’s popular 50 Most…clip shows.

He’s been dropping rhymes for years as J-Roc on the infectious Trailer Park Boys. His work on five seasons (225 episodes) of Jonovision earned a total of 7 Gemini Award nominations.

Oh… and there was about a decade’s worth of Street Cents that EVERYONE growing up in 90’s Canada remembers.

He’s also currently co-hosting a podcast with Our Lady Peace’s Jeremy Taggart called Canadianity.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to become a Patron of the Podcast? We’ve got a Patreon page where you can donate a small amount per podcast and get a sneak peek of each release.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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