Yearly Archives: 2015

Featured, Strange Empire

He Said/She Said: Stand-alone or Serialized?

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Join Greg and Diane on Mondays as we debate a TV-related issue that’s on our minds. This week: the merits of stand-alone episodes versus serialized shows.

Diane said: 

Though I loved sinking my teeth into it, reviewing Strange Empire was a challenge because each episode was a slice of a 13-hour story. It was a little like reviewing each chapter of a book as I was reading. (Which is even more descriptive of reviewing The Book of Negroes). So when I heard that if there’s a second season of Strange Empire the episodes will be more stand-alone, I was relieved.

But at least neither CBC show used contrived cliffhanger endings that resolved in the first few minutes of the next, like the episodes of 24 and Alias I’ve seen. That’s cheating. When I love a show, I watch it every week. I hate feeling forced to watch every week. The first show I ever reviewed regularly was early season House, which some dismissed as formulaic. But the way it twisted the formula and overlaid character development on top of it were what intrigued me.

My ideal television show has episodes that are satisfyingly complete unto themselves, with continuing arcs for long-term interest that don’t gobble up all 44-ish minutes and aren’t all about the “will they or won’t they.” So yay The Good Wife and boo late-era X-Files.

Greg said:

I totally agree with Diane. Since she just referenced The X-Files, let me go off on a little rant. Those first and second season episodes tracking Agents Mulder and Scully were my favourites because—for the most part—they were monsters of the week (that frigging Fluke gave me nightmares) accented with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mulder’s sister. The black goo and conspiracy theories bogged down the show in latter seasons.

It’s a trend that has hamstrung Supernatural in recent years. Gone are the tales of the wendigo, the phantom traveler and Bloody Mary in favour of angels and demons. I love me some Castiel, but not every darned week.

On the other hand, serialized works very well for Vikings. There is, admittedly, no other way to tell the historical tale of Ragnar Lothbrok without it, but creator Michael Hirst manages to entertain with episodic plot points while staying true to the long-term journey the Viking king and his mates are on.

The same is true of Murdoch Mysteries and the relationships between its main characters. The folks on that series successfully combine a Canadian history lesson (social mores, technology and beliefs) with a murder of the week while tossing in a healthy dose of humour and character development. To me, that’s the mark of a truly great TV tale.

Do you agree with Diane and I? What do you want to hear our thoughts on? Comment below or @tv_eh.

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19-2, Ascension, Murdoch Mysteries

Tonight: Murdoch Mysteries, Ascension, 19-2

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “The Incurables”
Dr. Ogden’s life is threatened by a group of deeply troubled and violent inmates at the asylum, including Eva Pearce, Mrs. Lynd and Rose Maxwell.

Ascension, CBC – Premiere
In 1963, President Kennedy and the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship ASCENSION to populate a new world, assuring the survival of the human race. Fifty-one years into the Ascension’s journey to find a new world, the first murder onboard the spaceship reveals the cracks in the isolated community.

19-2, Bravo – “Tribes”
Nick and Ben draw the squad into a simmering feud with a squad of firemen. Small mistakes have permanent consequences.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Discovery’s Mayday returns with focus on Malaysia Flight 370

discovery

From a media release:

Uncovering the truth behind aviation disasters from around the world, Discovery’s original Canadian series MAYDAY returns for its 14thseason, airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning March 6. But first, on the eve of the anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 and on the heels of the declaration that it was an accident, the program’s new season launches with a feature episode MAYDAY: MH370, airing at a special time on Sunday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT. The season premiere examines possible scenarios for the cause of the flight’s disappearance – one of greatest aviation mysteries in history – drawing on the expertise of leading accident investigators to reveal a chilling portrayal of the final hours of the plane that never landed.

The one-hour MAYDAY: MH370 premiere special examines all existing data to explore the five leading theories as to what could have caused the disappearance of Flight 370. While it’s possible no one will ever know exactly what happened aboard flight MH370,MAYDAY explores how, in the end, the evidence clearly points to one logical and horrifying scenario.

MAYDAY is produced by CIneflix (Mayday 14) Inc. production  in association with Discovery Canada. Executive Producer is Alex Bystram. The series producer is Alix MacDonald. Bruce Glawson is Production Executive, Discovery Networks. Edwina Follows is Director of Commissioning, Discovery Networks. Ken MacDonald is Vice-President, Programming, Discovery Networks.

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Children's Programming

Family Channel orders Next Step spinoff The Music Room

Family_logo

From a media release:

After experiencing record-breaking success with the reality tween dramaThe Next Step, Family Channel is teaming up with Temple Street Productions and creator Frank van Keeken on a new half-hour show, The Music Room. A tween drama featuring an entirely original soundtrack, the series follows a group of young performers who are members of an elite music program. Family has ordered 26 episodes with production slated to start this Spring.  

The Music Room follows the lives of a group of musicians who are part of an exclusive after-school music program. Each year, in order to get in, students audition for the group’s current members who select a small number of performers to join their ranks. Ultimately the group’s leader, Mr. T., has the final say on new members, as well as who will have the opportunity to go on the annual live tour. He can’t guarantee that the members will have a music career when they’re finished at The Music Room, but the experience will help them become accomplished musicians.

Family has experienced great success with its production partners at Temple Street Productions. The popular series The Next Step, which returns for its third season on Monday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, has received national recognition with such notable honours as the 2013 Shaw Rocket Prize and both the 2013 Digi Award and 2014 Canadian Screen Award for Best Cross-Platform Project – Children’s and Youth for The Next Step Interactive. The show is currently nominated for three 2015 Canadian Screen Awards: Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series, Best Writing in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series, and Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series.

Created by Frank van Keeken (The Next Step, Wingin’ It, Billable Hours), The Music Room is produced by Temple Street Productions and is executive produced by Frank van Keeken, Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier (Orphan Black, Being Erica, The Next Step).

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