From Bill Harris of QMI:
Bruce McCulloch taps into his childhood on ‘Young Drunk Punk’
It’s a tale of kids hitting the wall, from a former Kid in the Hall. While I realize I’m in the exact right age group for a show about teenagers in 1980, I objectively find Young Drunk Punk very funny. And with all that I watch, it isn’t super easy for a TV show to make me chuckle. Continue reading.
One of my frequent criticisms of Canadian conventional networks is that they’re so risk averse, they would rather create shows generic enough to sell overseas than stand out with anything that hasn’t worked in the American market — or at least, worked there five years ago. And one of my most frequent criticisms of the CBC has been that they were so busy pursuing the same kind of shows as the private networks, they gave me little reason to find solace in our public broadcaster.
Then came a regime change. And a declaration that they were changing direction to pursue more cable-like series. And some rolling of eyes as some of us recalled the low-rated and swiftly cancelled cable-like Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays and Intelligence. I could almost hear them say “honest, babe, this time it’ll be different.”
It’s early days in their attempt to shift direction, and a shift can only be judged over time. But with The Book of Negroes and Schitt’s Creek, they’re finally getting rewarded with ratings as well as the critical acclaim of their first bold new-direction show, Strange Empire.
Schitt’s Creek provides the welcome return of Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, so comedically comfortable together, into our homes each week, in a show that mercifully isn’t trying to be either Corner Gas or a Chuck Lorre production.
In an unusual partnership, CBC will air ex-Kid in the Hall Bruce McCulloch’s comedy Young Drunk Punk this fall after its season airs on City, making CBC the new home of edgy comedies from nostalgic favourites.
But it’s the dramas that reveal what the public broadcaster should be able to do but hasn’t done in a while: reveal to Canadians through entertainment a history we often sanitize, from the birth of our country steeped in violence and the sex trade — not just a national railroad — to our unsavory role in the slave trade — not just the underground railroad.  Soon will come X Company, centred around Canada’s little-known role in WWII espionage.
There’s innovation with money too. With The Book of Negroes, the risk to their limited budget was mitigated by partnering with BET for the expensive co-production — not an unusual solution, to be sure. But the partnership with City (which will also have Mr. D air on that Rogers-owned network) gives them more programming for less money.
And given that the CBC debate usually circles around whether they should be chasing ratings or edgier fare, it’s a relief to see their risk rewarded both ways this winter. Schitt’s Creek premiered to 1.3 million viewers, while The Book of Negroes bowed to 1.7, dipping to a still-great 1.4 for the second episode.
In a year where it’s been hard to cheer for our public broadcaster, that’s good news for CBC, for the audience, and for a Canadian industry that could use some incentive to take more risks.
19-2, Bravo – “School”
The entire squad is immersed in an intensely tragic school shooting with consequences that will profoundly impact all of their lives. The tragic events that unfold during the season premiere set the stage for 19-2’s overarching themes of introspection, trust and loyalty during Season 2 on Bravo. Featuring a haunting uninterrupted, 13-minute, single-camera tracking shot, the season premiere has been recreated for English audiences by renowned director Podz, who directed the same episode of the original French-Canadian version of 19-2 to critical acclaim.
Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “All That Glitters”
Murdoch and Crabtree follow the silver boom to Northern Ontario to investigate the murder of a land surveyor.
Strange Empire, CBC – “Confession”
Chase Sloat is hounded by ghosts. The women use his troubled mind to their advantage as the Slotter household turns on itself.
From a media release:
Corus Entertainment’s preschool channel Treehouse is delighted to announce the premiere of Little Charmers, a fantastical new preschool series that celebrates the magic of friendship, on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. ET, beginning January 31. The 80 x 11-minute CGI animated series is also rolling out worldwide on Nickelodeon starting this month.
Little Charmers takes place in the whimsical land of Charmville and stars Hazel, a fearless and spirited go-getter, who is on her way to becoming a full-fledged Charmer. Hazel can often be seen with her two best friends, Lavender, a sweet and musical “Spellerina†who can come up with spells for any occasion and Posie, a bright and feisty “Potionista†who knows how to stir up potions and put together hip fashions. These “Charmers-In-Training†embark on spellbinding adventures that always stir up funny situations, like turning the entire town into mushrooms or accidentally setting loose a herd of unicorns. Together, this inseparable trio use their imaginations and teamwork to fix magical mishaps and, along the way, learn the value of friendship.
Kids will be able to visit LittleCharmers.com to see clips from upcoming episodes as well as access themed printables, downloadables and information about Hazel, Lavendar, Posie and their pets. The site will also roll out the first of four games and a Little Charmers app in weeks to come.
Little Charmers is a series co-created by Nelvana and Spin Master, two of the companies that drove the global phenomenon Bakugan. Nelvana Enterprises is distributing the series worldwide and Spin Master is developing and manufacturing a multi-faceted toy line including dolls, playsets, apparel and accessories, to roll out at mass retail in Fall 2015.
The second season return 19-2 on Monday night features a continuous tracking shot that sets the tone for a series that already set a high bar for drama in Season 1. “School,” directed by Podz, who helmed the episode for the original Radio Canada series, captured over 10 minutes of stunning, shocking television in a continual shot, following officers Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso), Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes) and the members of their squad as they track down a shooter loose in a Montreal high school.
Ben and Nick go from the front office area through the cafeteria as bullets fly and students flee around them. The camera continues to a wall of windows to show a squadron of police cars arriving while frightened students weep against walls and pillars, praying they survive. It’s the most dramatic episode of 19-2 so far, a big deal considering cop Audrey Pouliot (Laurence Leboeuf) was beaten to the brink of death by a group of thugs in Season 1.
Monday’s return also marks a new direction for the Canadian Screen Award-nominated Bravo series. There is the overarching theme of Ben being asked to spy on his partner, Nick, who is suspected of being a mole by the Sécurité du Québec (SQ)—a theme explored in the French series too—but it won’t follow the same trail to get there.
“We get to the same place, but we get there in a very different way,” says executive producer, showrunner and writer Bruce M. Smith (Cracked, Durham County) during an on-location press junket in Montreal last August. “We did that not because we didn’t like what the French did, but because of who our cast was and how they had developed over Season 1. They had become quite different people from their French counterparts.”
Smith is a huge fan of the original 19-2, and likens Bravo’s take to NBC’s version of the British smash comedy The Office; they were given a lot of liberty to make it different organic being based on the same DNA. Benz Antoine (Blue Murder), Smith explains, plays Officer Tyler Joseph in both versions of 19-2, but they’re very different characters. Speaking of writing, the room has expanded for Season 2 as well. First season scribes Smith and Jesse McKeown (Republic of Doyle) have been joined by Damon Vignale (Blackstone) and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy (Call Me Fitz), a four-person luxury Smith says is alien in Quebec where writers pen their scripts at home alone and then bring them to set for filming. Lynne Kamm has kept things realistic on 19-2, serving as a liaison between real police and the show, which has entailed dozens of ride-alongs.
Smith says he expects there to be a lot of talk among viewers following Monday’s return broadcast—there are many, many casualties in “School” and the overall story mirrors recent events around the world—but Bravo has stuck by the producers since Day 1.
“We see this as a cable show, and they have encouraged us to go there with the content,” Smith says. “We are, at times, much more realistic and darker, and we show these characters warts and all.”
19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo. The season premiere will air commercial-free on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.
