Yearly Archives: 2016

Motive

Link: Q&A: Motive showrunner Dennis Heaton bids farewell to beloved crime drama

From Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun:

Link: Q&A: Motive showrunner Dennis Heaton bids farewell to beloved crime drama
“Before I got the (cancellation) news I was thinking about Season Four, and Season Five, and Season Six. I had a story arc for Angie for Season Five that I was originally going to write Season Four to. And then I got the news, and what ended up happening is that I took those ideas for those later seasons and incorporated aspects of them into the arc for Season Four. In a way, Season Four is actually Seasons Four, Five and Six.” Continue reading.

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Featured, Slasher, What Would Sal Do?

Future of Super Channel originals Slasher, What Would Sal Do? and Tiny Plastic Men in limbo

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UPDATE: As per a feature in Playback magazine, New Metric Media has found a new home for What Would Sal Do? The series has been acquired by Bell Media and will air on TMN and HBO Canada.

It wasn’t the news the creators and producers of Slasher, What Would Sal Do? and Tiny Plastic Men wanted to hear. Making a television show in Canada is difficult enough, but it’s impossible when the company responsible for broadcasting your series goes into creditor protection.

That’s the sad scenario facing the trio of original Canadian productions after Super Channel’s parent company, Allarco Entertainment, was granted creditor protection for 30 days under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act in early June. Now, two months later, things are dire. All three properties have been released back to the production companies to be shopped around to new broadcasters. Because the case is still in the courts, the series’ creators, showrunners and producers aren’t able to comment, but Super Channel did provide an official statement regarding What Would Sal Do?

“Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with the series at this time,” Melissa Kajpust, head of creative development, said. “Due to our recent CCAA filing we have had to do some financial restructuring and unfortunately this was one of the projects affected.” That, to put it frankly, sucks. Shot in Sudbury, Ont., Sal stars Dylan Taylor as entitled underachiever, Sal, who is challenged to be a good person when he discovers he’s the Second Coming of Christ. The modern day parable also stars Jennifer Dale as Maria, Sal’s mother, a virgin and devoted catholic, Ryan McDonald as Vince, Sal’s best friend and Scott Thompson as the career driven Father Luke, Maria’s friend and confidant. TV, Eh? visited the set while cameras were rolling and we’ve seen the first couple of episodes and it’s not only damn funny and boundary-pushing, but it’s heartfelt. Taylor, in particular, is splendid as Sal.

Sal is written, created and executive produced by Andrew De Angelis alongside writers Kurt Seaton, Mark Forward, Alex Levine, Mark DeAngelis and Brandy Hewitt. Sal director Samir Rehem has been nominated for a Directors Guild of Canada Award for his work on the pilot episode, an additional kick in the crotch for a series that has eight instalments filmed, edited, in the can and ready for broadcast. And yet it has nowhere to be broadcast. New Metric Media is currently seeking a home for the series.

If there is a second season of Slasher, it won’t be on Super Channel. Created by Aaron Martin, the horror series—filmed in and around Sudbury and Parry Sound, Ont.—starred Katie McGrath as Sarah Bennett, a young woman who returns to the small town where she was born, only to find herself the centrepiece in a series of horrifying copycat murders based on the widely known, grisly killings of her parents. Slasher co-starred Brandon Jay McLaren, Wendy Crewson, Steve Byers and Dean McDermott. The series’ production company, Shaftesbury, couldn’t comment on what was happening with regard to a sophomore season.

Tiny Plastic Men, meanwhile, was in the middle of production on Season 4 when the filing shut them down. The Canadian Screen Award and Canadian Comedy Award nominee, from Mosaic Entertainment, stars writers Chris Craddock, Mark Meer and Matt Alden as Crad, October and Addison, three man-boys who test bizarre toy prototypes in their playroom of an office at the eccentric Gottfried Brothers Toy and Train Company.

Fingers crossed things are sorted out for all three.

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Industry News

Link: CRTC’s Canadian content changes are terrible, but no one cares

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: CRTC’s Canadian content changes are terrible, but no one cares
A portion of the Canadian TV racket is in an uproar. An important question is this: Will anyone care?

Last week, a significant CRTC decision released with some stealth – a Thursday in late August, for heaven’s sake – notably rejigged the notorious “point system” for what defines the Canadian-ness of a TV project. Previously, eight points out of 10, determined by using Canadian writers and actors, mainly, opened up funding. Now, it will be six points out of 10. Continue reading.

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Mohawk Girls

APTN reveals exciting 2016 primetime fall programming

From a media release:

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) announced its fall 2016 schedule today, highlighting a slate of new original series, returning favorites and thought-provoking documentaries – launching on September 5.

Mohawk Girls, Season 4 – What does it mean to be a modern Mohawk women? Sashay with four young women on their comedic and drama filled adventures. Always light-hearted, sexy and fun!

Taken – An all new, hard-hitting, true crime documentary series focusing on solving the mysteries behind Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous woman and girls.

Moosemeat & Marmalade, Season 2 – Documentary series cooks up new ingredients that lead to new adventures. Explore contrasting culinary cultures and traditions with two very different hunter/chefs.

This upcoming fall, new and loyal fans of Mohawk Girls and The Other Side will have their viewing enhanced with new digital experiences.

Mohawk Girls returns with SSEX (Second Screen Experience) to entice users with entertaining show quotes, character profiles, polls and quizzes, as well as video clips and photo galleries online. Beyond The Other Side App, an interactive quiz with live, stunning imagery that will invite people to answer questions about their beliefs in the paranormal and afterlife.

French and Aboriginal language programming will also premiere on Canada’s only independent Aboriginal network. Clé du studio gathers guest musicians and gives them keys to a recording studio along with complete freedom of creation. From the North, Qanurli? launches into its fifth season filled with comedic charm and social/political issues broadcast in Inuktitut.

Be sure to tune in every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9:00 p.m. for the colossal APTN Movies lineup. See aptn.ca/movies for the star-studded details!

APTN’s fall 2016 season kicks off September 5. Discover the full programming lineup below, or visit aptn.ca/schedule!

APTN PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS FOR FALL 2016

NEW SEASONS

MOHAWK GIRLS, SEASON 4 (WORLD PREMIERE – DRAMEDY)
Mohawk Girls is light-hearted, sexy and fun. But it’s also honest, real and poignant — Mohawk style!

aptn e Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET premieres October 25
aptn w Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. MT premieres October 25
aptn n Sundays at 10:30 p.m. CT premieres October 30
aptn hd Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET premieres October 25

MOOSEMEAT & MARMALADE, SEASON 2 (WORLD PREMIERE – DOC SERIES)
From muskrat, porcupine and urchin to goose, join two very different hunter/chefs – one Canadian Cree and one Brit/European – to explore contrasting cultures and traditions through the way we access, cook and present our food.

aptn e Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 7
aptn w Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. MT premieres September 7
aptn hd Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 7
Back-to-back episodes
aptn n Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. CT premieres September 8

THE OTHER SIDE, SEASON 3 (WORLD PREMIERE – DOC SERIES)
Follow a team of paranormal investigators with the guidance of an Elder, who seek the truth behind Canada’s real life ghost stories.

aptn e Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET premieres October 27
aptn w Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. MT premieres October 27
aptn hd Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET premieres October 27
Back-to-back episodes
aptn n  Fridays at 12:30 p.m. & Saturdays 1:30 p.m. CT premieres October 28

NEW ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES

TAKEN (WORLD PREMIERE)
Riveting, spine-chilling, important television, Taken confronts, head-on, the national epidemic of Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. APTN will be co-broadcasting Taken with CBC.

aptn e Fridays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 9
aptn w Fridays at 7:00 p.m MT premieres September 9
aptn n Fridays at 7:00 p.m CT premieres September 9
apt hd Fridays at 7:00 p.m ET premieres September 9
Back-to-back episodes

MOHAWK IRONWORKERS (WORLD PREMIERE)
Come celebrate the steely determination of “the best ironworkers on the planet.” Mohawk Ironworkers uses a mixture of dramatic “high steel” footage, and archival material, as they face the reality of one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet.

aptn e Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 6
aptn w Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. MT premieres September 6
aptn n Wednesdays at 12:30 a.m. CT premieres September 7
aptn hd Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 6

WILD ARCHAEOLOGY (WORLD PREMIERE)
Exciting never-before-seen adventures into Canada’s ancient Aboriginal past that is scattered, fragmented and could be lost forever. Twelve thousand years of human inhabitation vividly brought to life.

aptn e Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET premieres September 6
aptn w Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. MT premieres September 6
aptn n Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. CT premieres September 10
aptn hd Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET premieres September 6

KONNECTED.TV (WORLD PREMIERE)
Follow Pakesso Mukash on his quest into Indigenous cultures across the Americas to find a young generation of “tradition keepers” who awaken others to find a place for themselves in a modern world.

aptn e Wednesday at 8:00 p.m ET premieres November 2
aptn w Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. MT premieres November 2
aptn n Fridays at 1:00 p.m. CT premieres November 4
aptn hd Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET premieres November 4
Back-to-back episodes

FRENCH LANGUAGE SERIES

CLÉ DU STUDIO (FRENCH WORLD PREMIERE – MUSIC & VARIETY SERIES)
Guest musicians are given the keys to a recording studio for an informal jam. The intimate setting and freedom of creation give way to moving confidences and magical moments.

aptn e Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET premieres September 5
aptn hd Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET premieres September 5

MOTETAN MAMO (FRENCH WORLD PREMIERE – DOC SERIES)
The Atikamekw are relatively unknown nation to Canadians. The two live different realities but they face similar challenges and issues. Motetan Mamo (Walking Together) will take you on an unfamiliar journey to familiar places.

aptn e Mondays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 5
aptn hd Mondays at 7:00 p.m. ET premieres September 5

ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE SERIES

QANURLI?, SEASON 5 (INUKTITUT WORLD PREMIERE – YOUTH SERIES)
Unpredictable, hilarious and fun! This Inuktitut comedy show puts a playful and humorous spin on political, social and traditional issues relevant to the Inuit.

aptn n Mondays at 7:00 p.m. CT premieres September 5
Back-to-back episodes

URBAN NATIVE GIRL (DENE WORLD PREMIERE – LIFESTYLE SERIES)
Join Aboriginal fashionista, Lisa Charleyboy, as she follows her dream of transforming her online fashion blog into a glossy print magazine.

aptn e Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. ET premieres September 6
aptn w Mondays at 7:00 a.m. MT premieres September 12
aptn n Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. CT premieres September 6
aptn hd Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. ET premieres September 6
Back-to-back episodes

MOTETAN MAMO (ATIKAMEKW WORLD PREMIERE – DOC SERIES)
The Atikamekw are relatively unknown nation to Canadians. The two live different realities but they face similar challenges and issues. Motetan Mamo (Walking Together) will take you on an unfamiliar journey to familiar places.

aptn e Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. ET premieres September 8
aptn w Thursdays at 10:00 a.m MT premieres September 8
aptn n Thursdays at 10:00 a.m CT premieres September 8
aptn hd Thursdays at 10:00 a.m ET premieres September 8
Back-to-back episodes

LA VIE EST HOCKEY (ATIKAMEKW WORLD PREMIERE – DOC SERIES)
Follow eight minor hockey players from different Aboriginal communities in Quebec, on their ultimate quest: the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship.

aptn e Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. ET premieres September 8
aptn w Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. MT premieres September 8
aptn n Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. CT premieres September 8
aptn hd Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. ET premieres September 8
Back-to-back episodes

APTN KIDS

LOUIS SAYS, SEASON 2 (CREE WORLD PREMIERE – ANIMATED SERIES)
Follow the adventures of six-year-old boy Randy as he joins Louis, an Elder, on his mission to help people in his community. Completing meaningful tasks together, Louis reinforces important values while teaching Randy new words in Dene.

aptn e Sundays at 8:25 a.m. ET premieres September 11
aptn w Sundays at 8:25 a.m. MT premieres September 11
aptn n Sundays at 7:32 a.m. CT premieres September 11
aptn hd Sundays at 8:25 a.m. ET premieres September 11

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