Mike Holmes has made a career out of helping others sort through their construction debacles. Now he’s bringing his son and daughter into the mix.
To be fair, Mike Jr. and Sherry have been part of their father’s renovation empire in many of his past series. But this is the first time they’ve joined their father for a program that feels like the one that put him on the map. And on a new network too. Debuting Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Life Channel (the rebranded Gusto, if you’re wondering), Holmes 911 recalls Holmes on Homes, the show that started it all (and scored me one of my first cover stories when I worked at TV Guide Canada).
“We’re going back to our roots and I think everyone loved Holmes on Homes,” Sherry says over the phone while cradling her active and vocal baby daughter. “I loved watching Holmes on Homes, and it’s nice to go back and give help to people who really need it.”
Sherry, like her brother Mike (listen to my podcast with him), never intended to join in her father’s quest to “Make It Right,” but once she accompanied him on the job site during television production, she changed her mind.
“I did not want to do construction at all,” Sherry admits. “But I think, looking back, I was intimidated. I would do it for fun. On weekends, we would do odd jobs and do work with him. For me, it was just a fun, bonding time with my dad.” It wasn’t until 2009 on Holmes in New Orleans—the two-part Gemini-winner where Holmes and Brad Pitt team to rebuild homes in the city’s Ninth Ward—that Sherry decided to join her father full-time.
But back to Holmes 911. In the first of 12 episodes that focus on five houses, we’re introduced to two families. A weathered roof and odd electrical is just the beginning for a firefighter and his family, which includes his 13-year-old son, Jake, who has had brain surgery. The second home, owned by Bob and Barb, is the watery tale of an insurance claim gone hilariously wrong. In both, Mike, his son (Sherry stayed off-site for the first few episodes because of her pregnancy) and his crew uncover work that is head-scratchingly bad, all-out infuriating and, as always, informative.
“The whole reason my dad wanted to do television was to educate homeowners,” Sherry says. “You can’t stop what other people are going to do and if you run across a shoddy contractor, you want to know what to look for.”
Holmes 911 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Life Channel.
Images courtesy of Bell Media.
Hi my name is Kayla and I was wondering if you guys would be willing to fix my dad’s house it’s been under construction for years. They just have no money to finish fixing it. I would like to know if you guys can fix it because I hate going there with my kids,it’s so hard to walk in there