All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Featured, Polls

Poll: What is your favourite Canadian TV show of the 1970s?

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The second round of the NHL playoffs are in full swing, the perfect time to hold our own little set of playoffs—with a distinct Canadian TV flare. Unlike the Stanley Cup playoffs, however, TV, Eh’s Great Canadian TV Playoff boasts solely homegrown head-to-head matchups of television shows.

Starting today and through the rest of the month, we’ll pit eight television shows (just like the NHL) from the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s against one another until the final showdown to name the top Canadian TV series of all time on May 29.

It all kicks off with the 1970s (voting for the 1980s begins Thursday), so cast your vote now and spread the word.

What is your favourite Canadian television series of the 1970s?

  • SCTV (39%, 30 Votes)
  • The Beachcombers (21%, 16 Votes)
  • The Friendly Giant (14%, 11 Votes)
  • Mr. Dressup (9%, 7 Votes)
  • The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (8%, 6 Votes)
  • King of Kensington (5%, 4 Votes)
  • The Trouble with Tracy (3%, 2 Votes)
  • Swiss Family Robinson (1%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 77

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Blackstone, Featured, Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, Orphan Black, Republic of Doyle, Schitt's Creek, Sensitive Skin, Sunnyside, Vikings, Young Drunk Punk

He Said/She Said: Canadian TV Shows to Binge-Watch this Summer

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Join Greg and Diane every Monday as we debate what’s on our minds. This week: Key Canadian TV shows to binge-watch this summer.

He Said:

The Canadian TV calendar is starting to thin out as we get into the summer months. Big Brother Canada, Remedy and Orphan Black continue to chug along, Rookie Blue returns and Between debuts on May 21 and CBC’s Fool Canada hidden camera series starring Will Sasso is scheduled to bow in June. Other than that, there’s not a heck of a lot on, which means it’s the perfect time to binge-watch a homegrown program or two (or four or five) during the rest of the spring and into the summer. Here are my picks:

Young Drunk Punk, City
Bruce McCulloch’s peek back at the 1980s is tender, funny and sweet, and showcases wonderful performances from its young cast in Tim Carlson and Atticus Mitchell alongside vets McCulloch and Tracy Ryan. Catch all 13 episodes on City’s website.

Sunnyside, City
Co-created by Gary Pearson and Dan Redican, Sunnyside is brash, envelope-pushing sketch comedy starring Kathleen Phillips, Pat Thornton, Patrice Goodman, Alice Moran, Rob Norman and Kevin Vidal playing a wide range of offbeat characters, from meth heads to meat heads, murderers to cops. Wacky co-stars include ponies, clowns, a bleeding wall and a guy who lives in the sewer. Season 1 is available on City’s website.

Vikings, shomi/History
If historical drama is more your thing, you should be watching Vikings. Game of Thrones may grab more headlines, but I like Vikings because it’s based on real history and Viking mythology. Travis Fimmel is Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking farmer who yearns for a better, more exciting life. With the help of his wife, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), brother Rollo (Clive Standen) and buddy Floki (Gustaf SkarsgÃ¥rd), Ragnar successfully reaches England and begins a bloody campaign seeking riches and fame. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on shomi for Rogers and Shaw subscribers and Season 3 can be watched on History.ca.

Republic of Doyle, CBC
Allan Hawco’s co-creation is like The Rockford Files if it was set in Newfoundland. Jake Doyle (Hawco) and his dad, Malachy (Sean McGinley) tool around St. John’s in a GTO, solving crimes as PI’s and getting into trouble with the local RCMP detachment. Funny and dramatic, Doyle is one hell of a ride. The entire run of Republic of Doyle can be watched on CBC.ca.

Orphan Black, CraveTV
My apologies to die-hard fans of Orphan Black, but I like Season 1 more than the sophomore go-round or this current season. I think it’s because I was so blown away by Tatiana Maslany playing Sarah, Alison, Helena, Rachel and Cosima for the first time and the tight storytelling that made it so memorable. This was OB before the accolades and awards, when it still felt like a small #CloneClub was tuning in to greatness. Season 1 is available on CraveTV.

Blackstone, APTN
Created by Ron E. Scott, this gritty Gemini Award winner spotlights the fictional Blackstone First Nations band just outside of Edmonton. Issues of drugs, alcoholism, unemployment, corruption and abuse are acknowledged through an unflinching lens that is entertaining and thought-provoking. All four seasons of Blackstone can be seen on APTN’s website.

She Said:

The problem with recommending a binge-watch of Canadian series is many can be difficult to find. You can’t just sign up for CraveTV or shomi unless you’re with a qualifying cable or Internet company, and some of the binge-worthiest shows aired on cable channels that don’t offer episodes online, or aired years ago before online access was a consideration and a broadcaster or producer might not think getting those rights is worth the effort. Does anyone buy DVDs anymore? A handful are available that way.

I’d echo Greg’s Blackstone recommendation — I need to get caught up myself — and add that the first season of Young Drunk Punk will come to CBC in the fall, but you could be one of the cool kids (and possibly help the low-rated show get a second season) if you catch up now. Besides those, here’s my two cents:

slings_and_arrows-image

Slings & Arrows, DVD
If you’ve seen it already, isn’t it time to rewatch? If you haven’t seen it, you have to at least give a try to the show that tops my list of best Canadian series of all time. If you don’t fall in love, fine, be that way, but at least get a taste of the pathos and humour behind the scenes of not-Stratford starring Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Stephen Ouimette, Mark McKinney, Susan Coyne and, in the first season, a luminous Rachel McAdams. All three seasons are on DVD.

Twitch City, DVD
I dare you to find a more intentionally surreal Canadian show than this, co-created by and starring my favourite oddball Don McKellar (see also: Slings & Arrows) as a TV addict shut-in. Costars included Callum Keith Rennie, Molly Parker, and both Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney as the same character, believe it or not. As far as I can tell, DVD is your only hope.

19-2, CraveTV
The ratings of this acclaimed cop series suggest many of you, like me, haven’t been watching as it aired. I got part way through season one during my CraveTV trial, and a seemingly random selection of season two episodes are on bravo.ca. I’ll likely wait to complete my binge until Bell starts selling their shows to Netflix (aka when hell freezes over), or if they do the smart thing and rerun the series from the beginning on CTV this summer.

Sensitive Skin, HBO Canada on demand
If  you have access, check out this Kim Cattrall-starring black comedy about a woman’s mid-life crisis, with Don McKellar and Elliot Gould.  It never got its due while it aired, but it is getting a second season so binge away if you can … unlike me.

Schitt’s Creek, Netflix
Ah, CBC, a Canadian channel that actually allows their shows to be sold to Netflix. One of my favourite shows of this past season (no “Canadian” qualifier needed), Schitt’s Creek is my choice for a binge rewatch of the antics of Eugene and Dan Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Emily Hampshire, Annie Murphy and Chris Elliot. You can also find the season on CBC.ca but let’s be honest: Netflix is a much better user experience.

Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, CBC
A surprise renewal years after its cancellation means you need to catch up on season one before season two arrives likely next year. Starring Bob Martin and Matt Watts as a codependent therapist and patient, the series is hilarious and heartfelt. All episodes are available on CBC.ca.

What about you? What Canadian shows will you be binge-watching, and how? 

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Industry News

CRTC releases 2014 financial results for Canadian local TV stations

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From a media release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released statistical and financial information on Canadian local television stations for the broadcast year that ended August 31, 2014.

In 2014, private stations invested $619.3 million in the creation of programs made by Canadians, including local news and drama series, and employed over 5,900 people. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC) invested an additional $789.8 million in this type of content. In total, local television stations spent more than $1.4 billion to fund the creation of new Canadian programs for viewers.

Canada’s local television stations continued to operate within a challenging advertising market. Private stations brought in $117.1 million less in advertising revenue, which contributed to a 7.2% decrease in overall revenues, from $1.94 billion in 2013 to $1.8 billion in 2014.

For its part, CBC/SRC reported $474.6 million in advertising revenues in 2014, a 43% increase from the $331.1 million generated in 2013. This increase is largely attributable to the broadcast of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, the FIFA Soccer World Cup in Brazil, and an entire season of National Hockey League games.

Each year, the CRTC compiles financial data on Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications sectors to produce a series of reports. The CRTC will soon publish the financial results for cable and satellite companies, specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand services, and AM and FM radio. Following the publication of these reports, the CRTC will issue its annual Communications Monitoring Report.

These annual reports help interested parties to stay informed about the state of the Canadian communication industry and to participate in the CRTC’s public consultations.

Quick facts

  • Private local television stations saw their revenues drop by 7.2%, from $1.94 billion in 2013 to $1.8 billion in 2014. Expenses went from $1.85 billion in 2013 to $1.84 billion in 2014, a slight decrease of 0.4%. Profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) declined from -$2.3 million to -$138.7 million, and the PBIT margin decreased from -0.1% to -7.7%.
  • Investments by private local television stations in Canadian-made programs increased by 2.3%, from $605.4 million in 2013 to $619.3 million in 2014.
  • Private local television stations invested $60.4 million for drama series, $5.3 million for feature films, $84.7 million for general interest programs, $361.1 million for news programs, $6.3 million for long-form documentaries, $29.3 million for other information programs, $22.3 million for music and variety shows, $1.1 million for sports programming, $19 million for game shows, $25.5 million for reality TV shows, $3.7 million for awards shows and $0.5 million for other programs.
  • As part of these investments, local television stations paid $138.6 million to Canadian independent producers.
  • Revenues from the sale of local advertising declined from $351.2 million in 2013 to $333.6 million in 2014, a 5% decrease. Private local television stations also experienced a 7.8% decline in national advertising revenues, from $1.28 billion in 2013 to $1.18 billion in 2014.
  • In 2014, CBC/SRC reported advertising revenues of $474.6 million, which represented a 43.3% increase from the $331.1 million generated the previous year.
  • CBC/SRC’s programming expenditures totalled $810.8 million, 97% of which was spent on Canadian programs.
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Children's Programming, Featured

Jonathan Torrens scores comedy touchdown with Samantha Bee on Game On

Jonathan Torrens never expected he’d be the hero of the Nova Scotia film and television industry. But he sprang to its defence when the government announced they’d be cutting the province’s tax credit in the newest budget, effectively killing a burgeoning community of creative people. A recent full day of rallies in Halifax—with Torrens addressing the crowd from on-stage—led to the Liberal government backing off on some of its proposed changes. There is still a lot of talking between sides to take place, but things aren’t as dire as they were a few short weeks ago.

“I have so many things that I’d rather be doing, I did not want to take this on,” Torrens tells TV, Eh? “But I said from the get-go that I would not be speaking up if I didn’t know in my heart and see in my town that it’s working.”

When he’s not fighting for the future of the craft he loves, Torrens is starring in one of several projects. He’s set to return to Trailer Park Boys to play J-Roc next month, followed by Season 5 of Mr. D, and is one-half of the hit podcast Taggart and Torrens with former Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart.

His latest TV project—Game On, debuting tonight on YTV—finds Torrens in a familiar setting, portraying a sports commentator named Bob opposite The Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee as Geri. The duo serve as offbeat play-by-play reporters for the life of Toby Martin (Grayson Gurnsey, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell), an awkward 14-year-old whose most embarrassing moments and personal triumphs are noted in Game On.

“I feel like I’ve done the ‘guys in sport coats’ thing, so that it was a woman, and that it was Samantha Bee specifically, and that it was directed by Jacob Tierney, was the neapolitan of flavours that brought me to the table,” Torrens says with a smile. A long-standing respect for what Bee has done in her professional and personal life was a major draw, and he hoped they’d mesh during filming scenes in Montreal. The pair provide what Torrens calls “traffic copping” with dialogue describing Toby’s movement and interaction with friends Seth (Jamie Mayers) and Jessica (Alice Morel-Michaud), sister Mel (Teale Bishopric) and parents Erica (Rebecca Croll) and Jeff (Marcel Jeannin), with the opportunity to riff during the intros and extros.

The chance to ad-lib provides hilariously uncomfortable moments; in Monday’s first of 20 episodes, “Small Change,” it’s hinted Geri and Bob may have been in a relationship that fizzled because one of them “closed their borders” to the other. Having that creative space to play, Torrens explains, came via Game On‘s executive producer and director, Tierney (The Trotsky), who encouraged going off script.

“Sam is every bit as funny, cheeky and acerbic as you’d hope,” Torrens says. “But it takes somebody in the driver’s seat to say, ‘Yeah, take five seconds and pan for gold.”

Game On airs Mondays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on YTV.

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Mr. D

Link: Jonathan Torrens host and winner at Screen Nova Scotia awards

From The Chronicle Herald:

Jonathan Torrens host and winner at Screen Nova Scotia awards
Jonathan Torrens, host of the inaugural Screen Nova Scotia awards, was also a winner at the ceremony, earning the best male supporting actor nod for his role as the vice-principal in Mr. D.

Screen Nova Scotia, ACTRA Maritimes and IATSE 667 & 849 presented the awards at Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax Saturday night. Continue reading.

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