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, Heartland, Podcast

TV eh B Cs podcast – Heather Conkie champions her Heartland family

tvehpodcast

Heather Conkie is a veteran Canadian television writer and producer who began her career as an actress. She has subsequently worked extensively as a writer for numerous television series in Canada including Road to Avonlea, 7th Heaven, The Zack Files, Pit Pony, Dark Oracle, as well as several made for television movies. She’s currently an Executive Producer and writer for CBC’s landmark series Heartland which is galloping through its 8th season with no signs of being put out to pasture.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to become a Patron of the Podcast? We’ve got a Patreon page where you can donate a small amount per podcast and get a sneak peek of each release.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Degrassi, Featured

Degrassi’s secret to success

“Isn’t it extraordinary that it’s gone this long?” There’s definitely a hint of wonder in Linda Schuyler’s voice when she says that. And why not? In a television world where fickle viewers and nervous networks can mean the end of series before it ever gets a footing, Degrassi marches on.

Tuesday’s return of the teen drama to MTV is Season 14 of the current incarnation, a stunning achievement on its own. But factor in  the fact the franchise will be celebrating 35 years in 2015 and the mind boggles. You’d think that after that amount of time, Schuyler or Stephen Stohn would consider walking away and resting. You would be wrong.

“I love it. We learned something early on in The Next Generation, which was to have the courage to graduate our kids,” she explains. “There is a fear in TV that if you lose a tranche of people you’re going to lose your audience. We were scared to graduate that first group because in the classic show we basically stayed with the same kids for almost 100 episodes.” Schuyler and the Degrassi team have found a formula for success by bringing in new students and allowing the audience to get to know them while the old favourites are still in class. Aside from constantly replenishing the performers, the writing room is injected with fresh voices too. The result? A project continually rejuvenated by fresh blood.

From the very beginning Degrassi dared to tell real-life stories about teens to teens. Teenage drinking, pregnancy, bullying, abuse and sexual lifestyle choices have always been front and centre in scripts, a trend that continues Tuesday night with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Clare (Aislinn Paul) sees her carefully planned world turned upside down over a dalliance with Drew (Luke Bilyk), Miles’ (Eric Osborne) relationship with Tristan (Lyle Lettau) may have an impact on his father’s political plans, and Zoë (Ana Golja) and Becky (Sarah Fisher) butt heads over cheerleading. Those three storylines aren’t necessarily new to the franchise, but fresh cast means they can be tackled from a new point of view.

“We’ve run many different gay storylines, but when you bring in different characters you can look at it from a different side of the prism,” Schuyler says. “You get a new take on an old storyline, plus there are new things happening in the media all the time that keep us inspired and thinking. Nothing is taboo.”

Degrassi airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Featured

Canada’s Worst Driver celebrates 10 years behind the wheel

One can’t help but be a little ashamed of the fact Canada’s Worst Driver is celebrating 10 seasons on the air. As much as I hate it when shows get cancelled, it would have been nice if Discovery had announced–after a couple of instalments–that no bad drivers could be found for Season 3 or beyond.

Alas, that isn’t the case. Andrew Younghusband, the overseer of the asphalt atrocities, returns to host the Monday night spectacle that once again welcomes eight new participants to the show’s top-secret driving academy where they are put through various challenges in an effort to not only entertain but educate bad drivers about how they can be more safe when behind the wheel. Along for the ride are Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and therapist Shyamala Kiru.

We asked Younghusband to give us his Top 10 tips–one for each season of the show–for being a safe driver.

10. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever drive with a cell phone!

9. If you need to swerve in a car that doesn’t have ABS (anti-lock braking system), don’t hit the brake until after the swerve is done.

8. Get a car with ABS.

7. Get winter tires installed before the first freeze happens every year.

6. Learning to do donuts in a safe, private area will make you a better driver.

5. To reposition a car laterally, drive forward in an “S”, then reverse straight back.

4. Cam Wooley is damn cute.

3. Every Canadian province needs stricter testing with regards to how drivers get their licence.

2. Don’t look at an object you’re trying to avoid.

1. Look where you want to go.

Canada’s Worst Driver airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery

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Featured, Heartland

Review: Wolf pups and soul searching on Heartland

3 Comments

I understand those Heartland fans who are upset that Ty and Amy have broken up yet again. I’ve gotten your emails, and I admit I’m kind of in the same boat. But as actress Amber Marshall explained a couple of weeks ago, Amy is basically starting all over again from the bottom and working herself back up again this season.

That means she and Ty are, yes, taking a break, which led to lots of awkward moments during Sunday’s episode, “Endings and Beginnings.” Those moments came courtesy of Georgie, who kept calling Ty with fake concerns over the orphaned wolf pup in hopes that once he arrived at Heartland the sparks would fly and the lovebirds would get back together again. Instead we were treated to awkwardness.

The most interesting of the characters to me in Sunday’s episode (and the season so far) was Ty. As a relative newbie to the show, I’m fascinated not only by Graham Wardle’s portrayal of him, but the direction the character is going. His business pairing with Caleb and job at the wildlife sanctuary is the mark of a young man trying to figure out his place in the world and what his passions are. Rather than just take the easy road by working for Tim, he has partnered with Caleb on what may be a dubious business venture. But if it does fail, he’ll at least have gained some valuable knowledge into the way the business world works. Or sometimes doesn’t.

Meanwhile, his discovery of the dead black bear mother devoid of her gall bladder unleashed an angry, environmental side of Ty. Enraged at learning the bladders are a hot commodity on the black market, he cut down the poacher’s camera. The hunters, of course, came looking for Ty and beat him up, but I have a feeling that won’t stop Ty from doing what he believes in. Sadly, he also believes that time away from Amy is what he needs to. As he told Jack, he doesn’t want to hold Amy back from the incredible opportunities her gift as a horse trainer (how great was she with Hustle and Flirty?) has afforded her.

But I think Ty wonders if Amy might be holding him back as well.

Other notes

  • I want a wolf pup.
  • What is it with Jade, Heartland fans? Has she been around for a few seasons? Is she a former friend of Amy’s?
  • Jesse Stanton is supposed to get on my nerves, right?

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

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