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.

Links: Astrid & Lilly Save the World, Season 1

From Caitlin Chappell of CBR:

Link: Astrid and Lilly’s Showrunners Break Down High School Horrors & Heroes
“We are committed to creating dynamic, layered, complicated female characters. We don’t see enough of that. I mean, now more so for sure, but we wanted to bring some characters to life that embody all those things that we usually see in the male characters.” Continue reading.

Link: Astrid & Lilly Save the World’s Actors Reflect on Groundbreaking Season
“I love the way the writers wrote Lilly’s coming out because it was such a sweet moment. It was something that my character was, I think, nervous to tell her best friend and say out loud.” Continue reading.

From Brittney Bender of Bleeding Cool:

Link: Astrid & Lilly: Jana Morrison on SYFY Series & Friendship (Interview)
“I connect with her in so many ways. I think we’re both pretty confident girls, and what we get that from, I think maybe it’s from trying not to be unconfident. I think people like the feeling of being ourselves and just letting it all hang out, you know?” Continue reading.

From Mads Lennon of Hidden Remote:

Link: Astrid and Lilly post-mortem: Stars Samantha Aucoin and Jana Morrison talk season 2, FortWell and more
“I didn’t expect it. I honestly had so much trust in him, and it’s funny; I felt really upset for my character because she has trust issues and abandonment problems, right? So I felt really sad for Astrid. They didn’t deserve that. I’m excited about what the fans are going to think.” Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Astrid & Lilly Save the World director Jill Carter helps bring the new supernatural series to life
We all know high school is hard, but it’s especially hard when you’re different. That’s exactly how outcast BFFs Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) feel every day of their lives on the new SYFY and CTV Sci-Fi series Astrid & Lilly Save the World, premiering Wednesday, January 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Continue reading.

From Petrana Radulovic of Polygon:

Link: Astrid & Lilly Save the World embraces the weirdness of high school supernatural slayers
With big Buffy-sized shoes to fill in the high school students slay monsters genre, the creators of Syfy’s new series opted to take the template and make it weird. Very weird. Astrid and Lilly Save the World centers on two high school outcasts, who turn into unlikely heroes when they have to save their town from flesh-eating monsters. Continue reading.

From Judy Berman of Time:

Link: Astrid & Lilly Save the World is like Buffy minus the male gaze
But what makes Astrid & Lilly unique is the authenticity of its lovingly written, endearingly portrayed outsider heroines. Continue reading.

From Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter:

Link: Syfy’s ‘Astrid & Lilly Save the World’: TV Review
The most obvious way to describe Syfy’s Astrid & Lilly Save the World is as a more lighthearted, less angsty Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Continue reading.

From Caroline Framke of Variety:

Link: Syfy’s ‘Astrid & Lilly Save the World’ Is ‘Buffy’ by Way of the Disney Channel: TV Review
Halfway through the pilot of “Astrid and Lilly Save the World,” best friends Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) stare down a mysterious stranger (Oliver Renaud) with awe and suspicion. Continue reading.

From Lauren Sarner of the New York Post:

Link: ‘Astrid and Lilly Save The World’ stars on new plus-sized heroine series
“When I got the audition, I was really excited about it because one of the things it was saying was the girls are supposed to be a little bit bigger – plus-sized people.” Continue reading.

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Global greenlights new original scripted series Robyn Hood

From a media release:

Today, Global announced it has greenlit a new original scripted series Robyn Hood (8×60). Created by prolific Canadian music director and renowned TV director and filmmaker Director X, and written by award-winning screenwriter Chris Roberts (Orphan Black, Frontier), the new near-fi action drama is a contemporary re-imagining of Robin Hood. The eight-episode scripted series, produced by Boat Rocker, is slated to begin production this summer in the Toronto and Hamilton area and will premiere on Global in the 2023 broadcast year. Additional information including casting and start of production for Robyn Hood will be announced at a later date.

In this modern take on the Robin Hood legend, Robyn is a fearless young woman who is not just another superhero, with abilities normal people don’t have. She is a Gen Zer driven by the injustices of today who embraces the heroic, hopeful and playful elements of the world’s most recognizable folk hero. She learns to fight for what’s right, to care for and lead her followers. And like all Robin Hoods since the first ballad, Robyn holds those in power to account by using their greed against them to help her community.

Robyn Hood follows Robyn Loxley, a young woman whose masked hip-hop band, The Hood, is known for their inventive videos and anti-authoritarian message. She lives in Sherwood Towers, a cluster of rental high-rises in a working-class corner of New Nottingham, a near-fi city where the cost of living has skyrocketed, leaving an ever-widening gap between the rich and everyone else.

When Robyn finds herself fighting for her home and her family against local property developer John Prince and The Sheriff of New Nottingham, Robyn and her band The Hood decide to fight back, righting the wrongs of the corrupt elite to give back to the people who are living under their regime.

Robyn Hood is produced by Boat Rocker in association with Corus Entertainment. The series is executive produced by Director X (Superfly, Mister Tachyon), Chris Roberts (Orphan Black, Frontier), Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black, X-Company) for Boat Rocker Studios, Jill Green (Alex Rider, Magpie Murders) for Eleventh Hour Films, and Luti Fagbenle (Maxxx) for Luti Media, with Boat Rocker Rights handling distribution.

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Knowledge Network announces Knowledge Kids’ first-ever original animated series Luna, Chip and Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go

From a media release:

British Columbia’s trusted viewer-supported public broadcaster, Knowledge Network, is excited to announce the debut and first-look of their first ever original animated series Luna, Chip & Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go, featuring their longtime mascots of the same name. The series, for children aged 3-6, will premiere in Spring 2022 on Knowledge Network in B.C., and across Canada on the Knowledge Kids app and website. TFO is excited to air the series in French beginning September 2022. Along with the announcement, the Knowledge Network has released a first-look image and teaser video of the new series.

The made-in-Canada production has the financial support of the Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund and Epic Story Media, who is also the global distributor of the series. The music-filled series is based on the well-known animated characters, Luna the owl, Chip the beaver, and Inkie the octopus, who have appeared in Knowledge Kids branding, books and video games since 2008. In each episode, the trio of enthusiastic helpers tackle problems in their town, but not before they experience some hilarious flops that require them to look for different ways of unlocking a solution.

“Creative problem-solving, resilience and teamwork are central to the mission of Knowledge Kids content,” said Michele Paris, Senior Manager of Children’s Programming and Executive Producer on the series. “Luna, Chip and Inkie will help kids see new ways of approaching a problem and persevering to get the job done!”

Set in the forests, mountains, lakes and ocean near the fictional town of Eagle Creek, the series is inspired by the rugged, natural beauty of the Pacific West Coast. “Kids worldwide have spent more time than usual indoors lately,” said Paris. “This series is a love-letter to nature. We hope it’ll remind kids of the incredible adventures that await them when they head outdoors.”

The beautifully animated 2D series is written and produced entirely in Canada. Paris is joined by Pat Ellingson, retired head of TVO Kids, in script development with Executive Story Editors Shelly Hoffman and Rob Pincombe (Ollie and Moon, Camp Lakebottom). Renowned education and child development consultant Cheryl Gotthelf is advising on scripts, as is J’net Ayayqwayaksheelth, an Indigenous Arts Educator from the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe on Vancouver Island. Series writers include a number of preschool veterans, along with a diverse group of emerging writers, including graduates of the BIPOC TV & Film Kids TV Writing Bootcamp. Composer on the music-driven series is the Emmy-nominated Daniel Ingram (“My Little Pony”). Each episode includes an original song, which will also stream on the Knowledge Kids platforms in short music videos, encouraging kids to sing along.

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Link: Workin’ Moms’ Dani Kind on why Anne is “Cracked Open” in Season 6

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Workin’ Moms’ Dani Kind on Why Anne Is “Cracked Open” in Season 6
For so many Workin’ Moms fans, Season 5 of the CBC comedy series was rough. It was hard to see best friends Kate (Catherine Reitman) and Anne (Dani Kind) separated from each other’s lives when Anne moved out to Calgary. Thankfully, the Workin’ Moms are back for Season 6, currently airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem, and Anne has returned from Calgary. Continue reading.

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Preview: Rock Solid Builds returns for more jobs in Season 2

Last year at around this time, I previewed Season 1 of Rock Solid Builds. I praised the storytelling, setting and projects featured. I wasn’t alone in liking it. Rock Solid Builds was second only to Murdoch Mysteries for the positive comments it received here at TV, Eh?

Season 2—kicking off Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada—sticks with its winning formula of spotlighting Randy Spracklin of Newfound Builders and his team of equally entertaining folks renovating and building homes on The Rock. Supported by a sprightly soundtrack, Randy, Scott, Nikki, Paul and Josh jump between jobs in the spring, juggling projects in St. John’s and their homeport of Brigus, working on old and new homes, with a few quirky projects thrown in. Aside from new additions to the Newfound Builders family in the form of canines, there are new responsibilities too as Nikki wants to add more to her plate.

The first project to visit is in St. John’s, where homeowners Ros and Katie want to make changes to their 100-year-old abode. The plan? To demo the existing kitchen and turn it into a music room while moving the existing music room in favour of a massive kitchen. Also on tap are updating two bathrooms. It’s a big job, but Randy is confident it will all look great in the end.

Meanwhile, across Conception Bay in Carbonear is a 19th-century root cellar that needs attention. The owners want theirs repaired and Randy is happy to oblige, first doing some demolition and then, alongside his father Scott, showing the traditional way of building a rock wall.

And, aside from the work, there is plenty of play … and laughs. Rock Solid Builds showcases the beauty of Newfoundland and its people with episode-ending opportunities to step ‘er down and reinforce that feeling of family Randy has instilled in the company.

Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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