From Heather M. of TV Goodness:
Link: Rob Stewart and Alanna Bale talk Killjoys Season 5
“When I got the sides to audition, it was the night before. I had just the night to prepare, so I was just going to make some choices and try to figure out who the character is and go with it. I knew what I was doing, but I was sort of making up the plot from the prior seasons in my head. I guess it worked out well because I’m here right now.†Continue reading.Â
From a media release:
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Bell Media are pleased to welcome one of Canada’s top drama showrunners Bruce Smith as the Executive Producer in Residence of the 2019 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program. From September to December 2019, Smith will lead the story room as well as the six television writers selected to participate in this year’s program as they work together to develop Smith’s original series.
Bruce Smith was most recently creator and showrunner of Street Legal on CBC. Previously, he was the showrunner of CTV’s award-winning drama 19-2 and of Cracked (CBC). Over its four-season run, 19-2 earned more than 30 Canadian Screen Awards nominations, including the win for Best Dramatic Series in 2016, when it was also nominated for an International Emmy in the same category. Additionally, Smith has worked as a writer/producer on numerous dramas, including Durham County (HBO CANADA), and has penned multiple award-winning MOWs and miniseries, including The Sleep Room (CBC), Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story (CBC), The Investigation (CTV), and John A: Birth of a Country (CBC), for which he won a 2013 Canadian Screen Award. Smith has received three WGC Screenwriting Awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award in 2015 and the McGrath Service Award in 2019.
The 2019 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program participants are:
This year’s program begins on September 23, 2019. The Bell Media Prime Time TV Program, now in its 20th year, delivers a real-world story room experience and an intense professional and project development process for six TV writers a year. The program has attracted some of Canada’s most prolific and successful showrunners to lead the story room as Executive Producer in Residence, including Michael MacLennan, Karen Walton, Brad Wright, Dennis Heaton and Alexandra Zarowny. The program has played a vital role in developing numerous hit series through its story room, including Travelers and the Emmy Award-winning series Orphan Black. Learn more about the program here.
From a media release:
Starting Thurs., Oct. 3, T+E offers all treats and no tricks with a spooky “Creep Month†line-up that features five new series and two returning favourites, all in time to embrace the spine-tingling spirit of Halloween. Highlights include the highly-anticipated North American premiere of BBC’s re-telling of The War of the Worlds (Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) starring Rafe Spall, Eleanor Tomlinson, Robert Carlyle and Rupert Graves; the sinister new Canadian series Witches of Salem (Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT) that exposes the mass hysteria that hit a sleepy New England village in 1692; and Sky Vision’s hit high-octane dystopian series Curfew (Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) which follows Adam Brody, Sean Bean and Billy Zane on the deadliest ride of their lives. T+E’s “Creep Month†airs from Thurs., Oct. 3 to Thurs., Oct. 31.
Five new series are set to cast a spell over viewers this October. In addition to the previously mentioned series The War of the Worlds (North American premiere), Witches of Salem (Canadian premiere), and Curfew (Canadian premiere), two new series join the Creep Month line-up. Paranormal: Caught on Camera (Canadian premiere) follows the world’s most terrifying apparitions caught on tape and an all-new season of A Haunting (Canadian premiere) follows bone-chilling true stories of possession, exorcism, and paranormal encounters. (Full descriptions below).
Resurrected returning favourites include Help! My House is Haunted (12×60’) and Haunted Hospitals (13×60’), both of which promise to take viewers on a spine-tingling trip to the other side and back.
HALLOWEEN “CREEP MONTH†HIGHLIGHTS
NEW SERIES & SEASONS
Curfew (Canadian premiere, season one)
Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, starting October 3
When day becomes night, a strict curfew forces ordinary people to go pedal to the metal in a deadly race for freedom in this action-packed British dystopian drama. Along for the ride in this near-future zombie apocalypse is Adam Brody, Billy Zane and Sean Bean.
Witches of Salem (Canadian premiere, season one)
Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, starting October 6
Witches of Salem tells the tale of history’s most terrifying real-life witch hunt. Drawing on extensive historical documents and court transcripts, the four-part series explores the widespread “satanic panic†that cast a spell over the sleepy village of Salem, Massacuttes and asks what lessons history can teach us about modern day witch hunts and mass hysteria. Produced in Canada by Saloon Media, a Blue Ant company, and in association with Talos Films.
The War of the Worlds (North American premiere, season one)
Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, starting October 6
This long-awaited three-part drama has been generating massive buzz since the BBC first announced its commission. Based on H.G. Wells’ seminal tale and set in Edwardian England, the story follows a terrifying alien invasion where people must fight for their lives against an enemy beyond their comprehension. Directed by the award-winning Craig Viveiros, the series stars Rafe Spall, Eleanor Tomlinson, Rupert Graves and Robert Carlyle.
Paranormal: Caught on Camera (Canadian premiere, season one)
Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, starting October 11
Watch as eyewitness’ capture amazing, eye-opening and downright scary paranormal videos from around the world while a panel of experts break down the footage and analyze what was captured.
A Haunting (Canadian premiere, season ten)
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, starting October 15
Through terrifying first-person accounts and dramatic recreations, A Haunting delves into the true and horrific events that plague innocent people when spirits determined to have a final say invade their lives to inflict unimaginable horrors.
RESURRECTED SERIES AIRING ALL MONTH LONG
Haunted Hospitals
Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Explores chilling tales of otherworldly activity inside medical institutions. In each episode, doctors, nurses, and patients give first-hand accounts of deceased patients and medical staff who come back from the grave and stalk the corridors to warn of impending danger.
Help! My House is Haunted
Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT
Created by Ghost Adventures’ Zak Bagans, Help! My House is Haunted is a ghost-hunting series that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to searching for paranormal entities.
From Brian Steinberg of Variety:
Link: ‘Odd Squad’ deploys new team for old mission: getting kids to tune in
The kid cast of the PBS series “Odd Squad†is gearing up for its usual challenge, teaching kids about math and science. While the four new members of the team tape scenes in New York’s Central Park, however, a bigger threat looms. Continue reading.
Which three teams will be in The Amazing Race Canada season finale next week? Nova Scotia was the battleground to decide that in Tuesday’s newest episode.
It’s safe to say this has been one of the most controversial seasons of the franchise thanks to Dave and Irina. I got quite a few emails from fans who were outraged at their moves. It is a bit of a shock to see a team so intent on winning, but with so much at stake, I think I’d have done the same thing. They, along with Anthony and James, Lauren and Joanne and Sam and Sarah, were all fighting for the Top 3 spots.
Dave and Irina led the charge out of Thunder Bay, Ont., to Wolfville, NS. There, they located the Tangled Garden gallery and tea room, the site of their next clue. In the Road Block, one team member was tasked with tasting and identifying the ingredients in jams and jellies made in-house. Dave, Lauren, Sarah and Anthony all tackled the test at hand. (Credit to the show producers for focusing on Anthony’s sniffing skills and unique tasting routine.) Sarah’s athlete’s diet of chicken, rice and broccoli wasn’t helping her (she only got two of seven correct at first) while the others were getting five out of seven. It was Anthony and his cultured palate that completed the test first, and made sure he covered his answers so Dave couldn’t look at them. Dave got it right on his next try, followed by Joanne and Sarah.
Anthony and James got going on the windy roads to an apple stand to score their next clue. In the Detour, teams chose either Puck (playing sledge hockey at Acadia University) or Apples (sorting and identifying 12 apple types at Noggins Corner Farm Market). Anthony and James had no idea what sledge hockey was, but opted for that over sorting apples. Was it the wrong choice? Dave and Irina chose Apples because it appeared to be the easier task, as did Joanne and Lauren. Meanwhile, Sarah and Sam picked Pucks too.
Both Detours proved to be difficult. After many tries, Anthony and James scored their next clue, which led them to TapRoot Farms. Once there, they had to back up their truck, gather up song lyrics and put them in the right order to construct “Farewell to Nova Scotia.” After that, teams delivered beer to The Church Brewing Company and performed the tune.
Back at the orchard, Lauren and Joanne and Dave and Irina were having no luck at all. Neither were Sarah and Sam, who got oh-so-close a couple of times on the ice. Finally, they scored on lucky No. 13 and moved on. Lauren and Joanne successfully sorted their apples, leaving Dave and Irina amid the trees. They finally got it but were in last place. Would Nova Scotia be Dave and Irina’s downfall?
Out on the field, Anthony and James were chugging along, collecting lyrics and piecing them together. They completed the song lyrics as Sarah and Sam arrived. On the road to the brewery, each duo learned “Farewell to Nova Scotia,” giving us several opportunities to enjoy these teams we’ve watched race all summer. The singing was made a lot easier by the fact the Racers were allowed to read the words, but still. Joanne’s meticulous driving allowed Dave to catch up. And, as he spun around the field collecting words Joanne faltered and made mistakes. The result? Both teams were scrambling to get the lyrics in the correct order at the same time. Joanne and Lauren got it first, but Dave and Irina didn’t give up.
The Pit Stop of Tuesday’s Leg of the Race was a British phone box located at Luckett Vineyards. It seemed like an almost impossible task to locate Jon from just a photo. Thankfully, an information booth was just outside the brewery. Anthony and James departed in first place. Sarah and Sam finished at the brewery next and got directions from a passerby.
It was Anthony and James to scored the first spot in The Amazing Race finale, hopping on the mat and landing a trip to Singapore. Sarah and Sam showed that never giving up was key on the Race by placing second. Joanne and Lauren were in third place heading to the mat but neglected to write the directions they were given down. Dave, meanwhile, noted the sisters got lost often and hoped it would happen again. But it was’t to be, as the sisters arrived ahead of the married couple, eliminating one of the strongest teams ever from the competition.
Here’s how the teams finished this leg of the Race.
The Amazing Race Canada season finale airs next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.
Images courtesy of Bell Media.
