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

Comments and queries for the week of October 19

The heck with Mighty Trains, bring back InnerSpace! And while we’re at it, bring Daily Planet and dump the trains entirely. —SilverSurfer

Regarding the darkness of Julia’s costume at the wedding, I hadn’t realized how dark the processing of the end product would be on various screens. In reality, the dress is navy shot with purple. I was trying to make her more sophisticated and more modern than the rest of the characters. I regret it came up so dark on many people’s monitors though it really was stunning on her. —Joanna Syrokomla, Murdoch Mysteries costume designer

[The Murders] sounds like it has potential but why isn’t a female cop show written by a woman? I know we’re always a few years behind the U.S. but you’d think with everything going on in the world we’d want to push women creators to tell women’s stories. —Marisar

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Murdoch Mysteries goes undercover in “The Spy Who Loved Murdoch”

Everyone needs to take a break and the folks at Murdoch Mysteries are no different. The show shut down for a well-deserved hiatus last week. That meant no interview to offer up following the broadcast of “Murdoch Without Borders.”

But now everyone is back to work, so I’ll have at least one interview posted next Monday. Perhaps two.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before any of that can happen we need to address Monday’s new instalment. (At the time of this preview being published, CBC announced Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries would be airing rather than the Toronto election results.) Here’s what the CBC has revealed about “The Spy Who Loved Murdoch,” written by Simon McNabb and directed by Alison Reid.

When Murdoch impersonates a dead diplomat to save a treaty, political and sexual intrigue complicate matters.

And here are more morsels I’ve picked up from watching a screener.

What’s with the goatee, Murdoch?
William is looking less like a detective and more like a young Colonel Sanders. It’s all part of a plan related to the synopsis.

Bonjour Louise Monot!
The French actress and model jetted to Canada to portray Régine Rivière, an attaché for a man being sought. That pulls Murdoch into the fray, which is why he’s dressed the way he is. And look for Nick Stojanovic—who played Misha in the “Anastasia” episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries last season—in Monday’s Murdoch.

Terrence … Meyers
It’s not a complete season of Murdoch Mysteries without Peter Keleghan arriving to stir up trouble as Meyers. Unlike most times where Meyers is more of a pain in the butt for our favourite coppers, he’s come to Murdoch for help. At stake? Well, just the future of the entire world. But then, Meyers is known for being a little overly dramatic, isn’t he?

Margaret!!!
Many of you wondered why Margaret wasn’t at Higgins and Ruth’s wedding. I don’t know the answer to that but I can say she appears in “The Spy Who Loved Murdoch.” Arwen Humphreys, as usual, makes the most of her on-screen time in a plotline involving an old friend of Thomas’ visiting.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Industry News, Knights of Panterra

Link: The Jim Henson Company boards fantasy drama ‘Knights of Panterra’

From Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter:

Link: The Jim Henson Company boards fantasy drama ‘Knights of Panterra’
The Jim Henson Company, the puppet-based production house behind Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, has come on board Knights of Panterra, a Canadian live-action series based on the Dino Knights kids books by Jeff Norton. Continue reading. 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Colin and Justin return to their roots in Great Canadian Cottages

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Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan’s recent Canadian television programming has seen them up to their elbows in rotten wood, bugs and questionable style choices in three seasons of Cabin Pressure. In that series, the duo purchased and renovated their own cottages while offering tips and tricks to DIY projects.

Now the pair is back with a new series—Great Canadian Cottages, debuting Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Cottage Life—that harkens back to their early days in the business.

“This is really us going back to Colin and Justin, Stage 1,” McAllister says over the phone. “Our background is newspapers and magazines and we’ve interviewed stars and celebs about their homes. We’ve always been in the market to listen to people and share their stories. We’ve done it in print media for years but this gave us the opportunity to do it on-camera.”

McAllister says Great Canadian Cottages is a natural evolution from Cabin Pressure. In that program, episodes followed their story from destruction and renovation to completion. Great Canadian Cottages turns the cameras on other cottage owners as they explain the inspiration for their getaways and digs deep into the nuts and bolts of building outside of big cities. There are also experts on hand who weigh in on some of the construction choices made. In Episode 1, that includes the windows utilized in a shimmering glass block built for a professional photographer so he could make the most of natural light.

Each 30-minute episode finds McAllister and Ryan telling the stories of distinctive cottages with amazing architectural flair, uncovering the carefully crafted design features of each home and learning more about the geographic regions they are built upon. (Fans of the pair can meet them in person at the 2018 Cottage Life Show in Toronto this weekend. Click here for more details.)

There have been plenty of surprises in Season 1. Among them are a getaway made out of straw and clay that has no 90-degree angles and the abode built by former Toronto Maple Leafs great Wendel Clark. It turns out the gritty goal scorer has a knack for gardening and a flair for fashionable homes.

“He’s a real bruiser, so we figured [his cottage] would be like a sports bar with a giant TV,” McAllister recalls. “We get to this beautiful house and gardens that you would pay money to visit. Wendel and his wife, Denise, are the most humble, down-to-earth lovely people. He talked us through the house they made, the garden that they do themselves with their own four hands. And he talks about transitional furniture and just bloody owns it.”

“Colin and I walked away from that saying, ‘If a hockey player can become an interior designer, do you think an interior designer can become a hockey player?” he continues. “I think it’s time for Colin and Justin to take up the puck!”

Great Canadian Cottages airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Cottage Life.

Image courtesy of Blue Ant Media.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Discovery’s newest original Canadian series Vintage Tech Hunters premiering Nov. 5

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From a media release:

This fall, Discovery takes viewers on a nostalgic journey through the history of technology in the all-new original Canadian series VINTAGE TECH HUNTERS, with back-to-back episodes airing Mondays at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT beginning Nov. 5 on Discovery and the Discovery app.

Viewers are invited to join technophile co-hosts Bohus Blahut and Shaun Hatton as they sift through dusty barns, liquidation sales, and back country antique auctions to reveal rare treasures from decades past. Produced by Crooked Horse Productions (a division of Boat Rocker Studios) each 30-minute episode follows Hatton and Blahut on their quest to uncover “rare, weird, and nostalgic” tech, pursuing the most valuable items, and working to connect with the right collector to drive sales. Taking a cross-continental road trip from an e-waste recycling facility in Los Angeles all the way to a flea market in rural Nova Scotia, the 14-part series showcases the unique combination of tireless dedication and offbeat sense of humour required to unearth these ultra-rare pop culture collectibles.

Seeking out classic consumer technology and pop culture items, spanning forgotten fads to technology still in use today, this effervescent duo turn up a slew of throwback collectibles, including the world’s first talking pinball machine, a Robert the Robot, a Minox B Spy Camera, a Speak ‘n Spell toy, and an Apple I computer.

Episode highlights from the debut season of VINTAGE TECH HUNTERS include:

“Bohus and Shaun… Go on an Odyssey”
Monday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
During a road trip along the coast of Southern California, Shaun Hatton and Bohus Blahut stumble upon a vintage jukebox in dire need of repair. They take it to an expert in L.A. where they desperately hope to have it restored to mint condition. While in the City of Angels, the hosts hunt for vintage tech items at a local flea market and browse around an e-waste recycling facility, uncovering several former technology marvels including a Lasonic TRC 931 boombox from the 1980s and a Corona 3 typewriter originally built in 1913.

“Bohus and Shaun…Talk to Gorgar”
Monday, Nov. 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Passing through Illinois and Wisconsin, Hatton and Blahut discover a Magnavox Odyssey, officially known as the world’s first commercial video game. To dramatically increase the game’s monetary value, they need to sell it as a complete package. While rummaging for missing parts, they also uncover antique exercise equipment, including the Vitamaster Model 35 Vibrator Belt Exercise Machine from the 1950s, complete with a Vitamaster Roller Massager from the same era.

“Bohus and Shaun… Buy a Jukebox”
Monday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Hatton and Blahut take their newest acquisition, the world’s first talking pinball machine (nicknamed Gorgar), to Dallas, where they arrange for a much-needed restoration. While in Texas, they unearth rare musical instruments at a swap meet, including a 1951 Shure 55S Microphone and a 1960s electronic Zeetar. Before trekking on to their next destination, the hosts find themselves hunting through a massive and crowded liquidation sale, meeting numerous compelling characters in the process.

VINTAGE TECH HUNTERS is produced by Crooked Horse Productions in association with Discovery Canada and Boat Rocker Studios. The series is co-financed by Boat Rocker Studios with Boat Rocker Rights distributing the series internationally and managing the global brand and licensing. Executive Producers for Boat Rocker Studios are Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier, along with David Lerech and Bree Tiffin from Crooked Horse. From Boat Rocker Rights, Jon Rutherford is President and Series Producer is Robert Scott.

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