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.
APTN announced its Fall 2018 schedule today, highlighting a slate of new original series, returning favourites and thought-provoking documentaries. The new season starts on September 3rd.
Longmire, Season 5 – Sheriff Longmire finds himself caught in the cross-hairs of a wrongful death civil suit. New mysteries and cases are weighing down on Walt and his team.
Wentworth, Season 6 – Following season five’s jaw-dropping finale. Season six resumes with almost all of Wentworth’s inmates and officers stunned by the apparent joint escape of Franky Doyle and Joan Ferguson.
First Contact – Premiering on APTN, First Contact takes a group of six non-Indigenous Canadians with strong opinions and immerses them into Indigenous Canada for the first time. The participants are tested in extraordinary situations, their beliefs confronted, and their emotions pushed to the limits.
Taken, Season 3 – The hard-hitting, true crime documentary series, focuses on solving the mysteries behind Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Broadcasted in Cree and English. APTN will be co-broadcasting the third season of Taken with CBC.
Future History – Exclusive to APTN, this documentary series challenges the settler colonial paradigm while celebrating the reclamation and revitalization of Indigenous knowledge.
French language programming will also premiere on Canada’s only independent Indigenous network. Première Ligne captures the stories of Indigenous health and first aid professionals who help their fellow community members in distress. The hit documentary series, defining the standards of beauty within an Indigenous context, Princesses will be airing in French.
New Indigenous language Programming will also air on the network. From the North, Nunavummi Mamarijavut, an Arctic adventure culinary series follows Inuit families and outfitters and showcases how food is an expression of love and a means of sharing their culture. Broadcast in Inuktitut. Moosemeat & Marmalade, Season 3 will air in Cree and Mohawk Girls, Season 5 will air in Mohawk.
APTN’s Fall 2018 season kicks off September 3rd.
Fans of Wynonna Earp are still aching over the death of Xavier Dolls. And, understandably so. But last week’s new episode, “Colder Weather,” went a long way to healing those wounds with a memorable and emotional sendoff.
With a new episode coming later this week, here’s our interview with Melanie Scrofano, who talked about this season, the man who plays the show’s biggest bad, directing and her scene-stealing role on Letterkenny.
Despite the fact that it’s been fantastic to have a baby in real life, has it been kind of nice to not have to worry about your health while filming the third season of Wynonna Earp?
Melanie Scrofano: Yeah. There is such a freedom that came with having my body back, but also just not having … it was not just that it limits your movements, to do everything it was just less elegant. And it wasn’t as free as I wanted to feel, but it was also just hard feeling like everybody for lack of a better term, was babying you, because everybody understandably was like, ‘I don’t want to be the reason that she has a miscarriage on set.’
How fun has it been to come back into that world and to play this character for the third season?
MS: Well, funny you should mention that. I think Emily [Andras] wanted to start off with a bang and really remind people who Wynonna is and that for me was just so fun. I was scared in Season 2. I was like, ‘If we don’t get a Season 3, I won’t get to feel this free and have fun again.’ We just had the best time. I think there’s no better way to show people how not private I am any more than riding the mechanical bull and being drunk and having your shirt wide open.
A lot has been said about Megan Follows and the character. I know you’ve been asked this question before and I apologize, but I have to ask it, what was it like working with her?
MS: She is such an icon and you never know what you’re gonna get because she’s been around for long and done such iconic stuff. She brought her skills and professionalism and it really just reaffirmed my wanting to make the show the best it could be because that’s what she wanted to do. She questioned her character all the time and she always wanted to make it honest and authentic. You know, for someone going into Season 3 who could become a bit complacent, it was a great way to kickstart the season by really reaffirming all those questions why am I doing what I’m doing.
One of the big fears that Wynonna had back when we first met her in Season 1 is that she was crazy.
MS: I think any kid—don’t tell my parents—but you see your parents, and you want to emulate their good side, but more often than not we’re taken with what we don’t want to replicate. For Wynonna it’s one of her biggest fears is ending up … she was in a mental institution when she was a teenager. She was proven to be not crazy by the fact in Season 1 everything that she had been talking about turns out to be true.
However, there’s still an element of that all happened to her when she was so young and seeing her mom go to the psych ward, it never stopped being a part of her DNA to be afraid of it. I think it’s just a constant battle not to end up like her mom in a lot of ways. As a parent even.
Let’s talk about this character played by Jean Marchand. What can you say about this incredibly bad dude that has entered this world named Bulshar?
MS: It’s like everything else is a trickle-down of this demon so he’s like the scariest. The way Jean Marchand plays him, it’s just such an unexpected refinement. It’s kind of refreshing to have, it’s sort of like the scariest dogs are the ones that don’t bark.
He just oozes this sinisterness and doesn’t have to really say anything which is kind of cool.
MS: Yeah. What’s interesting is that he in real life is the most generous, like he will not stop giving me DVDs. He’s generous, kind, and a fan of the show before he was on it. He is exactly the opposite which is so often what you hear about these bad guys, but it’s so cool to see him play such a dark presence.
A quick question about directing. You directed a scene. Is that something you’ve always wanted to do? Is that a natural progression for you?
MS: I think it’s a natural progression. I think it’s something that maybe I didn’t know I always wanted to do but then once I did it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this fits. It makes sense.’ I just love storytelling in general. I love being able to work with people and create … I think a lot of times as an actor the external really drives the internal. So being a part of creating the external down to just little details really help tell the story in a way that felt so, it was so satisfying.
I can’t talk to you without asking you about Letterkenny. You are fantastic as Mrs. McMurray. What’s it been like working with these guys and playing this character?
MS: It’s just so, they’re so fun. All you do, and I think you can tell when you watch the show like all we do is laugh and mess up takes. But that’s so fun and it’s nice to go from a show where I have so much on my shoulders—which I love and wouldn’t trade that for the world—but it’s nice to be able to breathe and play on somebody else’s show where they set such a great tone.
I just have fun with them and know that if Mrs. McMurray messes up, people are still gonna watch the show. There’s no pressure. So if Mrs. McMurray sucks, they’re still gonna watch Letterkenny. It’s an amazing show which is a breath of fresh air as an actor to not have an pressure.
Jared Keeso has created a really fun work environment. I mean, you all do work hard there, I know, but also they like to have a lot of fun.
MS: Yeah. And Jacob Tierney as well. As a team, they are just unstoppable.
Following MASTERCHEF CANADA’s youngest-ever winner, Beccy Stables being crowned earlier this summer, CTV announced today Season 6 of its hit culinary competition series MASTERCHEF CANADA for the 2018/2019 broadcast season. Casting for passionate home cooks looking to follow their food dreams is now open at CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada, with production set to begin this fall in Toronto on a new 12-episode season from Proper Television.
Marking a return to the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen are distinguished Canadian judges Michael Bonacini (O&B restaurant empire), Alvin Leung (Bo Innovation in Hong Kong), and Claudio Aprile (Copetin Restaurant & Bar). The esteemed trio are poised to once again mentor and challenge everyday Canadian home cooks to elevate their cooking and presentation skills to a professional level, as they compete in high-stakes cooking challenges to secure the MASTERCHEF CANADA title and take home a $100,000 cash prize.
Canadians maintain a strong appetite for MASTERCHEF CANADA. A Top 15 program on Canadian television with all key demos this past spring, Season 5 of MASTERCHEF CANADA averaged 1.2 million total viewers weekly.
Casting for Season 6 of MASTERCHEF CANADA is now open at CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada. Passionate and talented Canadian home cooks hungry for an opportunity to capture the life-changing title of Canada’s next MasterChef have until Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. ET to apply online. Further to online casting submissions, invitation-only auditions will be held across Canada this summer, so home cooks are encouraged to get their applications in soon. In addition, an in-person Open Casting Call will be held in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 30 – for more information, visit CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada.
Viewers can relive all the culinary action from the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen with Season 5 episodes available on demand at CTV.ca, CTV GO app. Season 5 is also available on CraveTV™ and airing Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on Gusto.
The MASTERCHEF format and finished programmes are represented internationally by Endemol Shine Group, and is based on a format originally created by Franc Roddam.
MASTERCHEF CANADA is produced by Proper Television in association with CTV. Proper’s Co-President Cathie James is the Executive Producer and Showrunner and Co-President Lesia Capone is Executive Producer.
Last week in Stratford, Ont., Zainab and Monica were once again saved from elimination when it was revealed the Leg wasn’t over and that teams were headed to Toronto. That also meant that I—along with fellow journalists and social media influencers—would continue our travels as well.
Shortly after Taylor and Courtney landed on the mat in first place, we headed for the production vehicle and hit the highway for Canada’s largest city. Humidity and rain showers threatened as they, and we departed. Teams were tasked with, once they’d arrived in Toronto, visiting the observation deck at city hall to locate a flag marking the location of the next clue. (Behind the curtain: we skipped the observation deck, a personal bummer, and set up shop in Yonge-Dundas Square to see who would arrive first. We heard several teams were slowed down by weather and traffic.) Taylor and Courtney saw the flag right away, Adam and Courtney ended up at Queen’s Quay, and Phil and Martina arrived at city hall and quickly spotted the flag.
In the Road Block, teams had to pack a pile of kitschy items into the back of a Chevrolet Spark and then back another Spark into a parking space. Taylor took on the test. Because they were in the lead, Taylor took some time to figure out which things should go into the car first. Martina felt rushed and quickly fell behind. Nancy and Mellisa, meanwhile, managed to shake Dylan and Kwame at city hall. Taylor knocked over one cone backing up and had to re-do the task. He was still done way in advance and he and Taylor left Yonge-Dundas Square in first. (Behind the curtain: As I just typed, Taylor and Courtney were done and gone quickly. Editing made it look like it was far closer than it really was. Also? There was a super-fan yelling while the Road Block was happening. I’m surprised I couldn’t hear her during the broadcast.)
The next stop? One of the most unique bookstores in the world. The Monkey’s Paw bookstore features the Biblio-Mat, a machine that vends odd books. I’ve used it and was given a book on the history of hanging in England. Anyway, the Racers had to use public transit to get there while our production vehicle drove us over. The Monkey’s Paw was also the location of a Double U-Turn.
Back at Yonge-Dundas Square, Martina and Phil completed the task, followed by Nancy and Mel, an impressive Dylan and Kwame (the super-fan gave them directions), Adam and Courtney and Leanne and Mar. Zainab and Monica ran right past the square and into the building next door, delaying their arrival.
Taylor and Courtney used the Biblio-Mat and received the Detour locations. In Latte Art, Racers had to make two lattes at Versus Coffee and then produce the same intricate foam art that the barista did. In Walk the Park, Racers ventured to El Convento Rico, a Latin nightclub, to vogue their way to their next clue. (Behind the curtain: we were camped out here. This compact, sweaty little club was jam-packed with dancers and audience members. It was a blast to see the excitement as teams arrived and the support the audience gave them during the challenges.)
Martina and Phil opted for Latte Art. (Behind the curtain: we were in The Monkey’s Paw when Phil and Martina arrived. I was secretly hoping to make it on TV—we were asked to act like customers—but were left on the cutting-room floor.) Nancy and Mel, meanwhile, were again shadowed by Kwame and Dylan as they sprinted to the bookstore and then to the club. Courtney and Adam, worried about their own safety, U-Turned Monica and Zainab.
Taylor and Courtney nailed the routine in their first try (the energy in the club was electric when they finished) and departed first, followed by Leanne and Mar. (We left after the cheerleaders too, for our final destination.) Mel and Nancy vogued to success next, followed by Dylan and Kwame and Kwame’s Hammer pants. That left Adam and Courtney and Zainab and Monica fighting to complete the routine first. Of course, Monica and Zainab still had to make the lattes.
The North York Harvest Food Bank was the next stop for the Racers, where they teamed with Dempster’s to prep and pack boxes of baked goods for shipment across the region to families in need. Taylor and Courtney kept their heads, stayed organized and filled the boxes before anyone else had arrived. They departed for Ireland Park, steps from the ferry to Billy Bishop Airport, and the Pit Stop. Mar and Leanne misread the clipboard and began collecting boxes of baked goods instead of bags. It wasn’t until they asked Mel and Nancy what they were doing that the cheerleaders realized their mistake and got back on track. That lost them a higher ranking to Mel and Nancy, who completed the Leg in second place.
Taylor and Courtney, who led this Leg and the last one, landed on the mat in front of Jon Montgomery and Season 5 winners Sam and Paul. (Behind the curtain: check out the video of that happening above. Sorry, the sound is a little bad, we weren’t allowed to be very close. Also? Every team we watched arrive did it from behind the cameras and lights and had to re-do the run down the pier.)
As expected, Zainab and Monica’s luck ran out during this Leg and they couldn’t come back from being U-Turned by Adam and Courtney. They were eliminated from the Race.
Once again, a big thank you to Bell Media, Insight Productions and CTV’s public relations team for inviting me along on this fun and very full day. It was a thrill to watch filming and get the opportunity to stand on the mat at the end of the Leg.
Who do you think can win it all this season? Let me know in the comments below!
Here’s how the teams finished this Leg of the Race:
Taylor and Courtney (trip for two to Hong Kong)
Mel and Nancy
Martina and Phil
Leanne and Mar
Dylan and Kwame
Courtney and Adam
Zainab and Monica (eliminated)
The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. MT on CTV.
