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.
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

HGTV Canada schedules third season of Home to Win

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From a media release:

Canada’s top builders and designers are back under one roof in Season 3 of HGTV Canada’s #1 program,* Home To Win (8×60). Premiering Sunday, April 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada, with weekly airings on Global starting Saturday, May 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the all-star competition series follows the room-by-room transformation of a shabby countryside property into a modern family home. New this season, the opportunity for Canadians to compete to win the spectacular home is open exclusively to first-time homebuyers. HomeToWin.ca is now taking submissions and viewers can learn more about how to apply here.

The Canadian-original series returns with HGTV Canada’s robust roster of talent led by Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Sangita Patel. The eight-week broadcast kicks off with Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray spearheading the hunt for the perfect property, while Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe decide on the overall design. Then Sarah Baeumler, Sarah Keenleyside, Brian McCourt, Sebastian Clovis, Sabrina Smelko, Mike Holmes Jr., and more HGTV Canada favourites take on the day-to-day challenges of turning the blueprint into a reality. Mike Holmes, Jonathan and Drew Scott as well as Dave and Kortney Wilson also pitch in with surprise visits throughout the season. In each episode, the cast face off in head-to-head challenges, then team up to complete extensive renovations showcased in stunning room reveals. The season concludes with three first-time homebuyers competing to win the completed home in the dramatic finale.

Nominated for a 2018 Canadian Screen Award for Best Cross-Platform Project Non-Fiction, HomeToWin.ca offers a closer look at the property with weekly photo galleries of the interior and exterior spaces as they are revealed in the show. A digital home tour features hotspots that allow users to shop for products featured in the home, while behind-the-scenes photography and written recaps by HGTV Canada experts take viewers behind the camera. Exclusive video content including guided room tours, DIY projects, and bloopers connects fans further with their favourite network stars. First-time homebuyers can submit their application at HomeToWin.ca until Monday, May 28 at 8 a.m. ET.

 

 

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Murdoch Mysteries goes hunting with Teddy Roosevelt

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My how time flies. It seems like it was just last week that I spoke to Murdoch Mysteries showrunner Peter Mitchell. Turns out it was last September when I caught up with him to tease Season 11. At the time, he was doing location scouting for the episode airing this coming Monday on CBC.

If you read that interview from last fall, you know “The Great White Moose” marks the return of Teddy Roosevelt—played by Marty Moreau—to Toronto in an episode CBC’s revealed the following storyline for:

When Theodore Roosevelt sneaks into Canada for a hunting trip, Murdoch discovers the American President is the quarry.

And, as usual, I’ve got more details after watching a screener for the episode written by Paul Aitken and Graham Clegg and directed by Leslie Hope.

Guess who?
Listen, any time a Murdoch Mysteries story revolves around a politician of some stripe, you can guarantee a certain someone will show up. He does. And he’s as fantastic and frustrating as always.

Guess who, too?
And wherever the above chap appears, you can bet this individual will follow.

Espionage aplenty
It’s been quite some time since we’ve laid eyes on the fellows in Monday’s episode of Murdoch Mysteries, and that’s a long time to go without a storyline ripe with spies, government deals, etc. It’s great fun to be plunged back into that world for 44 minutes and have that through line involve a murder, especially when it involves a trip out of the city.

Crabtree’s imagination runs wild
If you thought the “TV dinners” idea was funny, wait until you hear his input on how the murder victim was killed.

Ooooo, burn?
I’m going to have to check with Paul Aitken to confirm this, but I feel like he and Graham Clegg tease fellow Murdoch writer Simon McNabb via Brackenreid.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC. The show is on a two-week hiatus during the Winter Olympics; new episodes resume on Feb. 26.

 

 

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Killjoys, Travelers

Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Ashley Park

From Kelly Townsend of The TV Junkies:

Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Ashley Park
“But writers are writers. You put a bunch of freaks (I say this lovingly), chuck them into one place, put a lot of money and not enough time on the line, and magic happens. Both teams were full of very smart, very funny people and being in the trenches with them made for a job that always put a smile on my face. I think a lot of that has to do with leadership and the culture set from the top down.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Link: CBC’s The National and its evolution – still strangely unengaged

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: CBC’s The National and its evolution – still strangely unengaged
It is no longer the baffling, near-hallucinatory experience it was during its first week with multiple hosts and a new format. Still, it is sometimes hard to fathom its exact mandate and purpose as a nightly news program. The new format was off-putting to some of CBC TV’s loyal viewers and it’s possible they have never returned. If they do, they will find an improved program but one that can be excruciatingly unengaging. Continue reading.

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Industry News

CHCH and Motion Content Group launch drama development partnership

From a media release:

CHCH and Motion Content Group today announce a partnership to invest in the creation of original high-quality Canadian programming with international appeal.

The drama development partnership will see CHCH and Motion Content Group jointly select projects to be developed, produced and distributed worldwide. Together, the companies will work directly with writers as well as third-party producers to secure premium returnable series.

The creative sensibilities and domestic relationships of CHCH, together with Motion Content Group’s global relationships and interest in supporting quality content creation will allow the companies to build international co-productions speeding up the process to get original series from development to air.

The initiative is being led by Jennifer Chen, Vice President of Programming for CHCH, and Tony Moulsdale, Global Director of Programming for Motion Content Group.

“Motion is committed to developing new funding models which bring premium content to the international market and which support our broadcast partner’s programming ambitions,” said Tony Moulsdale. “This deal builds on the success of our previous deals with CHCH on THE PINKERTONS and WYNONNA EARP.”

“This collaboration will unlock great opportunities for Canadian content-creators, and we’re looking to work with new talent as well as world-leading established writers,” added Jennifer Chen.

 

 

 

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