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.
Hard Rock Medical

TVO’s Hard Rock Medical graduates to a final season beginning Jan. 2 at 9 p.m.

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From a media release:

TVO’s popular series Hard Rock Medical kicks off a fourth and final season with back-to-back episodes Tuesday, January 2 at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  Inspired by the world-renowned Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the dramatic and entertaining fictional series brings to life the distinct challenges of delivering quality healthcare in Northern Ontario.  The opening episodes will be available to stream on tvo.org starting January 3, with additional episodes posted each week.

Facing challenging life circumstances and demanding courses, the students at Hard Rock U will now work through their fourth year of offbeat medical training. A big question remains:  Who has the determination and resilience to earn the coveted White Coat? Canadian icon Eric Peterson joins the already stellar ensemble cast of Canadian actors including Patrick McKenna, Angela Asher, Jamie Spilchuk, Tamara Duarte, and Northern Ontario favourite Stéphane Paquette.

Key storylines of this final season will follow the continuing trials and tribulations of Hard Rock’s beloved Northern Ontario medical students. After donating bone marrow to Mylo, Eva convalesces at home on the Rez. A judge orders Gary into reconciliation classes with a racist cop. Charlie struggles to keep it all together as his wife undergoes chemo treatments and his family is forced to move into his father’s home. Gina and Melanie are placed with an elderly doctor (Eric Peterson) who has a drug dependency and a healthy dislike of their youthful energy. The death of a friend and lover sets Cameron off on a self-destructive path. And Nancy and Farida are seconded to pediatrics in the North Bay hospital – while both of them work to carefully define the line between caring and over-sharing.

Co-created by Smith Corindia and Derek Diorio, Hard Rock Medical is produced by Distinct Features.  The series is filmed entirely in Northern Ontario.

Hard Rock Medical repeats Fridays at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. beginning January 5, and Sundays at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. beginning January 7.

 

 

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Featured, Travelers

Preview: A traveler on trial on Travelers

To me, the mark of a good episode is it causes discussion. And boy, did last week’s episode of Travelers do that. “17 Minutes” was a hit for some and a massive miss for others. Arguments were made it was one of the best storylines so far while an equal amount of folks hated the Groundhog Day theme and fast-forwarded to the end to watch the conclusion.

But on to this week’s instalment, “Traveler 0027,” written by Ashley Park and directed by Amanda Tapping. Here’s what Showcase has released synopsis-wise ahead of Monday’s broadcast:

After receiving an unusual message to attend a court proceeding, the travelers find that one of their own is on trial for conspiring against The Director and interrupting the Grand Plan.

And here is some additional information we can divulge after watching a screener.

Who is Traveler 0027?
If you’ve been paying attention—and I know you have—it’s Grace Day, who has taken some major liberties with timelines and other folks’ fates since her illegal arrival in 2017 among them resetting Marcy. Now she is forced to atone for her actions. Actress Jennifer Spence turns in one hell of a performance.

Where is the Quantum Frame?
That’s the mission for MacLaren and the team this week and it involves nabbing a trio of soldiers to help with that. And as serious as Travelers has been, story-wise, of late the show’s writers still find time to throw a funny line into scenes. That’s not easy but they make it appear that way.

Philip is fumbling
Now that the future is in turmoil all of Philip’s encyclopedic knowledge is kind of useless. He’s feeling down in the dumps about his self-worth; can Carly pull him out of his funk?

Travelers airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase.

Image courtesy of Corus.

 

 

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Brackenreid gets arty in Monday’s Murdoch Mysteries

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It was pretty cruel of the CBC scheduling team to have such a heartbreaking Murdoch Mysteries episode like “The Accident” air and then make fans wait weeks until the new episode. Still, we knew there would be breaks between new episodes and hey, the Christmas special “Home for the Holidays” is just around the corner!

As for this Monday’s new instalment, “Brackenreid of the Boudoir,” the CBC has issued the following official information:

To investigate an artist’s murder, Brackenreid picks up his paintbrush again and attracts a wealthy patron’s very personal attention.

And here are some more tidbits we gleaned after watching a screener of the episode written by showrunner Peter Mitchell and directed by Harvey Crossland.

Julia and William go camping
I don’t think enough is said about the comedic talents of Yannick Bisson and Hélène Joy, so I’ll do it now. The two can be flat-out hilarious without the use of scripted words. That is showcased in the first few moments of Monday’s episode as the two use physical comedy to great effect. Also? Julia utters a saying I had to Google to understand and it’s a pretty interesting term.

Brackenreid goes undercover
I’ve been waiting for Brackenreid’s skills as an artist to be utilized in another storyline, so this got me giddy. Monday’s victim seems to have ties to the famous troupe of artists, in particular, one fellow who once bought Brackenreid’s painting. Like his son John did a few weeks ago, Thomas goes undercover to catch a killer. As always, it’s a pleasure to see our favourite cops outside of the station house and this is no different. I got a particular kick seeing Brackenreid’s pride in having his artistic side celebrated, especially by the wealthy patron portrayed by Sonja Smits.

Nina Bloom is back…
… and getting smoochy with our George. And then, well, you’ll have to tune in to find out.

And so is Detective Watts
Watts takes on the case of a young lady who had her bicycle stolen. Now why would a detective do the work more suited to a constable, do you think?

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

 

 

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Industry News

Link: ACTRA says it’s expediting sexual-harassment complaints processes

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: ACTRA says it’s expediting sexual-harassment complaints processes
The union for Canada’s TV and film performers says it’s expediting its discipline processes for sexual harassment and assault complaints.

At a panel discussion on sexual harassment hosted Friday by the organization behind the Toronto International Film Festival, ACTRA Toronto president Theresa Tova outlined a number of immediate steps the union is taking as it also works with other industry stakeholders on longer-term strategies. Continue reading.

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