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

Blue Ant Media ‘Makes it Right’ with its latest original slate for 2024, featuring Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy

From a media release:

Announced today at Banff World Media Festival, international producer, distributor and channel operator, Blue Ant Media, announced its 2024 original slate for its Canadian specialty TV and global FAST offerings. The slate includes the brand new commission Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy, featuring the original home renovation pioneer and TV personality, Mike Holmes, in a reboot of his original franchise, this time joined by his son Michael and daughter Sherry. The series will premiere on Cottage Life in Canada and also air on free streaming channel Homeful globally. Also starring on the slate is the new greenlight A Secret to Die For, commissioned for T+E and Total Crime, and Intervention Canada (Season 6), in partnership with A+E Networks, for Makeful. Rounding out the lineup are the two hit returning series, Haunted Hospitals and Mysteries from Above.

Blue Ant Media’s slate is overseen by Sam Linton, VP, Production and Development, Global Media. Blue Ant International will handle pre-sales and licensing opportunities worldwide for several of the original series in the slate.

“Our latest slate delivers on Blue Ant Media’s commitment to commission universally relevant and compelling original series for our Canadian speciality TV and global free streaming channels. Our new original series with Mike Holmes is a great example of home reno programming that will resonate with the extensive fanbase Mike has grown over the last 20 years,” says Carlyn Staudt, Head of Commissioning, Global Media, Blue Ant Media. “Banff is the perfect backdrop to announce these new projects, as we take great pride in working with our production partners to bring premium content to global audiences.”

Cottage Life/Homeful
Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy (6×60’; HD)
Producer: The Holmes Group
World broadcast premiere scheduled for Cottage Life in spring 2024 during free preview. Series will also become available on Homeful in the US in 2024

After a lifetime of helping homeowners in need, Mike Holmes still has some unfinished business. Blue Ant’s new highly-anticipated original series will see Mike go back to his roots, alongside his son and daughter Michael and Sherry, to secure his legacy of ‘making it right’ in Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy (6×60’; HD). From renovations gone wrong by crooked or incompetent contractors to worthy homeowners in need of a life changing renovation, each hour-long episode sees the Holmes trio roll up their sleeves and continue the work that cemented Mike as a household name across North America. Blue Ant International handles pre-sales and licensing opportunities worldwide.

Cottage Life
Mysteries from Above, Season 3 (8×60’; HD)
Producer: Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company

World broadcast premiere is scheduled for spring 2024 on Cottage Life in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview.

Renewed for a third installment is Cottage Life’s popular original series, Mysteries from Above. The series takes to the skies to unlock Earth’s greatest mysteries and dramatically change how we see the world. From the vantage points of drones, satellites, and aerial photography, the series explores unique buildings and structures — both natural and man-made, curious creatures and lost ancient civilizations, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers. Mysteries from Above, Season 1 was one of spring 2022’s top 10 primetime series with total viewers, as well as Cottage Life’s core demographic of adults 25-54 and women 25-54. Season 2 is currently airing on Cottage Life. Blue Ant International handles pre-sales and licensing opportunities worldwide.

T+E/HauntTV
Haunted Hospitals, Season 5 (8×60’; HD)
Producer: Sphere Media

World broadcast premiere scheduled for spring 2024 on T+E in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview

Scheduled to air on HauntTV in the US, UK and Australia in 2024

Fan-favourite paranormal series Haunted Hospitals is back for a fifth season, recounting the chilling stories of paranormal activity inside hospitals and medical facilities. In each episode, nurses, health care workers and hospital support staff give first-hand accounts of the supernatural encounters. As these personal testimonies unfold, the mysteries behind the troubled souls and hauntings reveal a terrifying reckoning. Season 5 of Haunted Hospitals follows the success from Season 4, which ranked as one of fall 2022’s top 10 primetime series on T+E and outpaced the primetime average with total viewers. Blue Ant International handles pre-sales and licensing opportunities (for Season 5) worldwide.

T+E/Total Crime
A Secret to Die For (10×60’; HD)
Producer: Blue Ant Studios

World broadcast premiere scheduled for fall 2024 on T+E in Canada

Scheduled to rollout on Total Crime in the US at a later date

The series investigates how a person’s secret life can end up costing them their own. A Secret to Die For peels back the layers of the victim’s seemingly happy life to reveal new, dark secrets that family and friends would never have believed. As the missing pieces of the victim’s life come together, new interviewees offer an entirely fresh perspective, concluding with the dramatic revelation of a secret explaining why the victim was killed and identifying the murderer. Blue Ant International handles pre-sales and licensing opportunities worldwide.

Makeful
Intervention Canada, Season 6
Producers: Open Door Co./Insight Productions

Canadian broadcast premiere scheduled for winter 2024 on Makeful in Canada

Blue Ant Media has partnered with A+E Networks to greenlight the sixth season of Intervention Canada, a one-hour documentary series from Open Door Co. and Insight Productions. Based on the critically acclaimed A&E Network series, Intervention, the Canadian format provides an unflinching glimpse at addiction from all sides – including the addict as well as the dreadful toll the addiction takes on their families and friends. Each episode culminates in a dramatic intervention led by a prominent interventionist in which the addicts featured must decide whether or not to accept an offer for a clear path to recovery in one of Canada’s top addiction treatment facilities.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Canada’s Ultimate Challenge renewed by CBC for second season, nationwide casting call currently underway

From a media release:

It’s Game time! As announced on Thursday by CBC as part of its programming slate announcement, CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE, the reality competition series that transforms the country into an epic obstacle course, will return for a second season. The national public broadcaster has kicked off a nationwide search for energetic Canadians seeking the adventure of a lifetime. Aspiring competitors who love adventure and testing their limits are encouraged to apply online now at cbc.ca/canadasultimatechallenge for the chance to participate in the upcoming season. Casting will be open until July 23, 2023. Produced by Insight Productions and The Gurin Company, season two will shoot on location across Canada this fall.

The inaugural season of CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE saw teams, coached by legendary Canadian athletes, compete in incredible challenges at awe-inspiring locations including: Whistler, BC; Squamish, BC; Hinton, AB; Whitehorse, YT; Kelowna, BC; Sudbury, ON; Thousand Islands, ON; Québec City, QC; and the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. In the end, Team Black won the entire competition and claimed the ultimate prize – a trip to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to cheer on Team Canada. Audiences can catch up on all the action from the first season on CBC Gem.

CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is a competition reality format that turns the entire country into a giant obstacle course. Superstar coaches guide and mentor teams of everyday Canadians at site-specific challenges in a unique competition structure. Each episode takes place at an iconic Canadian location where teams compete in spectacular Solo, Tandem or Team challenges that test them physically and mentally. Throughout the series, the coaches make strategic decisions and motivate their players to victory.

A CBC original series, CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is executive produced by John Brunton, Erin Brock, Mark Lysakowski, and Jeff Thrasher for Insight Productions (a Boat Rocker company) and Phil Gurin for The Gurin Company.

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When Calls the Heart

When Calls the Heart returns to Super Channel for two more seasons

From a media release:

Super Channel is pleased to announce that season 10 of the beloved Super Channel original series, When Calls the Heart will premiere on Sunday, July 30 at 9 p.m. ET on Super Channel Heart & Home, day and date with its premiere on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S. Episodes will be available on Super Channel On Demand the day following their linear premiere. Hearties across the nation can also look forward to more from Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) and the residents of Hope Valley as the series has been renewed for season 11 by Hallmark and will also return to Super Channel Heart & Home.

“We know that Canadian Hearties have been anxiously awaiting the return of the series and we are thrilled to be able to confirm the 10th and 11th seasons on Heart & Home,” said Jackie Pardy, Chief Content Officer, Super Channel. “The series continues to be our most actively engaged series on social media and a pillar of our Heart & Home schedule with its uplifting themes and positive storytelling.”

There is no shortage of romance and new adventures in store for the residents of Hope Valley as 12 new episodes are set to roll out for season 10, including the series milestone 100th episode. Fans can look forward to seeing what’s next for Elizabeth and Lucas following their engagement, as well as Rosemary and Lee’s baby news.

Season 11, which begins filming in British Columbia this July, will bring an additional 12 episodes for Hearties to look forward to.

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The Lake

Links: The Lake, Season 2

From Heather M. of TV Goodness:

Link: Julian Doucet talks The Lake Season 2
Hey there, campers. Cottage season starts this Friday when Prime Video’s ridiculously silly, in the best possible way, summer series The Lake returns for Season 2. Continue reading.

From David Friend of the Canadian Press:

Link: Arson and marriage: Actor Jordan Gavaris takes risks in new season of ‘The Lake’
Jordan Gavaris says he knew returning to “The Lake” for a second season of summertime madness could’ve meant his character got tangled in the same conflicts as the first time around. Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Jumping into The Lake with Jordan Gavaris
With summer just over a week away, it’s time to jump back into The Lake. The Prime Video series has just returned for a second season. Continue reading.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Marblemedia’s critically-acclaimed Netflix hit competition series, Blown Away is set to return this fall for Season 4 with Blown Away: Extreme Heat

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From a media release:

Blown Away is back and things are about to get EXTREME. We’re going bigger, badder, and bolder than ever in North America’s largest hot shop. Ten incredible glassblowers will try and brave the heat in a grueling competition to see if they can push their creative limits enough to win the largest grand prize in the history of the series.

The artists must create jaw dropping works of art if they want to avoid elimination and impress Resident Evaluator and Glass Master Katherine Gray. Hosted by Hunter March, Blown Away: Extreme Heat promises to be a fiery competition like no other.

About the new host:
Currently, Hunter is hosting the fourth season of Netflix’s BLOWN AWAY: EXTREME HEAT, a one-of-a-kind glassblowing competition. Most recently before this, Hunter was the host of E!’s late-night talk show NIGHTLY POP, where he and co-hosts Morgan Stewart & Nina Parker attacked top headlines and juicy gossip without the boundaries of daytime television. For over 650 episodes, their snarky banter and humorous anecdotes often veered from the unexpected to completely outrageous. March also served as host of Netflix’s wildly popular competition show SUGAR RUSH, which pits best-in-class bakers against one another. Prior to that, Hunter served as the witty host of the comedic gameshow EMOGENIUS for GSN. Finally, Hunter also hosts his own weekly relationship advice podcast, FRIENDS WITHOUT BENS, with co-host Alex Ovadia.

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