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.
Top Chef Canada

Top Chef Canada: All Stars turns up the heat

From a media release:

Top Chef Canada is back for its fiercest season yet! Turning up the heat for a brand-new season of Canada’s most prestigious and high stakes culinary competition, Top Chef Canada: All-Stars kicks off its return by introducing an all-star roster of talent to the judges’ table. Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and television personality Eden Grinshpan (Chopped Canada) joins as host alongside Head Judge Chef Mark McEwan. Esteemed Resident Judges rounding out the panel include acclaimed restaurant critic and writer Chris Nuttall-Smith; Mijune Pak, food writer and creator of Follow Me Foodie; and powerhouse restaurateur Janet Zuccarini.

For the first time in Top Chef Canada history, chefs from past seasons return to face cutthroat challenges and bold critiques from Canada’s most refined palates as they battle for the title that has eluded them all. Top Chef Canada: All-Stars premieres Sunday, April 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.

Meet the Top Chef Canada: All-Stars host and judges’ panel:

  • Eden Grinshpan, Host: Graduate of both cuisine and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu, Eden is a judge on Chopped Canada and hosted her own food adventure series Eden Eats on Cooking Channel in the U.S.
  • Mark McEwan, Head Judge: Mark is a revered chef and restaurateur. As a leader in Canada’s food scene, Mark is owner of One Restaurant, Bymark, Fabbrica and McEwan Foods.
  • Chris Nuttall-Smith, Resident Judge: Chris is a critically-acclaimed food writer and restaurant critic, most recently spending 10 years as a columnist for the Globe and Mail.
  • Mijune Pak, Resident Judge: Mijune runs culinary adventure blog Follow Me Foodie, is a published author and regular food contributor for a variety of Canadian news outlets.
  • Janet Zuccarini, Resident Judge: Janet is a well-known Toronto restaurateur, owning Toronto hot spots Café Nervosa, Gusto 101 and PAI Northern Thai Kitchen.

This season, returning all-star chefs unpack their knives and come back to fight for a chance to win a $100,000 grand prize courtesy of Interac Flash and a Monogram kitchen valued at over $25,000. Stay tuned for more information on which all-star chefs are slated to compete in this must-see event.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, The Nature of Things

Link: Cracking Cancer: Must-See TV

From James Bawden:

Link: Cracking Cancer: Must-See TV
The future of Canadian TV is bright –I make this statement after watching the brilliant new homegrown documentary Cracking Cancer which premieres on CBC-TV’s Nature Of Things Thursday night at 8 on CBC TV.

The subject is daunting enough –the advent of POG or Personalized OncoGenomics but this new technique in battling cancer is personalized by the true tales of patients. Continue reading. 

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Letterkenny

Tarps On LETTERKENNY Fans! Production Begins on Frosty Season 3 of CraveTV’s Smash-Hit Original Comedy

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From a media release:

CraveTV and Wayne announced today that production has begun on Season 3 of its most-watched, Canadian Screen Award-nominated series, LETTERKENNY. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, the half-hour “refreshing and intoxicating” small town comedy is produced by New Metric Media in partnership with DHX Media, and shoots on location in and around Sudbury, ON.

Set to launch later this year, the newest LETTERKENNY six-pack promises to be nicely chilled as The Hicks, The Skids, and The Hockey Players mix-it-up in the dead of winter. Season 3 comes complete with snowmobiling, ice fishing, and dealing with a bunch of degenerates from up country. Sarah Gadon (Maps to the Stars) guest stars this season as new lady Skid, Gae. Additional LETTERKENNY casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

As previously announced, CraveTV is dropping an all-new, soon- to-be-iconic St. Patrick’s Day episode on Friday, March 17. In case ya missed it, here’s a tease of the hicks after they return from an epic all-nighter in the episode.

LETTERKENNY revolves around the dustups Wayne (Keeso) and his buds get into with their small-town Ontario rivals. The Hicks, The Skids, and The Hockey Players get at each other about the most mundane things, often ending with someone getting their ass kicked. Wayne, his best bud Daryl (Nathan Dales, Goon: Last of the Enforcers), Wayne’s free-spirited younger sister Katy (Michelle Mylett, FOUR IN THE MORNING), and Wayne’s buddy, Dan (K Trevor Wilson, JEFF ROSS PRESENTS: ROAST BATTLE) are all Hicks. CSA-nominated Daniel Petronijevic (19-2) returns as Hick McMurray. Dylan Playfair (HATERS BACK OFF) and Andrew Herr (Mr Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story) reprise their roles as Hockey Players “Jonesy” and “Reilly”. Tyler Johnston (MOTIVE) and Evan Stern (RoboCop) return as Skids Stewart and Roald. Lisa Codrington (COPPER) returns as bartender, Gail, and Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) as the Christian leader Glen.

Season 2 of LETTERKENNY launched Christmas Day as the most-watched title on the streaming service, eclipsing its own Season 1 for record viewers. Season 1 of the smash-hit original CraveTV comedy was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Comedy Series and Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role for Jared Keeso. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on CraveTV and Season 1 is also available on iTunes and Google Play.

LETTERKENNY is produced by New Metric Media (What Would Sal Do?), in partnership with DHX Media in association with Bell Media, with the participation of Canadian Media Fund, OMDC Tax Credits and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. Jacob Tierney is executive producer, director, and co-writer. Patrick O’Sullivan and Mark Montefiore are executive producers for New Metric Media.

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Awards

Murdoch, Motive, Saving Hope, Heartland and Private Eyes battle for Golden Screen Award

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announces the finalists for the Golden Screen Award for the most-watched Canadian drama or comedy program and one for the country’s highest-rated reality program.

The Golden Screen Award for TV Drama or Comedy and the Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show are Academy Special Awards, which will be presented during the Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 8 pm (9 pm AT; 9:30 pm NT) live on CBC from Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.

Based on data provided by Numeris, these are the five Top-Rated programs in each category for the 2015-2016 broadcast year. *

Golden Screen Award for TV Drama / Comedy Finalists

(in alpha order):

HEARTLAND | CBC (CBC) (Seven24 Films)
Season nine of Heartland finds the Bartlett-Fleming clan navigating the new normal as each family member starts an exciting chapter, leaving past hurt and hardships behind. With the idyllic Alberta foothills as their backdrop, this tightknit family knows that any challenge can be met and every struggle can be overcome as long as they have each other.

MOTIVE | CTV (Bell Media) (Motive Productions IV Inc.)
Starring Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira, Brendan Penny, and Lauren Holly, Motive’s fourth and final season brought the story of the series’ dynamic homicide team to a powerful conclusion as they continued to explore what drives the motive behind the murder. This season saw each member of the team face pivotal choices about their future, as they set on a course of deciding what they wanted their legacies to be.

MURDOCH MYSTERIES | CBC (CBC) (Shaftesbury)
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century during the age of invention, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama centred on Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), the methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve gruesome murders.

PRIVATE EYES | Global (Corus Entertainment) (Entertainment One)
Starring Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson, Private Eyes is an engaging drama featuring two strong and forever-competing characters investigating, high-stakes cases of the week, taking them to many diverse worlds and testing their new partnership.

SAVING HOPE | CTV (Bell Media) (Entertainment One and ICF Films)
Set 11 months after its explosive third season finale, Season 4 of Saving Hope followed Dr. Alex Reid as she returned from maternity leave to confront new changes and challenges. The special two-hour finale saw Dr. Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks) undergo brain surgery to remove an aggressive tumour, only to be faced with a vengeful former patient with a gun at the Hope Zion Hospital Fellowship Awards, leaving Alex and Charlie’s fate in question. Starring Erica Durance and Michael Shanks.

Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show Finalists

(in alpha order):

THE AMAZING RACE CANADA | CTV (Bell Media) (Insight Production Company Ltd.)
Hosted by Canadian Screen Award-winner and Olympic Gold Medalist Jon Montgomery, Season 4 of The Amazing Race Canada featured 10 all-Canadian teams, each compromised of two members with a pre-existing relationship, in the biggest race this country has ever seen. The Racers traveled across Canada and beyond, tackling non-stop challenges and adventures, with dating couple Steph and Kristen crossing the final pit stop first, to win the grand prize.

BIG BROTHER CANADA | GLOBAL (Corus Entertainment) (Insight Production Company Ltd.)
In the ultimate social experiment, a group of strangers live together in a house monitored 24-7 by dozens of cameras and microphones. Each week the houseguests compete in a variety of challenges and one by one, the houseguests vote each other out of the house. At the end of the series the last seven evicted houseguests remaining make up ‘the jury’ and they ultimately decide which of the two final houseguests wins the grand prize!

CANADA’S WORST DRIVER | DISCOVERY CHANNEL (Bell Media) (Proper Television Inc.)
Lead by returning host and Discovery mainstay Andrew Younghusband, the hilarious-meets-educational Canadian original automotive series follows eight drivers, each nominated by a friend or family member, as they attempt to prove they possess the necessary skills to graduate from rehab and escape the unfortunate title of “Canada’s Worst Driver”.

DRAGONS’ DEN | CBC (CBC)
Dragons’ Den features five multi-millionaires who have the expertise and the know-how to turn great ideas into incredible fortunes. Each week, fortunate entrepreneurs have the opportunity of a lifetime to pitch their business idea to financiers with the funds and experience to propel their company to commercial success.

MASTERCHEF CANADA | CTV (Bell Media) (Proper Television Inc.)
MASTERCHEF CANADA features esteemed judges Michael Bonacini (O&B restaurant empire), Alvin Leung (Bo Innovation in Hong Kong), and Claudio Aprile (Origin Restaurants), as they guide and mentor a group of competing home cooks through a grueling series of culinary challenges for the chance to win $100,000 and the title of Canada’s next MasterChef.

* Audience estimates provided by Numeris based on a list of top Canadian television programming (series, limited series and TV movies) provided by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and their broadcast partners. Analysis based on Total Canada, P2+, Average Minute Audience during the period of September 1, 2015 – August 30, 2016, original airings (“live plus 7 days”) with 50% or more of the airings occurring during the 2015-16 broadcast season.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Season 2 of First Dates returns to Slice on March 14

From a media release:

Canadian original series, First Dates is back for a thrilling second season featuring a brand new restaurant, all-new staff, and six hundred daters looking for love. In each episode, connections are made, hearts are broken, and plenty of awkward moments are captured as cameras catch relationship hopefuls on blind dates looking to find that special someone. A new season of First Dates (14×30) premieres Tuesday, March 14 with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Slice â„¢.

Filmed in downtown Vancouver, the series is situated in a local restaurant that is filled with real people on real first dates, and the ensuing drama is captured on over 40 remote-controlled cameras. For some daters, there is an instant and very apparent attraction, but for others, it’s clear there is never going to be a happy ending.

The action jumps from table to table as some dates move painfully along, while other dates enjoy every single moment of their time together. Half-concealed looks of hope and disappointment, flirtatious hair twirling, and under the table hand-holding are all captured. The greatest part of First Dates is the ending. After the bill has been paid, the couples are filmed side by side and reveal whether or not they are attracted to each other and if they want to meet again.

Based on the hit format from Warner Bros. International Television Production, First Dates is a co-production between Force Four Entertainment and Remedy Canada Productions, in association with Corus Entertainment.
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