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.
Private Eyes

Production begins on Season 2 of Global’s Private Eyes

From a media release:

Entertainment One (eOne) and Piller Segan, alongside Canadian broadcast partner Corus, are pleased to announce that principal photography has begun on Season 2 of Global’s runaway success Private Eyes. Starring Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills 90210, Call Me Fitz) and Cindy Sampson (Rogue, Supernatural), the 18-episode order is shooting in and around Toronto and is set to premiere on Global in spring 2017. Priestley will also play double duty as both star of the series and director of the first episode.

As last summer’s #1 new series, the Canadian original detective drama follows the P.I. powerhouse duo, Matt Shade (Priestley) and Angie Everett (Sampson) as they lead Everett Investigations together and test each other both professionally and personally.

Season two picks up with Shade now Angie’s full partner in Everett Investigations, but are the two of them really ready for what that means? Team player Shade has grand plans to “grow the agency” – but lone wolf Angie’s used to things the way they are. Can these two ever reconcile their differences to succeed as a duo?

One thing’s clear: their contrasting skillsets yield results when it comes to solving cases. As their success grows, the cases that come their way get even bigger and more sophisticated, plunging them into the diverse worlds of auto racing, real estate, high fashion, and private school privilege. For all their bickering and disagreements, there’s no substitute for the adrenaline rush of taking down a bad guy or helping an innocent victim. And through it all, there’s the undeniable chemistry between the two – something they must acknowledge sooner or later.

Further complicating matters are Shade’s too-smart daughter Jules (Jordyn Negri, Grizzly Cup), his unpredictable ex-wife Becca (Nicole de Boer, Haven), and his quick-witted and sarcastic father Don (Barry Flatman, Hell on Wheels, Fargo). Other returning characters are the lovable Detective Mazhari (Ennis Esmer, Blindspot, Red Oaks, You Me Her) and the cool-as-ice Detective Nolan (Clé Bennett¸ Heroes Reborn, Sensitive Skin), Angie’s sometime boyfriend and foil to Shade. Joining the cast this season is Samantha Wan (Second Jen) as Zoe Chow, the quirky bookworm that Shade and Angie take on as an office manager to assist – and mediate – their epic disputes.

Private Eyes season two is executive produced by John Morayniss and Tecca Crosby for eOne, Shawn Piller and Lloyd Segan for Piller Segan, Jason Priestley, Alan McCullough, James Thorpe and Tassie Cameron. McCullough and Piller are also Showrunners for season two.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Travelers

Travelers puts the future in jeopardy

What would you do if given the opportunity to go back in time and save the lives of others? It’s a well-worn trope that’s been discussed in literature, film and television. And it’s covered in Monday’s new episode of Travelers too. That’s not unexpected. Sure, this team has missions to complete, but they’re not robots. These people have feelings, and in the case of one, they buckle under the guilt of not being able to prevent the deaths of others and tries to protect one. That, of course, puts their team in danger.

Here are some other non-spoilery plot point we can tell you about Episode 3, “Aleksander,” written by Tara Armstrong (Mary Kills People) and Mika Collins.

We can’t help but love David
He’s a bit of a greek and super-awkward around pretty girls, so we’re naturally cheering for David and Marcy to become a couple. That aside, scenes are fun as heck when he’s in them, alternately trying to get information from Marcy or recoiling at her nakedness.

travelers2

Philip is feeling guilty
In all the excitement from last week’s first mission, I had totally forgotten about Steven, the drug addict who overdosed next to Philip in Episode 1. Future Philip has no clue how close he and his friend were, but Steven’s grieving mother certainly lets him know. If the travellers were hoping to interact with these present people and not be affected by them, they were sorely mistaken. For Philip this is doubly true: he inherited the need for heroin when his consciousness entered this body.

Grant shakes things up
Going tie-less to work? Choosing vegan for dinner? If Kat doesn’t suspect something weird is up with her husband then she’s just not that observant.

Is someone on to the travellers?
There is security footage of Marcy’s arrival and a character we’ve already met is linking it to someone he knows.

Jennifer Spence alert!
Although it hurt a bit to reminded of Continuum, we were thrilled to see Jennifer Spence in “Aleksander,” and involved in a pretty great storyline to boot.

Who is Aleksander?
Let’s just say he’s very important to one team member, but not for the reason you’d expect.

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

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Shoot the Messenger

Link: Lucas Bryant talks Shoot the Messenger

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Lucas Bryant talks Shoot the Messenger
“So often, you get a tease in an episode that suggests something you’re about to explore in a subsequent episode. There’s a little more information that comes out, but it’s something that’s kind of left alone. I thought that was nicely ambiguous and adult.” Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Heartland

Heartland proves itself with international storyline

2 Comments

Story-wise, it was a pretty bold move of Heartland to have Ty go to Mongolia. That’s what immediately what struck me on Sunday night during “Something to Prove.”

At first, I’d assumed Graham Wardle had simply asked for time away from the series so he would work on a feature film or miniseries. Heck, they’d even gone so far as to set up a website, Borden without Borders, as a side story to what’s going on with him. But it looks as though Wardle really did spend time in Mongolia—something he posted about on Instagram—meaning either he wanted to really go there or the producers wrote it into the story. I’ll chase down Wardle in the coming weeks to talk to him about it, but I suspect it’s a bit of both. Regardless, having Ty in Mongolia isn’t just a B-plot for the character but a real-life scenario that’s being worked into Heartland and that’s an interesting way of storytelling.

Of course, his departure from Heartland has thrown everyone into a bit of a tizzy, especially Amy and Cass. After having a bad experience with Lex and some cramping, Amy not only needs to be more careful but needs to lean on her family for support. Cass, upset her workload suddenly gotten a lot heavier, was angling for a partnership from Scott and straining her relationship with Amy. By the end of the episode it had all been worked out—a raise for Cass and some peace of mind for Amy—but I’m betting the Amy-Cass partnership is far from over.

heartland2

Partnerships tested continued with Adam and Georgie, who were pulled apart to sub in and work with Jade and Clay when she refused to work with him during Tim’s orienteering challenge. I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s a shame that Jade didn’t stand up to Clay the way Georgie did. By putting him in his place, Georgie immediately showed Clay she won’t put up with his bragging and arrogance, something Jade need to do too. Does anyone else get the feeling Clay and Jade are headed for romance?

The final partnership to be tested was Lisa and Jack when her aunt Evelyn (Kate Trotter) arrived at Heartland. What first appeared to be slight jabs at Jack about his age and the couple’s living arrangements grew into an all-out war at Maggie’s when Evelyn criticized her niece for becoming a “glorified babysitter” and settling for Jack. It was an uncomfortable scene, but I respected Lisa for standing up to her favourite aunt and defending her own decisions. The two made up, and kudos to Heartland‘s writers for giving Jessica Steen a tasty storyline to really sink her teeth into. Like Jack, Lisa isn’t given a ton to do on Heartland and I appreciate it when she’s given the chance to shine.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Link: APTN, a TV voice for largely ignored Indigenous Canadians

1 Comment

From Dan Levin of The New York Times:

Link: APTN, a TV voice for largely ignored Indigenous Canadians
Better known as APTN, the network is mainly aimed at viewers in Canada whose cultures existed long before the first Europeans arrived. But its reach is far larger, available to more than 11 million Canadian cable and satellite subscribers with news and entertainment programs designed to reflect the values, spiritual traditions and political priorities of indigenous people across Canada. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail