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.
Featured, The Romeo Section

The Romeo Section ups the intrigue in Season 2

Full disclosure: I wasn’t a die-hard fan of The Romeo Section in Season 1. I am a fan of the show’s creator, Chris Haddock, and his other series, especially Da Vinci’s Inquest and Da Vinci’s City Hall. In both, rat-a-tat, conversational dialogue came as fast and furious as the dead bodies (the former) and political plotting (the latter). And then came the spy-themed The Romeo Section. It was slow and methodical, many scenes were filmed in low light and therefore difficult to see, and I had a hard time warming to the characters.

But as Season 2 approached—it returns Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBC—I realized I was judging The Romeo Section against two series I loved. That wasn’t fair. As Haddock told press prior to the Season 1 debut, the world has changed (Inquest and City Hall went off the air in 2006) and Romeo Section was a reflection of that. It deserved another shot.

So, how do I feel about The Romeo Section now? I enjoyed parts of the season premiere and was a little annoyed by others.

theromeosection_s2_markinsonnorman-highres
Brian Markinson as Norman

“The Official Narrative” begins with Wolfgang (Andrew Airlie) driving the dark (yup), rain-soaked streets to the Vancouver waterfront. We quickly learn Wolfgang, no longer handing assets, is still teaching at the university and is asked to not just look over notes suggesting the government plans to put all of Canada’s security forces under one umbrella but read up and report on something else: a quashed terrorist plot involving a backpack bomb. Of course, Wolfgang signs on—he needs the money and there wouldn’t be much of a show if he didn’t—and heads to a club where he meets with Norman (Brian Markinson) a blackballed former spy. I love Markinson’s work and was jazzed to read he’d be part of Season 2. Norman is the type of character you can’t help but cheer for, despite the fact he oozes sleaze. He’s the smarmy ying to Wolfgang’s uptight yang, and the pairing works as they recreate the events surrounding the planned bombing and perceived bungles in the investigation.

Meanwhile, Rufus (Juan Riedlinger) has become a player in the city’s heroin market, with the proceeds financing a movie. It doesn’t take long for Rufus to start making key connections in the industry, but it rings a little hollow for me. Rufus utters almost every tough-guy cliché one does when trying to gain trust with violent bad guys while throwing in new ones, joking he found a kilo of heroin under his Christmas tree and that Santa’s elves sit around for most of the year with nothing to do, so they’ve gotten into the heroin trade. OK, bud.

As for Lily (Leeah Wong), she’s a recruit for the Intelligence Service and is caught in a power struggle between Al (Eugene Lipinski) and another agent while keeping her double agent status intact.

Thanks to the back-and-forth between Norman and Wolfgang and their investigation, I’ll tune in to The Romeo Section next week, with fingers crossed the Rufus storyline sheds some frustrating details.

The Romeo Section airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Industry News

Link: CRTC Survey: Canadian TV showrunners & writers on new CanCon requirements

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: CRTC Survey: Canadian TV showrunners & writers on new CanCon requirements
t’s been a little over a month since the CRTC (Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) handed down a ruling they claim will give more “flexibility” to producers, but one that many creatives in the Canadian television industry are very upset about. Responsible for regulating and supervising broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada, the CRTC’s ruling in late August to reduce the number of points reserved for Canadians on productions has stirred up quite the controversy. It’s a move that many have interpreted as the CRTC saying Canadian TV needs international help to succeed. Continue reading.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Gusto’s first original design series The Search for Canada’s Next Designers premieres Oct. 16

From a media release:

Grab your allen keys, Canada! Gusto debuts its first original design program with the premiere of THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER. From Bell Media In-House Productions, the six-episode, 30-minute series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET, beginning October 16 on Gusto.

Hosted by THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW’s design expert Tommy Smythe, the series sees six competitors vie for a coveted design contract with IKEA Canada as they face weekly challenges and eliminations. THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER encores on CTV Two, Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET, beginning Oct. 20.

For a group of up-and-coming Canadian design experts, the opportunity of a lifetime is about to begin! THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER pits six individuals against one another in a series of high-stakes décor challenges. The lucky grand prize winner nabs a coveted design contract with IKEA Canada and a dream trip to Sweden.

Each week, designers work with IKEA Canada products to showcase their innovative design skills. From DIY-themed challenges to dealing with dated décor on a budget, the challenges reference both IKEA’s current line of products as well as the brand’s history. With the threat of elimination hiding behind every challenge, it’s up to each designer to put their skills to the test and show what they’ve got. Also in the blueprints are game-changing twists and fast time turnarounds! There’s a lot at stake in this competition, and only one designer can come out on top.

In addition to Smythe, THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER features IKEA Canada judge Alicia Caroll and a cast of top-tier guest judges, including celebrity chef Roger Mooking, THE SOCIAL co-host Lainey Lui, Canadian home renovation guru Sebastian Clovis, winner of THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW’s search for their next designer expert, Andrew Pike, and more.

The six competitors competing in THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER are:

  • Christopher, Interior Designer
  • Joey, Owner of Joey Vogel Interior Design
  • Marcy, Entrepreneur and YouTube personality
  • Martha, Engineer and Lead Designer at Hedgeford & Berkley
  • Natalie, Owner of Nest Design Studios
  • Victoria, Television Art Director

In the premiere episode of THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER (Sunday, October 16 at 9 p.m. ET on Gusto) the competition is on! Host Tommy Smythe dishes out the first-ever challenge for six up-and-coming design experts: a dining space transformation. Working with a limited budget and tight deadline, the designers soon find out that every little detail matters – and for one of them, the journey is about to come to an end. The episode features special guest judge, Roger Mooking.

THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER is executive produced by Michelle Crespi. John Simpson is co-executive producer.

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Kim's Convenience

Link: CBC’s ‘Kim’s Convenience’ goes from stage play to sitcom

2 Comments

From Bill Harris of Postmedia Network:

Link: CBC’s ‘Kim’s Convenience’ goes from stage play to sitcom
I enjoyed the characters more than I enjoyed the situations they were placed in, if you know what I mean. While this is a show that definitely is set in the real world, without any sense of heightened reality, the challenge moving forward will be coming up with plausible plot lines that are real enough to not seem too overtly “sitcom-y,” and yet funny enough to keep us coming back. Continue reading. 

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