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.
Industry News

Link: Canadian producers stymied by Brexit waiting game

From Eli Glasner of CBC:

Link: Canadian producers stymied by Brexit waiting game
Like navigating through a thick London fog, Canadian TV and film producers trying to understand the changing terrain of Europe see only uncertainty.

The results of the EU referendum, where a slim majority of Britons voted to leave, caught many Canadian producers off guard. John Weber is the CEO and president of Take 5, the company responsible for a string of European co-productions including the The Tudors, Camelot and Vikings, currently shooting its fifth season. Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

The Movie Network announces sixth season of hit original stand-up comedy series Funny as Hell

From a media release:

The Movie Network announced today the much-anticipated return of the hit Canadian stand-up series FUNNY AS HELL. Hosted by Canadian comic Jon Dore (INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, KROLL SHOW), Season 6 is commissioned in partnership with Seeso, and the Just for Laughs Group. The six-episode half-hour series goes to production at this year’s Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, July 13 – August 1.

Season 6 features an all-star lineup including Ahmed Bharoocha (THE BRIEFCASE), Aparna Nancherla (LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS), Beth Stelling (THE HALF HOUR, Byron Bowers (LUCAS BROS MOVING CO.), Cameron Esposito (MARRIAGE MATERIAL, TAKE MY WIFE), Emo Philips (UHF), Eugene Mirman (DEBATE WARS, BOB’S BURGERS), Ian Abramson (THE PITCH SHOW), James Davis (REAL HUSBANDS OF HOLLYWOOD, CHELSEA LATELY), Janeane Garofalo (DEBATE WARS, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER), KurtMetzger (INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, HORACE AND PETE), Liza Treyger (HORACE AND PETE, CHELSEA LATELY), The Lucas Brothers (FUNNY AS HELL, LUCAS BROS MOVING CO.), Mary Lynn Rajskub (IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, 24), Sam Morril (Class Act Comedy Album),  Sean Donnelly (MY DUMB FRIENDS Podcast), Sean Patton (BEST BARS IN AMERICA), and ThomasDale (CHELSEA LATELY). Additional comedians will be announced in the coming weeks.

An edgy, no-holds-barred stand up series, FUNNY AS HELL has proved a favoured TV spot among comedians since its inception in 2010. Like previous seasons, Season 6 will encourage the best stand-up comedians in the industry to push the boundaries and have fun in a relaxed, uncensored setting.

Jon Dore is a Canadian comedian and actor. Dore, who  starred in mockumentary-style comedy series THE JON DORE TELEVISION SHOW on The Comedy Network from 2007-2009, has made appearances on  LIVE AT GOTHAM,  HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, and SCARE TACTICS. He is a regular on late night talk shows and was the first stand-up comedian to appear on CONAN. Dore’s feature film credits include the indie drama Gus, opposite Michelle Monaghan, and the comedy film Stag, which picked up two awards for Best Ensemble and Excellence in Filmmaking at the LA Comedy Film Festival. Renowned for his offbeat humor and unique bait-and-switch comedic style, Dore is a favorite on the comedy club and festival circuit. He has had sold-out runs at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and Toronto, at the Washington (DC), Portland, Vancouver, and Halifax festivals, and more recently at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

FUNNY AS HELL is created and executive produced by Just for Laughs Group. It is co-commissioned by Seeso, from NBCUniversal’s Digital Enterprises and Bell Media. Sarah Fowlie is Director, Independent Production, Comedy, Bell Media. Executive for Bell Media is Chris Kelley. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Chef Matty Matheson cooks up engrossing TV in Dead Set on Life

Matty Matheson threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game this week and tossed what he described as a “high ball.” But the celebrity chef serves up a strike down the middle with his new Viceland show, Dead Set on Life.

Debuting Thursday on the Canadian cable network, the tattooed, outspoken owner of Toronto’s Parts & Labour, Dog & Bear, P&L Catering, P&L Burger and Maker Pizza travels across Canada, visiting communities, eating food and interacting with the folks who make it. The eight-episode first season races out of the gate with Matheson and his mentor from Le Sélect Bistro, Master Rang, hitting the QEW to Fort Erie, Ont., Matheson’s hometown during his formative years. On the menu? A chicken finger sub made by the folks at the Robo Mart gas station and chicken wings at Southsides.

“I was just back at the Robo Mart the other day and I told them, ‘Are you ready to get very busy?'” Matheson says over the phone. “I think people are going to travel and come in and order the chicken finger sub.” Full confession: we’re plotting  a visit to Fort Erie for exactly that. Dead Set on Life is the latest project Matheson stars in for Vice, following online hits Matty Matheson’s Hangover Cures, Matty’s How-To’s and Keep It Canada. A natural progression in his relationship with the network, Matheson is hoping to strike gold with a television series.

Those expecting him to sit down in a high-end restaurant, extolling the virtues of upper-crust dining are going to be disappointed, though unsurprised. Matheson is in his element talking honestly with folks about their lives and creating tasty, accessible stick-to-your-ribs meals. Aside from Fort Erie, Matheson travels to Ontario’s Norfolk County, Winnipeg and Nova Scotia. Episode 4 catches up with the chef on the Long Plain First Nation in Manitoba, where he not only noshes on elk and bison stew and participates in a pow-wow, but sheds light on the struggles fought by Native Canadians through honest, unflinching dialogue.

“Canada is a beautiful and kind place, but it’s not perfect,” he says. “There are no jobs in the east coast, or I’m on a reservation taking about residential schools. I’m not trying to show every social injustice. I’m a simple guy trying to have a good time, but if some bad shit comes up, I’m going to talk about it.”

Dead Set on Life airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Viceland.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Swimming with the fishes on The Amazing Race Canada

11 Comments

I’m consistently fascinated by the odd times Amazing Race contestants depart for a new Leg. In Tuesday’s newest journey, for instance, Jillian and Emmett departed Jasper, AB, at 12:56 a.m. Why not round it up to 1 a.m.? Why set it that late anyway? Can anyone answer that question for me? I really, honestly, want to know.

But back to the contest itself. Following a dramatic Leg, The Amazing Race Canada upped the ante in Week 2 with a pair of Express Passes—ways of skipping challenges without incurring a penalty—up for grabs. Out of the gate, Jillian and Emmett and Steph and Kristen have proved themselves to by not only physically strong teams but savvy ones too. So it was no surprise they emerged from the first bus into Calgary—following another rappel test—and decided to team up in a hunt for the Express Passes. (Can I just say it was a little disappointing to follow up last week’s height test with another one in Calgary?) They were thick as thieves … until Jillian and Emmett discussed and decided it was more important to finish Legs of the Race in first place than it was to score the passes.

With that, they left the girls to hunt through hundreds (thousands?) of vinyl records at Canada Boy Vinyl on their own while they headed off to the “Swim” Detour, corralling thousands of hatchery trout into one area and scooping them into cages. Steph and Kristen’s gamble paid off after an hour of work—scoring them an Express Pass and one to hand to another team—but costing them precious time. Luckily, they were fast and physical, outgunning other teams at the hatchery to land a respectable fifth place for their troubles. Jillian and Emmett, meanwhile, never gave up their lead after that, cruising into first place again. When they’re not bickering, Jillian and Emmett are simply unstoppable.

Meanwhile, there was a log jam in the hatchery, as every other team save for Joel and Ashley chose to scoop up fish. Instead, the father and daughter opted for the “Sim” side of the Detour, involving using a crane simulator to move a concrete weight through an intricate obstacle course in under six minutes combined. (Steph and Kristen, Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette took one look and swapped challenges.) After much practicing, the pair completed the task in their first try and hit the mat in a very respectable fourth place.

Things never improved for Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette, who entered Calgary in the last bus and never made up ground. In a footrace to the mat. Rita and Yvette edged out Kate and Kelly for the last spot. I could right away by Jon Montgomery’s tone that it was a non-elimination Leg, meaning the two friends have a Speed Bump to contend with in Vietnam. My take? Amazing Race Canada introduced a non-elimination way too early and should have waited until next week.

Here’s how the teams finished the Leg:

  1. Jillian and Emmett (trip for two to Paris)
  2. Stéphane and Antoine
  3. Frankie and Amy
  4. Joel and Ashley
  5. Anne and Tanya
  6. Steph and Kristen
  7. Julie and Lowell
  8. Rita and Yvette
  9. Kelly and Kate (non-elimination Leg)

What did you think of this Leg of the Race?  Comment below or via @tv_eh on Twitter.

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail