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.
19-2, Featured

Maxim Roy teases 19-2’s “huge betrayals” in Season 3

Maxim Roy may only appear in two episodes of 19-2 this season, but she makes the most of it. The Quebec native says Monday’s return episode is full of backstabbing and huge betrayals, and viewers will be shocked by the actions of some squad members.

We spoke to Roy about what’s next for Isabelle Latendresse following the death of Sgt. Julien Houle, and the relationship she has with Commander Gendron.

I’m so glad 19-2 is back, especially after Season 2’s finale with Sgt. Houle’s storyline. We needed to come back and have some closure.
Maxim Roy: I think everybody is. It was such a dramatic ending and every character on the show is so affected by that storyline. You didn’t see it coming and I think the audience was pretty shocked.

I thought Season 2 was pedal-to-the-metal and there wasn’t really any time to let up and take a breath.
Oh, really? I thought Season 2 was lighter than the first season. There were a lot more dramatic scenes that were cut out, so maybe that’s why I see it as being light. There were a lot of scenes that didn’t make the cut and they kept lighter moments. I think they were afraid of being too dramatic … that’s my opinion on it, but it was supposed to be even more dramatic. [Laughs.]

Well, there was the rookie cop having sex in the restaurant bathroom and the paintball fight had its moments of levity.
These are pretty dark characters. That’s what’s great about the show; everybody has their secrets, their own demons that they deal with and they try to put them aside on the job, but it doesn’t always happen. The show is more about the human drama of these people than the police work. They become intertwined, of course, but it’s more about them.

Masks are going to come off. You think somebody is good and realize they’re awful. It’s going to keep people on their toes.

Now, the press release for Season 3 says you return to ‘guest-star’ as Isabelle. Is this a case of the producers deciding to soft-pedal Isabelle’s story a bit, or did you have other commitments and couldn’t play a full-time role?
That was their decision. What happens to Isabelle is pretty shocking in the first episode, and then I can’t say anything … until the 10th episode people are going to be shocked.

Oh no…
But in a good way! Well, I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but people are going to be shocked. This season is intertwined with the fourth season … we need a fourth season to see what happens because there is a big climax.

How many episodes is Isabelle in this season?
Two.

I better not end up having to talk to you again because Isabelle has been killed off.
I don’t die.

What can you tell me about Isabelle and the characters she interacts with? It looked like Commander Gendron was moving in on her, which was creepy and gross.
[Laughs.] I love that you describe it as creepy, because that’s what I think too. Bruce [Ramsay] is such an adorable guy. When we shot the pilot, I didn’t like him. I thought, ‘He’s gross, I don’t even want to stand beside him.’ I didn’t know Bruce at all, but he was so good in his character that I thought, ‘Who is this creepy dude that they’ve hired?!’ But that’s Gendron. Then I got to know Bruce and I fell in love with him. He is the funniest guy and he created this odd, surprising, slimy guy.

People are going to hate him even more in Season 3, I can say that. Especially in the first episode. There is a lot of backstabbing, and huge betrayals all over the place. Masks are going to come off. You think somebody is good and realize they’re awful. It’s going to keep people on their toes.

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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Industry News

CRTC improves support for local news

From a media release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today took measures to ensure Canadians continue to have access to local programming that reflects their needs and interests.

Local News
New minimum thresholds for local news will be imposed on all local private television broadcasters. Also, through a rebalancing of resources, the large private broadcasters will now have the necessary flexibility to keep local stations open and fund the production of local news programming. This represents up to $67 million that could be available for local news.

In addition, the CRTC is creating the Independent Local News Fund to give independent stations access to approximately $23 million dollars in resources to produce high-quality local news programming.

The Independent Local News Fund will support independent operators in the following localities: Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops, Medicine Hat, Lloydminster, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Rouyn-Noranda, Val d’Or, Gatineau, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Québec, Saguenay, Rivière-du-Loup, Carleton and St-John’s.

Canadians value local news and they watch it on a regular basis. Local news and information is also a key part of a democratic society. However, new technologies are making it harder to monetize viewership on traditional platforms.

Community television
The thorough public record shows that, overall, the framework for community television continues to be valid and relevant, ensuring that citizens have access to content production across Canada.

Cable companies will continue to have the stewardship of the community channel on behalf of their subscribers as they have for decades. The CRTC was not persuaded that this successful model should be changed.

Nevertheless, the CRTC is taking steps to ensure that this programming continues to reflect local citizens and events, and that more of the overall funding is directed to on-screen results rather than overhead.

Quick Facts

  • The CRTC has issued its new regulatory framework for local and community programming, following a process that began in September 2015.
  • During this process, Canadians reiterated that they place great importance on local news to stay informed.
  • Average weekly viewing hours for Canadian news and actualities broadcast by Canadian television services is over 23% of total hours viewed in the English market and over 28% in the French market.
  • The emergence of new technologies allowed Canadians to easily have access to local and international news. However, new digital media do not yet have adequate funding and the expertise necessary to replace traditional local news.
  • There are currently sufficient sources of funding within the system to fund the creation of locally produced, locally reflective programming.
  • Canada’s television system provides a strong foundation on which to build for the future. It employs nearly 60,000 people and invests more than $4 billion in public funds alone each year in the creation of content made by Canadians.
  • The allocation of some of the funding sources has been reviewed to ensure that local programming continues to be of high quality and receive adequate funding.
  • The CRTC expects broadcasters to fulfill their social responsibility to produce programming that informs and reflects local communities.
  • English-language stations will be required to broadcast at least seven hours of locally relevant programming (especially news) per week in non-metropolitan markets, and 14 hours per week in metropolitan markets (namely Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary).
  • French-language stations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, using a benchmark of five hours of local programming per week.
  • Canadians still value community television programming, especially in smaller communities.
  • In the digital era, it is increasingly easy to create and share content online at lower cost. Community channels are encouraged to make content available on multiple platforms to all Canadians.
  • The CRTC today also published a notice of consultation that launched the renewal process for television licences owned by large ownership groups.
  • The public hearing to review the applications from the French-language ownership groups, namely Bell, Corus, Québecor and Groupe V, will begin on November 22, 2016, in Laval, Quebec.
  • The public hearing to review the applications from the English-language ownership groups, namely Bell, Corus and Rogers, will begin on November 28, 2016, at our headquarters in the National Capital Region.
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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Bone-chilling new series Haunted Case Files to air on T+E this Saturday

From a media release:

Things are about to get even creepier on T+E. June 18 will mark the highly-anticipated premiere of Haunted Case Files at 9 p.m. ET/PT. T+E’s newest original production will chronicle the paranormal encounters of North America’s leading ghost hunters and mediums. Riding on the coattails of fan-favourite series Paranormal Survivor, this brand new spinoff, co-produced by Our House Media, will bring even more hair-raising, supernatural tales to resonate with fans this summer.

Haunted Case Files zeroes in on the personal stories of Paranormal Survivor stars and real-life ghostbusters, including Michelle Desrochers. In this series, the experts take a look back at their investigations over the years and recount their most terrifying encounters with spirits, demons and unexplained entities. Each episode features three different stories from different paranormal investigators and weaves gripping interviews, powerful recreations and, in many cases, actual recordings – both audio and visual – to create an edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride of thrills and chills.

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Children's Programming

Family Channel Celebrates girl power with the premiere of We Are Savvy, July 1

From a media release:

This summer, Family Channel dives into the world of pop culture with the brand new series We Are Savvy, debuting July 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by three girls who are setting out to empower their generation, the magazine-style show features a variety of segments including inspiring peer profiles, crafty DIYs and interviews with pop culture leaders from the world of music, technology, sports and fashion. Plus, fans will be treated to special appearances by popular celebrities including Bailee Madison (The Fosters, Good Witch), Lennon & Maisy (Nashville), international recording artists Tegan and Sara, Alessia Cara, plus more.

Hosts Tehya, Sarah and Spencer are BIG fans of the internet and while they may differ in just about everything from music tastes to celebrity crushes, the three girls combine their unique talents to create a YouTube-inspired pop culture series that offers tweens a refreshing spin on the world around them. The cheeky (and stylish) magazine-style show is set in each of the hosts’ bedrooms and sews together feature stories with recurring segments. Each episode sees two of the hosts hanging out, while the third hits the road to entertain viewers with a unique look at the coolest venues and most coveted events including ComiCon, LUSH Cosmetics Factory, GoKart World and more. Together, the three girls aspire to create empowering content that caters to an audience who is fluent in “Emoji” and crazy for viral cat videos, but who also has an active life offline.

In the premiere episode, Sarah and Tehya share their Savvy tips for taking the perfect cell phone photos, while Spencer experiences the TIFF Bell Lightbox Digi Playspace Exhibit. Later, the girls play ‘kitten or cat?’ on the weekly Cat Chat segment, and design a DIY jean pocket organizer. The episode also features a special appearance and performance by Nashville stars Lennon and Maisy. Following the series’ Canada Day debut, new episodes will air regularly Fridays at 6:30 p.m. ET.

In addition to the aforementioned celebrity appearances, special guest stars include: Amy Sedaris (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt); Eden Sher (The Middle); Luna Blaise (Fresh Off the Boat); Simon Cadel (Raising Expectations); Sloane Siegel (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street); Sixx Orange (The Kicks);  Canadian fashion expert Jeanne Beker; Canadian singer/songwriters Shane Harte (Lost & Found Music Studios), Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tyler Shaw; Australian singer Betty Who and classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho.

The girl power continues at Family.ca where kids can take the fun new quiz “What’s Your Savvy Style?” to find out which host they share the most similarities with. The dedicated show page also features more information about the series and its hosts. For a first look at exclusive video content including inventive DIYs and fun interview segments, fans can check out We Are Savvy‘s YouTube page. New episodes of We Are Savvy will also be offered on Family OnDemand and through the Family Channel App as they become available weekly.

Commissioned by DHX Television, and with international distribution handled by DHX Media, Savvy is executive produced by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen for Banger Films’ kids division, B-Minors (Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage), Big Ticket Summer Concert) and is led by series producers Jeni Besworth (Grizzly Cup, Big Ticket) and Adrienne Reid (Fashion Television). Banger Films is an award-winning film and television production company based in Toronto. In its first 10 years, Banger has produced feature documentaries, TV series, live concerts and kids’ programs, which have been broadcast worldwide.

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Children's Programming

Odd Squad, hits movie theatres this summer; Season 2 premieres on TVO

From a media release:

This July, TVO and Sinking Ship Entertainment have joined with Cineplex Entertainment to bring Odd Squad: The Movie to theatres across Canada. A live-action educational series, Odd Squad features kid agents who solve math-related mysteries CSI-style. This is the first film for the award-winning series, designed to help kids aged 5 to 8 build their math, problem-solving, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) skills.

Odd Squad: The Movie jumps off from the Season 1 finale, with agents Olive and Otto joining forces to defeat Odd Todd, a former agent turned villain. When the two leave to run their own squad, two new agents, Olympia and Otis, take their place. In the movie, Olympia and Otis are rivaled by a group of grown-ups, Weird Team, who are led by Weird Tom, played by 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer. Armed with their wits, math abilities, and problem-solving skills, Olympia and Otis devise a plan to take back what’s theirs.

Odd Squad: The Movie will play in 90 theatres across Canada on Saturday, July 16 at 11 am and is part of Cineplex’s Family Favourites program. Tickets are available at cineplex.com.

Leading up to the film’s release, Odd Squad: Season 2 premieres on TVO beginning on Tuesday, June 21 at 4:55 pm. Season 2 features more creatures, gadgets, and odd occurrences to investigate, and agents Olympia and Otis, who are ready to solve the case. With math concepts embedded in each of their assignments, the agents problem-solve together and use their STEAM skills to set things right. Throughout the summer, episodes of Odd Squad: Season 2 will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:55 pm and repeat Saturdays and Sundays at 9:15 am. Odd Squad: Season 2 will also be available on tvokids.com and on TVOKids’ YouTube channel.

The release of Odd Squad: The Movie and Odd Squad: Season 2 are part of TVOKids’ Summer of Odd. Kids can stay entertained while learning throughout the summer months, with new episodes of popular children’s series airing in new time slots. TVOKids’ full summer schedule is available on tvokids.com.

Odd Squad is produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment in association with TVO.

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