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.
Saving Hope

Link: Saving Hope postmortem: Season 4 goes out with a bang

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Saving Hope postmortem: Season 4 goes out with a bang
“We are always conceiving the end of the season not knowing whether the show is going to get ordered or not. We did find out in enough time to try and build in enough of a cliffhanger. We didn’t want to try to compete with Joel (Daniel Gillies) blowing up–because that was so epic–but we wanted there to be a cliffhanger and something to come back to. If it was the last episode of the whole thing we designed it–with Charlie narrating and the tux–to have this feel of coming full circle, but then with a bit of a turn in it when we knew we were coming back.” Continue reading. 

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada returns with plenty of tears

MasterChef Canada is manipulative as heck. With two seasons under their belts, producers Proper Television know exactly how to tug at our emotions. With just one hour of this go-round underway, I was already cheering for finalists like Mary Berg and Jennifer Baglioni because of their backstories, and want them to go all the way to the end.

Of course, I’m supposed to feel this way, and once you just accept it, episodes like Sunday’s are entertaining both in the slick production but the storytelling as well. And with three seasons under their belts, judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile know how to inject their own brand of drama into the proceedings too. All three took turns being critical with the first handful of home cooks to shoot for the Top 14, and stated more than once the talent bar had been raised. Thankfully, several contestants met the challenge or exceeded them.

One was Mary Berg, who overcame personal tragedy (her family was in a car accident years ago, claiming her father’s life) to score an apron. Another was Jennifer Bagione, who told her own tear-induced tale. Both parents were deaf and she learned to communicate through sign language. After their mother left, Jennifer took over cooking duties, ensuring Dad had a hot meal to come home to every night. The Maple, Ont., salon manager broke down in tears while the judges communicated through her to her father that she had won a spot in the Top 14.

Not everyone was so lucky. A montage captured several wannabe MasterChef Canada contestants eliminated because their plates were too pedestrian, under-seasoned or just plain bad. Folks like Sean Hickey—he of the bacon-themed headband and apron—bombed out with their audition plate but will battle it out for a spot in the show via kitchen cooking because the judges saw a glimmer of talent.

Who will win the $100,000 grand prize and MasterChef Canada title? It’s too soon to tell, but it’s going to be a fun (and tear-filled) ride on the way to deciding. Tell me who you think will win via the comments below.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Charlie on Saving Hope

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The news Saving Hope will return for Season 5 may have eased the stress of Sunday’s two-part season finale and pretty much guaranteed Charlie was going to pull through his brain tumour surgery, but it was still a pretty rough go for my nerves.

Would Charlie emerge still being able to see dead people, or would that ability disappear with his tumour? But while it took both episodes, “Anybody Seen My Baby” and “Let Me Go” for Charlie to emerge from surgery with his faculties intact and his ghostly gift excised (he thinks), he and Alex were far from safe. In fact, one of them may very well be at death’s door when the fifth season kicks off.

Yup, the couple who had been through so much already were thrown into the wringer once more—thanks for Adam Pettle’s finale script—when Crenshaw (Travis Milne) appeared at the Fellowship dinner with a gun and fired it when they stood so Alex and Maggie could accept their award together. To say the twist came out of left field is an understatement and a testament to Pettle and his writing staff. So much has gone on this season I’d completely forgotten about Crenshaw. He, of course, never forgot Charlie’s refusal to help get him cleared of murdering his wife and sought revenge.

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It was the perfect wrench to throw into what was for the most part a happy season finale. Yes, there were sad moments—Kristine died and a patient with liver disease lost her unborn daughter in “Anybody Seen My Baby”—but Dawn and Zach are officially an item (after a misstep courtesy of Maggie) and flying between Vancouver and Toronto so they can see Zach’s kids. After everything they’ve been through personally since last season I’m glad the pair are together and truly happy. Not so happy? Cassie, who went from No. 1 to also-ran in Jeremy’s life after his wife, Natasha, jetted in and proclaimed her love for him. Now he’s headed back to California, closing the door on their relationship but opening it up for Dev to make his move.

So what do you think, Saving Hope fans? Did Crenshaw shoot Alex? Charlie? Someone else? Or did he miss? And what did you think of this season overall? Write a comment below or send me a note via Twitter to @tv_eh.

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Anne of Green Gables

Link: New ‘Anne of Green Gables’ TV movie highlights female relationships

From Melanie Fishbane of Cinefilles:

New ‘Anne of Green Gables’ TV movie highlights female relationships
There are many opinions online about how Breakthrough Entertainment should have adapted Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery’s classic novel about how Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert by mistake, wins everyone over with her imagination, cleverness and intelligence. These opinions range from those who are so loyal to Kevin Sullivan’s 1985 miniseries starring Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth and Jonathan Crombie that they cannot imagine a world where any other adaptation might exist. Others, like myself, grew up as fans of the miniseries (and the first two movies—we don’t talk about The Continuing Story, nor A New Beginning) and are hoping that after thirty years there is finally a new (and good) interpretation of our favourite novel. Continue reading.

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Motive

Final season of CTV’s Motive begins March 22

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CTV announced today that multiple Canadian Screen Award nominee MOTIVE is set to face its last round of investigations, as the series returns for its fourth and final season Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning March 22 on CTV and CTV GO, following a CraveTV First Look starting March 21. Wrapping production today in Vancouver, the final season brings the story of the series’ dynamic homicide team to a powerful conclusion as they continue to explore what drives the motive behind the murder in 13 unforgettable new episodes. MOTIVE was nominated last month for nine Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Dramatic Series.

In the final season, each member of the homicide team faces pivotal choices about their future, as they set on a course of deciding what they want their legacies to be. Canadian Screen Award nominee Kristin Lehman (THE KILLING) returns as Detective Angie Flynn, who leads the team through a season of big change and evolution: Detective Oscar Vega’s (Louis Ferreira, BREAKING BAD, SGU STARGATE UNIVERSE) new role as Staff Sergeant means adjustments for everyone; Angie and Detective Brian Lucas (Brendan Penny, THE ASSISTANTS) develop a deeper bond; Dr. Betty Rogers (Lauren Holly, NCIS), who is personally involved with Vega, must now mind the boundaries of her personal and professional relationship; and new detectives are introduced to the team.

Building on its roster of incredible guest stars throughout the series, Season 4 of MOTIVE continues to showcase a fantastic line up of seasoned actors with appearances from Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite); Will Sasso (SHAMELESS); and Tommy Flanagan (SONS OF ANARCHY), who guest stars in a recurring role as Interpol Agent Jack Stoker.

MOTIVE also stars Victor Zinck Jr. (THE 100) and Karen LeBlanc (CRACKED), who join this season as new detectives on the series’ homicide team.

In the Season 4 premiere, entitled “The Vanishing Policeman” (Tuesday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO), while Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and Staff Sergeant Vega (Louis Ferreira) adjust to his new role, the suicide of an officer with whom Angie and Detective Brian Lucas (Brendan Penny) worked on a crime scene turns the team’s investigation into a hunt for a cop killer.

MOTIVE is produced by Lark Productions and Foundation Features in association with Bell Media. Executive Producers are Dennis Heaton (CALL ME FITZ, Fido), who also serves as the Season 4 showrunner; series creator Daniel Cerone (DEXTER, THE BLACKLIST); Louise Clark (CORNER GAS, HIGH MOON); Rob Merilees (Stone of Destiny, Brain on Fire); Erin Haskett (THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER); Rob LaBelle (MENTAL); Lindsay Macadam (Brain on Fire); and Ben Brafman (PERSON OF INTEREST, DEFYING GRAVITY). The series is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal International.

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