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, Heartland

Heartland’s rise of Llama Boy

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“Risky Business” dealt with some very serious horse and human issues on Sunday night, but can we take a moment to revel in the crowning of Llama Boy? Heartland has featured storylines about the evils of social media in the past, so it was nice have Georgie’s gaffe at allowing Olivia into her public mailbox turn out all right. Rather than let what I’ll call “The Spitting Incident” derail Adam’s quest for class president, he and Georgie turned it into a political success, giving him the win and handing Olivia a defeat. (Olivia’s cut eye at Georgie was so worth it.)

Of course, Georgie’s plot to turn spittle into votes wouldn’t have happened at all if not for the return of Tim’s former flame, Janice. Yes, she helped the grade-schoolers, but threw Tim and Casey’s whole relationship into the toilet. I’m glad her horse, Danger, is going to have surgery to cure Wobbler’s Syndrome, but it meant Casey and Tim had a sobering heart-to-heart. (That chat was preceded by one of the greatest family dinner scenes ever, when Casey and Janice double-teamed making fun of Tim.) By the end of the chat, Casey admitted she was afraid she couldn’t live up to Tim’s relationship expectations and it looks like he might take that job in Dallas. Will Chris Potter really leave Heartland? Doubtful, but the brake pedal has been put on Tim-Casey for the time being.

Janice’s visit threw Cassandra and Amy’s lives into disarray too. The pair teamed to diagnose Danger and in the process confirmed Cassandra is pregnant with Caleb’s baby. Unfortunately, the well-meaning Caleb thinks Amy is with child. I’m sure that’s going to lead to highly comic/dreadfully dramatic scenes in the future. Note to Amy: always throw out the pregnancy test ASAP. You never know who might find it.

Speaking of finding things, Katie found herself in hot water with Jack. With Lou away, the littlest Fleming scooped his cell phone and ended up breaking the screen. Luckily for her, she’s got the best grandfather ever; Jack used the opportunity to snag a plate-sized steak from Lisa after she accused him of losing the phone on purpose.

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

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Wynonna Earp

Link: Calgary-shot Wynonna Earp a supernatural western

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Calgary-shot Wynonna Earp a supernatural western
Wynonna Earp is an irreverent, emotionally damaged, hard-drinking and action-ready heroine. She is a descendent of legendary lawman Wyatt, and newest victim of a family curse that has followed the Earps for generations. The Ottawa native beat out hundreds of actresses for the part. Showrunner Emily Andras said Scrofano’s tape immediately jumped out, particularly since it featured a young actress who nonchalantly chewed gum throughout the entire audition. Continue reading.

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Featured, Letterkenny

Letterkenny touches down Super Bowl Sunday on CraveTV

Sunday is a big day for television, and I’m not just talking about the Super Bowl. Yes, the annual gridiron slugfest is happening for the 50th time, but it’s also the day Letterkenny lands on CraveTV.

The Canadian comedy, created by Canadian Screen Award winner Jared Keeso, debuts all six episodes Sunday at 9 a.m. ET, offering a slice of homegrown comedy we haven’t seen since, well, ever. Letterkenny is an amped-up Corner Gas, a hilarious, expletive-filled romp around the small town of Letterkenny, where the hicks, skids and hockey players butt heads when they’re not busy taking the piss out of their own cliques. Keeso stars as Wayne, a squint-eyed, burly fellow who hurls rapid-fire insults at anyone who comes into his space. His buddy, Daryl (Nathan Dales) is capable of trading barbs too; in the first episode, “Ain’t No Reason to Get Excited,” they double-team hockey players Jonesy (Dylan Playfair) and Reilly (Andrew Herr), out-insulting the pair with awe-inspiring turns of phrase.

“It’s really hard not to crack up during filming,” Dales said during a set visit to Sudbury, Ont., last year. “I can’t look Jared in the eyes because if I do I know I’ll break.”

Letterkenny1

Letterkenny the TV series evolved from Letterkenny Problems. Spurred by Keeso’s urge to create his own characters, Wayne and Daryl became Internet stars, racking up millions of views on YouTube. Television production companies came calling and Keeso, soon to be seen in Season 3 of 19-2 on Bravo, teamed with New Metric Media. After pitching it around to networks, Bell Media signed on. One of the biggest challenges for Keeso was turning a two-minute webisode into 30 minutes of television.

“I used the same formula to write the series as I did the web series,” Keeso said. “Character arc and continuing story are not my strong point as a writer. I tried to get as many laughs on a second-to-second basis as possible.” He turned to executive producer, director and co-writer Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) for help finding the characters’ voices, though some script work was altered on the fly as the actors began reciting the lines.

In addition to hicks Wayne and Daryl are Wayne’s younger sister Katy (Michelle Mylett) and Wayne’s buddy, Dan (K. Trevor Wilson), the aforementioned hockey players and the skids, represented by Stewart (Tyler Johnston) and Devon (Alexander De Jordy). Rounding out the key characters are bartender Gail (Lisa Codrington) and Christian leader Glenn (Jacob Tierney).

Dales is still pinching himself over the fact something he and Keeso filmed over two years ago has grown into a television series. He recalled thinking Letterkenny Problems might have some legs because the guys in the crew were cracking up, but had no inkling a television series would be the result.

“I had no idea that, fast-forward, I would be in Sudbury making a TV show with my buddies,” he said at the time. “That people would pay us to come here, shoot on location and we’d have a great time.”

Season 1 of Letterkenny is available Sunday, Feb. 7, on Crave TV. It will be broadcast on The Comedy Network later this year.

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Industry News

Link: Temple Street to restructure under new parent; targets global market

From James Bradshaw at The Globe and Mail:

Temple Street to restructure under new parent; targets global market
Temple Street Productions, the Toronto-based studio that creates popular television shows such as Orphan Black, is restructuring to carve out separate branches that are designed to grow its digital, animation and branding ventures.

The production company will still be at the core of a newly created entity, Boat Rocker Media. It will serve as an umbrella company, allowing Temple Street to focus on creating programming while other business lines from distribution to digital ventures are handled by dedicated divisions. Continue reading. 

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