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.
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Design Icon Debbie Travis Comes to OWN in All-New Series La Dolce Debbie

From a media release:

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada) announced today that celebrated interior designer Debbie Travis will be joining the OWN (Canada) family with the new documentary series La Dolce Debbie (6X30). The series follows Debbie as she searches for, buys and completely overhauls a 13th century Tuscan property, transforming it into her ultimate dream women’s retreat. La Dolce Debbie premieres Tuesday, February 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

La Dolce Debbie takes viewers on design icon Debbie Travis’ most personal journey yet: risking her life’s savings to buy and transform a 13th century medieval watchtower and farmhouse into a luxurious 14 bedroom women’s retreat in Tuscany, Italy. Inspiring, touching, and heart-warming – the series explores the highs and lows of buying and renovating a large property in a foreign country.

In her area of Tuscany, which is deemed an international heritage site, Debbie is forced to conform to rigid historical protection laws and red-tape committees. Working with some of the best architects, designers and tradesmen in Italy, she struggles to grasp the language and assimilate to a new culture, and also has to wrap her head around what it takes to run a 100-acre farm with 800 olive trees and vineyard. While the property slowly transforms, so does Debbie. At the heart of the series is her personal journey to find a new happiness through her desire to create a one-of-a-kind retreat that captures the transformative spirit of Tuscany and the experience of La Dolce Vita – The Sweet Life.

In the first episode, which premieres Tuesday, February 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET, Debbie is on the hunt for an Italian property to transform into the permanent home for her women’s retreats. For more than two years she and her husband Hans scour the country – and when they finally fall in love with the idyllic region of Tuscany, they struggle to find the perfect place.

La Dolce Debbie is produced by Montréal-based WAM (Whalley-Abbey Media).

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Mohawk Girls

Link: Mohawk Girls creators confirm Season 4

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Mohawk Girls creators confirm Season 4
Get ready to head back to the rez! Mohawk Girls Season 4 is happening.

“We are developing the fourth season,” showrunner Cynthia Knight confirmed to The TV Junkies. The APTN comedy’s fourth year will be an extended run since “it’s going to be eight half hour episodes instead of six,” says Knight. She also said that they are aiming “to shoot around the same time as last year, hopefully around the end of May to mid-July. It’ll then air next fall.” Knight and Mohawk Girls creator and executive producer Tracey Deer also confirmed that the writers’ room for Season 4 of the critically acclaimed show will have six women in it. Knight calls it their “biggest story room yet by far,” as they get set to begin writing this week in Toronto. Continue reading.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

VisionTV presents the world premiere of Hell: A Survivor’s Guide

From a media release:

On Monday, February 8, at 9 pm ET, VisionTV will present the world premiere of Hell: A Survivor’s Guide, a new Canadian documentary examining the history of a place that has maintained its grip on the human imagination for centuries.

Heaven is usually visualized in less specific ways. It’s a place of eternal light, peace, purity, and happiness. Hell, on the other hand, has been mapped out in excruciating detail. In almost every known description of the afterlife, Hell is located underground – a hot, demonic realm of grim tortures and eternal agony.

To understand our ongoing fascination with this underworld, host Brian Paisley (Apocalypse … When?) will turn to great artists like Homer, Virgil, Dante, Bosch, Doré and Rubens, all of whom felt inspired to create compelling images of Hell.

Paisley also talks to scholars, writers, and theologians, and to a psychologist who has studied why the concept of Hell has had such an impact on our lives, and why, even in secular societies, the idea of Hell can still influence our behaviour.

To supplement the documentary, Asterisk Productions has will be launching http://hellsurvivorsguide.com. The website will include 40 minutes of extended interviews with experts, webisodes, additional written commentary, and recommended readings.

Hell: A Survivor’s Guide was produced by David Springbett and Heather MacAndrew. Moses Znaimer is Executive Producer.

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19-2, Amazing Race Canada, Awards, Big Brother Canada, Blackstone, Degrassi, Dragons' Den, Featured, Industry News, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Masterchef Canada, Mohawk Girls, Motive, Mr. D, Orphan Black, Rookie Blue, Schitt's Creek, Spun Out, Still Standing, Strange Empire, Vikings, X Company, Young Drunk Punk

19-2 and Schitt’s Creek lead 2016 Canadian Screen Award TV nominations

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Bravo’s gritty cop drama 19-2 and CBC’s high-profile comedy Schitt’s Creek topline the nominations for the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards. Announced Tuesday morning in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox by Lyriq Bent (The Book of Negroes) and Aislinn Paul (Degrassi), 19-2 captured 12 nominations, including Best Dramatic Series and Best Performance nods for supporting cast and leads Jared Keeso and Adrian Holmes; Keeso and Holmes recorded a video to mark the occasion (check it out below).

Meanwhile, Schitt’s Creek does battle in the comedic categories, with co-stars Eugene and Dan Levy facing off for Best Performance and the Tuesday night comedy fighting off fellow CBC series Mr. D, Mohawk Girls, Young Drunk Punk and Tiny Plastic Men for Best Comedy Series.

Space’s Orphan Black did well too, snagging 13 nominations including performance acknowledgements for Ari Millen and Tatiana Maslany, though it was shut out of the Dramatic Series list. Global’s final season of Rookie Blue was recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, as Missy Peregrym and Ben Bass received nominations.

The nominees in the key television categories are listed below. Who do you think deserves to win? The two-hour Canadian Screen Awards gala airs Sunday, March 13, at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role

  • Gerry Dee, Mr. D
  • Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
  • Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
  • Dave Foley, Spun Out

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role

  • Adrian Holmes, 19-2
  • Jared Keeso, 19-2
  • Ari Millen, Orphan Black
  • Ben Bass, Rookie Blue
  • Aaron Poole, Strange Empire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role

  • Brittany LeBorgne, Mohawk Girls
  • Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
  • Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
  • Belinda Cornish, Tiny Plastic Men

Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role

  • Kristin Lehman, Motive
  • Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
  • Megan Follows, Reign
  • Missy Peregrym, Rookie Blue
  • Jennie Raymond, Sex & Violence

Best Dramatic Series

  • 19-2
  • Blackstone
  • Motive
  • Saving Hope
  • X Company

Best Comedy Series

  • Mr. D
  • Mohawk Girls
  • Schitt’s Creek
  • Tiny Plastic Men
  • Young Drunk Punk

Best Reality/Competition Program or Series

  • The Amazing Race Canada
  • Big Brother Canada
  • Dragons’ Den
  • Game of Homes
  • MasterChef Canada

Best Animated Program or Series

  • Endangered Species
  • Numb Chucks
  • Rocket Monkeys
  • Slugterra

Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series

  • Annedroids
  • Degrassi
  • Full Out
  • Max & Shred

Best Factual Program or Series

  • Emergency
  • Ice Pilots NWT
  • Jade Fever
  • Million Dollar Critic
  • Still Standing

Best International Drama

  • Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
  • Vikings

Best Lifestyle Program or Series

  • Buy It, Fix It, Sell It
  • Carnival Eats
  • Income Property
  • Masters of Flip
  • Survivorman Bigfoot

Best TV Movie or Limited Series

  • The Book of Negroes
  • First Response
  • Forget and Forgive
  • Kept Woman
  • Studio Black!

The rest of the television categories can be seen here.

As previously announced, comedian Norm Macdonald will host the 2016 event. Wendy Crewson—currently starring on CTV’s Saving Hope—will receive the Earle Grey Award for acting and Martin Short will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Canadian Screen Awards air Sunday, March 13, at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Baby talk on Murdoch Mysteries

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“There hasn’t been any baby talk yet, but that’s the logical next step. Who knows how long that will take or how it will come about?” Hélène Joy would be a worthy foil for Det. Murdoch. I’m pretty sure she already knew William and Julia were going to adopt back when I spoke to her on the set of Murdoch Mysteries late last year. If so, good on her for keeping things vague from my prying questions.

The addition of Roland—the pair adopted him last week—made an immediate impact on our favourite couple: he threw their lives into complete disarray. Adding an infant to a television series is always a challenge, and it will be interesting to see how Murdoch Mysteries handles the little fellow from week to week. Will he be handed off to a nanny? I don’t think so, as Julia and William seem intent on having him there all the time. Perhaps he’ll be shown cooing in a corner, leaping about in William’s latest contraption, the Gleeful Bouncer—a.k.a. Jolly Jumper. One of the great strengths of the series continues to be the not-so-subtle nods to things we use in everyday life that were on the cusp of being realized in Murdoch’s world. Having a Gleeful Bouncer made me laugh out loud and be inspired by the creativity in the writers’ room.

Monday’s “The Big Chill” also paid homage to the 1922 documentary Nanook of the North. The murder of a man on-board the CGS Arctic introduced viewers to Nuniq, an Inuit man who struck me as a nod to Nanook. The thought was proven true when Crabtree befriended Nuniq and proposed he document him in the city’s hot spots and call it “Nuniq of Toronto.” Crabtree has had some pretty serious storylines so far this season, so it was fun to not only see him create play-by-play and colour commentating last week but serve as a drunken wingman for Nuniq this week.

Real Canadian history was covered as well. Captain Joseph Bernier—played with aplomb by InSecurity‘s Rémy Girard—really did explore the islands of the north and claimed the area for Canada and was given the Royal Geographical Society’s Back Award for his work.

“The Big Chill” had all the hallmarks of a classic Murdoch Mysteries episode, the perfect tonic for a cold January night.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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