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

CBC greenlights Anne, a new adaptation of Anne of Green Gables

From a media release:

CBC has greenlit ANNE, an exceptional, new television series based on the timeless children’s novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The international co-production will see 2016 Golden Globe-nominee and Emmy® Award-winning Breaking Bad alum Moira Walley-Beckett and fellow Canadian producer Miranda de Pencier join forces with Alison Owen (Temple Grandin) and Debra Hayward’s (Pride and Prejudice) U.K.-based Monumental Pictures to bring the series to life. ANNE is expected to begin production this spring and will debut on CBC-TV in 2017 with eight episodes.

At its heart, ANNE is a coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for acceptance, for her place in the world and for love. The drama series centres on a young orphaned girl who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly spinster and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live, with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination. While the new series will follow a similar storyline to the book that millions of readers around the world know and love, it will also chart new territory. Anne and the rest of the characters in and around Green Gables will experience new adventures reflecting timeless issues, including themes of identity, sexism, bullying, prejudice, and trusting one’s self.

Walley-Beckett, de Pencier, Owen and Hayward will act as executive producers. The four boast impressive résumés including industry accolades and highly successful projects. Walley-Beckett is a three-time Emmy® Award-winner for the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad and was nominated for a 2016 Golden Globe award for the Starz drama, Flesh and Bone. Canadian producer Miranda de Pencier’s most recent credits include feature films Thanks for Sharing and Beginners, which earned Christopher Plummer a 2012 Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor. U.K.-based producer Alison Owen’s titles include Shaun of the Dead, The Other Boleyn Girl, Saving Mr. Banks, Suffragette and the seven-time Emmy® Award-winning Temple Grandin. Atop a long list of achievements, Hayward has produced many films including Bridget Jones’s Diary, About a Boy, Love Actually, Wimbeldon, Pride and Prejudice and the multi-award-winning box office hit Les Misérables.

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Featured, Podcast

TV, eh? podcast episode 198 – One Season Wonders

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It’s a very special episode of the TV, Eh? podcast as Bob Goyetche and Dave Brodbeck from Best Episode Ever drop by to help Greg and Anthony fill the void left by Diane not being with us this week.

The quartet whip through 15 of the oddest and most ludicrous Canadian TV series from the past. The shows that made the cut were Guilty or Not Guilty, Diplomatic Passport, McQueen, The Forest Rangers, Quentin Durgens, M.P., Eye Bet, George, The Baxters, Beyond Reason, Learning the Ropes, Mount Royal, T. and T., Diamonds, Ombudsman and Night Walk.

Remember Night Walk?

Want to contribute to the discussion? Post links and discussion topics on our Reddit page.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Buying the View reaches new heights in high-end homes

Television series about home buying are a dime a dozen, but Buying the View takes the genre to new, unexplored heights. Debuting on W Network with two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, the program focuses on properties with killer vistas, whether that be the water, mountains or the city.

“It’s a catch-22 in a city like Toronto,” says Jay Egan, who works out of Toronto’s Forest Hill Real Estate. “In Vancouver the view is never going to change, but in Toronto your property better be 40 storeys or more because of the redevelopment that goes on. Your client is relying on you to find something where the view isn’t going to change.” Egan is one of a handful of realtors charged with finding the perfect plot for their clients in episodes that jet to Whistler, B.C., Miami, Manhattan, Toronto, Oakville, Ont., the Niagara and Muskoka regions of Ontario and Vancouver. 

Tuesday’s debut stop is in Whistler, where a couple yearns for a home that ticks everything on their list, including being able to lay eyes on water, mountains and a glacier. Egan, meanwhile, first appears in Episode 6, helping Vancouver father Mark find a Toronto property he can use during business trips east and for his daughter, Julia, to stay in while she’s at university. Mark’s budget? A cool $10 million thanks to a successful career in the gold industry. In the running are three prime locations, including a spot in tony Yorkville and a condo in the Trump International Hotel & Tower. The trio have one thing in common: killer views of the city. Of course, part of the fun of watching Buying the View is trying to figure out which location the clients will pick, and Mark and Julia’s choice might surprise.

Egan, who is in the midst of hunting down a first home for his daughter, became slotted into the niche market of high-end home sales because his clientele trends that way due to referrals. He appears in two more Season 1 instalments, unveiling properties in Southern Ontario.

“These are very different properties because the clients are looking for different things,” he says. “In both of those episodes, the wife wants a house and the husband wants a condo, so we go back and forth on that. People want everything, and that’s truly possible.”

Buying the View airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

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Awards

Link: Martin Short to Get Canadian Screen Awards’ Lifetime Honor

From Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter:

Martin Short to Get Canadian Screen Awards’ Lifetime Honor
Martin Short will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards, organizers said Tuesday.

The Canadian funnyman known for his star turns on SCTV and Saturday Night Live will receive a gala tribute on March 13, 2016 during a national awards show airing on the CBC network. Also known as the man-child Ed Grimley and clued-out reporter Jiminy Glick characters, Short hosted the event in 2013 and 2014. Continue reading.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: Great news: Schitt’s Creek is back

From Jim Bawden:

Great news: Schitt’s Creek is back
So far it’s been a hitless season for new Canadian series with shows toppling all over the place.

So here’s some great news: Schitt’s Creek is back for season two.
You can catch the shenanigans on CBC-TV Tuesday January 12 at 9 p.m. Got that? Think back –when did CBC last have a successful sitcom you actually wanted to see? Continue reading.

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