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.

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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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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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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Link: ‘Schitt’s Creek’: New challenges for creators Eugene and Dan Levy in season 2

From Bill Harris of Postmedia Network:

‘Schitt’s Creek’: New challenges for creators Eugene and Dan Levy in season 2
You don’t want to think too hard about Schitt’s Creek.

I’m not being flippant. I mean it literally.

That’s the challenge for sitcoms with specific premises such as Schitt’s Creek,the second season of which debuts Tuesday, Jan. 12 on CBC, with back-to-back new episodes. Continue reading.

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Link: More choice, smaller bills in store for TV viewers

From James Bradshaw of The Globe and Mail:

More choice, smaller bills in store for TV viewers
So-called cord cutting, and how to contain it, will be top of mind for many TV executives in 2016, as viewers will be given new choices. The federal broadcast regulator has promised rule changes to let customers choose which channels they pay for, and will require companies to shrink the size of basic cable and satellite bundles.

At the same time, and perhaps more importantly, new streaming technologies and online competitors built in the mould of Netflix Inc. are expanding, giving viewers a wider range of relatively low-cost alternatives, in turn causing some to rethink the value of their monthly TV bill. Continue reading.

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