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.
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.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Schitt’s Creek stars preview changing relationships in Season 2
Despite what they hoped for at the end of last season, the Rose family will indeed be sticking around the town of Schitt’s Creek for the foreseeable future. Season 2 of the CBC comedy returns Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. with two back-to-back episodes that pick up three days after David (Dan Levy) was last seen speeding out of town, leaving his parents, Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira (Catherine O’Hara), and sister Alexis (Annie Murphy) still stranded at the hotel they have been calling home. Continue reading.
The bloom is off the rose for the Roses. The rich family that saw their fortune seized by the government and cast out to live in their remaining asset—the town of Schitt’s Creek—tried desperately to sell the burg and escape. The Season 1 finale saw an end to that as the lone buyer died suddenly, leaving Johnny and his family stuck. What’s the plan for Season 2 of Schitt’s Creek, returning Tuesday at 9 p.m. to CBC? Lay low.
“They’re always looking to get out and if they had the opportunity they would,” co-executive producer and Johnny actor Eugene Levy says. “The reality is that they can’t sell the town, they can’t do much about their situation and they’re going to have to be there longer than they thought they initially would be. Now what do you do? You have to get on with your life.” That means—gasp—finding jobs. Johnny is on unemployment but trying to figure out how to make the best of the situation while kids David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) have to get work so they have money to spend, leading to interaction with the townspeople.
“David gets a job at a clothing store and [Robin Duke] plays Wendy, the manager of the store,†Dan Levy says. “The store is struggling, so she is balancing the reality of an unstable business with having hired David, who wants to redo the whole store. His ideas are not coming from a business mind.â€
One of Schitt’s Creek‘s strengths has been the heart hiding behind the hilarity. There are cringeworthy and laugh out loud moments aplenty, but those are contrasted with scenes of genuine feelings, like those between David and Stevie (Emily Hampshire), Alexis and Mutt (Tim Rozon) and even Johnny and Roland (Chris Elliott). Elliott recalls the rookie season scene where Roland and Johnny bonded over a plate of really good ribs.
“And they were really good ribs,” Elliott says wistfully. “I have not been able to find them since. I kept hoping for another take so that I could keep eating them. Then I purged and we went back and ate more.” Roland, Elliott teases, is still a pain in Johnny’s ass this time around, but acknowledge to having more in common than they first thought.
That’s important to Season 2, adds Eugene.
“That’s key to building the relationships,” he says. “Rather than running into the townspeople and saying, ‘Ooo, I wish we weren’t running into you,’ there is a little less of that.”
“Though Roland does tend to show up when Johnny doesn’t want him to,” Elliott says. “It’s not necessarily him, just not now.”
“Which is still most of the time,” Eugene says.
Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
From Martin Knelman of the Toronto Star:
TVO’s ‘The Agenda’ born again
Research confirmed that young audiences like what TVO does and know who Paikin is but rarely watch the broadcast. So starting now, instead of being a seamless one-hour program, The Agenda becomes a magazine, typically with three 15-to-20 minute items. That way, people who rely on their mobile devices to discover what’s new and interesting can have a brief encounter with one segment. Plus there will be clips on Facebook and Twitter, which link back to the full version on TVO’s website. Continue reading.Â
