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, Vikings

Aethelwulf attacks on Vikings

After last week’s Season 4 return catching viewers up with what was going on with the viking side of the story, Thursday’s instalment ventured into Wessex while following Floki’s misadventures and Bjorn’s icy journey of survival.

“Kill the Queen” covered a lot of ground, announcing Queen Kwenthrith had been overthrown after Merican nobles refused to pay homage to Ecbert and imprisoned she and her son in a tower. That meant Aethelwulf was put in charge of breaking her free as he coordinated an attack against the nobles. To this point, Ecbert’s son has been a bit of a joke, but what he proved to be an astute tactician in the field and saved Kwenthrith. (She did her part in deadly hand-to-hand combat in the tower when her female guards attempted to murder she and her son.) Aethelwulf is proving himself a man to his father, something Bjorn can certainly relate to.

As for King Ecbert, I’m not sure what his plan is regarding Judith. Last season it appeared he was trying to steal her from his son. Is offering her freedom to do anything—including learning to gild pages of the bible—part of that plot or does he have something else up his sleeve? As someone who is getting bored of Judith’s watery-eyed stares, I’m glad she’s finally got something to do story-wise other than simper around covering her ear hole.

Off in Paris, the power-hungry Rollo was only too happy to help Odo plan against any future viking attack by showing how to stop the longboats from advancing upriver. Little does Rollo know that machinations behind the scenes are working against Odo and towards Ragnar’s brother becoming the Emperor’s right-hand man.

Meanwhile, there’s poor Floki. He’s always been one of my favourite characters, especially in earlier seasons when he was very much the comic relief. His crisis of character and questionable moves against Ragnar have put him in an awful place. For awhile it looked like he might escape capture and head into the woods, but instead he’s been laid even lower: chained in a cave with water dripping on his head and only his thoughts to keep him company. Will he go completely insane upon learning of his daughter’s death or will he earn a place back in Ragnar’s heart? He seems too dangerous to for the latter, unless he’s willing to swallow his pride, and Floki doesn’t seem the type.

Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Houdini & Doyle

New Supernatural Original Drama Houdini & Doyle Premieres Monday May 2 at 9pm ET/PT on Global

From a media release:

Houdini and Doyle leave no stone unturned in Global’s thrilling new original drama series Houdini & Doyle premiering Monday, May 2 at 9 pm ET/PT. Starring Michael Weston, Stephen Mangan, and Canadian Rebecca Liddiard, the Canada/UK Co-Production will air in simulcast with FOX in the US. Co-created and executive produced by Canadians David Hoselton (House, Chicago P.D.), and David Titcher (The Librarians), with Canadian acclaimed Executive Producer David Shore (House), the 10-episode mystery adventure series unites skeptical illusionist Harry Houdini and supernatural believer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to investigate unsolved and seemingly paranormal crimes. Inspired by true events, the two men of the 20th Century grudgingly join forces with New Scotland Yard to investigate these inexplicable cases.

Shot on location in the UK and Canada, Houdini & Doyle follows Harry Houdini (Michael Weston) – master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker – and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Stephen Mangan) – prolific writer, creator of “Sherlock Holmes” and paranormal aficionado. The pair join forces in 1901 London and Canada to investigate unsolved and inexplicable crimes with a supernatural slant in collaboration with New Scotland Yard Constable Adelaide Stratton (Rebecca Liddiard).

In the series, Houdini, Doyle, and Stratton are tasked with the cases that nobody else can solve. It challenges their sense of what is real and what is not. Houdini is a skeptic, while Doyle believes in the unseen. Their diverse viewpoints make solving crime a challenge and often Stratton is put in the middle. The trio face cases that appear to involve vampires, ghosts, monsters, and poltergeists…or are they a ruse to conceal murder?

Houdini & Doyle is also complemented by an original digital series, Houdini & Doyle: World of Wonders. Hosted by Houdini & Doyle star Rebecca Liddiard, the 10-part mini-documentary series explores the real lives and times of Houdini and Doyle through contemporary magic and mind-bending illusions, delivering a fresh and modern take on a time when the worlds of science and spiritualism collided. Houdini & Doyle: World of Wonders premieres on Monday, April 11 exclusively on GlobalTV.com and Global Go. The digital series is produced by Shaftesbury’s digital arm, Smokebomb Entertainment, in association with Shaw Media and the Canada Media Fund.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Link: CBC’s Girls’ Night Out is a patronizing, fact-adverse travesty

From Leah McLaren of The Globe and Mail:

CBC’s Girls’ Night Out is a patronizing, fact-adverse travesty
Vaguely based on the book Drink: The Deadly Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston, the documentary takes a complex and multilayered topic and reduces it to an episode of Girls Gone Wild narrated by church ladies. Girls’ Night Out is a patronizing, fact-adverse travesty, the broadcast equivalent of TMZ’s never-ending gallery of D-list actresses staggering out of nightclubs, lipstick and bra straps askew. Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Children's Programming, Industry News

Family Channel laces up for original movie Ice Girls

1 Comment

From a media release:

March Break gets an early start on Family Channel when the new original feature film Ice Girls glides onto the network, Friday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Starring three-time World Champion and two-time Olympic Silver Medallist Elvis Stojko alongside Natasha Henstridge (The Whole Nine Yards, Would Be Kings) and young Canadian figure skating champions Michaela Du Toit and Taylor Hunsley, the new movie follows skater Mattie Dane as she struggles to regain her confidence and determination after having her dreams shattered. Filmed in Sudbury, ON, Ice Girls highlights the world of competitive figure skating and features a guest appearance by Olympic Champion Tessa Virtue, who recently announced she and ice dance partner Scott Moir would be returning to compete on the international stage.

For 15 year-old aspiring figure skating champion Mattie Dane (Du Toit), life on the ice is her be all and end all. So when she sustains an injury at a major competition, her world comes crashing down. Her family moves to a small town after they fall on hard times, leaving Mattie struggling to find her place in her new surroundings. The local skating rink provides her some solace, but talented figure skater Heather (Hunsley), accompanied by her ultra-competitive mother (Henstridge), quickly remind Mattie what she’s missing by not being on the ice. Mercury (Stojko), the local rink manager and former figure skater, can see the potential Mattie possesses and sets to task mentoring her to guide her back on her path to greatness.

Ice Girls sets in motion a March Break lineup that any judge would give a 10. The weeklong programming event runs from Monday, March 14 through Friday, March 18 and is filled with morning and afternoon marathons of Family favourites starting at 7 a.m. ET/PT including The Next Step, Lost & Found Music Studios, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage), Nowhere Boys, AwesomenessTV and Cheerleaders. At 12 p.m. ET/PT each day, viewers can enjoy both classic and contemporary movies. Plus, with Family Channel on Free Preview this March, viewers across Canada can experience all the great programming the network has to offer for the entire month. For the full March Break schedule, visit Family.ca.

In addition to the aforementioned cast, Ice Girls stars rising music star Shane Harte (Lost & Found Music Studios) whose single “Left Standing” is rapidly climbing Canadian charts and renowned Canadian actress Sheila McCarthy (Little Mosque on the Prairie). Commissioned by DHX Television, Ice Girls was created by Responsible Cinema Inc. (RCI) and produced in association with Tajj Media. William Steinkamp serves as executive producer alongside G. Scott Paterson, Lowell Conn, Warren Fergus, Anthony Cowley, Kelly Gilbert and Lara Daans who was also a writer for the film. Damian Lee was the film’s director and writer, and Jeff Sackman and Steve Solomos were producers. Damian Lee was the film’s director and writer, and Jeff Sackman and Steve Solomos were producers.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Bitten

Link: Bitten preview: Should Elena come clean to Jeremy?

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Bitten preview: Should Elena come clean to Jeremy?
Now that Elena (Laura Vandervoort) is aware that she has a family on Bitten, the question becomes just how far she is willing to go to keep them safe. In the next new episode “Right Behind You,” airing Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Space Channel and Monday at 11 p.m. ET on SyFy, Elena must move beyond simply adjusting to the knowledge that her father Sasha (John Ralston) is not only alive, but has returned for her. Meanwhile, those questions she’s been having about Jeremy’s (Greg Bryk) leadership methods will soon intersect and cause problems for her family as the Russian Alpha is on a quest to kill Sasha. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail