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, Murdoch Mysteries, The Nature of Things

Comments and queries for the week of November 6

The Nature of Things explores obesity and our guts

Just doing a little fact checking, and the host of the show states there are more microbes in our gut, 100 trillion, than there are stars in the sky. Conservative estimates of the number of stars are around a billion trillion, and a new study from researchers at Harvard and Yale suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion of them, or three times as many as scientists previously calculated. That is a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or 3 trillion times 100 billion. I wonder if this was just a slip, or is it an indication of a lack of understanding of very large numbers? —Dave

Will this show on obesity and the gut rerun? —Reta

All of the past The Nature of Things episodes can be re-watched on the show’s website.

Georgina Reilly: Why I left Murdoch Mysteries

Dear Miss Reilly: Excuse the pun but, thank-you for “Gracing” us with your performances on Murdoch Mysteries. The show has always been excellent right from the first season, but when your character made her first appearance a few years ago, the fans took notice and endeared you to their hearts both as Emily and Georgina Reilly. Thank you, and I hope you come back someday. Take care. —Rob

Well I can’t wait to see her back as a special guest star and I don’t care that they went off the books a bit … it is still a good show. —Brenden

It’s great that they didn’t choose to kill her off and left the door open for future guest appearances or perhaps a recurring role. As much as I would love for it to, MM won’t last forever. I am sure the entire cast ponders on what they will so when this show ends and how much further they would like to go. Emily can always return in the end. Perhaps for George. I am an avid fan of them as a couple after all. :) —Tibou

I m glad to see Miss Reilly leave Murdoch Mysteries as she was the weak link of the show; best of luck to her. I have watched all the episodes of Murdoch Mysteries and love all the Canadian content. Thanks to the writers and producers for such a good show; Murdoch is my favourite character along with Inspector Brackenreid. —Dee

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or via @tv_eh.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Chopped Canada launches Season 3 with Chopped Canada Teen Tournament

From a media release:

Food Network Canada today announced premiere dates for season three of its hit, high-stakes culinary competition series, Chopped Canada. Season three kicks off with its new host, Brad Smith, and the world premiere of Chopped Canada Teen Tournament  (5×60) on Saturday, November 28 at 9 pm ET/PT. Chopped Canada’s third season continues with all-new regular episodes premiering January 9 at 9pm ET/PT.

Chopped Canada Teen Tournament  pits 16 of Canada’s best teen chefs against each other, battling it out for a chance to win $20,000 in this five-part special. In each episode, four young chefs face the clock – and each other – putting their skill and ingenuity to the test in an attempt to turn baskets of mystery ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. Competitors between the ages of 13 to17 from across Canada square off against each other, with the winner of each episode advancing to the finale. Course by course, the judges decide which teen chef Chopped Canada host Brad Smith will “chop” from the competition until only one remains. The last competitor standing collects the grand prize and will be crowned the first-ever Chopped Canada Teen Grand Champion. Competitor assets available at www.ShawMedia.ca/Media.

This season, celebrity chef, author, and television personality Mark McEwan joins Lynn Crawford, John Higgins, Antonio Park, Anne Yarymowich, Eden Grinshpan, Massimo Capra, Michael Smith, Susur Lee, and Roger Mooking at the rotating judges’ table, critiquing each meal and deciding which Chopped Canada contestants will be chopped.

CHOPPED CANADA TEEN TOURNAMENT PART I: Dukkah-ing It Out (1×60)
Four young chefs pull out all the stops to impress the judges in the first ever Chopped Canada Teen Tournament as they take on the sous vide, a CO2 canister and the anti-griddle.  Tensions run high as a kitchen mishap jeopardizes one teen’s chance of making it to the finale.

CHOPPED CANADA TEEN TOURNAMENT PART II: Lunchbox Letdown (1×60)
It’s back to school in the second competition of the Teen Tournament with four teen chefs testing the classic snack favorite, “Ants on a Log”, in the appetizer round. Things quickly heat up and snap, crackle, and burn in the entrée round.

Season three of Chopped Canada continues with all-new, edge-of-your seat episodes on January 9 at 9PM ET/PT.

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Mr. D

Link: Gerry Dee on Mr. D, My Scottish Family and life on the road

From Jim Slotek of Postmedia Network:

Gerry Dee on Mr. D, My Scottish Family and life on the road
“The plan is to try to run Mr. D as long as it feels right. If you have another show and are in a position to do it, there’s a strategy there. Right now, I feel we’re peaking with Mr. D, so that’s my focus. If we get Season 7, maybe we’ll say, ‘Well that’s been a pretty good run.’” Continue reading. 

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Industry News

Rogers and Vice announce new specialty channel Viceland and Canadian production studio

From a media release:

Rogers and VICE Media, the youth media brand and digital content studio, today announced details of the new 24-hour Canadian VICE channel, VICELAND, and unveiled the new VICE Canada production facility, located in the heart of Toronto.

The newest addition to the Rogers Media specialty portfolio, VICELAND will launch in Winter 2016, featuring hundreds of hours of new and exclusive programming developed and produced by the young creative minds that are the heart and soul of VICE. The license currently used for bio. will be rebranded to VICELAND. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Boasting the country’s brightest young talent and serving as an incubator for the next generation of Canadian creators, the VICE Canada studio, which operates under VICE’s creative direction and ownership, is currently in development and production on nine new, Canadian original series. Since the Rogers-VICE partnership was announced in October 2014, more than 100 writers, directors, editors, producers, and filmmakers have been hired to create sought-after, homegrown content for all screens, to be exported around the world.

VICELAND will launch with a full slate of prime-time shows, including Gaycation with Ellen Page (Freeheld) and friend and co-host Ian Daniel, and Black Market with Michael K. Williams (The Wire). Also a proud home to Canadian content, VICELAND will feature many series produced out of the VICE Canada studio, including Terror with VICE Media Co-Founder Suroosh Alvi.

Focusing on the often underreported issues and topics that matter most to today’s millennials, the world-class slate of Rogers commissioned Canadian-made programming ranges from hard-hitting documentary series – Cyberwar and RISE – to unscripted entertainment series – Abandonment Issues, Dead Set on Life, Payday, and Shroom Boom – to seminal pop culture guides – VICE Essentials Canada, VICE Guide to Comedy, and VICE Guide to Film. Additional broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Link: Montreal producers living on the edge in CBC-TV series Interrupt This Program

From Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette:

Montreal producers living on the edge in CBC-TV series Interrupt This Program
Mehchi and Fiorito like to live on the edge. They took their probe to cities that have undergone all manner of disasters, be they initiated by war, economics or forces of nature. So, the guys, perhaps taking a cue from the Vice-TV gang, headed off to Beirut, Kyiv, Port-au-Prince, Medellin and Athens, and found both culture and adventure. And, doubtless, spent many a night sleeping with one eye open.

Daring, yes, but also highly illuminating — particularly for viewers who like to limit their sense of wanderlust to the tube. Continue reading. 

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