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, Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Comments and queries for the week of September 4

Which returning Canadian TV shows are you excited about this fall?

Rick Mercer Report, 22 Minutes (should be required viewing) and Murdoch. I never miss them. I also feel that The X Factor was extremely good. The Book of Negroes was exceptional. I get a kick out of Schitt’s Creek and Jonny Harris’ Still Standing. Unfortuantely, I missed several years of Heartland so am watching online. And on a more serious note, The Fifth Estate and Marketplace should not be missed. —Fossegal

Love Heartland, saw the cast at CBC in March. —Norlam147

Murdoch Mysteries, X Company and Heartland. —Kim

Rookie Blue is my very favourite. I have the first four seasons on DVD and when Seasons 5 & 6 are available I will buy them also. —Palma

Murdoch Mysteries, Saving Hope, Continuum, Heartland, Rick Mercer and Lost Girl. I couldn’t pick JUST THREE! —Rosanna

Continuum, Sunnyside and Saving Hope for me. I am looking forward to the first two the most and am trying to catch up on Continuum. —Iris

Murdoch Mysteries’ Hélène Joy lets her hair down

I enjoyed your interview with her, but it was a bit short?! I was at a small event where we actually had an opportunity to chat with her for a few minutes. Just my luck she spent most of her time at the other end of the venue. However, she is so fascinating! In a matter of a few minutes I found a ton of info on how she ended up here in Canada, that type of thing. Also calls her hairdos, and Shirley [Bond] her hair designer agrees, very dating. She says they are works of art, but she is “well over it” and they DO make her look much older, but back then young girls were trying to be women and were married off to have families. Sign of the times. I would love it if you would do a bit on her colleague Arwen Humphreys, who plays Brackenreid’s wife. She is Canadian and truly talented, and the fans have been begging for, and getting more screen time by contacting Shaftesbury and communicating through fan groups. Roll on October! —Kimber

Hey Kimber, here’s the link to my interview with Arwen; I spoke to her back in March.

 

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

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Big Brother Canada

Venues for Big Brother Canada auditions announced

From a media release:

From the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between, Global’s Big Brother Canada is ready to find the next outrageous group of houseguests with venues confirmed for its national casting tour. Canadians 19 years of age and older can either apply online at BigBrotherCanada.ca now through October 26, or in person from 10am to 2pm at the following locations:

Saturday, September 19
Vancouver, BC – The Bourbon, 50 W Cordova St.
Montréal, QC – BLVD44, 2108 Boul. St-Laurent

Saturday, September 26
Calgary, AB – Ranchman’s, 9615 Macleod Trail SE
Edmonton, AB – Knoxville’s, 10736 Jasper Ave NW
Halifax, NS – MicMac Mall, 21 Micmac Blvd

Saturday, October 3
Winnipeg, MB – Polo Park Mall, 1485 Portage Ave.
St.John’s, NL – Sundance Bar and Grill, 30 George Street

Saturday, October 24
Toronto, ON – Location to be announced

Houseguest hopefuls not able to attend an open call can apply online at BigBrotherCanada.ca. Season 2 winner Jon Pardy’s online application got him his ticket into the house – check out his video here.

Every online submission is viewed by Big Brother Canada’s rock-star casting team, and to help online applicants stand out from the pack Big Brother casting director Robyn Kass offers the following tips:

1. Don’t plan too much and talk naturally.
2. Make sure your lighting and sound work properly.
3. Stay away from the same Big Brother clichés we hear time and time again, such as: “I can be your best friend or your worst enemy,” or “You either love me or hate me.”
4. Tell us something unique about yourself that will make you stand out.
5. Have a good time!

Airing exclusively on Global early in 2016, Big Brother Canada plucks a group of hand-picked strangers from their homes, sequesters them from the outside world, and places them inside a house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones that capture their every move. Competing for a grand cash prize, each week the houseguests battle in a series of challenges that give them power or punishment, voting each other out until the fate of the final two is decided by a jury of fellow houseguests.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant International announces U.S. sales ahead of MIPCOM

From a media release:

Blue Ant International, a division of Blue Ant Media and the producers and distributors of one of the world’s leading native 4K nature libraries, announced today its latest U.S. sales ahead of MIPCOM. More than 75 hours of content from its diverse catalogue of factual, lifestyle, reality and documentary series and formats will land on channels across the U.S.

Scripps Networks (U.S.) has purchased an array of series from Blue Ant International, including Rebel Without A Kitchen (26 x 30’ HD) for Cooking Channel which follows Matt Basile who takes his roving food truck on the road, popping up in the most unlikely spots to deliver his culinary take on the Cuban sandwich. For GAC, Scripps has also purchased a season of Lake Guys (original title: Brojects; 26 x 30’ HD), produced by Farmhouse Productions. The series follows quirky brothers Kevin and Andrew as they brainstorm extreme build ideas for their family cottage. Lake Docks & Decks (original title: Decks, Docks & Gazebos; 26 x 30’ HD), focuses on a one-of-a-kind builds by the lake, was acquired for both GAC and DIY Network.

A+E Networks® (U.S.), for FYI™ Network, has opted for Cabin Truckers (13 x 30’ HD), produced by Remedy Productions, a factual series following the incredible exploits of hauling colossal cabins to remote, picturesque locations. Watch as an expert team navigates through extremely rocky, mountainous terrain, delivering precious cargo to thrilled homeowners.

Earlier this year, two series were picked up by Discovery Communications’ stable of U.S. networks including Our House Media’s Paranormal Survivor, Season 1 (10 x 60’ HD), a series that shares terrifying real-life encounters with the supernatural for Destination America and; Summerhill International’s My Dog’s Crazy Animal Friends (original title: Dog’s Best Friend; 13 x 30’ HD) which follows the cutest of these uncanny canine acquaintances, for Discovery Family Channel.

Blue Ant International is a leading global content distribution company and a leader in native 4K nature and wildlife programming. Its diverse catalogue of over 1,700 hours includes award winning factual, lifestyle, reality and documentary series and formats. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the company’s catalogue includes The Weapon Hunter (Cream Productions; 6×60’ HD), Wild Ride (Nomadic Nation; 16×30’ HD) and Live Here, Buy This (JV Productions; 52×30’ HD). Blue Ant International is a division of Blue Ant Media.

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Rookie Blue

Link: ‘Rookie Blue’ Star Previews Potential Series Finale

From Amber Dowling of The Hollywood Reporter:

‘Rookie Blue’ Star Previews Potential Series Finale
“I’m really happy with the way that this one was wrapped up. I think it’s a gift if you can close a series down by choice instead of being canceled. That’s so rare. We’ve had the same team for six years and that’s really important. I love Sherry, she’s been a part of us since the beginning as well. She would make a great showrunner and it would make perfect sense if we continued forward with her. But I think we’re all feeling… it was super emotional. It felt like we were saying goodbye when we were filming this episode. That was the energy.” Continue reading.

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Continuum, Featured

Continuum blasts into its final season

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If Friday’s first episode of Continuum is any indication, this final season is going to blow fans away. The Future Soldiers have Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) in their sights and, intent on restoring order to the timeline, are willing to blow our heroine to smithereens. And they’ve got the tech to do it; Kiera’s suit just doesn’t seem to stand a chance.

The first of these last six episodes, “Lost Hours,”—returning Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase—is packed with the stress, action and armaments of a feature film, which is exactly how Continuum‘s creator tackled the farewell storyline.

“The six episodes really freed me up creatively because I didn’t have to service episodic storytelling,” Simon Barry says during a Vancouver set visit. “I said, ‘Let’s just do a six-hour movie and break it up into six chapters.'” Some fans vented their frustration on social media when Showcase announced the sci-fi project would conclude with Season 4, but Barry says he’d rather have a half-dozen hours to tie up loose ends than have three more seasons and be cancelled suddenly.

Continuum

The result? A storyline that sticks to the present timeline of 2015 Vancouver. To be honest, that’s quite enough. Along with the Future Soldiers (played by Lisa Berry, Ty Olsson, Aleks Paunovic, Kyra Zagorsky, Michael Eklund and Garfield Wilson), Kiera has to contend with Kellog (Stephen Lobo), who is on a course to become a powerful warlord in a war-torn future; a budding romance with Brad (Ryan Robbins); and a shaky alliance with Liber8 that puts her relationships with Carlos (Victor Webster) and Alec (Erik Knudsen) in jeopardy. Barry explains Kiera evolved in Season 3, realizing Liber8 was smaller fish and that she needed to think bigger if she wanted to have an effect on the future and did so by aligning with the terrorist group to take down Sonmanto. The partnership carries over to Season 4, but it doesn’t mean they’re sharing a beer anytime soon.

As for the series finale episode, Barry is—as you’d expect—mum on the details, though he advises “There will be discussion,” among fans once the credits roll for the last time.

“In a weird way, Episode 6 has been a series of endings masked as a story,” he says. “We have a last shot and a last scene that I think is very important, but I don’t think the scene carries the weight of the rest of the episode on it.”

Continuum airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase.

This is just the first in a series of Continuum stories TV, Eh? will be posting as the series comes to an end. Look for interviews with stars Rachel Nichols, Victor Webster, Erik Knudsen, Stephen Lobo and Roger Cross, and creator Simon Barry, in the coming weeks.

Canadians can get a preview of the first episode on Showcase.ca before Friday’s broadcast.

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