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.
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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Lost Girl

Link: Lost Girl’s Zoie Palmer talks Doccubus and final episodes

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Lost Girl’s Zoie Palmer talks Doccubus and final episodes
“One of my favourite movies growing up was The Princess Bride, and when you can watch a relationship on screen and it feels really true, and it feels like true love, like it was meant to be–audiences connect to the fact that Lauren and Bo feel destined. It’s like when you meet somebody in your life and it feels like you’re home.” Continue reading.

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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Review: Amazing Race Canada grapples in Delhi

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Never give up, because you don’t know what will happen. It’s a mantra that’s repeated during The Amazing Race and it continues to be true. Look no further than Simi and Ope and Brent and Sean; the former team managed an impressive fourth place finish while the latter were saved from exiting the Race because it was a non-elimination Leg.

Fans knew there was one more non-elimination in the cards and I’d hoped it was this week in Delhi, especially after the east coast brothers fell into last place and stayed there all episode long. “Take Your Clue and Gooooo!” saw the remaining five pairs jet to Delhi and immediately traumatized as they transported live catfish from one end of the fish market to the other. (Can you imagine how everyone smelled by the end of that challenge? Woo.) Nick and Matt, determined to place first this week, got off to a “hot start” and whizzed through the fish and on to Turban Twist. Matt struggled a bit turning out three different turban styles on a trio of very patient men, followed in succession by Gino, Ope, Dujean and, eventually, Sean.

As for the Detour? It was a no-brainer, as Nick and Matt selected Slam It’s wrestling moves as the test for them. The editing made it look like the pro wrestlers got done a bare few minutes before Gino and Jesse, but that may not have been the case. What I do know is that Gino and Jesse’s tenaciousness went a long way to pushing Matt and Nick to a level that has eluded them to this point. They became so frustrated with having the Hamilton, Ont., siblings constantly within reach they shifted into another gear and finished the Leg in first place. Ope’s bad back, meanwhile, meant he and Simi had to drop out of Slam It and opt for Spice It, competing with Sean and Brent to grind 100 grams of hot peppers in the least amount of time.

We know what happened next.

Here’s how the teams placed at the end of this Leg:

  1. Nick and Matt
  2. Gino and Jesse
  3. Simi and Ope
  4. Dujean and Leilani
  5. Brent and Sean (non-elimination)

Notes and quotes

  • Eighteen million people call Delhi home. That’s just staggering.
  • I’m not sure who I felt more badly for, the competitors of those catfish.
  • I’m not sure who I felt more badly for, Sean for throwing up down the side of the tuck-tuk or the driver who had to clean the barf off the side of his tuk-tuk.
  • CTV needs to put together a photo gallery of Matt’s “bar shirts” STAT.
  • I’m always appreciative of the cultural information The Amazing Race provides. Learning Humayun’s Tomb was the inspiration for the design of the Taj Mahal was fascinating.

The Amazing Race Canada airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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