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, Letterkenny

Letterkenny co-stars reprise standout roles for TV series

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They may play a couple of dopey hockey players, but Andrew Herr and Dylan Playfair take their comedy seriously. The pair co-star in CraveTV and The Comedy Network’s upcoming Letterkenny as Jonesy and Reilly, two dunderheaded, expletive-spouting friends who share a distaste for hicks Wayne (Jared Keeso, 19-2) and Daryl (Nathan Dales, King & Maxwell), a love for hockey … and the same girlfriend.

First introduced in one episode of Keeso’s web series Letterkenny Problems—which was then picked up to series by Bell Media—the characters of Jonesy and Reilly had to be bulked up for the TV show’s six episodes.

“On the web series, there was just a few seconds of chirping,” Herr (Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story) says from an on-location shoot in Sudbury, Ont. “Now we see why these two are the way they are.” Both guys knew (or know) fellows who are a lot like their TV personas on hockey teams they’ve played on, so they relate to  the verbiage and actions. The scene Canadian TV critics saw being filmed that day included a riotous face-off between Jonesy, Reilly, Wayne and Daryl, with the former pair showcasing macho puffery and an urgency to “tarp off” (take off their shirts) and engage in a “donnybrook” (a fight) with the latter pair. Instead, Wayne and Daryl undressed the hockey players with a rapid-fire delivery of chirping that left Jonesy and Reilly befuddled. Herr says everyone sticks to the scripts written by series creator and executive producer Keeso and executive producer and director Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky), though Playfair’s scene-ending ad libs left Tierney and the crew crowding the monitors cackling several times.

Letterkenny spotlights three social groups—the Hicks, the Skids (Less Than Kind‘s Tyler Johnston is lead Skid, Stewart) and the Hockey Players—who are constantly at odds with each other. But when outside forces attack one faction, the other two come to their defence. Despite their differences, Letterkenny’s three social circles have a sense of community and family, something Playfair says was reflected in real-life by a promise Keeso made to he and Herr.

“Jared told us right away when he was pitching this, ‘You guys are going to be the guys,'” Playfair (Some Assembly Required) recalls. “Herrsie and I realized that we needed to take as many acting classes and get as much experience as we could so that [the network] would have to hire us. Fast forward a year and a half and here we are in Ontario filming Letterkenny with guys we were friends with before we became part of this project.”

Letterkenny will debut on CraveTV.

Check out Reilly and Jonesy in their Letterkenny Problems debut. Warning: expletives abound.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Hockey Wives scores Season 2 … and new ladies

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s W Network announced today the first set of new and returning wives who will be featured in the highly-anticipated second season of the docu-series Hockey Wives. New stars include Keshia Chanté, one of Canada’s most versatile music stars, host of BET’s hit music countdown show 106 & Park and girlfriend of Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery; and Rhianna Weaver, a Montreal-based philanthropist and marketing professional and wife of veteran Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver. Returning stars include Kodette LaBarbera, Tiffany Parros, Noureen DeWulf, Maripier Morin and Martine Forget, with additional new wives to be announced in the coming months. Produced by Bristow Global Media Inc., in association with W Network, Hockey Wives Season 2 is scheduled to premiere this fall, with LG signed on as the lead sponsor.

Hockey Wives Season 2 will continue to have unmatched access to the off-the-ice lives of the women who are the captains of their families, careers and relationships. Following the success of the first season the series will continue to delivers a rare opportunity for fans to meet accomplished “captains” off the ice and explores the meaning of being married to the game. With an exclusive look into the high-stakes lives of WAGs (wives and girlfriends) of professional hockey players, the series reveals that it takes an incredible woman to manage fulfilling personal careers and stick handle life off of the ice with some of today’s top pro athletes.

Being married to the game comes with its fair share of perks, but make no mistake the hockey life isn’t for the faint of heart.  Balancing family, career and personal aspirations against a backdrop of the pressures of being traded, injury, career uncertainty, long periods of separation is a constant juggling act. And, if you happen to be in one of the country’s biggest hockey cities, it’s like living in a fishbowl.  Meet the off-ice Captains – sexy, savvy, jet-setting women, stick handling life through another grueling hockey season. From wives who are rookies, to those who are facing free agency or whose partners are Stanley Cup winning superstars, these women form a team of their own, supporting and encouraging one another through personal and professional highs and lows.

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Houdini & Doyle

Michael Weston and Stephen Mangan co-star in Houdini & Doyle

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From a media release:

– British/Canadian Co-Production from Big Talk Productions (U.K.) and Shaftesbury (Canada) to Premiere on Global in Canada, ITV Encore in the UK and Fox in the US in 2016 –

Michael Weston (Six Feet Under, House) and Stephen Mangan (Episodes) have been cast in the lead roles of Houdini & Doyle, a mystery adventure drama series scheduled to debut on Global in 2016. Inspired by true events, the series will draw heavily on the rich history of the period. Two great men of the 20th Century – Harry Houdini (Weston), master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker; and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Mangan), prolific writer, creator of “Sherlock Holmes” and paranormal aficionado – grudgingly join forces to investigate unsolved and inexplicable crimes with a supernatural slant in collaboration with New Scotland Yard.

The 10-episode drama was ordered straight to series for ITV Encore in the UK and Global in Canada and licensed in the US on FOX. Award-winning director, Stephen Hopkins (24, Californication), will be directing the series.

Liddiard

Also joining the cast is breakout Canadian actress Rebecca Liddiard (Between, MsLabelled) as Constable Adelaide Stratton, whose character is the first female constable ever to work for the London Metropolitan Police Force.

American television and film actor Michael Weston will play the role of Harry Houdini. Weston is best known for his roles on House and Six Feet Under. He has also appeared on Elementary, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Office and Burn Notice among others.  His feature film credits include Garden State, Wish I Was Here, The Dukes of Hazard and Coyote Ugly.

Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his television roles on Episodes, Green Wing and I’m Alan Partridge. He is an acclaimed stage actor, having been Tony-nominated for his portrayal of Norman in The Norman Conquests on Broadway. Mangan made his feature film debut in the hit movie Billy Elliot, appearing most recently on the big screen in Ron Howard’s Rush.

Produced in association with Shaw Media, Houdini & Doyle is a UK/Canada treaty co-production from Big Talk Productions (U.K.) and Shaftesbury (Canada) in association with Shore Z Productions. The series is executive produced by David Shore, David Titcher (The Librarians) and David Hoselton along with Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice, Luke Alkin for Big Talk and Christina Jennings, Maggie Murphy, and Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury. The series is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

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Dark Matter, Featured, Fool Canada, Killjoys, Podcast, Rick Mercer Report, Still Standing

TV, eh? podcast episode 185 – Suddenly Sudbury

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Diane, Greg and Anthony discuss CBC’s summer comedy series Still Standing and Fool Canada and Global moving Rookie Blue to Wednesday nights. Also on the docket: Killjoys and Dark Matter score for Space, the Directors Guild of Canada nominations, Diane chatted with CBC boss Sally Catto, and the trio opine whether Canada is ready for another shot at the late-night talk show genre and who might host it.

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