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.

Link: 9 TV shows that highlight Canadian geography

From Carys Mills of Canadian Geographic:

9 TV shows that highlight Canadian geography
Arctic Air
CBC’s Arctic adventure series, which was cancelled in 2014 after three seasons, is about an airline based in Yellowknife and the family running the business. While much of the show was shot in Vancouver, the crew went to Yellowknife as well, authentically capturing the north’s landscapes, wildlife and people. Continue reading.

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He Said/She Said: Reaction to CBC’s fall lineup

Join Greg and Diane every Monday as we debate what’s on our minds. This week: Our thoughts regarding CBC’s 2015-16 broadcast schedule.

He Said:

When you take into account that CBC is the network that lost the rights to NHL broadcasts and had to make extensive staffing cuts all in the span of one year, what was unveiled last Thursday is nothing short of miraculous. Far from a “woe is me” attitude, CBC’s upfront featured GM of programming Sally Catto, executive vice-president of English services Heather Conway and executive director of unscripted content Jennifer Dettman, smiling, joking and using words like “ambitious” to describe the Ceeb’s upcoming lineup.

Many say the network is so low it might as well throw caution to the wind and swing for the fences with its programming. And while I don’t totally agree with that thinking, I’m mightily impressed with what the CBC has planned for the coming year, especially when it comes to arts programming.

Gone are cable-ready fare like Strange Empire and the long-running Republic of Doyle, but Murdoch Mysteries, Coronation Street, Heartland, X Company, Rick Mercer Report, 22 Minutes, Dragons’ Den, Mr. D, Schitt’s Creek, Canada’s Smartest Person and Just for Laughs are all back to serve as a backbone to intriguing new stuff.

I’m bullish on the espionage drama The Romeo Section, especially after spending 15 minutes chatting with creator Chris Haddock about it. I’m also excited about This Life, the English version of Nouvelle Adresse, the tale of a fortysomething single mom who is diagnosed with cancer. Bruce McCulloch’s Young Drunk Punk gets a second window broadcast on CBC, so viewers will get another look—and the series a bigger audience sampling—at life in 1980s Calgary. Keeping Canada Alive is an ambitious snapshot at this country’s health care system as 60 camera crews visited hospitals, clinics and trauma centres across the nation showing a day in the life at these institutions; Thursday’s teaser contained several “reach for the Kleenex” moments.

The Nature of Things will be followed by a new documentary series called First Hand, designed to introduce viewers to Canada’s most talented factual filmmakers. As a doc fan, I’m particularly excited about this new initiative.

But CBC’s secret weapon to the fall may very well be three new programs under its Arts silo. Crash Gallery is a competition series pitting four artists against one another with a live audience picking the winner. Exhibitionists spotlights Canadian artists of all types and Interrupt this Program delves into the art created in countries where war and political unrest are an everyday occurrence. Art—like good television—is supposed to initiate discussion and opinion, and these three promise to do just that.

Will this lineup turn the tide over at the CBC? That may be too lofty of a goal, but I certainly think they’re headed in the right direction.

She Said:

Greg is so much more optimistic than I am. I’m apparently alone in feeling like Charlie Brown and every year the networks are Lucy holding a football full of shiny new shows.

CBC does know how to put on a good show, and their upfront last week was a good example. It amounts to a lot of rah rah over a slate of programming that’s either old hat or unknown. If you’ve seen Murdoch Mysteries and Dragons’ Den you pretty know what to expect of Murdoch Mysteries and Dragons’ Den next season. If you haven’t seen the new shows, you can only rely on what people who are paid to get you to watch are saying.

Still, amid budget cuts they’re admirably stretching their programming dollars as far as they can go. They renewed low-rated Mr. D at least in part because Rogers is now a partner and will be airing Bruce McCulloch’s City show Young Drunk Punk, which hopefully gets a bigger audience with CBC’s bigger reach.

While CBC doesn’t compete with the simsubbing private networks for American rights, they have a new regime goal of acquiring the best public broadcast programming from around the world (aka England and Australia). Remember last season’s acquisitions such as The Honourable Woman or Secrets and Lies? Of course you don’t. No one watched them … or if they did, it was on Netflix.

CBC is jamming their season with presumably low-cost reality shows both highbrow (the return of more arts programming, a health care special) and appealing-to-the-masses lower-brow (Fool Canada and Hello Goodbye, which sounds like the credits to Love Actually). Nothing wrong with that, but little to suggest break-out hit either.

Will a niche audience be enough for CBC this season?

The answer to that seems to be no, at least on the scripted drama side. Remember last season’s Strange Empire? CBC took a gamble on the cable-esque western by creator Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik but cancelled it when their audience more attuned to Heartland than Durham County didn’t flock to it.

This season they’re bringing back CBC veteran Chris Haddock, whose Da Vinci’s Inquest was a long-running winner but whose more recent Intelligence was unceremoniously cancelled after two low-rated seasons, leaving a couple of bridges burned: between Haddock and old-regime CBC and between fans and CBC. Some of us were a little annoyed at Haddock himself for ending it on such a cliffhanger given the low ratings, but that bridge was strong enough to survive and I trust a Haddock show to be a crazy fun ride. Also I hold out hope that like Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays (which CBC plans to bring back in fall 2016), an Intelligence revival isn’t completely out of the question. Only mostly out of the question.  So all that is to say Haddock’s The Romeo Section is the show I’m most excited about, tempered by doubts that CBC will stick with it if it earns a cable-like audience to go along with their declaration that they were chasing cable-like shows.

This Life (previously announced as New Address, the translated title of the original Quebec series its based on), is the latest in a string of attempts to recreate the magic of a French-language series. CBC had a pilot for 19-2 but passed on it, leaving it for Bravo to pick up, and the less said of Sophie and Rumours‘ ratings the better. Which isn’t to say I think they should give up the effort to mine for gold in their Radio-Canada stream — only that I look forward to This Life and hope it breaks the streak, but I’m not kicking at that football just yet.

Keep in mind we’ve seen none of the new shows, so any enthusiasm or skepticism right now is based on faith in the creative talent or marketing hype or both. The only way to truly judge a new season is by watching it. Stay tuned.

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Discovery’s Megaspeed hits the road for Season 2

From a media release:

Faster, tougher, and dirtier! Feeding the need for speed, Discovery gears up for the return of MEGASPEED as Season 2 hits the asphalt Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT beginning June 25. From Discovery Canada’s award-winning international production house, EPI (Exploration Production Inc.), the original Canadian documentary series puts the pedal to the metal as the one-hour, six-episode season takes viewers for an exhilarating ride. Narrated by CP24 BREAKFAST Co-Host, Steve Anthony the series focuses on fast vehicles and the drivers  who race them – from souped-up dragsters on the strip to customized ‘street legal’ roadsters – the adrenaline-fueled series ramps up with exclusive access to some of the world’s most prestigious motor sport events.

In the Season 2 premiere, “Indy 500” (Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT),MEGASPEED takes viewers around the circuit of the Indianapolis motor speedway, the most famous two and half miles on the planet. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access to 27-year-old Oakville native James Hinchcliffe, who was involved in a serious accident during practice on May 18, the episode follows Hinch as he prepares to qualify for his fourth Indy.

Discovery Canada’s in-house production company, Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), is a multi-award-winning producer of ambitious, original, entertaining factual documentaries and series, for both Discovery and other international broadcasters. By the end of 2015, EPI will have delivered more than 3000 hours of television programming in the form of a daily science magazine show, series, and specials. EPI programming has been broadcast in more than 150 countries, in two-dozen languages, to potential viewing audiences of more than 600 million conventional, cable and satellite subscribers. EPI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery Canada, a joint-venture between Bell Media (Canada) and Discovery Communications Inc.

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CTV orders Season 4 of Motive

From a media release:

CTV announced today it has ordered a fourth instalment of its hit original crime drama MOTIVE (@MotiveTV) from Foundation Features and Lark Productions for the 2015/16 broadcast season. The announcement comes in advance of this weekend’s edge-of-your-seat Season 3 finale on Sunday, June 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO. With an additional 13 one-hour episodes on order, bringing the series total to 52 episodes, Season 4 of the “whydunit” drama begins production this fall in Vancouver.

In addition to recently being nominated for a whopping 21 Leo Awards, MOTIVE was CTV’s top nominee for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards, garnering nine nominations, including for Best Dramatic Series and for the Golden Screen Award for Best Drama/Comedy Series. With an average audience of 1.3 million viewers, MOTIVE is among the Top 3 most-watched Canadian dramas this season. With growth among viewers A18-34, Season 3 becomes the most-watched season yet for the demo.

This explosive season of MOTIVE followed Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and team as they brought another group of killers to justice, unlocking the motives behind each victim’s murder. Now, with just her investigation of Neville Montgomery (guest star Victor Garber, DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW) left weighing on her mind and career, and those of her team — and her car bombed in plain view, there’s no denying there’s someone after Angie. Always an asset to her investigations, Detective Oscar Vega (Louis Ferreira) faces his own preoccupations, as he can no longer outrun the gravity of his looming health concerns, which proves a distraction for all.

In Sunday night’s powerhouse finale entitled “A Problem Like Maria” (Sunday, June 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO), Detectives Angie Flynn, Oscar Vega, and Brian Lucas (Brendan Penny) are determined to prove that Neville Montgomery is behind the murder of Maria Snow (Luisa D’Oliveira, 50/50). Although all signs are pointing to Neville’s son, Robert Montgomery (Richard De Klerk, Repeaters) as the primary suspect, the team knows there must be something that will reveal the truth behind the events leading up to Maria’s death.

MOTIVE also stars Lauren Holly as the team’s lead medical examiner, Dr. Betty Rogers, and Warren Christie as Sergeant Mark Cross.

MOTIVE is produced by Foundation Features and Lark Productions in association with Bell Media. Executive Producers are Daniel Cerone (DEXTER, THE MENTALIST), Louise Clark (CORNER GAS, HIGH MOON), Rob Merilees (Capote, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus), Erin Haskett (THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER), Rob LaBelle (MENTAL), Lindsay Macadam (Battle in Seattle), and Dennis Heaton (CALL ME FITZ, Fido), who continues to serve as Showrunner. Daniel Cerone is the series creator. The series is distributed internationally by NBC Universal International.

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Revamped Canada in Perspective returns for Season 4

Newsmagazine shows are a dime a dozen. They all cover red carpet arrivals, celebrity gossip and the latest movie premieres, but rarely do they report on current issues in society, something Canada in Perspective does with every broadcast.

Returning Sunday on AMI-tv, Season 4 of Canada in Perspective boasts a new logo, refreshed set and new production company in Varner Productions Limited (Four Senses) to complement host Anna-Karina Tabuñar. The mandate of the 19-episode season is the same: to spotlight those in the disabled community in a respectful way.

“This is very much a marginalized community,” Tabuñar says. “This show is the perfect opportunity to give them a forum and give them what they need.” Filmed in Toronto’s airy Corus Quay building, Tabuñar hosts a diverse panel of guests who analyze the issues and present their personal experiences and perspectives on the everyday and unique. We visited the set just as two guests finished participating in a segment about dating and sex, and watched former Holmes on Holmes star Damon Bennett outline his ongoing mandate to give work to injured Canadian soldiers.

“We make it a point to be welcoming to everybody,” the energetic Tabuñar explains. “Whether they have a guide dog or a motorized wheelchair or have some special needs, we’re attuned to that. You don’t always get that on the TV set where it’s file to deadline.” Most importantly? Canada in Perspective doesn’t focus on the “dis” in the word “disability.”

Director Jeff Blundell notes extended, more documentary style field pieces profile people and their stories, a tact used to great effect in Four Senses. Topics covered in Season 4 include the Parapan Am Games in Toronto, refugees, end of life, embedded technology, TV casting and parenting. Sunday’s return explores Canada’s transit systems and how the needs of disabled citizens are being met.

“We wanted to look at things in a more global way this season,” Varner says. “Rather than a story like, ‘I can’t get into my apartment,’ we ask why accessible buildings aren’t everywhere.”

Canada in Perspective returns Sunday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT on AMI-tv.

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