Everything about Cavendish, eh?

Links: Cavendish, Season 1

From Chuck Teed of The Coast:

Link: Cavendish’s Island oddities
“This is our show, it’s what we pictured more or less, and the producer role gave us the power to see if we could do it. But it was really hard, a lot of work, and if it sucks it’s definitely on us.” Continue reading.

From Sally Cole of The Guardian:

Link: ‘Cavendish’ comedy series coming soon to CBC-TV
“This is a heightened version of Cavendish. It’s a little bit different because we’re bending the truth. But because I grew up in the Maritimes, I see that it’s a love letter to the Maritimes and Cavendish, in particular.” Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: Cavendish’s Mark Little and Andrew Bush
“We kind of wanted most of the jokes and the content of the show to be relatively universal. If you like comedy of a certain type, especially comedy that plays with genre elements, you’re going to like it, but then every once in a while, we want to toss out a Littlest Hobo parody in which we tilt it on its head a little bit.” Continue reading. 

From Bill Brioux of the Toronto Star:

Link: Comedy vets Mark Little and Andrew Bush bring a touch of horror to Cavendish, P.E.I., in CBC series
Once you get an idea for a TV series, how long does it take to get it on the air? Sometimes about six years. Take, for example, Cavendish. Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Preview: CBC’s Cavendish brings the weird and wonderful

“That’s a weird show, man.” Mark Little says that during an ad for Cavendish on CBC. And though it’s not clear which show he’s talking about as he looks at a television set, the inference is he’s talking about Cavendish. And he’s not wrong.

Premiering Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC, Cavendish is weird and wonderful, second only to Crawford in its strangeness, creativity and difference from the rest of the network’s winter lineup.

Created, executive produced, showrun and starring Little and Andrew Bush (Carter‘s Garry Campbell is credited as a creator too), the pair play Mark and Andy, brothers who have spent the decades following their parent’s divorce living with their mother in Toronto. Now the pair has returned to Cavendish, PEI, to care for their ailing dad, Rollie (Kevin Eldon), and reacquaint themselves with the community they left behind. (Look for Kathryn Greenwood, Kevin Hanchard, Joe Cobden, Teresa Pavlinek and Carolyn Taylor in Season 1.)

Little is probably best-known for playing Simon Hunt on Mr. D, but he and Bush have extensive backgrounds in writing and performing sketch. These skills are the bread and butter of Cavendish, which begins in Tuesday’s debut with Andy and Mark driving to the red-soiled province. It’s obvious within seconds the personalities at play here; Mark is innocent and looks on the bright side of things while Andy is quiet, morose and to many townsfolk, forgettable. This Ying and Yang results in plenty of funny moments, from Mark wondering if they’ll be able to converse with their Dad or if he’ll be “a husk,” and arguing over Andy’s high forehead.

Oddities rule the day in Cavendish, from the stuffed baby deer, fetus in a jar and sarcophagus—all pieces in their father’s home—to the beast living in the forest that emerges once a year to consume someone and an Anne of Green Gables cult. Yes, Cavendish isn’t like other towns. And Cavendish isn’t like other series.

Cavendish airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Image courtesy of CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

CBC announces winter 2019 premiere dates for Heartland, Schitt’s Creek, Workin’ Moms, Kim’s Convenience and more

From a media release:

CBC today announced broadcast and streaming premiere dates for its winter 2019 lineup of highly anticipated new titles and popular returning series, featuring original programming by Canadian storytellers. With a new winter schedule launching Sunday, January 6, each series will be available for linear broadcast on CBC and live and on demand streaming on the CBC TV app for iOS and Android and cbc.ca/watch.

● Family drama HEARTLAND returns for Season 12 on Sunday, January 6 at 7PM

● Inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall, female-driven procedural CORONER starring Serinda Swan premieres Monday, January 7 at 9PM

● CBC’s hit Tuesday night comedy lineup continues this winter with new seasons of KIM’S CONVENIENCE, SCHITT’S CREEK and WORKIN’ MOMS beginning January 8 at 8PM

● A new case draws Kristin Kreuk into the shadowy world of hackers and activists in Season 2 of BURDEN OF TRUTH, premiering Wednesday, January 9 at 8PM

● Limited drama series UNSPEAKABLE focused on Canada’s tainted blood scandal, starring Sarah Wayne Callies and Shawn Doyle, debuts Wednesday, January 9 at 9PM

● East Coast humour rules Thursday nights beginning January 10 at 9PM, with new comedy CAVENDISH from the creators of Picnicface and Season 2 of Joel Thomas Hynes’ LITTLE DOG

● Factual entertainment series THE STATS OF LIFE returns with a new look at how Canadians are living Friday, January 11 at 8:30PM

● Iconic drama STREET LEGAL returns with Cynthia Dale and a new generation of Toronto lawyers Monday, March 4 at 9PM

● New Halifax legal aid drama DIGGSTOWN starring Vinessa Antoine and Natasha Henstridge premieres Wednesday, March 6 at 8PM

● Arlene Dickinson matches budding entrepreneurs with the businesses of their dreams in UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT launching Friday, March 15 at 8:30PM

● A winter, digital-first streaming premiere date for new family adventure drama NORTHERN RESCUE, starring William Baldwin and Kathleen Robertson, will be confirmed in the near future.

CBC’s winter 2019 primetime schedule, launching Sunday, January 6: All following times local with the exception of Newfoundland, please add half an hour to all times.

SUNDAYS
11 AM (12 PM AT) – THE WEEKLY WITH WENDY MESLEY Season 2 continues January 6

7 PM – HEARTLAND Season 12 (11×60) premieres January 6

8 PM – THE NATURE OF THINGS – Season 58 continues with “Food for Thought,” offering the latest in nutritional science, on January 6

9 PM – THE FIFTH ESTATE Season 44 continues January 6

10 PM – THE NATIONAL CBC News’ flagship program continues Sunday to Friday each week

MONDAYS
7:30 PM – CORONATION STREET (weekdays, back-to-back episodes on Mondays starting at 7 PM)

8 PM – MURDOCH MYSTERIES Season 12 (18×60) continues January 7

9 PM – CORONER New procedural drama (8×60) premieres January 7

9 PM – STREET LEGAL The iconic legal drama returns (6×60) March 4

TUESDAYS
8 PM – KIM’S CONVENIENCE Season 3 (13×30) premieres January 8

8:30 PM – THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES Season 26 (19×30, 1×60) continues January 8

9 PM – SCHITT’S CREEK Season 5 (14×30) premieres January 8

9:30 PM – WORKIN’ MOMS Season 3 (13×30) premieres January 8

WEDNESDAYS
8 PM – BURDEN OF TRUTH Season 2 (8×60) premieres January 9

8 PM – DIGGSTOWN (6×60) New Halifax legal aid drama premieres March 6

9 PM – UNSPEAKABLE (8×60) Limited drama about Canada’s tainted blood scandal premieres January 9

THURSDAYS
8 PM – DRAGONS’ DEN Season 13 (20×60) continues January 10

9 PM – CAVENDISH (8×30) New comedy from the creators of Picnicface premieres January 10

9:30 PM – LITTLE DOG Season 2 (8×30) premieres January 10

FRIDAYS
8 PM – MARKETPLACE Season 46 continues January 11

8:30 PM – THE STATS OF LIFE Season 2 (8×30) premieres January 11

8:30 PM – UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Factual series hosted by Arlene Dickinson (4×30) premieres March 15

9 PM – CBC DOCS POV Season 3 continues with “Pugly,” about the upswing in pug ownership and what makes them so lovable January 11

11:30 PM CBC ARTS: EXHIBITIONISTS Season 4 (26×30) continues

SATURDAYS
6:30 PM – HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Production begins on new CBC comedy series Cavendish

From a media release:

CBC and Temple Street, a division of Boat Rocker Studios, announces the start of production on Season 1 of the original comedy series, Cavendish (8×30). The half-hour series shoots on location in Nova Scotia (Halifax, Dartmouth, and Windsor) and in and around Cavendish, PEI until the end of September. Cavendish is created by leading Canadian comedians Andrew Bush (Funny or Die) and Mark Little (Mr. D) along with Garry Campbell (Less Than Kind) and will premiere in winter 2019 on CBC and stream on the CBC TV App and at cbc.ca/watch.

Bickering brothers Andy (Bush) and Mark (Little) haven’t been to their hometown of Cavendish since their parents split up 30 years ago. When they return to take care of their ailing father, they find that Cavendish is…not like other towns. Each week, Mark and Andy get embroiled in some new misadventure involving local superstitions, and through it all, Mark remains the golden boy, buoyed by the adoration of family and strangers alike, while Andy remains the striver, desperate for the love and respect he knows he’ll never receive.

Rounding out the cast of characters is their father, Rollie (Kevin Eldon, Hot Fuzz), a grumbling malcontent who runs a museum of curiosities; Rollie’s partner Ruth (Kathryn Greenwood, Whose Line Is It Anyway), an absolute beacon of positivity; Bryn (Kelli Ogmundson, Supernatural), Ruth’s morose niece; Molly (Zoe Doyle, Workin’ Moms), the town’s resident game hunter; and the various townsfolk who weave in and out of their lives, unfazed by the weird goings-on.

Canadian Comedy Award-winner Andrew Bush is a leading writer, actor and director whose credits include head writer for the International Emmy award-winning show Street Cents, writer/director for the Comedy Network show Picnicface, Will Ferrell’s Funny Or Die, and the feature film Roller Town. He directed the Lionsgate comedy Dirty 30 and was also a director on season two of The Beaverton for The Comedy Network.

One of the founders of the sketch comedy group Picnicface, Mark Little stars in the CBC comedy Mr. D. He has won a combined 15 Canadian Comedy Awards, including Best Feature for Roller Town. He also topped Canada’s two most prestigious stand-up comedy competitions, the Yuk Yuk’s Canadian Laugh Off and the JFL Homegrown Competition. He made his American television debut on Conan in 2015 and his voice can be heard in the new Netflix cartoon Cupcake and Dino: General Services.

A CBC original series produced by Temple Street, Cavendish stars Andrew Bush and Mark Little. Executive Producers are David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg (Orphan Black), Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black), and Bush and Little. Co-Executive Producer is Kurt Smeaton (Kim’s Convenience); Supervising Producer is Lesley Grant (X Company), Co-Producer is Scott Montgomery (The Beaverton); Halifax-based Marc Almon is Producer (Weirdos), and the series is produced by Ginny Jones-Duzak (Pure). Jeremy LaLonde (How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town), Aleysa Young (Workin’ Moms), Mars Horodyski (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Andrew Bush each direct two episodes. The director of photography is Cabot McNenly (Little Dog), and Matt Likely (Seed) is production designer.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Reaction: CBC’s slate of new programs for the 2018-19 broadcast season

I spent a couple of days in Ottawa this week, which meant I missed attending CBC’s presentation for its 2018-19 broadcast season. You can check out the full announcement here, which includes a list of the shows returning to the schedule, programs that are moving and even better news for Kim’s Convenience fans. (Not so for 21 Thunder and Hello Goodbye; the former has been cancelled and the latter is on hiatus.)

In no particular order, here are my thoughts on (almost) everything that CBC revealed on Thursday morning.

— A lot of folks, myself included, were scratching their heads over the decision to bring back Street Legal for another go-round. What more could be said about those characters over 20 years later? That all changed once I saw Bruce Smith named as showrunner. He’s the guy behind two of my favourite TV series in recent memory, Cracked and 19-2. Both were gritty, realistic portrayals of life, so I expect the same from Street Legal as well as catching up on what Olivia Novak is up to. And I can’t wait to have Cynthia Dale back on my TV screen.

— CBC does family drama, really, really, well. Just look at the success of Heartland for crying out loud. I’m expecting big things from Northern Rescue and all it offers: tragedy, redemption, starting a new life in an unfamiliar place and Kathleen Robertson.

— I was unaware of Floyd Kane until this week, though he’s been involved in several projects I’ve watched or admired, including writing for Continuum and Backstage and producing That’s So Weird and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He’s a bona fide lawyer, so it makes sense he’d create a series about being one in Diggstown. I’m into this, especially after learning Diggstown marks the first original Canadian drama series to feature a black Canadian female in the lead role.

— I’m excited to see Back Alley Films—the folks behind the excellent Bellevue—working with the CBC on Coroner. Based on the best-selling book series by M.R. Hall and created for TV by Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope), it’s about former ER doctor Jenny Cooper who now investigates suspicious deaths.

— I’m over the moon that Kim’s Convenience, which just began production on Season 3, has been greenlit for Season 4. I’m equally jazzed that Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has been tagged to host Canada’s Smartest Person Junior.

— Banger Films are the folks behind must-see music documentaries like Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Super Duper Alice Cooper and Rock Icons. I’m intrigued and excited by From the Vaults, which takes a look at Canadian history and music by utilizing the CBC’s archives.

— High Arctic Haulers. Remote northern communities relying on ships to bring them supplies? Right in my wheelhouse.

— Baroness Von Sketch Show and Still Standing both moving to the fall on CBC is a curious move, as is bumping Kim’s Convenience to the winter. Regardless, it gives the CBC a solid night of comedy on Tuesdays all year long.

— Heartland is back, but for only 11 episodes. That’s a little concerning and I can’t help but wonder if this might be the last season for the long-running Canadian drama. I have no evidence to back this up—it may be because some castmembers want to do other things—it’s just a gut feeling.

— Murdoch Mysteries is currently listed at 18 episodes, which would indicate to me there will be no holiday special this year. Again, I have nothing to go on other than the number.

What are you most looking forward to or excited about from CBC’s announcement? Let me know in the comments below.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail