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Family Feud Canada, Featured, Fortunate Son, Industry News, The Trickster

Family Feud Canada and Fortunate Son among CBC’s new series; Workin’ Moms, Diggstown and 22 Minutes renewed

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A Canadian version of Family Feud with Gerry Dee at the helm, a drama based on Eden Robinson’s award-winning Trickster novels and a spy drama based on Heartland, Wynonna Earp and Jann executive producer Tom Cox were among the new series announced by CBC at the network’s Upfront presentation on Wednesday.

The network confirmed that Halifax-based legal drama Diggstown, sketch comedy 22 Minutes and comedy Workin’ Moms have all been renewed for new seasons.

Some sad news: CBC confirmed that Little Dog, Cavendish and Crawford have not been renewed.

Adapted from Eden Robinson’s novels and co-created by Michelle Latimer and Tony Elliot, The Trickster—from Sienna Films (Cardinal)—is described as a darkly humorous coming-of-age story that combines dysfunctional family drama with supernatural thriller. Jared, an Indigenous teen, meets Wade, a mysterious stranger who turns Jared’s life upside down.

Based on the real-life of Tom Cox’s family experience, Fortunate Son—created by Andrew Wreggit—is an eight-episode drama from Seven24 Films and Lark Entertainment about the matriarch of an American activist family who helps smuggle Vietnam war deserters and draft dodgers across the border. He is pursued by the FBI.

Gerry Dee is back on the CBC as the host of Family Feud Canada. Airing weekdays at 7 p.m., the 60-episode program showcases homegrown families from across the country competing to guess the most popular answers to fun, family-friendly survey questions from a sample of Canadians.

The Sounds, a co-production between Canada and New Zealand created by author Sarah-Kate Lynch, is being billed as a relationship drama about the goings-on in Pelorus Sounds, where nothing is quite as it seems. Peter Stebbings will direct all eight episodes.

New and returning unscripted series include Back in Time for Winter, Fridge Wars, High Arctic Haulers and Tallboyz.

CBC also made some casting announcements, noting Great Canadian Baking Show is swapping out Daniel Levy and Julia Chan for Baroness Von Sketch Show‘s Aurora Brown and Carolyn Taylor. As much as I’ll miss Levy and Chan, Brown and Taylor are going to be amazing.

And finally, Kurt Browning has been named head judge for Battle of the Blades with Ron MacLean back as the host. Olympians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will participate as guest judges. Those confirmed to take to the ice for the competition include figure skaters in Violetta Afanasieva and Vanessa James, and hockey players Sheldon Kennedy and Natalie Spooner.

The new series announcement comes just over a month after CBC revealed the projects returning for new seasons this fall and winter, including Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Heartland, Still Standing, Baroness Von Sketch Show, Anne with an E, Coroner, The Detectives, Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek.

Which new shows are you planning to check out this fall and winter? Let me know in the comments below.

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Featured, Industry News

Filmmakers Erin Carter and Sam Coyle talk Hazy Little Thing

Yes, TV, Eh? is devoted to covering Canadian television, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to filmmakers Erin Carter and Sam Coyle. I was introduced to pair after I spoke to Supinder Wraich about The 410, her own excellent digital series about drug trafficking, truckers and the Indo-Canadian community.

I’d also seen a lot of Carter and Coyle on my TV recently. Suck It Up, directed by Jordan Canning, stars Carter, while Coyle stars in and produced The Definites, two superb Canadian feature films you can see on Crave. So when Wraich mentioned she stars in Hazy Little Thing, a new film written and produced by Carter and Coyle and directed by Coyle—it’s currently seeking Kickstarter funding to help with post-production—I jumped at the chance to speak to them.

A woman sits in a bathtub.Starring Carter, Emily Coutts, Jade Hassouné, Wraich and Dayle McLeod, Hazy Little Thing is about Billie (Carter) a writer who is struggling with the fear of failure. A successful novelist living off the proceeds of her first book, she’s been commissioned to write another and is gripped by debilitating fear. Spiralling into depression, Billie’s sister and her friends celebrate her birthday with a weekend get together.

“They come into this with a ‘buck up’ mentality,” Coyle says. “But what’s unearthed during the weekend is this is a whole lot deeper, and Billie’s depression is more complex than anybody ever knew. Everyone is just trying to have a good time and it results in everyone taking mushrooms.” The drugs, Coyle says, are used as a mechanism to explore the psychology of the characters and what they’re going through rather than as a fun, crazy trip.

A woman talks on her cell phone. The sun sets behind her.Hazy Little Thing is the first film Carter and Coyle have written together—they have collaborated in the past—and love the immediacy filmmaking presents, and the opportunity to work on this project. Coyle refers to the “special connection” she has with Carter when they’re writing. They, she says, share similar strengths and insecurities.

“Honesty is such an important part of our relationship,” Carter says. “It’s so easy to say, ‘Listen, I don’t know if this is going to work,’ or ‘I love where this is going.’ There is a trust that exists that can only come with full honesty.”

Back Erin Carter and Sam Coyle’s Hazy Little Thing via Kickstarter.

Images courtesy of Sam Coyle.

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Featured, Private Eyes

Preview: Jann Arden guest-stars in Private Eyes’ Season 3 return

In what has quickly become a spring tradition, Private Eyes—Global’s fun detective drama starring Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson—returns for a third season of 12 new instalments beginning this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

When we last left the duo, things were looking grim. Conned into stealing sensitive government intelligence, Angie Everett (Sampson) ended up behind bars. Now it’s up to Matt Shade (Priestley) and their assistant, Zoe Chow (Samantha Wan), to prove Angie’s innocence.

Here is the official episode synopsis for “Catch Me If You Con,” written by Alan McCullough and directed by Shawn Piller:

In the aftermath of Angie’s incarceration, Shade and Angie must risk everything to recover the stolen hard drive and clear Angie’s name. Their hunt leads them to a lavish museum gala where a priceless ancient artefact is on display.

And here are a few more hints from me after watching a screener.

Two women, wearing orange prison jumpsuits, sit in a cell.Jann Arden appears
The hottest commodity in Canadian television at the moment—guest-starring on Wynnona Earp and headlining her own series, Jann—Jann Arden plays Loretta. The cell block boss isn’t happy a high-profile inmate like Angie is on her turf. That causes, um, problems. As an aside, I love trying to locate where Toronto-set shows have filmed. When it comes to the exterior views of the prison Angie is in, the show chose the stately R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.

Laura Vandervoort and Colin Ferguson return
The pair who set Angie up in the first place, Dana and Dominik, have skipped off leaving no trace of evidence to connect them with the hard drive. Saving Angie and getting the hard drive back is going to be tough.

A man and woman put earpieces into their ears.Lucas Bryant drops by
Agent Ellis won’t drop his case until the hard drive has been handed to him, adding more pressure to Shade, Angie and Zoe’s task. Eagle-eyed Haven fans will, of course, recall Bryant, Priestley and Ferguson all appeared on that show together, which was executive-produced by Shawn Piller, Private Eyes‘ executive producer and sometime director. Also, Killjoys fans should look for Sean Baek; he plays a security expert who may have had his laptop stolen by Dana.

Zoe goes undercover
Samantha Wan always injects the perfect amount of hand-waving comic relief, especially when she’s in the field. Wednesday’s episode gives her the opportunity for more antics, especially when she goes undercover as Zoe Von Furstenberg … something … something.

Private Eyes airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada: The home cooks welcome family but say goodbye to two

MasterChef Canada had a special treat for fans on Monday night, as CTV broadcast back-to-back episodes. Of course, the double-dose did have a dark side: we said goodbye to two home cooks.

In the first episode of the night, the Top 5 were surprised by some very special guests: a Mystery Box full of family. Josh’s wife, Cryssi’s sister, Jennifer’s boyfriend, Chanelle’s husband and Andre’s aunt was on-hand not just to cheer on their loved ones—which was what I expected—but to do the cooking instead. It was clear from the shocked looks the home cooks and guests weren’t prepared for the twist. Able to coach, cheer on and participate for a mere 18 of 60 minutes, the competitors could only look on as their beloved recreated a fried chicken dish with biscuits, gravy and coleslaw.

Josh opted to clock in almost right away, butchering the chicken and getting it marinating and prompting his wife to move faster. Jennifer jumped in next, working on the biscuits for her sweetheart’s plate. Andre tended to his biscuits, leaving his aunt to prepare the chicken and coleslaw. Chanelle stayed out as long as she could but buzzed in to help her husband and make sure he was making good use of his time. With 30 minutes to go, Cryssi (according to the episode’s edit) still hadn’t clocked into her sister’s aid, a clear indication of their closeness and confidence in each other.

Cryssi and her sister’s platter looked the tastiest and won rave reviews from Chefs Michael, Claudio and Alvin, but it was Andre and his aunt who was awarded the win. It landed Andre a much-coveted boost in the Elimination Challenge, which had the Top 5 spinning a wheel to determine the tropical fruit at the centre of their next concoction. Andre had his pick of the wheel and chose to make a savoury dish with passionfruit. Cryssi spun and landed on a sweet sugar apple recipe, Josh savoury tamarind, Chanelle sweet using soursop, and Jennifer a savoury coconut.

A group of people cheering.Andre was the only one that didn’t have trouble with their main ingredient—the sugar apple was full of seeds and Chanelle had no clue what soursop was—though Jennifer had a great game plan, opting to use coconut as the base of a seafood curry.

At the tasting, Andre’s passionfruit glazed scallop fritter was enjoyed by Alvin and Michael, Chanelle’s soursop filled crepes weren’t very flavourful, Jennifer’s curry en papillote was overcooked, Cryssi’s sugar apple tart was “Wow,” and Josh’s tamarind beef tostadas were disappointing because he failed to cut the meat all the way through and his tostadas weren’t hand made. The top home cook was Andre, and Chanelle, sadly, was shown the door.

In the second episode, the Top 4 travelled to Peterborough, Ont., to visit the Canadian Canoe Museum for an Indigenous ingredient-themed Team Challenge. There, they were greeted by Chefs Alvin, Michael and Claudio alongside Anishinaabe chef Johl Whiteduck Ringuette of NishDish in Toronto. The task? To create a three-course tasting menu utilizing one of the Three Sisters—corn, squash and beans—for First Nations guests. Chef Johl also came with a gift: white corn.

Andre, who was tops in the Elimination Challenge picked both teams. Andre picked Jennifer to be on his Red Team and facing Josh and Cryssi on the Blue Team.

Two men cook food on a stove top.Jennifer and Andre opted for pemmican inspired bison steaks with corn, partridge with sour cherries and beans, and squash cake while Cryssi and Josh chose to make corn chowder with corn fritters, venison with warm butter basted bean salad, and bannock and squash pudding.

When it came to the best dishes of the night, the Red Team triumphed, whisking Jennifer and Andre into the Top 3 and leaving Josh and Cryssi to fight in the Pressure Test. They were given 70 minutes to replicate a tempered chocolate sphere containing a pistachio sponge cake and bruléed figs.

Josh, who admits baking isn’t his strong suit, was in tough against baking pro Cryssi. And yet, he was the first to land his chocolate sphere in the fridge while she struggled to get hers to work. In order to make it work, Cryssi ditched the mould for a balloon. Incredibly, they both completed the task, though Josh’s creation looked a little better and nailed the replication aspect.

Cryssi’s flavours were dead-on, but would they trump Josh’s dead-on replication? No, and Josh moved into the Top 3.

MasterChef Canada airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Pure

Preview: Pure deals a second season on Super Channel Fuse

When we last left Pure, its characters—and the show itself—were in disarray.

Eli Voss, the Season 1 villain who had forced Noah Funk (Ryan Robbins) and his wife, Anna (Alex Paxton-Beesley) into ferrying cocaine through Mexico into the United States, was killed by Noah. But the Funk’s actions led to them being excommunicated from their Ontario Mennonite community. Noah, despondent and feeling like he had failed his family—and gotten his brother, Abel (Gord Rand), killed—left the community altogether.

As for the show, CBC opted not to renew Michael Amo’s creation for a second season. Thankfully, Super Channel stepped in and ordered six more episodes. In the U.S., Season 1 was broadcast on Hulu and then picked up by WGN America; the American superstation will also broadcast Pure day and date with its Canadian counterpart.

A woman stands, facing two men who are walking towards her.When we catch up with the Funk family on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel Fuse, Noah is nowhere to be found. It’s a year since the events of the Season 1 finale, and Anna and her children Tina (Jessica Clement) and Isaak (Dylan Everett) are still on the outs with their community. In danger of losing her home, Anna pleads to the elders for help. Of course, the colony knew what Voss was doing at the time but still blame the Funks for the sins brought among them. Anna was forced to pick up the pieces after her husband left and has shown great strength in doing that. She’s very different from the woman we first met in Season 1.

Meanwhile, Det. Gates (Cory Bowles) has been searching for Noah at Anna’s request. And it’s while he’s doing it that Gates stumbles upon a crime scene introducing viewers to Hector Estrada (Victor Gomez) and his hitman Orff (Conrad Pla), two dudes that are just as evil as Voss and intent on getting the cocaine pipeline going again. We’re also introduced to Det. Valerie Krochak (Zoie Palmer), a former hockey player turned forensic accountant who becomes embroiled in the case.

After over a year since Super Channel announced a sophomore season, it’s good to jump back into Amo’s world. For such dark subject matter, Pure is rife with humour and heart. The scenery is stunning (Nova Scotia stands in for Ontario) and while much of the dialogue amongst the Mennonite characters are spare, a lack of words is made up in facial expression, body language and eye movement. And, when they do speak, it’s to say something truly important, heartfelt and with conviction.

Pure airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel Fuse.

Images courtesy of Super Channel.

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