It’s back! In what has proudly become a yearly event, it’s time once again for our charity auction in support of Kids Help Phone. All of the proceeds go to the free, anonymous and confidential phone and on-line professional counselling service for youth.
In advance of the auction launch next month, we are asking for contributions to the cause—especially TV-related swag or experiences, but anything that might grab the interest of our readers. Past years have seen set visits, wristbands to the MMVAs, DVD packs, CBC swag, advice from Canadian television writers in Toronto and Vancouver, magazine subscriptions, signed scripts and more!
If you or your organization have items or experiences you can contribute, please contact me at greg.david@tv-eh.com. And look for the auction to go live next month!
Whoa, last Friday’s episode of Dark Matter was really something, wasn’t it? Aside from the countless humorous moments courtesy of Three we got a sobering peek at what the future looks like thanks to The Android’s conversation with future Five. “All the Time in the World” really was a landmark instalment for the series and now we’re itching to discover if that dire future is really what’s in store or if the timeline can be changed.
So, what does this week’s new episode “Give It Up Princess”—written by Paul Mullie and directed by Bitten‘s J. B. Sugar—have in store? Here’s the official description:
The crew of the Raza track a data file across the galaxy in an attempt to strike a blow against Ferrous and save the life of a young woman.
And we’ve got more tidbits after watching the episode!
Five gets physical
She’s pretty great handling weapons, but Solara believes hand-to-hand combat is just as important. That leads to an interesting and emotional back story tale from Solara that makes us like her even more than we already did. As for Five, she gets to flex her comic muscles a bit this week and is a key component to the A-plot.
Where is Tabor?
The search takes the Raza to a planet where Tabor has a safe house with treasured items secreted away there. Of course, Adrian’s eagerness to go there puts everyone’s lives in jeopardy. What would Dark Matter be without drama?
MMA fighter lands guest role
British mixed martial arts athlete Michael Bisping drops into the world of Dark Matter on Friday in a key role. Does he perform any signature moves on our heroes? You’ll have to tune in to see.
As for The Android and that red dress…
We’re speechless.
Will Hope Zion lose any more members? Last week, Maggie bid farewell to Zach, Alex and her co-workers to throw caution to the wind and jet to London to be with Sydney. Syd skipped her flight to stay and be with Maggie … so is Maggie still going to leave Hope Zion or will she be back?
That isn’t revealed in Thursday’s new episode, “Problem Child,” but we do get a treasure trove of other emotional goodies and notable guest stars. Here’s what CTV says about the instalment.
Dr. Alex Reid struggles to find out what’s causing the erratic behaviour of a former model student when he comes into the E.R. after hurting himself breaking into his neighbour’s house. As Alex works to determine the problem, Dr. Charlie Harris speaks with the spirit version of the child to try to find out what has been causing his behavioural changes. When one of Dr. Dev Sekara’s childhood friends is brought into the hospital after being beaten, questions arise as to who’s at fault, and if the beating was racially motivated. Meanwhile, Dr. Dawn Bell’s favourite heart patient becomes discouraged by the amount of time’s spent waiting for his transplant. A lottery winner, he’s given almost all of his prize money away, and with the remainder would like to open an animal sanctuary, so Dawn comes up with an idea that will allow him to leave the hospital and do his good Samaritan work.
And here are some non-spoilery storyline details we can give after watching the episode written by Aaron Bala and Patrick Tarr and directed by Teresa Hannigan.
Shahir in shorts!
Now that he’s back on board with regard to adopting, Shahir goes all out to impress in his and Jonathan’s interview. That includes the classic “Dad look.”
Don McKellar guest stars
We’re still sad over Sensitive Skin‘s cancellation, so it’s great to see McKellar back on TV and in such a juicy storyline. McKellar is Dr. Amos Carver, the new staff psychiatrist. And with everything that’s been going on in Charlie’s life, let’s just say the good doctor is keen to have a chat. And keep your eyes peeled for Sunnyside co-creator Dan Redican, who has an impact on Dawn’s heart transplant patient.
Dawn + Zach = a bit of conflict
Introducing someone new to your children can be complicated, as the duo is quickly finding out.
Dev gets some airtime
We love the key cast as much as anyone else, but we enjoy it when the (relative) newbies get screen time. Dev gets plenty on Thursday when his childhood best friend is brought into the ER in rough shape. A police officer’s strange reaction leads to a shocking truth about what happened to Dev’s friend … and an intimate conversation with Shahir.
Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.
I enjoy what William Shatner brings to a television show. He adds a certain gravitas to a role that I’ve loved since Boston Legal. This week he adds his panache to Thursday’s new episode of Private Eyes as a rival to Angie and Shade’s business.
Here’s what Global’s official episode synopsis says about “The PI Code,” written by Derek Schreyer and directed by Sudz Sutherland.
Shade and Angie are hired by a stunning lawyer, Melanie Parker, to look into jury-tampering in the high-profile murder case she’s prosecuting. During their investigation, they stumble upon a rival PI, Norm Glinski (guest star William Shatner), working the opposite side of the bench. With the odds stacked against them, our PIs find evidence that may put the entire case, and their careers, in jeopardy.Â
And here’s a few more tidbits we can add after watching a screener.
Private Eyes goes dark
Listen, we’re not talking about HBO’s True Detective here, but the case Angie and Shade are involved in is more violent than the tales we’ve seen before. The humour we’ve come to expect is still there though.
William Shatner isn’t the only guest star
Veteran actor Ron Lea plays an attorney,  ET Canada‘s Sangita Patel shows up as—you guessed it—a reporter and Bree Williamson portrays lawyer Melanie Parker, who makes an immediate impact on Shade if you know what I mean. And Murdoch Mysteries fans will recognize Daiva Johnston, a.ka. Eva Pearce, in a key role.
Speaking of catching one’s eye…
Don seems to have a lady friend. Good for him!
As for Mr. Shatner…
He’s a delight as Norm Glinski who, as he says, “puts the dick in private dick.” He’s a liar, a cheater and a thief. And, of course, Angie and Shade have to interact with him.
Private Eyes airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
Back in April, we asked you to help celebrate Canada’s 150th year as a country. The question: what are your favourite Canadian television series of all time? Thanks to everyone who took the time to send their list of faves and the memories they have of those programs as well.
Here’s a sample of some of the feedback we got. Feel free to add your own thoughts and favourites in the comments section below.
Seeing Things, Traders and Cold Case. —Christian
1. Slings and Arrows
2. Corner Gas
3. Rookie Blue
That was my Top 3, but I also liked a lot: Due South, The Collector, Rent-A-Goalie, Almost Heroes, Seed, Being Erica, MVP, Wild Roses, Cra$h & Burn, The Guard, Flashpoint, ReGenesis, Lost Girl, Sanctuary, Continuum and Dark Matter. —Roger
1. Da Vinci’s Inquest
2. The Red Green Show
3. Due South
4. Corner Gas
5. Pure
—Mark
Nicholas Campbell starred in ‘Da Vinci’s Inquest’
I have listed my favourite Canadian TV shows through the years. I believe the are all Canadian. If not, please let me know. Some go way back. Some are current. The Friendly Giant Uncle Bobby What’s for Dinner Bizarre Rookie Blue Red Green Show Murdoch Mysteries Cityline This Hour has 22 Minutes Rick Mercer Report
—Joyce
Quentin Durgens, MP and SCTV. —Steve
The Beachcombers The Littlest Hobo Seeing Things SCTV Da Vinci’s Inquest 19-2 Motive Continuum
—JeffDJ
Codco
There was a time when CBC had Kids in the Hall, Codco and Street Legal all on one night. That was a great night for Canadian TV. Two innovative and edgy comedies from different parts of Canada followed by a great slick sexy drama that got into some issues. (I did work on Kids as a graphic artist, but I’m speaking here as a viewer.) —Gary
Wynonna Earp: there are not enough superlatives to describe how much I love this show. Lost Girl: my true introduction to how Canadians do genre TV and how special the Canadian are who make it.
(On behalf of my nephew, a pint-size shout out to his faves: Wild Kratts and Paw Patrol.) —Laura
The Red Green Show
Nice list. Here are a few of mine, mostly oldies. The Trouble With Tracy Red Green/Comedy Mill/Smith and Smith (basically any S&S production) Party Game You Can’t Do That On Television The Dini Petty Show The Pig and Whistle Canadian Bandstand The Elephant Show A Gift to Last (Gordon Pinsent mini-series) Definition/Beat The Clock (game shows count, right?)
Which reminds me of Front Page Challenge, and that other one that pitted two teams of high school students against each other. The name escapes me. I could go on but I’ll stop here. Oh! I just have to add Saturday Night at the Movies with Elwy Yost. Really miss him. —Chris
I have many shows that I like and out of all of them, I’ll highlight two that I regard as ground-breaking. After years of American programs with courtroom settings: Street Legal was the first to show how the Canadian system worked. Within the personal lives of the characters, it dealt with issues of feminism, mixed-race relationships, and schizophrenia, just to name a few. For a more recent show, it has to be X Company. I can’t name a series that had me living from one week to the next with such anticipation. We learned something about our history that had been mostly ignored. In this age of social media, we were able to connect with other viewers from around the world as well as the actors and creative minds involved. —Mel
Billable Hours
My Top 3 are Slings and Arrows, SCTV and the 80s era Anne of Green Gables. More recent … I still miss the weirdness of Call Me Fitz and want to know what happened to Jimmy Reardon on Intelligence. —Diane
1. SCTV
2. Kids in the Hall
3. Trailer Park Boys
4. Corner Gas
5. Kenny vs. Spenny
6. Wok With Yan!
7. Letterkenny
8. Schitt’s Creek
—Todd
I’m not going to rank them but off the top of my head, I’ll say these are my favourite Canadian shows. Reboot The Raccoons Continuum Billable Hours (I still quote this show all the time, underappreciated and hilarious)
The Stargate TV shows (frequently campy as hell but still enjoyable) 19-2 Speaker’s Corner Flashpoint jPod You Can’t Do That On TelevisionÂ
—Brent
