From the Ottawa Citizen:
MacDonald, Kohler among winners at Comedy Awards
In the Best TV Show category, Mr. D., starring Gerry Dee, and the ensemble program This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Season 20, shared the award. They were competing with The Ron James Show, Season IV, Seed and Crown the Town with Ryan Long. Continue reading.
From a media release:
CTV Orders Fifth Season of Hit Series, THE LISTENER
CTV announced today a 13-episode fifth season order for its hit original drama series THE LISTENER, bringing the series total to 65 episodes. Produced for CTV by Shaftesbury in association with Fox International Channels, and distributed by Shine International, the one-hour drama stars Craig Olejnik as mind-reading crime-solver Toby Logan. The announcement was made at MIPCOM, the world’s annual entertainment content market in France, with cast members Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith in attendance.
During its fourth season on CTV, THE LISTENER continued to drive million-plus audiences, including a series-high 1.4 million viewers, and ranked among the Top 15 most-watched programs in Canada this past summer. Season 4 also saw A25-54 growth in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary over Season 3.
Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) is “The Listenerâ€, a telepath who works as a special consultant with the elite Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB), facing both professional and personal challenges as he uses his mind-reading skills to solve a variety of difficult and dangerous crimes alongside Sergeant Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith, CSI; THE L WORD). Now a more seasoned investigator, and faced with a hostile boss, Toby will become more proactive and eventually come into conflict with the goals and procedures of the IIB organization. Meanwhile, Michelle is determined to have it all, working to balance her demanding career and the challenges of first-time parenthood with husband Adam (Kris Holden-Reid; LOST GIRL). And Toby’s investigative journalist girlfriend, Tia Tremblay (Melanie Scrofano; HAVEN) will begin to delve into the secrets of Toby’s past, eventually exposing truths which might threaten to turn his world upside down.
The ensemble cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik as Toby Logan; Lauren Lee Smith as IIB Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Ennis Esmer (DIRTY SINGLES) as Toby’s best friend and director of emergency services Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun Francks (STARGATE ATLANTIS) as IIB security and technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Peter Stebbings (THE BORGIAS) as IIB head Alvin Klein; and Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS) as Sandy, Oz’s girlfriend and St. Luke Hospital triage nurse.
One of Canada’s top-rated homegrown dramas, THE LISTENER is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada and on Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by Shine International. The series has been licensed in 120 countries and 33languages worldwide.
THE LISTENER is produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International Channels. The series is executive produced by Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury, and Peter Mohan (LOST GIRL, THE BRIDGE), who serves as showrunner.
From a media release:
Production Begins on Global’s Original Drama Series Remedy
Shaw Media and Indian Grove Productions announced today that production has begun on Global Television’s highly anticipated drama series Remedy. Commissioned by Shaw Media’s original content team and produced by Indian Grove Productions, the series films in Toronto and Hamilton from September 29 until January 2014.
The high stakes, prime-time medical drama promises a distinctive ‘upstairs/downstairs’ glimpse behind the scenes of a downtown hospital, and goes beyond the OR and the ER to reveal the compelling community who together make the healing happen.
From creator and showrunner Greg Spottiswood (King), the series follows Griffin Conner, son of the Acting Chief of Staff, and brother to the strong and resourceful Sandy an ICU nurse, and the highly disciplined, perfectionist Melissa, a general surgeon. A med school dropout, having left in a haze of disgrace, Griffin is forced to return to Bethune General Hospital as its newest orderly. Working “downstairs” alongside a cast of colourful characters, Griffin gets a new perspective on a world he thought he knew.
Playing the Chief of Staff and family patriarch is previously announced award-winning actor Enrico Colantoni, (Flashpoint, Galaxy Quest, Just Shoot Me!). Dillon Casey, (Nikita, The Vow, MVP) stars as the charismatic, med-school dropout and prodigal son Griffin, Sara Canning, (The Vampire Diaries, Primeval: New World) plays Melissa, a General Surgeon, with her own set of complex issues and Sarah Allen, (Jozi-H, Murdoch Mysteries) plays Sandy, the eldest daughter, ICU Nurse and bride-to-be.
Rounding out the stellar cast are Matt Ward (TRON: Legacy, Charlie St. Cloud) as Sandy’s soon-to-be husband, the razor-sharp ER Doctor, Brian Decker; Genelle Williams (Warehouse 13, Doomstown) as Zoe Rivera, the scrappy, independent PSA who catches Griffin’s eye and Patrick McKenna (Hard Rock Medical, The Red Green Show) as Frank Kanaskie, working in the basement of the hospital, as Griff’s Supervisor in charge of Transport and Housekeeping. Award-winning actress and co-founder of Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, Martha Burns (Slings and Arrows, Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays) joins the cast as Rebecca Chestnut, the absentee mom, high functioning family drunk and power attorney.
Remedy is produced by Indian Grove Productions in association with Shaw Media with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Red Arrow International holds international distribution rights. Bernie Zukerman (King, This is Wonderland) and Greg Spottiswood (King, Shattered) serve as executive producers. Kelly Makin (Rookie Blue, Flashpoint) and Adam Barken (Rookie Blue, Flashpoint) are co-executive producers with Jan Peter Meyboom (Murdoch Mysteries, Listener) producing.
From a media release:
The Movie Network Announces Free Multiplatform Sneak Peek of Season 4 of Multiple Award-Winning Original Production CALL ME FITZ, Beginning Sept.23
Raunchy, rambunctious, and ready to go! The Movie Network announced today early access to the half-hour Season 4 premiere of CALL ME FITZ, two weeks before the television broadcast debut. Starting today, the Season 3 finale and Season 4 premiere – featuring new guest star Michael Gross (FAMILY TIES) – are available to audiences on TMN GO, TMN OnDemand and TheMovieNetwork.ca, leading up to the broadcast premiere on Monday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.
Starring Jason Priestley as morally flawed car salesman Richard “Fitz†Fitzpatrick, CALL ME FITZ’s fourth season comes hot on the heels of a hugely successful performance at the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards earlier this year. The homegrown comedy took home four awards, including Sheri Elwood for Best Direction, and Joanna Cassidy and Stuart Margolin in Best Performance categories.
In the nine-episode fourth season of the half-hour original comedy, things have certainly changed. With a new baby in the house – Elaine’s swinging party pad, no less – Larry thinks it’s the perfect time to dig out the family photo album, empty old boxes in the basement, and discover what made the Fitzpatricks the class-A derelicts they are today. Every new piece of the Fitzpatrick past that Larry uncovers sheds more light on the family’s twisted history and fuels the dysfunctional fire between them. By dredging up the past, Larry also unearths a nemesis hell-bent on eradicating the Fitzpatricks and their way of life – Pat Childs, played by new special guest star Michael Gross (FAMILY TIES).
CALL ME FITZ also features Peter MacNeill as Ken Fitzpatrick, Fitz’s father and patriarch of Fitzpatrick Motors; Tracy Dawson as Meghan Fitzpatrick, Fitz’s shrewish younger sister and thorn in his side; Donavon Stinson as Josh Mctaggart, the Fitzpatrick Motors in-house auto repair and wildcard; Kathleen Munroe as Ali Devon; Jonathan Torrens as Chester Vince; and Joanna Cassidy, who returns as Fitz’s mother Elaine Fitzpatrick
From a media release:
MURDOCH MYSTERIES RETURNS THIS FALL FOR A TANTALIZING NEW SEASON ON CBC TELEVISION
The all-new seventh season of MURDOCH MYSTERIES airs Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) beginning September 30
Returning to CBC Television this fall for a dramatic seventh season is the number-one Canadian murder mystery, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, beginning on Monday, September 30 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT). In a new season full of surprises, Detective Murdoch continues to unravel the city’s most devious murder mysteries all while elevating his romance with Dr. Julia Ogden to new heights.
Click here to view a sneak peek of MURDOCH MYSTERIES Season Seven.
In the season premiere, Murdoch Ahoy, Murdoch and his team find themselves aboard a state-of-the-art steamship for its maiden voyage at the request of ship-owner Clarence MacFarlane. Worried about jealous competitors and wild anarchists, MacFarlane wants to ensure his guests — a selection of Toronto’s high and mighty — are safe. But their smooth sailing hits the rocks when MacFarlane’s daughter goes missing and it’s suspected she has gone overboard. The investigation turns chaotic and precarious as Murdoch finds himself unscrambling myriad lies and unexpected dangers on the ship. Will Murdoch and his team make it safely to land, or will the ship‘s inaugural voyage be its last?
Murdoch Ahoy was filmed aboard the only remaining Edwardian passenger steamship in the world, the S.S. Keewatin, which is now moored in Port McNicoll, Ontario. Built five years before the RMS Titanic, the S.S. Keewatin utilizes similar machinery, including a quadruple-expansion steam engine and Scotch boilers.
In season seven, Detective Murdoch crosses paths with famous figures, including Thomas Edison and Guglielmo Marconi, against a backdrop of historical events including the assassination of American President William McKinley and the death of Queen Victoria. Murdoch and his team investigate some of their most challenging cases to date as they probe an apparent zombie invasion, encounter the early days of “talkies” and the motion picture industry, and explore the dangerous underbelly of competitive sports.
Set in Toronto in the early 1900s, MURDOCH MYSTERIES explores the world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a dashing detective who uses inventive forensic techniques for the time to solve some of the city’s most gruesome crimes. Murdoch’s colleagues include Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris); Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig); feisty pathologist Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly); and the love of his life, pathologist-turned-psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), a staunch supporter who shares the detective’s fascination with science and innovation.
Watch MURDOCH MYSTERIES, Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) beginning September 30.
Want more MURDOCH MYSTERIES?
Go behind the scenes of hit drama series MURDOCH MYSTERIES for an exclusive inside look at the making of season seven with Making Murdoch, a digital mini-series available each week on the CBC player. Making Murdoch includes interviews with the cast, crew, writers and producers who bring the show to life, and insight into the history, characters, inventions, costumes, props and storylines featured in the new season.
