From Calum Shanlin of CBC:

• Tommie-Amber Pirie on Her ACTRA Award Nomination
  The episode that I have been nominated for is probably one of my favourites of the season. It was directed by the very talented Don McKellar and written by the just plain lovely Bob Martin and and is the episode in which I feel that we are truly introduced to Claire – not just “the bumbling receptionist”. The individual dynamic that she has with both Dr. Storper and Michael draws different lights on her character and really establishes what the season has in store. A ton happens in this episode for Claire and was therefore super exciting for me to play her. Read more.

From Sahar Shoja of Mental Health Talk:

• Challenging fear: an interview with Matt Watts on confronting generalized anxiety disorder
  This is the opening scene of the CBC’s new television series, “Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays,” a comedy that follows the every day struggles of Michael, a young man working to cope with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In addition to having a phobia of strangers, Michael also struggles with an intense fear of heights, elevators, and bridges. Despite the many parallels between Matt Watts and the character he portrays, the actor had no reservations about sharing his own experiences with GAD. Read more.

From Scott Stinson of the National Post:

• Scott Stinson’s fall TV scorecard
  Underappreciated Gem, Canadian Edition I have touted the merits of Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays in this space before, and followers of my Twitter feed will know that I all but resorted to threats of (mild) violence in hopes of getting more people to watch. But the continued tepid ratings for the poignant CBC comedy about a man with social anxiety issues and his equally troubled therapist suggest my Twitter feed is not much of a force for good. Read more.

From Bill Brioux with the Canadian Press (who isn’t saying Michael has been cancelled – it hasn’t – just that it’s ratings put it in danger):

• ‘Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays’: hailed by critics, snubbed by viewers
  Why do good TV shows get cancelled? … The question comes up again as CBC’s “Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays” comes to the end of its first and possibly final season. The season-ender airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. Hailed by critics as the best new comedy of the year, it has struggled in the ratings, falling below 200,000 viewers in recent weeks. Read more.

More on the subject from Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Is CBC’s Michael stuck in Frank’s Place?

From Kim Linekin of MSN:

• Sublimely Showing Web Therapy How It’s Done: “Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays“
  CBC’s “Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays” is the great Canadian antidote to “Web Therapy.” Instead of forcing humour from self-consciously ridiculous situations, “Michael” takes a guy (Matt Watts of “The Newsroom”) with a slightly ridiculous list of neuroses, pairs him with a therapist (Bob Martin of “Slings and Arrows,” pictured) who secretly plans to write a book about him, and lets the humour peek out from bizarre places. Read more.