Women Behind Canadian TV: Cynthia Knight and Tracey Deer
The importance of telling diverse stories about underrepresented communities is nothing new to the women behind APTN’s Mohawk Girls. Cynthia Knight and Tracey Deer are going into their fourth season on the comedy series that features four twenty-something Mohawk women trying to find their place in the world. Deer, who was named one of Playback Magazine’s rising stars in Canadian Entertainment in 2008, was born and raised in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal where the show is set, and the documentary filmmaker directs all of the show’s episodes. Knight is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s TV Writers’ Program and serves as principal writer and showrunner. Continue reading.
“We are developing the fourth season,†showrunner Cynthia Knight confirmed to The TV Junkies. The APTN comedy’s fourth year will be an extended run since “it’s going to be eight half hour episodes instead of six,†says Knight. She also said that they are aiming “to shoot around the same time as last year, hopefully around the end of May to mid-July. It’ll then air next fall.†Knight and Mohawk Girls creator and executive producer Tracey Deer also confirmed that the writers’ room for Season 4 of the critically acclaimed show will have six women in it. Knight calls it their “biggest story room yet by far,†as they get set to begin writing this week in Toronto. Continue reading.
Bravo’s gritty cop drama 19-2 and CBC’s high-profile comedy Schitt’s Creek topline the nominations for the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards. Announced Tuesday morning in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox by Lyriq Bent (The Book of Negroes) and Aislinn Paul (Degrassi), 19-2 captured 12 nominations, including Best Dramatic Series and Best Performance nods for supporting cast and leads Jared Keeso and Adrian Holmes; Keeso and Holmes recorded a video to mark the occasion (check it out below).
Meanwhile, Schitt’s Creek does battle in the comedic categories, with co-stars Eugene and Dan Levy facing off for Best Performance and the Tuesday night comedy fighting off fellow CBC series Mr. D, Mohawk Girls, Young Drunk Punk and Tiny Plastic Men for Best Comedy Series.
Space’s Orphan Black did well too, snagging 13 nominations including performance acknowledgements for Ari Millen and Tatiana Maslany, though it was shut out of the Dramatic Series list. Global’s final season of Rookie Blue was recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, as Missy Peregrym and Ben Bass received nominations.
The nominees in the key television categories are listed below. Who do you think deserves to win? The two-hour Canadian Screen Awards gala airs Sunday, March 13, at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Gerry Dee, Mr. D
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Dave Foley, Spun Out
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Adrian Holmes, 19-2
Jared Keeso, 19-2
Ari Millen, Orphan Black
Ben Bass, Rookie Blue
Aaron Poole, Strange Empire
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Brittany LeBorgne, Mohawk Girls
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Belinda Cornish, Tiny Plastic Men
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Kristin Lehman, Motive
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Megan Follows, Reign
Missy Peregrym, Rookie Blue
Jennie Raymond, Sex & Violence
Best Dramatic Series
19-2
Blackstone
Motive
Saving Hope
X Company
Best Comedy Series
Mr. D
Mohawk Girls
Schitt’s Creek
Tiny Plastic Men
Young Drunk Punk
Best Reality/Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada
Big Brother Canada
Dragons’ Den
Game of Homes
MasterChef Canada
Best Animated Program or Series
Endangered Species
Numb Chucks
Rocket Monkeys
Slugterra
Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series
As previously announced, comedian Norm Macdonald will host the 2016 event. Wendy Crewson—currently starring on CTV’s Saving Hope—will receive the Earle Grey Award for acting and Martin Short will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Canadian Screen Awards air Sunday, March 13, at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Fans of Canadian television shows certainly are a passionate lot, and they’re not confined to our borders either. Of the over 25,000 who voted for their Top 5 shows of 2015, dozens voiced their support from around the world.
Yes, the voting for a few shows took a suspicious jump over the last couple of days, but we’ll chalk that up to super-fans who simply love their programs … and know how to use technology to their advantage. (The voting wasn’t affected that much in the end.)
By the time the tally was taken, the Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2015 are:
Dark Matter (27%, 7,269 Votes)
Lost Girl (25%, 6,777 Votes)
Killjoys (21%, 5,766 Votes)
Heartland (20%, 5,384 Votes)
Murdoch Mysteries (10%, 2,632 Votes)
Orphan Black (8%, 2,147 Votes)
Tornado Hunters (8%, 2,080 Votes)
Rookie Blue (6%, 1,634 Votes)
When Calls the Heart (6%, 1,557 Votes)
Rick Mercer Report (5%, 1,486 Votes)
Aside from the Top 10 vote-getters, I was pleased to see several new programs perform well in the poll. Clearly, viewers love seeing three guys tooling around in a truck capturing wacky weather on film, as Tornado Hunters placed No. 7, not bad at all for a show that debuted late in the year and veteran The Liquidator finished just out of the Top 10.
Thanks again to everyone who voted. Check out the final results; you can still name your favourites in the Comments section at the bottom of the page.
What are your five favourite Canadian TV shows of 2015?
UPDATE: The poll has now closed. Thanks to everyone for taking part! You can still let us know your favourite Canadian TV show of 2015 by writing it in the Comments section below.
As the year winds down, it’s time to reflect back on 2015. What a year it was for Canadian TV. Yes, there was some sad news—the cancellation of Strange Empire, Remedy and Rookie Blue come immediately to mind—but there was plenty to celebrate as well.
Sci-fi in Canada is stronger than ever thanks to Orphan Black and newbies Killjoys and Dark Matter, we’re getting laughs from series like Still Standing, Sunnyside and Young Drunk Punk and dramas like This Life, The Romeo Section and Motive continue to entertain.
As we get ready to say hello to 2016, help us celebrate 2015 by voting for your favourite five (5) Canadian television shows of the year. (Vote by clicking the boxes to the left of your favourite shows, then click the shaded “Vote” button located just below and right of Young Drunk Punk.)
UPDATE: The poll has now closed. Thanks to everyone for taking part! You can still let us know your favourite Canadian TV show of 2015 by writing it in the Comments section below.
What are your five favourite Canadian TV shows of 2015?
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