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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Discovery launches colossal fall season during month-long free preview beginning October 10

From a media release:

Gripping roadside rescue operations, thrilling train adventures, fearless firefighting heroes, and thought-provoking insights into hate and the human experience are all part of a jam-packed lineup of hit series this fall on Discovery, and everyone has a chance to check it out.

On the heels of Discovery’s free preview, the channel also announced today new seasons of two marquee Canadian original series. Continuing its reign as Discovery’s most-watched series, HIGHWAY THRU HELL begins production on Season 9 this fall. Discovery’s Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) is also currently in production on a fourth season of MIGHTY TRAINS, with filming taking place in exotic locations around the world including Peru, Japan, Serbia, and more.

Below is a closer look at Discovery’s new and returning programming highlights during the free preview. All programming is subject to change (visit Discovery.ca to confirm local broadcast times and to view the full schedule).

HIGHWAY THRU HELL, Season 8
Premieres Monday, October 7 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT (new day and time) and continues with all-new episodes during the free preview

  • Discovery’s smash-hit original Canadian series returns for another epic season, with 17 all-new episodes following the hardworking and heroic heavy recovery operators who fight to keep the roads open through British Columbia’s Coquihalla and Cascade mountains. This season, Jamie Davis continues to lean on his classic collection of “old iron” to tackle some of the toughest recoveries, but his crew is buzzing with excitement at the prospect of something shiny and new coming to the yard. Change is also in the air for lead-operator Colin Mclean, when developments in his personal life lead him to question his future in the tow business. Then, 100 kilometres north of Hope, B.C., Reliable Towing’s resilience is tested like never before when one of their own is caught up in a terrifying event on the highway. Quiring Towing’s Al Quiring and Gord Boyd tackle some of the heaviest off-road jobs imaginable, while down in the Fraser Valley at Aggressive Towing, Jamie’s brother Jason and his top man Chris ‘Merv’ Mervyn’s modern rotators are in high demand. Just down the road, 63-year-old heavy rescue legend Ken Duperon continues to lead Mission Towing, but when he’s struck down by an urgent medical crisis, his son-in-law and lead-driver Dylan Greenwood must step up. HIGHWAY THRU HELL marks its milestone 100th episode this season, before just-announced Season 9 begins production.

MIGHTY TRAINS, Season 3
Premieres Sunday, October 13 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

  • Host Teddy Wilson whisks viewers around the world to witness the inner workings of six exceptional trains and their scenic locomotive routes. This season, Teddy rolls along Norway’s scenic Bergen Line, and uncovers how some of the fastest trains in the world are built at an Italian train company owned by the chairman of Ferrari. Then, it’s off to the Indian Pacific train for a bucket-list journey across southern Australia, and on to the colourful trains of the Thailand State Railway to traverse beautiful but deadly landscapes. This season’s adventures are capped off by a trip through historic routes and impressive scenery aboard South Africa’s most luxurious train, the Pride of Africa, and a wintery journey aboard Switzerland’s Bernina Express, one of the most beautiful train trips on earth. Produced by Discovery’s Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), MIGHTY TRAINS is set to air in more than 100 countries around the world, spanning the U.K., Germany, Australia, France, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and throughout Asia, with Season 4 now in production.

HITLER’S MOST WANTED
Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

  • This original Canadian docuseries presents a new perspective on how and why a generation of men and women living in a European society became the leaders of one of the most terrifying regimes of all time, responsible for starting a world war that resulted in more than 60 million deaths. Visiting the villages and towns where these elite Nazi leaders grew up, as well as the sites of their worst atrocities, dedicated young historian James Ellis explores the defining moments which transformed everyday Germans into mass murderers. As knowledge of the Third Reich recedes from society’s collective memory, this docu-series examines the key personalities of the Third Reich to determine what happened and ensure that the lessons of history are never forgotten.

HELLFIRE HEROES, Season 2
Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

  • In the coastal towns, wildlands, and prairies of the Canadian West, there lives a special breed of firefighter. These are the men and women who serve and protect the communities in which they live with bravery and devotion. The stress is high and there’s no room for error as each fire department responds to a relentless battery of emergency calls. With remote and unmarked roads, fast-flowing rivers, roaming wildlife, and a steady stream of transport trucks and freight trains barreling through their towns, these firefighting teams face life-altering challenges on a daily basis. Returning with a fresh batch of eight episodes, Season 2 of this Discovery original series sees the return of Chief Albert Bahri and Chief Jamie Coutts from Northern Alberta, as well as two new fire departments from Port Alberni, British Columbia and Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Production is underway for marblemedia’s new fine arts competition series Landscape Artist of the Year

From a media release:

Following their wildly successful art competition series, Blown Away, Marblemedia has been commissioned by Blue Ant Media and CBC for a brand-new fine arts competition show, Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, for its Makeful channel.

Filming began on Friday, September 20th, and will continue to run through September 30th. The new series will see professional and amateur Canadian artists vie to win the title of Landscape Artist of the Year in this new Makeful competition series. Each episode features a different landscape painting challenge. Time-lapse segments ensure viewers don’t miss any of each artist’s progression from blank canvas to finished work.

Landscape Artist of the Year Canada is a four episode, 60 minute series that will visit stunning areas in Canada. Both the host and art expert judges will be revealed closer to the date on Makeful, scheduled for early 2020.

This new series is based on the original British television hit competition series of the same name, Landscape of the Year, which was created by Storyvault Films, and distributed by Banijay Rights on Sky Arts in the U.K.

Blue Ant and marblemedia are co-producing the series, having bought the rights from Banijay Rights.

Matt Hornburg, executive producer for marblemedia and Sam Linton, head of original content for Blue Ant will produce the series, with showrunner Carly Spencer (The Bachelor Canada, Hockey Wives, Back in Time for Winter, and Never Say Goodbye).

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

‘Tis the season for renovation with Home to Win: For the Holidays on HGTV Canada

From a media release:

HGTV Canada’s top-ranked* Canadian-original series Home to Win returns with a festive twist – Home To Win: For the Holidays (8×60) celebrates the season by awarding a fully renovated home to one deserving fan. Premiering Sunday, October 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Season 4 reunites the networks’ top builders, designers, and real estate experts who use their expertise to redesign an aging Victorian property into a wish-list worthy home, just in time for the holidays.

HomeToWin.ca is now taking submissions to compete to win the holiday home until Sunday, November 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Season 4 begins with Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray kicking off their holiday shopping by searching for this year’s perfect home. Designers Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe stop by to declare “Victorian new and now!” as the interior design focus of the century-old family home. Then, host Sangita Patel gathers HGTV Canada’s best-known builders and designers for a joyful reunion as they begin the exterior restoration.

Returning to Home To Win to lend their creative touch are HGTV Canada designers Jo Alcorn, Sarah Baeumler, Sarah Keenleyside, Mia Parres, Tiffany Pratt, Samantha Pynn, and Sabrina Smelko. Meanwhile, HGTV Canada builders handle the heavy lifting, including Carson Arthur, Sebastian Clovis, Rob Evans, Joey Fletcher, Sherry and Michael Holmes, Colin Hunter, David Kenney, Paul Lafrance, and Brian McCourt. Bryan Baeumler, Mike Holmes Sr., Scott McGillivray, Sarah Richardson, Drew and Jonathan Scott, Tommy Smythe, and Kortney and Dave Wilson join in on the fun, making surprise visits throughout the season. As the countdown to the holidays begins, this all-star cast keeps spirits high with friendly reindeer games that challenge their DIY skills and teamwork.

Home To Win: For the Holidays sponsors include prizing providers Sonnet Home + Auto Insurance and Rakuten.ca; official quartz surface provider Caesarstone; official paint provider Para Paints; official cabinetry supplier Casey’s Creative Kitchens; official window provider Gentek; and official smart home lighting supplier Philips Hue. Full details about series sponsors can be found here.

Home To Win is produced by Architect Films in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada. For exclusive content, including full episodes available to stream, please visit HGTV.ca. HGTV Canada is available through all major TV distributors, including: Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink, SaskTel and the new STACKTV, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Channels.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

It’s a family affair on CTV Life Channel’s Holmes 911

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Mike Holmes has made a career out of helping others sort through their construction debacles. Now he’s bringing his son and daughter into the mix.

To be fair, Mike Jr. and Sherry have been part of their father’s renovation empire in many of his past series. But this is the first time they’ve joined their father for a program that feels like the one that put him on the map. And on a new network too. Debuting Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Life Channel (the rebranded Gusto, if you’re wondering), Holmes 911 recalls Holmes on Homes, the show that started it all (and scored me one of my first cover stories when I worked at TV Guide Canada).

“We’re going back to our roots and I think everyone loved Holmes on Homes,” Sherry says over the phone while cradling her active and vocal baby daughter. “I loved watching Holmes on Homes, and it’s nice to go back and give help to people who really need it.”

Sherry, like her brother Mike (listen to my podcast with him), never intended to join in her father’s quest to “Make It Right,” but once she accompanied him on the job site during television production, she changed her mind.

Two men and a woman look at a hole in a wall.“I did not want to do construction at all,” Sherry admits. “But I think, looking back, I was intimidated. I would do it for fun. On weekends, we would do odd jobs and do work with him. For me, it was just a fun, bonding time with my dad.” It wasn’t until 2009 on Holmes in New Orleans—the two-part Gemini-winner where Holmes and Brad Pitt team to rebuild homes in the city’s Ninth Ward—that Sherry decided to join her father full-time.

But back to Holmes 911. In the first of 12 episodes that focus on five houses, we’re introduced to two families. A weathered roof and odd electrical is just the beginning for a firefighter and his family, which includes his 13-year-old son, Jake, who has had brain surgery. The second home, owned by Bob and Barb, is the watery tale of an insurance claim gone hilariously wrong. In both, Mike, his son (Sherry stayed off-site for the first few episodes because of her pregnancy) and his crew uncover work that is head-scratchingly bad, all-out infuriating and, as always, informative.

“The whole reason my dad wanted to do television was to educate homeowners,” Sherry says. “You can’t stop what other people are going to do and if you run across a shoddy contractor, you want to know what to look for.”

Holmes 911 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Life Channel.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Thunderbird Entertainment and APTN announce second season for Queen of the Oil Patch

From a media release:

Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”),  is excited to announce a second season of  the hit series Queen of the Oil Patch, has been ordered by national broadcaster APTN. The critically acclaimed documentary series is produced by Thunderbird, a global multiplatform entertainment company, in collaboration with Kah-Kitowak Films. Production is now underway in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and the Mikisew Cree First Nation.

Queen of the Oil Patch received strong reviews for its groundbreaking coverage of the inspirational journey of one man with two spirits – Massey Whiteknife and Iceis Rain. Whiteknife is an openly gay Indigenous entrepreneur. After his multi-million-dollar oil empire in Fort McMurray was devastated by the collapse of oil prices and the 2016 wildfires, Whiteknife worked to rebuild his life with the help of his other spirit, Iceis Rain, a fearless female pop singer and anti-bullying advocate.

The first season of Queen of the Oil Patch was nominated for Best Writing in a Factual Series at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards, and Best Screenwriting in a Documentary Series at the 2019 Leo Awards. It was also well received by critics, with John Doyle of The Globe and Mail writing: “Queen of the Oil Patch is…truly distinct, about a true original. And truly inspiring. This is wonderful TV.” Additionally, Rachna Raj Kaur from NOW Toronto called it “a great entryway into the life of a man breaking down boundaries, but also an insightful look into a community unseen on mainstream TV.”

Queen of the Oil Patch Season Two will air in Fall 2020, and will feature eight episodes.

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