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Preview: Season 2 of Heavy Rescue: 401 drives back onto Discovery

I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff during my decades driving the 400 series highways in southern Ontario. There was the jackknifed tractor-trailer I observed sliding sideways on the northbound 427 as I drove southbound, spinning cars bouncing off one another on the 403 in Hamilton and an elderly woman walking down the offramp onto the 404. I can only imagine the wide range of things witnessed by the police, firefighters, EMTs and tow truck drivers during their careers.

A mere taste of those experiences are featured in Season 2 of Heavy Rescue: 401, returning Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery. The No. 1 specialty program in its timeslot—from the producers of the equally engaging Highway Thru Hell—once again takes cameras into the cabs and onto the roadways of the province’s 400 series highways including the 401 (the busiest stretch of freeway in North America), documenting the heroics and characters keeping those routes clear.

Tuesday’s first episode sets the stage for what’s to come, as Ontario Provincial Police officer Sgt. Kerry Schmidt outlines how everyone has to be vigilant at all times for road conditions to change. And, minutes later, it does just that. A sudden snowstorm—blowing in earlier than expected—turns the 401 at Yonge St. into a sheet of ice. Salters are on high alert. They’re not fast enough, however, and cars start spinning out. It’s here that Heavy Rescue: 401‘s producers really shine; their relationship with the Ministry of Transportation’s massive control centre—the eyes that watch and manage the highways—means they have access to the centre’s camera system and can show real footage as accidents (and drama) unfolds. As interesting as it is to learn about the people who work the highways and arrive at the scene of a collision to show the cleanup, the COMPASS cameras tell the story of how it happened.

The COMPASS cameras capture key footage the following day as a dump truck driver’s box—in the up position—drives straight into a bridge, causing traffic chaos. Enter Steve’s Towing driver Sonny Subra, who rushes to the scene but is hogtied by traffic. Meanwhile, in Barrie, Ont., Classic Towing & Storage’s James is under the gun to clear a unique and surprising breakdown before the next band of snow hits highway 400.

Additional stories covered this season on Heavy Rescue: 401 is the complete shutdown of the 401 twice (once for over 30 hours); more time spent with the OPP and their tales, including an organ transplant run and airborne highway patrol; and Kingston, Ont. being included in episodes.

And with a third season already in production, fans can look forward to more Heavy Rescue: 401 stories in 2019.

What accidents and/or experiences have you had on Ontario’s 400 series highways? Let me know in the comments below.

Heavy Rescue: 401 airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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The Baeumlers jumpstart 2018 with two new projects on HGTV Canada

From a media release:

HGTV Canada is kickstarting the new year with two exciting projects from fan-favourite duo Bryan and Sarah Baeumler. First, last year’s #1 highest rated series,* Bryan Inc. (13×60), is back for a second season on Sunday, January 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with Sarah taking on client builds for the first time ever. HGTV Canada also announces today the greenlight of Island of Bryan (WT), a brand new series following the Baeumler family as they embark on a tropical paradise adventure: overhauling a vacant resort in the Bahamas. The new 13×60 series is slated to start production in early 2018 and premiere in 2019.

After Bryan Inc. broke records last fall as the highest rated series premiere in the past five years on HGTV Canada (2+),** season two promises more of Bryan and Sarah’s signature banter as they battle over differing visions to renovate six residential properties for six different families. The series showcases stunning home-reno reveals, plus the delicate balancing act between Sarah’s greater responsibilities at work and a bustling home life. This season, clients include first-time homeowners, single-parent households, and multi-generational dwellers looking to upgrade their family headquarters. The premiere kicks off with Bryan and Sarah testing the waters of their new work-relationship, as their clients deliver high expectations and conflicting requests.

Viewers can get even more of the Baeumlers with exclusive Bryan Inc. content at HGTV.ca including behind-the-scenes design tips from Sarah, expansive reveal galleries of the final looks, and unvarnished moments from the series’ production and the family themselves, as there is never a dull moment with the “B Team,” the Baeumlers’ four active kids: “Q” (12), Charlotte (10), Lincoln (7) and Jojo (5).

New episodes will be available On Demand and at HGTV.ca each week after broadcast. Fans can catch up on the first season of Bryan Inc. by tuning into HGTV Canada’s full season marathon on Saturday, December 30 beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

Bryan Inc. and Island of Bryan (WT) are produced by Si Entertainment in association with Corus Entertainment’s HGTV Canada.

 

 

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Food Spin with Chef Aleem wheels and deals tasty treats on AMI-tv

I’ve been really impressed with the programming AMI-tv is offering. From folks with disabilities struggling to find a job in Employable Me to an all-out culinary competition featuring blind or low vision home cooks, the network is spotlighting truly inspirational people.

The same is true for the channel’s latest offering, Food Spin with Chef Aleem. Debuting Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on AMI-tv, cameras track Toronto’s Aleem Syed from the moment he wakes up to the time he shuts it down at The Holy Grill, his Halal food truck. The hook? Syed is in a wheelchair, but that hasn’t slowed down his passion. A 2008 shooting incident left him paralyzed from the waist down but hasn’t deterred Syed from following his passion; viewers learn that right away as he goes through his culinary education and work ethic.

Syed’s mother is a big part of his life and in the first of 13 episodes we see the duo bicker good-naturedly before getting down to business: Syed wants to re-create his mother’s classic dessert into something he can sell from the truck. After jumping behind the wheel of his car—yes, he drives himself around—Syed hits up a spice shop in Kensington Market to land spices.

Offered in integrated described video for blind and low vision viewers, Food Spin with Chef Aleem‘s production and entertainment value would be equally at home on Food Network Canada and is a testament to the work AMI-tv is doing with their original productions.

Food Spin with Chef Aleem airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on AMI-tv.

Image courtesy of AMI.

 

 

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Animal Planet makes holidays happier with six-week free preview, beginning Dec. 1

From a media release:

This holiday season, Animal Planet invites viewers to cuddle up with some of the funniest, wildest, and most touching moments the animal kingdom has to offer during a special Free Preview from Friday, Dec. 1 through Thursday, Jan. 11.

The Animal Planet Free Preview delivers a slate of programming that’s purrrrrr-fect for the whole family, including the new original Canadian series DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET, airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 10. From pedigreed show dogs to prize mares, cows, cute and cuddly cats, and even angry bulls, the series follows the action-packed life of travelling vet Dr. Keri Hudson Reykdal, who’s on the road 24/7 to care for “all creatures big and small.” She’s dedicated her life to animals – treating them, training them, and riding them in horse derbies – with one of the busiest and most unusual mobile veterinary units to roam the northern prairie.

On Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, Animal Planet is giving the gift of cute with a full hour of super adorable holiday cuteness. SUPER CUTE YULE LOG is stocked full of fluffy puppies, cuddly kittens, and other baby animals all frolicking to seasonal tunes across a holiday set.

Animal Planet’s Free Preview is available through television service providers across Canada including: Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, BellMTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Access Communications, Westman Communications, Northwestel Inc., Tbaytel, Novus Entertainment, Wightman Telecom Ltd., and Mitchell Seaforth Cable TV.

Below is a listing of Animal Planet programming highlights during its Free Preview.  All programming is subject to change.

NEW SERIES
DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET – Original Canadian Series
Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 10
She’s a hardworking vet on wheels! It’s calving season in rural Manitoba as the new original Canadian series begins, and Dr. Keri is on call 24/7. She’s running on no sleep, with an emergency C-Section, and a chocolate-chomping dog – all before lunchtime.

DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET is produced by Merit Motion Pictures in association with Animal Planet and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Cable Network Fund, the Manitoba Films & Video Production Tax Credit, the Canadian Film & Video Production Tax Credit, and the financial investment of Manitoba Film & Music.

RETURNING SERIES
COLLAR OF DUTY – Season 2 – Original Canadian Series
New Season: Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 15
This 12-part original Canadian series captures incredible true stories of service and therapy animals that are transforming people’s lives. In each episode, Animal Planet visits individuals living with a service/therapy animal to learn about their relationship and witness how each person’s life has dramatically improved thanks to their special animal. From prisons to courtrooms to classrooms, the series reveals the many ways animals are making a major impact on the humans who need them most.

 

 

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Bell Media Studios confirms international orders for new original Canadian docudrama series Disasters at Sea

From a media release:

Bell Media Studios announced today that Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) has begun production on new original Canadian series, DISASTERS AT SEA (working title). Commissioned by Discovery Canada, the docudrama is made possible in part by international broadcast partners Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia), in the biggest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind for an EPI production.

DISASTERS AT SEA is a six-episode series about the most mysterious and unexpected marine disasters in recent history, recreated in each 60-minute episode through the visceral first-hand accounts of seamen and women on their worst day, and for some, their finest hour. In each of the stories featured, there are heroes who exerted herculean efforts to save their colleagues, the environment, and valuable property. International rights of DISASTERS AT SEA are managed exclusively by Exploration Distribution Inc. (EDI).

More about DISASTERS AT SEA:

Proving and disproving theories of catastrophic real-life events, DISASTERS AT SEA goes beyond the traditional documentary approach to explore six separate disasters at sea throughout the season. Often-conflicting reports leave the cause of the sinking unknown and mysterious, and DISASTERS AT SEA unravels these mysteries through a second set of key characters: the dedicated marine investigators whose job it was to separate fact from fiction, fill in the unknown, and identify cause and effect as they uncover the shocking chain of events, often with nothing more than tiny leads. The conclusions are dramatic, unexpected, and profound.

Designed to pull viewers off the sidelines and immerse them in the action, archival footage is combined with carefully imagined and evocative dramatic re-enactments that provide an engaging mix of factual and modern storytelling. To achieve this, the series includes CGI and special effects, bringing to life the wide shots of the ship in rough waters, and recreations to dramatically convey the catastrophic events.

Grounded in fact, each episode unfolds as a mystery, providing a suspenseful journey into the little known world of life at sea, and a tribute to the working men and women who sacrificed their lives for it all.

DISASTERS AT SEA (working title) is produced by Bell Media’s EPI in association with Discovery, and in conjunction with Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia). Series Producer is Alix MacDonald. Executive Producers are Marianne Kushmaniuk and Kelly McKeown, who is also Director of Production for EPI.

 

 

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