Everything about Schitt’s Creek, eh?

Mr. D, Schitt's Creek, X Company

New titles and returning favourites highlight CBC’s midseason schedule

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From a media release:

CBC-TV’s winter programming lineup is filled with returning hit comedies, dramas and current affairs programs, as well as new titles filled with intrigue, suspense, and heart-warming moments.

New additions to the CBC prime-time lineup include the critically acclaimed drama JEKYLL AND HYDE, premiering Jan. 11; the emotional real-life stories of HELLO GOODBYE, premiering Jan. 8; and suspenseful three-part mystery MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT, premiering Jan. 6.

The acclaimed comedy hit SCHITT’S CREEK is among a group of shows returning with new episodes, as well as World War II spy thriller X COMPANY, and comedy staple MR. D. Ongoing CBC prime-time series are back with all-new episodes for winter 2016, including MURDOCH MYSTERIES, HEARTLAND, RICK MERCER REPORT, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, DRAGONS’ DEN, THE NATURE OF THINGS, FIRSTHAND, MARKETPLACE, THE FIFTH ESTATE, and on CBC News Network, THE PASSIONATE EYE.

New for winter 2016:

  • JEKYLL AND HYDE – Mondays 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 11
    It’s 1930s London and Robert Jekyll (Tom Bateman) is a naive, sensitive young man finding his place in the world and moving away from the protection of his loving foster parents. As he begins to feel himself coming under the power of a darkness he cannot control, he realizes that all this time his parents were protecting him from his true self. Jekyll has inherited the curse of his grandfather, and when angered or in danger, he undertakes a graphic and twisted transformation to become Hyde, a shadowy, brooding figure of incredible strength and agility; confident and fearless. As he tries to discover his past and search for a cure, Robert Jekyll is drawn deep into Hyde’s world of monstrous creatures and freaks of nature.
  • HELLO GOODBYE – Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (9 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 8 (Encore broadcasts air Sundays at 8pm (8:30 NT))
    HELLO GOODBYE draws out touching stories from people in Canada’s busiest airport: Toronto Pearson International Airport. Hosted by Dale Curd, the series shines a spotlight on the themes of love, family, friendships, immigration, grief, and joy. It presents a window into our most emotional moments.
  • MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 6
    Outspoken, intelligent, and down-to-earth, single mother Merrily Watkins (Anna Maxwell-Martin) is not what you’d expect to see upon hearing the words “Church of England priest”. However, her Bishop has total faith in her, so much so he’s offered Merrily the position of an Exorcist – plunging her into a dark and dangerous world in this crime drama with a supernatural twist. Deeply human in her doubts and scepticis, Merrily reluctantly agrees to assist when police discover a body crucified in the woods. But as Merrily and her family  are drawn further into the mystery, she must summon all her strength to fight the evil she uncovers amid a web of murder, abuse, power and lies. MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT is based on the novel by Phil Rickman and adapted by BAFTA- winning screenwriter Stephen Volk.

Returning to CBC-TV’s prime-time lineup in winter 2016:

  • HEARTLAND – Sundays at 7 p.m. (7:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 10
  • MURDOCH MYSTERIES – Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 11
  • RICK MERCER REPORT – Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 5
  • 22 MINUTES – Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. (9 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 5
  • SCHITT’S CREEK – Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Season 2 premieres Jan. 12 with back-to-back episodes
  • MR. D – Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. NT); Season 5 premieres Jan. 19
  • DRAGONS’ DEN – Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 6, beginning with the Second Chance Special
  • X COMPANY – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Season 2 premieres Jan. 27
  • THE NATURE OF THINGS – Thursdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 7
  • FIRSTHAND – Thursdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 14
  • MARKETPLACE – Fridays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 8
  • THE FIFTH ESTATE – Fridays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 8

Returning to the News Network lineup in winter 2016:

  • THE PASSIONATE EYE – Sundays at 10 p.m. (10:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 17 on CBC News Network
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19-2, Amazing Race Canada, Industry News, Killjoys, Orphan Black, Rookie Blue, Schitt's Creek, This Life, Vikings, X Company

Link: Critics Vote: Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2015

From The TV Junkies:

Critics Vote: Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2015
In this time of Peak TV there are countless viewing options out there for television fans. With so many choices it’s harder than ever to prioritize what to watch, let alone narrow down the Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2015. But that’s exactly what we’ve tried to do here with the help of 15 television critics and writers from across Canada. We asked them to put together a list of their top 10 Canadian television shows from the past year. We gave 10 points for No. 1, 9 points for No. 2, 8 points for No. 3 and so on. The overall list was then determined by the cumulative point total for each show. Continue reading.

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19-2, Amazing Race Canada, Between, Big Brother Canada, Bitten, Blackstone, Blood and Water, Canada's Smartest Person, Continuum, Dark Matter, Degrassi, Dragons' Den, Featured, Haven, Heartland, Killjoys, Lost Girl, Masterchef Canada, Mohawk Girls, Motive, Mr. D, Murdoch Mysteries, Open Heart, Orphan Black, Polls, Remedy, Rookie Blue, Saving Hope, Schitt's Creek, Strange Empire, The Romeo Section, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Vikings, When Calls the Heart, X Company, Young Drunk Punk

Results: Your Favourite Canadian TV Shows of 2015 are …

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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:

  1. Dark Matter (27%, 7,269 Votes)
  2. Lost Girl (25%, 6,777 Votes)
  3. Killjoys (21%, 5,766 Votes)
  4. Heartland (20%, 5,384 Votes)
  5. Murdoch Mysteries (10%, 2,632 Votes)
  6. Orphan Black (8%, 2,147 Votes)
  7. Tornado Hunters (8%, 2,080 Votes)
  8. Rookie Blue (6%, 1,634 Votes)
  9. When Calls the Heart (6%, 1,557 Votes)
  10. 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?

  • Dark Matter (12%, 7,269 Votes)
  • Lost Girl (11%, 6,777 Votes)
  • Killjoys (9%, 5,766 Votes)
  • Heartland (9%, 5,384 Votes)
  • Murdoch Mysteries (4%, 2,632 Votes)
  • Orphan Black (3%, 2,147 Votes)
  • Tornado Hunters (3%, 2,080 Votes)
  • Rookie Blue (3%, 1,634 Votes)
  • When Calls the Heart (3%, 1,557 Votes)
  • Rick Mercer Report (2%, 1,486 Votes)
  • The Liquidator (2%, 1,279 Votes)
  • Schitt's Creek (2%, 1,227 Votes)
  • Vikings (2%, 1,087 Votes)
  • The Amazing Race Canada (2%, 1,053 Votes)
  • Saving Hope (2%, 1,024 Votes)
  • Property Brothers (2%, 990 Votes)
  • Bitten (2%, 976 Votes)
  • Dragons' Den (2%, 970 Votes)
  • Continuum (2%, 955 Votes)
  • Haven (1%, 791 Votes)
  • Chopped Canada (1%, 786 Votes)
  • 22 Minutes (1%, 783 Votes)
  • MasterChef Canada (1%, 738 Votes)
  • Big Brother Canada (1%, 727 Votes)
  • Highway Thru Hell (1%, 686 Votes)
  • Canada's Worst Driver (1%, 684 Votes)
  • Degrassi (1%, 608 Votes)
  • The Nature of Things (1%, 580 Votes)
  • Love It or List It franchise (1%, 573 Votes)
  • The Fifth Estate (1%, 559 Votes)
  • Motive (1%, 557 Votes)
  • House of Bryan (1%, 549 Votes)
  • X Company (1%, 520 Votes)
  • Still Standing (1%, 480 Votes)
  • Strange Empire (1%, 397 Votes)
  • Marketplace (1%, 394 Votes)
  • This Life (1%, 394 Votes)
  • Hockey Wives (1%, 340 Votes)
  • Backroad Bounty (1%, 321 Votes)
  • 19-2 (1%, 311 Votes)
  • Remedy (0%, 266 Votes)
  • Mr. D (0%, 265 Votes)
  • Blackstone (0%, 262 Votes)
  • Polar Bear Town (0%, 252 Votes)
  • Ice Racer Showdown (0%, 214 Votes)
  • Young Drunk Punk (0%, 207 Votes)
  • Canada's Smartest Person (0%, 198 Votes)
  • Sunnyside (0%, 193 Votes)
  • The Next Step (0%, 174 Votes)
  • Mohawk Girls (0%, 170 Votes)
  • Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (0%, 128 Votes)
  • Keeping Canada Alive (0%, 120 Votes)
  • The Other Side (0%, 113 Votes)
  • Chef in Your Ear (0%, 104 Votes)
  • The Romeo Section (0%, 99 Votes)
  • Blood and Water (0%, 93 Votes)
  • The Stanley Dynamic (0%, 88 Votes)
  • Make it Pop (0%, 81 Votes)
  • First Dates (0%, 68 Votes)
  • Unusually Thicke (0%, 67 Votes)
  • Open Heart (0%, 65 Votes)
  • Spun Out (0%, 58 Votes)
  • Sensitive Skin (0%, 47 Votes)
  • Max & Shred (0%, 42 Votes)
  • Some Assembly Required (0%, 30 Votes)
  • Crash Gallery (0%, 24 Votes)
  • Tiny Plastic Men (0%, 20 Votes)

Total Voters: 27,337

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Cardinal, Featured, Houdini & Doyle, Podcast, Schitt's Creek

TV, eh? podcast episode 194 – Fighting My Cats for the Friskies

Diane, Anthony and Greg look at the results of our year-end Favourite Canadian TV Shows of 2015 poll so far (cast your votes here), followed by a look at some of the shows ending their seasons and series in December.

After a side-conversation about our favourite holiday TV shows and films, we get back on track and cover the casting news surrounding Cardinal, some cool guest casting in Season 2 of Schitt’s Creek and co-production Houdini & Doyle filming their final two Season 1 episodes in Southern Ontario.

Want to contribute to the discussion? Post links and discussion topics on our Reddit page.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Featured, Schitt's Creek

Schitt’s Creek expands in Season 2

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One of the big surprises in Season 1 of Schitt’s Creek were the relationships. Far from being a formulaic comedy series hitting viewers with a rat-a-tat-tat of jokes, Dan Levy’s co-creation showed real heart among its characters … when they weren’t caught in cringe-inducing situations.

By the end of the rookie go-round, David Rose (Dan Levy) was speeding out of town in a stolen truck after breaking up with Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire) and Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) was trying to decide which man she wanted to be with: stoic, stable Ted (Dustin Milligan) or rough and tumble Mutt (Tim Rozon). Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) and Moira (Catherine O’Hara), meanwhile, were plotting to get the family out of Schitt’s Creek. When Season 2 returns to CBC in January with two back-to-back episodes, three days have elapsed since David disappeared and Alexis decides to cut Ted loose.

“Ted returns a changed man after going on a honeymoon by himself,” Dan says with a smile while O’Hara cackles with glee. “Ted goes away to a sunny resort and learns a lot about himself.” The same is true of the other major characters; Johnny is plans to sell Schitt’s Creek but opens up an office in the meantime, Moira attempts to inject the town with some sophistication and David goes looking for a job. Now that the writers’ room members know more about the characters, they can interplay and explore other parts of the town.

“We definitely went into this season saying, ‘OK, let’s go with some different pairings,'” Dan says. “We see a really lovely episode between Moira and Alexis halfway through the season.”

“They wrote a great story,” O’Hara says. “Alexis gets sick and Moira doesn’t know how to mother her. There was always someone there to take care of Alexis when she was growing up. These are new experiences for Moira.” O’Hara is quick to point out Moira is forced into these mothering situations; there is no forethought or plan to make her a better mom. Or cook, as illustrated in Episode 2 of Season 2, when Moira’s attempt to re-create a Mexican dish from her own mom’s recipe turns into a fiasco in Jocelyn’s (Jennifer Robertson) kitchen.

David, meanwhile, goes on a job hunt, which leads to the introduction of a new character played by former Saturday Night Live and SCTV actress Robin Duke.

“David gets a job at a clothing store and she plays Wendy, the manager of the store,” he teases. “The store is struggling, so she is balancing the reality of an unstable business with having hired David, who wants to redo the whole store. His ideas are not coming from a business mind.” Also on tap? More Twyla (Sarah Levy), thanks to a group activity that starts happening in the town.

“Again, this was a way of showing our characters in different lights and providing a different through-line that was outside of the areas we’ve associated them with.”

Schitt’s Creek returns Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Plus: Vote for Schitt’s Creek for Favourite Canadian TV Series of 2015.

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