X Company: 5 Things you need to know about Season 2
As we get ready to pick up with the spies of X Company, things have never looked more dire for the group of secretly trained agents. When we last checked in with the agents of CBC’s WWII drama about the real-life top secret spy training facility located east of Toronto, several team members were facing major danger. As Season 2 kicks off Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m., co-creator Stephanie Morgenstern warns that the team may not be escaping that danger any time soon. Continue reading.Â
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.
Thanks to everyone who took the time during the Christmas holidays to cast your vote in 10 categories in our annual TV Ehwards. Some shows lead from the very beginning while other programs snuck in to take their category in the end.
Here are the winning shows in each category, with the votes and percentage of votes each show had:
The Police Surgeon Award for Best Canadian Medical Drama Saving Hope (686 votes, 62 per cent)
The Seeing Things Award for Best Canadian Crime Drama Blackstone (715 votes, 41 per cent)
The Quentin Durgens, MP, Award for Best Canadian Historical Drama X Company (1,700 votes, 46 per cent)
The Beachcombers Award for Best Canadian Family Drama Heartland (1,637 votes, 72 per cent)
The Starlost Award for Best Canadian Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series Lost Girl (3,634, 49 per cent)
The King of Kensington Award for Best Canadian Comedy Series Young Drunk Punk (698 votes, 41 per cent)
The Wayne & Shuster Award for Best Canadian Sketch Comedy Series Still Standing (1,161 votes, 50 per cent)
The Bastard Offspring Award for the Crossover You Most Want to See Saving Hope-Motive (298 votes, 32 per cent)
The Reimagination Award for The Show You’d Like to See Brought Back Due South (297 votes, 31 per cent)
Shows that you SHOULD watch, but you DON’T watch, but you still don’t want them to go away The Nature of Things (380 votes, 37 per cent)
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 priestâ€. 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
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.
