From Nicolle Hodges of VanCity Buzz:
Interview: Meet the Canadian stars of Schitt’s Creek
This is the absolute dreamiest of dream jobs for me. I’ve been in total admiration of Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy since I was a kid, so working with them has been both surreal and a total schooling in comedy and in life in general. Continue reading.
Bitten, Space
Aleister is probably the last person Elena would like to spend some alone time with but a one-on-one meeting is exactly what she gets. As her bond with Savannah grows stronger, Aleister appears nervous and Elena senses that he’s losing his grip on the teenage witch. His control over everyone at The Compound can’t be overlooked though—and Aleister is about to show Elena just how much power he really has.
W5, CTV – “Personal Foul and Rebel With a Song”
When does tough coaching cross a line from encouragement to verbal and emotional abuse? That was the issue faced by parents, students and staff at a prominent private school in Victoria, B.C., well-known for its most famous alumnus, two-time NBA MVP basketball player, Steve Nash. And an exclusive with Chinese-Canadian pop star Wanting Qu. Vancouver pop singer-songwriter Qu is a celebrity most Canadians have scarcely heard of, and yet she is one of the most famous artists in the world.
From CBC:
BC Almanac: Canadian TV and the CRTC
TV eh? publisher Diane Wild on Canadian TV and the CRTC. Listen here.
Marketplace, CBC – “License to Deceive”
Licence to Deceive is a months-long investigation into drugstore remedies and how they are licensed by Health Canada. MARKETPLACE gets their own product licensed without any scientific proof, raising questions about the government agency that’s supposed to keep you and your family safe and healthy. MARKETPLACE uncovers a troubling lack of oversight for some over-the-counter remedies and a lack of scientific proof behind some claims, and they reveal how consumers can be misled with potentially dangerous consequences.
The Fifth Estate, CBC – “The Pain Game: Drugs, Doctors and Pro Sports”
It’s the untold tale of prescription drug abuse in professional sport. An investigation by the fifth estate discovers a shocking story of the rampant over-prescription of drugs by some team doctors in major sports leagues. Former Canadian NHL player Derek Boogaard was found dead in his apartment in 2011, after what was ruled to be an unintentional overdose of alcohol and the painkiller oxycodone. But in the months after his son’s death, former RCMP officer Len Boogaard worked to piece together his son’s medical history and made a startling discovery – Derek had received hundreds of prescriptions from dozens of team doctors for a total of thousands of tablets of powerful painkillers and other dangerous drugs. In football, too, over-medication is a problem many in the league are unwilling to face. Jeremy Newberry, who spent years as the all-pro center for the San Francisco 49ers, describes a dressing room assembly line for painkilling injections. When these doctors’ first loyalty is to the team owners who pay their salary, and whose ultimate goal is to win, can they really have athletes’ best interests – and safety – at heart?
With only a few more episodes to go, Heartland fans were torn over whether Peter and Lou’s marriage really is on the rocks and several readers weighed in on this week’s He Said/She Said column regarding how “Canadian” Canadian TV shows should be.
I don’t want them to separate because of the girls but I think Peter has been kind of selfish throughout their relationship (not that Lou hasn’t made her share of mistakes) I’d like to see a bit more character growth on the show though. Seems like every character is stuck in their own ways. Especially Tim and Lou.—Amber
I personally wouldn’t want Lou and Peter to separate, but I have to agree it would be interesting to see how the writers wold have it happen. I think they will end up being together but it’s sure going to be a rough[er!] ride. I don’t know how they would do it. As for the vow renewal, maybe it’s kind of selfish but I wouldn’t like to see them “steal†Amy and Ty’s moment hahaha! This was an amazing episode. Got me in tears! The show just keeps getting better and better!—Luiza
I always liked Peter, and do hope that he and Lou can work things out. (Plus, I’ve loved Peter’s interactions with Georgie, and Katie seems to miss him when he’s not around.) It’s not as if Heartland hasn’t had the theme of divorce lurking in the background; Tim and Marion divorced. Lisa is a divorcée (Dan Hartfield was her first husband). Most notably, Caleb Odell and Ashley Stanton split not long after they got married. This would be the first time one of “the family†came undone front and centre (and not as a matter of ancient family history).
But I like what you’ve posited: If Lou and Peter can get their act together, it sure would be nice to see them renew their vows when Amy and Ty make their vows (though I think there would be some in the Amy/Ty camp who would want it to be *their* day, and their day alone).—TheRealTC
Wow, Diane. You said things perfectly. To me, setting is important. I look at my favourite 20 current shows (Downton Abbey, Orphan Black, Call the Midwife, Outlander, Nashville, Parenthood, Vikings, The Originals, The 100, Empire, Revenge, Finding Carter, Chasing Life, Grey’s Anatomy, Hard Rock Medical, Hart of Dixie, Orange is the New Black, Longmire, Arrow and Mohawk Girls) and only two–Orphan Black and Finding Carter–don’t have defined settings. However, neither seem to go out of their way to hide their setting; they just don’t clarify it.
What I have a problem with when it comes to several Canadian shows is that they seem to go out of their way to hide their Canadianness or they take on an American identity. That aggravates me more than anything else. Americans have enough stories if their own being told on television and we shouldn’t be telling more for them. We have our own stories to tell and our setting isn’t a negative. I go to a lot of U.S. TV sites and I never hear a complaint from Americans if there’s something Canadian in a show. The same goes for British dramas and the British accents: Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Broadchurch and The Fall all get great ratings in the States yet U.S. networks keep trying to remake them as Americanized stories.—Alicia
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or head to @tv_eh.
