From Sabrina Furminger of Westender:
Vancouver actress is hot Schitt
Sorry, guys, but it’s impossible to write about Schitt’s Creek without at least one pun. Here’s mine: Schitt’s Creek actress Jenn Roberston knows the good shit when she sees it. Continue reading.
From Numeris:
Top Programs – Total CanadaÂ
#15 Masterchef Canada – 1.569 million
#17 Book of Negroes – 1.501 million
#18 Murdoch Mysteries – 1.463 million
#20 Saving Hope – 1.413 million
#29 Rick Mercer Report – 1.085 million
#30 Dragons’ Den – 1.065 million
Bitten, Space – “Scare Tactics”
Happy Valentine’s Day from The Pack. If your idea of romance involves witches and werewolves (and really, whose doesn’t?) then this is the perfect way to cap off your night. Last Saturday’s season premiere picked up with Elena and the wolves hot on Malcolm’s trail and ended with the main Mutt in a cage at Stonehaven. Let’s see if The Pack can keep him there—or if the witches will intervene.
W5, CTV
“The Strep Connection” – The possible links between common infection and psychiatric and neurological disorders in children.
“Pot Paradise” – Remember how disorienting it was the first time you went into a liquor or beer store and purchased booze? My first visit to a legal weed store felt a lot like that.
Marketplace, CBC – “Food Fiction”
No doubt you’ve spotted them in the grocery store: foods with labels claiming to be healthier choices. But are those claims supported by the facts – or are they really just Food Fiction? Hosts Tom Harrington and Erica Johnson hit the grocery store to check out some popular foods covering a whole day’s worth of meals. With the help of nutritional watchdog Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, we break down the foods, revealing what’s really inside, and tell you what the labels don’t.
The Fifth Estate, CBC – “After the Cameras Went Away”
This week, After the Cameras Went Away looks at the latest developments in four of our recent episodes. Three weeks ago the fifth estate told the twisted tale of Antonio and Francesco Carbone, two brothers from Toronto with big plans to build a gambling empire financed by Hamilton billionaire Michael DeGroote. Antonio Carbone now finds himself trapped in the Dominican Republic, in more trouble than ever before. Canadian ski cross racer Nikola Zoricic died in March 2012 when he suffered a spectacular crash at the finish of a World Cup event in Switzerland. A new interview with Nik’s parents details their push for an investigation into the conditions of the course. Shin Dong-hyuk is reputed to be the only known prisoner to have escaped from one of North Korea’s most notorious internment camps. But last month, it was revealed that parts of his story were untrue. The fifth estate speaks to North Korean defectors who knew Shin to gain insight into what might have happened. This week an Italian court will render its verdict on the actions of disgraced captain Francesco Schettino, who is charged with the deaths of 32 people in the January 2012 sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise liner. Watch Schettino’s exclusive television interview from December 2012 in The Captain’s Fate, for a first-hand account of why he did what he did.
There was a lot of interesting discussion regarding Rebecca Tucker’s piece in The National Post “At the Canadian Screen Awards it really is an honour just to be nominated.” Readers also weighed in on Diane and my discussion in our new column, He Said/She Said where we tackled Standalone or Serialized television shows and the latest episode of Saving Hope, which is headed for a two-part season finale.
I liked Strange Empire but I didn’t love it and part of the problem was because I found I cared more about certain storylines and characters than others and sometimes I found it didn’t flow well–relationships and characters weren’t developed enough to support a particular plot. For instance, I didn’t buy very many of the relationships on the show (i.e., Kat/Caleb, Briggs/Chase and the relationships between Kat and her adopted children) as they seemed too rushed or contrived and manipulated to suit the story.
There weren’t enough little moments, especially with Kat’s character, to make me a real fan of certain characters. There are benefits to sticking standalone episodes into a serialized series, numero uno being that standalone episodes often help to promote character growth by showing the little moments between characters. Just look at another Western drama, set in the same era, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, which had plenty of standalone episodes but plenty of character growth at the same time which really helped viewers invest more in the season-long arcs that occurred.—Ally
No idea what I would have done in Zach’s position [on Saving Hope]. Doctors are supposed to keep their personal feelings at back while they’re at work but I think a person has every right to know if their spouse has such little time left. Travis’ story was interesting but can’t agree more that he needed a huge chill pill. Shouting like that isn’t going to get you discharged any sooner.
Nice twist on the taxi driver ghost. Not that I expect Alex would say yes to Joel (I’d be beyond shocked) but it will be interesting to see if Charlie or Joel gets to talk with Alex first next week.—Hallie
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or head to @tv_eh.
