Crave announces new short-form original comedy series, My Dead Mom

November 9, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Crave announced today, the new, six-part short-form comedy series, MY DEAD MOM. From LoCo Motion Pictures, creator Wendy Litner, and executive producer Lauren Corber, the Crave Original series is currently in production in Toronto, and stars Megan Follows (ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, REIGN) and Lauren Collins (DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION, SLIP).

Emmy wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail after her mother died, she was just really busy. But three years on now, her grief is catching up with her. As she questions her lipstick and life choices, her dead mother, Fern, pops into her life to voice her opinions and tell her red really isn’t her colour. Even death hasn’t stopped Fern from being fabulous. Emmy is trying to live her best life, but how do you let go of something that is so present? With sharp wit and aching tenderness, MY DEAD MOM explores the complicated nature of grief through mothers and daughters, and death.

Rounding out the cast for MY DEAD MOM are Rainbow Sun Francks (HIGH FIDELITY), David Reale (THE BOYS), Daniel Maslany (MURDOCH MYSTERIES), Daniel Kash (SLASHER), and guest star Matt Murray (IN THE DARK).

MY DEAD MOM is produced by LoCo Motion Pictures, in association with Bell Media, with the participation of Independent Production Fund, Ontario Creates, and the Bell Fund. The series is distributed internationally by Blue Ant Media. Wendy Litner (HOW TO BUY A BABY) is creator and executive producer, alongside executive producer Lauren Corber (DETENTION ADVENTURE) of LoCo Motion Pictures. Chandler Levack directs (I Like Movies), Palmer Baranek is supervising producer, and co-producer is Moe Rai.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Crave orders a fifth season of its hit original series, Canada’s Drag Race

November 9, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

A week from the premiere of a new season of CANADA’S DRAG RACE, Crave today announced that it has ordered a fifth season of the wildly-popular series. CANADA’S DRAG RACE, the #1 most streamed Canadian Reality show on Crave this year, is available to audiences in Canada, in both English and French. The series is produced by Blue Ant Studios in association with Crave and World of Wonder.

Canadian drag artists looking to flaunt their distinct brand of Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent can submit their applications now at https://www.canadasdragracecasting.com/. Applicants must be 19 years of age as of Nov. 1, 2023, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

CANADA’S DRAG RACE is set to premiere its fourth season on Crave on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET, and is also available on World of Wonder’s SVOD platform WOW Presents Plus in the U.S., and in more than 160 countries around the world, and coming soon to BBC Three and iPlayer in the U.K. Crave recently announced the new series and format, SLAYCATION, in partnership with Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, with CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS: THE WORLD set to return for a second season next year.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent

Link: “The episodes are based on real crime headlines”: Meet the showrunner behind the new Law & Order Toronto

November 7, 2023 Greg David 2 Comments

From Courtney Shea of Toronto Life:

Link: “The episodes are based on real crime headlines”: Meet the showrunner behind the new Law & Order Toronto
“Contrary to popular belief, we have a lot of material to work with. There are also some things about the Canadian system that are different, and it’s interesting to look at those nuances. In the court scenes, for example, our background players are in legal robes. You would never see that in the US version.” Continue reading.

Allegiance, Featured, Industry News

Supinder Wraich and Enrico Colantoni to star in the new CBC original drama Allegiance

November 6, 2023 Greg David 1 Comment

From a media release:

CBC and Lark Productions today announced casting and production details for Anar Ali’s (Transplant) character-driven police procedural ALLEGIANCE (10×60), now in production in Vancouver and BC’s lower mainland. A CBC Original series from the award-winning team at Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, the series features an ensemble cast led by Supinder Wraich (Sort Of), Enrico Colantoni (Station Eleven), Stephen Lobo (Continuum), Adolyn H. Dar (Superman & Lois), Brian Markinson (A Million Little Things) and David Cubitt (Virgin River); with showrunners Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern (Flashpoint, X Company) at the helm. Greenlit by CBC in early 2023, ALLEGIANCE will premiere on the free CBC Gem streaming service and CBC TV in winter 2024.

ALLEGIANCE focuses on identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system. The drama stars Wraich as Sabrina Sohal, a star rookie police officer who must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father Ajeet Sohal (Lobo). Sohal serves her diverse hometown of Surrey alongside Vince Brambilla (Colantoni), a veteran training officer who sees her potential but doesn’t always agree with her forward-thinking methods. ALLEGIANCE is the story of a young woman caught between her allegiance to her flag, to her badge, and to her family.

A CBC Original Series ALLEGIANCE is produced by Lark Productions in association with CBC, with NBCUniversal Global Distribution handling the distribution of the series globally. Showrunners Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis also serve as Executive Producers with Series Creator Anar Ali, alongside Lark Productions’ Erin Haskett, Nicole Mendes, David Valleau and Tex Antonucci.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New mysteries unfold in Discovery’s Canadian original series Forensic Factor: A New Era, beginning November 17

November 3, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Discovery joins the quest for justice with the reveal of latest Canadian Original docuseries, FORENSIC FACTOR: A NEW ERA, premiering Friday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The six-episode, one-hour docuseries explores how incredible innovations in forensic science, combined with the expertise of dedicated crime scene investigators work together to uncover the truth. Produced in partnership with Bell Media Studios and Attraction, the updated series traces its DNA to the classic Discovery Original Canadian docuseries FORENSIC FACTOR, which premiered in 2003, and ran for six seasons. New episodes will also be available on CTV.ca and the CTV app each week

Every crime scene tells a story, and woven through each one-hour episode of FORENSIC FACTOR: A NEW ERA are the unique perspectives of forensic experts, and the stories of the victims themselves. As investigators and families search for answers behind the most terrible crimes, forensic specialists hunt for the most crucial evidence and clues, often invisible to many.

Moving beyond the yellow tape, each episode of FORENSIC FACTOR: A NEW ERA explores a different crime scene and reveals how crime scene investigators and determined homicide detectives find, analyze, and interpret the smallest pieces of a new weekly crime scene puzzle, leading to the biggest breaks, all thanks to ground-breaking advances in forensic science.

In association with Discovery, FORENSIC FACTOR: A NEW ERA is produced by Bell Media Studios and Attraction. Bell Media distributes the series internationally. For Attraction Nicole Hamilton and Richard Speer are Executive Producers, Sylvia Wilson is Series Producer.