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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

Discovery takes flight with two new specials

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From a media release:

Move over stars and socialites of TIFF – the superstars this September are Hercules and Jumbo! Discovery buckles up for a Sunday night in-flight extravaganza with back-to-back original Canadian specials 747: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE and MIGHTY PLANES: HEROIC HERCULES. Premiering Sunday, Sept. 28 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, the first hour tells the definitive story of the planet’s most iconic plane – the plane that has shaped the world of travel more than any other – the 747 or Jumbo Jet. Then at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, a special two-hour installment of hit series MIGHTY PLANES takes viewers on a journey with the most flexible airlifter in the world – the C130J Hercules – fresh off the Lockheed Martin production line.

Descriptions of 747: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE and MIGHTY PLANES: HEROIC HERCULES as follows:

747: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE
Sunday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
It’s the most famous passenger airplane ever to take to the skies: the Boeing 747 or Jumbo Jet. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, never-before-seen archival footage, super life-like CGI and gripping dramatic reconstructions – this one-hour special reveals just what makes the 747 one of the most ground-breaking and awesome aircraft in the sky, a jet that has carried the equivalent of 80% of the world’s population. Travelling to Boeing’s Seattle HQ, the biggest building in the world – 747: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE reveals the mind-blowing technical effort that goes into putting together a 747 – millions of parts, six storeys high, and wings the size of a parking lot. Then, meet Colonel Mark Tillman, the pilot who flew Air Force One for President George W. Bush on the morning of 9/11.

MIGHTY PLANES: HEROIC HERCULES
Sunday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
The Hercules is the most flexible airlifter in the world. With more than 70 variants, the C130J or “Super” Herc is the newest model in the longest continuous production run of any plane in aircraft history. This medium-range bird is the tactical cargo and personnel transporter for the U.S. Air Force, and serves multi-mission capabilities. Its many jobs include: special operations; search and rescue; aerial refueling; medevac; natural disaster relief missions; fire fighter; maritime surveillance; and hurricane hunter. In this two-hour special, MIGHTY PLANES takes flight with the delivery of a brand-new C130J fresh off the Lockheed Martin production to the Little Rock Air Force base in Arkansas. Then, meet Tim Nguyen, a Lockheed Martin Aviation Engineer who has dedicated his life to protecting the mighty Hercules from attack. He journeys to Little Rock to visit the very Herc that saved his life 40 years ago during the fall of Saigon.

747: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE is produced by Handel Productions in co-production with Arrow Media U.K. Canadian Screen Award-winners Alan Handel and Tom Brisley are executive producers.

MIGHTY PLANES: HEROIC HERCULES is produced by Exploration Production Inc. Gemini-Winner Kathryn Oughtred is Executive Producer.

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Set visit: Montreal the star of 19-2

Bravo’s cop drama 19-2 is jam-packed with a who’s-who of Canadian actors and actresses, from Jared Keeso (Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story) and Adrian Holmes (Continuum) to Mylène Dinh-Robic (The Listener) and Maxime Roy (Heartland), but they–along with showrunner/executive producer/writer Bruce Smith–all say the biggest role on the show is played by the city the show is set in: Montreal.

That point was driven home earlier this week when a small group of Canadian media–TV, Eh? included–were given exclusive access to the cast and crew while scenes for Season 2 were being filmed just off Parc Darlinton near Mont Royal. Dozens of crew bustled around the cramped quarters between two apartment buildings while a scene between Officer Nick Barron (Holmes) and a key figure from his past were filmed. Unlike Toronto, where residents would be kept far away from filming, those living in the apartments all around got a free show as they leaned over balcony railings to take it all in. It adds to the realism portrayed in the tense drama about the men and women who work for the Service Police Metropolitain.

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“There is a flavour about the province of Quebec,” Roy, a native of Rigaud, Que., says. “I think Montreal is like what New York City is to Sex and the City. There is a passionate side to Quebecers that you don’t find anywhere else and I think it’s reflected in the series, in the writing and in the characters.” She adds that having a Quebec crew ensures that their unique joie de vivre translates through the small screen.

“Cities like Toronto and Vancouver deserve to be the backdrop of series,” Montreal’s Dinh-Robic explains. “The Listener was great because it showcased Toronto just as 19-2 showcases Montreal as this beautiful, really dangerous, exciting place.”

Season 1 boasted several examples of all three, whether it was Officer Tyler Joseph (Benz Antoine) looking out over the sparkling city from Mont Royal and proclaiming it his mistress or–in the most shocking scene of the debut season–a group of anti-cop thugs brutally assaulting Officer Audrey Pouliot (Laurence Laboeuf) with baseball bats. And while that last offering is an extreme one, it does reflect the complicated relationship some Montrealers have with authority in general and the police in particular. It probably doesn’t help that Montreal is embroiled in real-life controversy at the moment, as cops are working under protest along with other city staff against a plan to cut their pensions.

“There is not that same respect for authority for police here in Montreal,” Keeso says candidly. “There is a history of protests and corruption and organized crime. We’ve been told by the police to put a coat on over our uniforms when we’re not working. I’ve been on the way to the set in my uniform and had people pull up next to me and just start screaming at me.

“For me, when I see a cop, I shut up,” Keeso continues. “But here when they see a cop it makes them want to lash out.”

Season 2 of 19-2 is tentatively set to return early next year.

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Transporter returns October 5

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From a media release:

Adrenaline-Fuelled Original Drama TRANSPORTER – THE SERIES Returns on The Movie Network and Movie Central, October 5

– Frank Spotnitz (THE X-FILES, STRIKE BACK, HUNTED) joins the series as showrunner and executive producer –
– Chris Vance (PRISON BREAK, DEXTER) returns as Frank Martin alongside new cast members Violante Placido (The American) and Mark Rendall (30 Days of Night) –

Frank Martin returns to deliver the package at any cost when TRANSPORTER – THE SERIES gears back into action for its second season. Premiering with two back-to-back episodes on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/MT on The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Movie Central (Western Canada), new episodes of the 12-part, one-hour original drama series transport audiences across the globe, from historic Prague to Morocco’s Sahara Desert to the streets of Toronto. Subsequent episodes premiere Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/MT.

Based on award-winning director Luc Besson’s Transporter film franchise, TRANSPORTER – THE SERIES is a France/Canada international co-production produced by Atlantique Productions and QVF Inc. in association with broadcast partners The Movie Network, Movie Central, and Super Écran in Canada, and M6 in France. The first season of TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES was the most-watched Canadian series on HBO Canada and the #3 Canadian Pay series overall in 2013.

Filmed in Morocco, the Czech Republic and Toronto, TRANSPORTER – THE SERIES second season follows Frank Martin (Chris Vance, PRISON BREAK, DEXTER) around the world as he delves deep into danger and mystery to deliver a diverse range of packages, from pop princesses to priceless paintings. As an ex-Special Forces operative, Frank has acquired the driving, fighting, and survival skills to make his deliveries on schedule, and never quits until he’s reached his final destination. In the season opener, Frank must protect and safely deliver a 12-year-old boy to a Rome courthouse to testify against his father’s killer.

Joining the cast this season are Canadian actor Mark Rendall (30 Days of Night) as Jules Faroux, a computer and mechanical whiz, and Italian actress Violante Placido (The American), as Caterina Boldieu, a former French intelligence officer who works for Frank as a strategist and risk assessor. Returning cast members include François Berléand (JUSQU’ICI TOUT VA BIEN) who reprises his role from the Transporter film franchise as Inspector Tarconi, a police inspector in Nice and Frank’s contact inside the system, and Charly Hübner (Unter Nachbarn) as Dieter Haussmann, Frank’s friend, confidante and the mastermind mechanic who outfits Frank’s car with the state-of-the art technology needed to get his jobs done.

Directors for Season 2 include Canadians Erik Canuel (19-2, FLASHPOINT, Bon Cop, Bad Cop) and Stefan Pleszczynski (MOTIVE, BEING HUMAN, FLASHPOINT).

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