TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1472
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

Tonight: Orphan Black season 2 premiere on CTV, CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival

Orphan-Black-Iconic-Poster_BBC-AMERICA

Orphan Black, CTV – “Nature Under Constraint and Vexed”
In the Season 2 premiere of Space original series ORPHAN BLACK, Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) is out of options, on the run, and pursued by deadly adversaries. Desperate to find her daughter Kira (Skyler Wexler, ALPHAS), Sarah’s scorched-earth tactics spark a war with “pro-clone” Rachel (Maslany).

CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival
A Dore to Winnipeg – What happens when one of North America’s top comics chronicles his every move at one of North America’s top comedy arts festivals? Find out when we go door-to-door with Dore. Comedian Jon Dore makes a not-so-triumphant return to The Winnipeg Comedy Festival in this outrageous mockumentary.

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Hugh Dillon toplines CBC’s Camp X

GemCBC

From a media release:

CBC and Temple Street Productions announce the start of production on the highly-anticipated original series CAMP X, shooting on location in Budapest, Hungary until the end of the October. The eight-episode, one-hour series is set to air in early 2015.

CAMP X is an emotionally driven adventure drama, set in the thrilling and dangerous world of WWII espionage and covert operations. It follows the stories of a team of highly skilled young recruits – Canadian, American and British – torn from their ordinary lives to train as agents in an ultra-secret facility on the shores of Lake Ontario. Inspired by remarkable true stories, CAMP X is about the origin of spycraft.

“We are excited to bring life to this captivating story that weaves pieces of Canada’s history into a rich and dramatic narrative,” said Sally Catto, general manager of programming, CBC.  “We are encouraged by the strong caliber of talent that has banded together to create CAMP X and can’t wait for its premiere this winter.”

The series’ international ensemble cast includes Evelyne Brochu (Orphan Black, Pawn Sacrifice) as AURORA – half Jewish-German, half French-Canadian, a trilingual strategist and undercover specialist; Jack Laskey (Endeavour, Hatfields and McCoys) as ALFRED, a gentle soul with synesthesia – a condition that cross-wires one sense with another, giving him near-perfect memory; Warren Brown (Luther, By Any Means) as NEIL, an English ex-copper specializing in weapons and combat who lost his family to the Blitz; Dustin Milligan (Demonic, 90210) as TOM, a Madison Avenue advertising wunderkind, intimately familiar with the mechanics of persuasion, propaganda and seduction; and Connor Price (Being Human, Carrie) as HARRY, the team’s radio operator, explosives specialist and gadgeteer.

Teaming up again with Ellis & Morgenstern is Hugh Dillon (Flashpoint, The Killing) as the Camp’s beating heart and clenched fist, DUNCAN SINCLAIR.

Rounding out the CAMP X cast are Lara Jean Chorostecki (Hannibal, Copper) as KRYSTINA, the bright, motor-mouthed young woman who oversees the all-female staff at Camp X’s state-of-the-art communications facility, and special guest Francois Arnaud (The Borgias) appears as RENÉ.

“CAMP X is a story we’ve been burning to tell for a long time.  It’s incredibly powerful to see it take shape in the hands of so many talented people,” says creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern.

“We’re tremendously excited to be working with Mark and Stephanie to bring this incredible project to life,” says Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier, executive producers and co-Presidents of Temple Street. “Don’t mistake this series for a history lesson or a stodgy period drama – it’s an exciting and compelling show, filled with spies, sabotage, action, tragedy and triumph, grounded in an incredibly rich and engaging piece of history (of which little has been told) and set against the backdrop of World War II and German-occupied France. And we’ve managed to assemble the world-class cast and crew needed to do the stories justice.”

CAMP X is a Canadian-Hungarian co-production, produced by Temple Street Productions and co-produced by Pioneer Stillking Films and commissioned by CBC. CAMP X was created and written by multi-award winning Mark Ellis & Stephanie Morgenstern and is executive produced by Ellis & Morgenstern, Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier, and Bill Haber of Ostar Productions.

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Amazing Race Canada hits 2.25 million

From a media release:

THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Hits Midway Checkpoint with Season High 2.25 Million Viewers on CTV

  • THE AMAZING RACE CANADA and AFTER THE RACE were #1 and #2 programs for the night, respectively, among total viewers and all key demos
  • Midseason after-show special AFTER THE RACE delivers 1.07 million viewers
  • Next week: The Race goes international again as teams cross the Atlantic to Normandy, France and get up close and personal with Canadian history

The #1 program of the summer THE AMAZING RACE CANADA continued its sizzling run last night, checking in at the mid-season mark with a season-high overnight preliminary audience of 2.25 million viewers on CTV. Overall, 4 million unique viewers watched some part of the episode, which peaked at 2.6 million viewers before Jon Montgomery revealed that Rex and Bob were the fifth team eliminated from the Race. Immediately following the episode, the mid-season after-show special AFTER THE RACE, hosted by TSN’s James Duthie and featuring all five eliminated teams so far, delivered 1.07 million viewers, ranking as the #2 most-watched program of the night. Midway through its second blockbuster season, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is the most-watched television program in Canada with an average audience of 2.6 million viewers (final data).

Also to note, according to Numeris (BBM Canada) preliminary data:
THE AMAZING RACE CANADA overwhelmingly won Tuesday among total viewers, A25-54, A18-49, and A18-34 nationally.
Last night’s episode was up versus a week ago nationally with all demos: total viewers (+14%), A18-49 (+9%), A25-54 (+20%), and A18-34 (+17%)

Last night’s episode led the night among total viewers and key demos (A25-54, A18-49) in all markets.

In both Toronto and Vancouver, the episode also delivered new season high overnight audiences with the key A25-54 demo, with a rating of 7.0 and 4.5, respectively.

Last night’s episode will encore this week on TSN (Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 9 p.m. PT, Thursday, Aug. 14 at 12 a.m. ET, and Friday, Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT), TSN2 (Thursday, Aug.14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), and CTV and CTV GO (Saturday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Sunday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. ET/PT – and is also now available on demand at CTV GO. All-new episodes of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO.

To see more of the race, including the Extended Mat Chat with last night’s eliminated team Rex and Bob, sneak peeks, special moments from The Race and more visit CTV.ca/RaceExtras.

Next Week:
Racers cross the Atlantic to Normandy, France, where the Detour leaves teams horsing around (Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO). A relentless Roadblock dilutes some teams’ chances of winning, but when they come face-to-face with Canadian history, racers pause to remember the fallen.

The six remaining teams competing for the biggest grand prize in Canadian television history are:

Pierre and Michel – Twin Brothers, Montreal
Alain and Audrey – Dating, Montreal
Mickey and Pete – Best Friends, Muskoka, Ont.
Sukhi and Jinder – Siblings, Terrace, B.C.
Natalie and Meaghan – Teammates, Scarborough, Ont. and Calgary
Ryan and Rob – Co-Workers, Vancouver

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AMI’s Four Senses to return for second season

Carl and Christine

From a media release:

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) announced today that its cooking show with an accessibility twist, Four Senses, will begin production on season two in the fall. Additionally, episodes from season one are now available on Air Canada domestic flights. Four Senses is a unique food show produced by AMI in conjunction with Varner Productions Limited that unites blind and sighted chefs in the kitchen. Hosts Christine Ha and Carl Heinrich are back for season two to whip up delicious dishes with a new lineup of celebrity guests. Each 30-minute show will also include discussions related to eye disease and accessibility tips and tools for independence in the kitchen. Season two begins production in Toronto on September 12 and will feature high profile celebrity chefs and guests including: Frank Ferragine (aka Frankie Flowers), Bonnie Stern, Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, Annabelle Waugh from Canadian Living and Looney Spoons authors and cooking aficionados, Janet and Greta Podleski. Season two will once again contain embedded description, where hosts and guests describe their surroundings and actions for audience members who are blind or partially sighted. “We are so pleased to bring back Four Senses after the overwhelmingly positive response to season one,” says Brian Perdue, Director of Programming for AMI-tv. “It’s a show unlike any other that appeals to a broad audience. Christine and Carl are back with a whole new set of guests, recipes and kitchen tips, all with a focus on accessibility in line with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians.” Additionally, Varner Productions and AMI are pleased to announce the sale of season one of Four Senses to Air Canada for inflight entertainment on domestic flights throughout August and September. Four Senses producer Anne-Marie Varner is thrilled by the success of the program to date. “It’s wonderful to see a show about cooking and accessibility generating such interest and positivity amongst people of all abilities,” she says. “We’re looking forward to reaching a whole new audience through our partnership with Air Canada, and carrying that momentum forward as we begin production on the exciting new season.” Season two of Four Senses will air on AMI-tv in January, 2015.

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