TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1532
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

Bitten and Seed picked up by US networks

From Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter:

Syfy Acquires Canadian Werewolf Drama ‘Bitten’
Based on the best-selling novels Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong, the supernatural thriller stars Smallville’s Laura Vandervoort as Elena Michaels, the lone female werewolf in existence. The 13-episode drama will unspool on Syfy — and Bell Media’s Space network in Canada — in 2014. Continue reading.

From Greg David of TV Guide Canada:

The CW picks up Canadian ‘Seed’
We weren’t sure if Seed would be planted for another season in Canada, but not only will it return for Season 2, it’s growing. City and Entertainment One confirmed they are spreading Seed south of the border, now that The CW has picked up the rights to broadcast Season 1 of the Canadian sitcom.
Continue reading.

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New Wednesday: The Making of Blackstone

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The Making of Blackstone, APTN
Get a behind the scenes perspective from those who create Blackstone. This one-off documentary is an intimate showcase of the writer, director, and executive producer Ron E. Scott, along with the cast and crew. From the writing, to visual style, to characters and unique on set Aboriginal culture, experience the authenticity of the people that make this award-winning series happen.

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Murdoch Mysteries premieres September 30

MurdochMyst

From a media release:

MURDOCH MYSTERIES RETURNS THIS FALL FOR A TANTALIZING NEW SEASON ON CBC TELEVISION

The all-new seventh season of MURDOCH MYSTERIES airs Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) beginning September 30

Returning to CBC Television this fall for a dramatic seventh season is the number-one Canadian murder mystery, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, beginning on Monday, September 30 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT). In a new season full of surprises, Detective Murdoch continues to unravel the city’s most devious murder mysteries all while elevating his romance with Dr. Julia Ogden to new heights.

Click here to view a sneak peek of MURDOCH MYSTERIES Season Seven.

In the season premiere, Murdoch Ahoy, Murdoch and his team find themselves aboard a state-of-the-art steamship for its maiden voyage at the request of ship-owner Clarence MacFarlane. Worried about jealous competitors and wild anarchists, MacFarlane wants to ensure his guests — a selection of Toronto’s high and mighty — are safe. But their smooth sailing hits the rocks when MacFarlane’s daughter goes missing and it’s suspected she has gone overboard. The investigation turns chaotic and precarious as Murdoch finds himself unscrambling myriad lies and unexpected dangers on the ship. Will Murdoch and his team make it safely to land, or will the ship‘s inaugural voyage be its last?

Murdoch Ahoy was filmed aboard the only remaining Edwardian passenger steamship in the world, the S.S. Keewatin, which is now moored in Port McNicoll, Ontario. Built five years before the RMS Titanic, the S.S. Keewatin utilizes similar machinery, including a quadruple-expansion steam engine and Scotch boilers.

In season seven, Detective Murdoch crosses paths with famous figures, including Thomas Edison and Guglielmo Marconi, against a backdrop of historical events including the assassination of American President William McKinley and the death of Queen Victoria. Murdoch and his team investigate some of their most challenging cases to date as they probe an apparent zombie invasion, encounter the early days of “talkies” and the motion picture industry, and explore the dangerous underbelly of competitive sports.

Set in Toronto in the early 1900s, MURDOCH MYSTERIES explores the world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a dashing detective who uses inventive forensic techniques for the time to solve some of the city’s most gruesome crimes. Murdoch’s colleagues include Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris); Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig); feisty pathologist Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly); and the love of his life, pathologist-turned-psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), a staunch supporter who shares the detective’s fascination with science and innovation.

Watch MURDOCH MYSTERIES, Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) beginning September 30.

Want more MURDOCH MYSTERIES?
Go behind the scenes of hit drama series MURDOCH MYSTERIES for an exclusive inside look at the making of season seven with Making Murdoch, a digital mini-series available each week on the CBC player. Making Murdoch includes interviews with the cast, crew, writers and producers who bring the show to life, and insight into the history, characters, inventions, costumes, props and storylines featured in the new season.

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The Amazing Race Canada announces winner and second season

From a media release:

Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. Win First Ever THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

Race On! CTV Orders Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

Get ready to race again, Canada! Following tonight’s dramatic season finale of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA which ultimately saw Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. win the race following a game-changing Road Block, host Jon Montgomery announced on behalf of CTV that the ratings blockbuster has been green-lit for a second season. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the live, one-hour reunion special, AFTER THE RACE, produced in front of a studio audience direct from CTV’s Queen St. headquarters in Toronto. Auditions for Season 2 of #RaceCDA will be open later this fall. Fans are encouraged to visit www.CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada and the CTV Facebook page for audition details as they become available, and follow @AmazingRaceCDA for the all the latest updates and information.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and honour to participate in the first ever THE AMAZING RACE CANADA,” said Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. “Coming away having won this incredible title we hope that our accomplishment is inspiring to any who suffer chronic disease or hardship. Our sincere desire is that you find hope in dark days, strength for the task at hand and courage to face the road ahead. Keep fighting!”

“Auditions for Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA will open later this fall,” said host Jon Montgomery via satellite from outside the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. “So hurry up, get your partner, and start thinking about your audition video.”

Canada’s most-watched program of the summer and the #2 program of the entire broadcast year, the blockbuster, record-breaking, fan-favourite THE AMAZING RACE CANADA raced ahead of the pack with an average audience of 3.3 million viewers each week. The smash-hit, original series vaulted into the record books earlier this summer as the biggest debut on record for a series in Canada (3.5 million viewers), and has kept pace ever since.

The Season 1 action continues on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. ET, with the digital companion series INSIDE THE RACE WITH BLACKBERRY. Hosted by Danielle McGimsie (@MissDMcG) and Teddy Wilson (@TeddyWilson), this final episode of the year features the Season 1 winners as they look back at their cross-country journey and reflect on the emotional rollercoaster in the final Toronto leg of the race. Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. walk McGimsie and Wilson through all the pivotal moments of their race, including the Flags and Flowers Road Block which became the final key step to winning the half-million dollar grand prize – one quarter of a million dollars in cold hard cash, plus two 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays, and the opportunity for two to fly free for a year anywhere Air Canada flies worldwide (175 destinations) in Executive First Class.

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Played premieres October 3

From a media release:

Thursday’s Secret Weapon: CTV’s Original Undercover Cop Drama PLAYED Premieres Oct. 3

Money. Guns. Cars. Drugs. Thursday night gets a dose of suspense this fall with the premiere of CTV’s compelling new original undercover cop drama PLAYED. Launching with CTV’s biggest promotional investment of any other network priority this fall, PLAYED joins CTV’s blockbuster Thursday night line-up at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning Oct. 3 (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). And with a goal of driving awareness of the new series ahead of its debut, CTV announced today it will sample the emotion and tension-filled premiere with a one-week sneak peek, exclusively at CTV.ca, on the CTV App, and the CTV Mobile Channel on Bell Mobile TV, beginning Thursday, Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. ET.

PLAYED follows the Covert Investigations Unit (C.I.U.), an elite, Toronto-based undercover police unit formed to infiltrate criminal worlds. In nerve-wracking confidence games or “plays,” these smooth-talking cops flirt with killers, befriend gang members, and arrange gun shipments – all to collect evidence, coax confessions, and make arrests.

In PLAYED, the C.I.U. team faces the risks of going undercover to infiltrate, and bring down, criminal organizations. With the new style of short-term, high-intensity undercover work, each covert “play” is crafted quickly and executed at an even faster pace. Placed into various worlds of crime without a safety net, the cops are in constant danger. Wearing wires, coaxing confessions, and setting up stings, the cops of the C.I.U. must think quickly, talk smoothly, and rely on pure instinct. If these cops aren’t convincing, if they aren’t real, if they miss one cue – their lives are over in an instant. They slip in and out of characters so often, they sometimes lose track of who they really are. The bonds within the team are close, and the conflicts are intense. The team is everything.

The talented and instinct-driven Detective John Moreland (Gemini Award-nominee Vincent Walsh, DECEPTION, LOST GIRL) is used to being in charge, but when consummate strategist Rebecca Ellis (Chandra West, NYPD BLUE, JOHN FROM CINCINNATI) is suddenly given the reigns, conflict ensues. Balancing her keen intellect against his from-the-hip instincts, Rebecca and John need each other to pull off their risky plays – and they know it.

In the heart-pounding premiere, entitled “Drugs” (Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, and in a digital preview beginning Thursday, Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. ET across CTV digital platforms), undercover detective John Moreland (Walsh) faces suspension after assaulting a Drug Squad officer. He gets a second chance when Detective Sergeant Rebecca Ellis (West) recruits Moreland and his team into her newly formed Covert Investigations Unit. The C.I.U.’s first case is to take down David Thorpe (Serge Houde, 50/50), an elusive drug kingpin Moreland has been hunting for years. Rebecca’s leadership and her fragile relationship with Moreland are severely tested when Thorpe suspects that Moreland is a cop.

Set and shot in Toronto, the high-risk drama also stars Lisa Marcos (THE LISTENER, FLASHPOINT) as Maria Cortez, a cop who has an exceptional ability to read a mark and transform herself to adapt to any situation; Dwain Murphy (COMBAT HOSPITAL, NIKITA) as Daniel Price, whose confidence and magnetic warmth easily dispels suspicion; Agam Darshi (SANCTUARY, RING OF FIRE) as Khali Bhatt, whose effortless skill with technology is a real asset for the team; and Adam Butcher (REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, BOMB GIRLS) as Jesse Calvert, the undercover unit’s explosive rookie.

PLAYED is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. in association with Bell Media. The series was created by Greg Nelson (SAVING HOPE, ROOKIE BLUE), and developed in association with executive producers Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell (DURHAM COUNTY, BOMB GIRLS). Greg Nelson serves as executive producer and is co-showrunner with Adrienne Mitchell who also directed the pilot episode. Other episode directors include: Charles Binamé (CYBERBULLY), Kelly Makin (FLASHPOINT), Bradley Walsh (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Andy Mikita (BITTEN), Rachel Talalay (BOMB GIRLS), and Jerry Ciccoritti (LIVES OF SAINTS). The director of photography is Thom Best (THE BRIDGE), and the production designer is Aidan Leroux (BOMB GIRLS).

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