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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Dramas and Comedies

The weird world of Kids in the Hall

From Sean O’Neal of AV Club:

10 episodes that take you inside the weird world of The Kids In The Hall
When The Kids In The Hall first premièred on HBO in 1989, it carried with it the pedigree—and the onus—of Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels. His executive-producer stamp on the Canadian comedy troupe’s introduction to America, combined with the sense of lawlessness granted by ad-free cable, set the expectation that Kids would be SNL’s more rambunctious cousin, the Toronto farm team that played a bit rougher than the broadcast big leagues. But audiences who tuned in expecting a slightly dirtier SNL—a skewering of the zeitgeist with more swears and nudity—were probably baffled to find a surrealist sketch series unlike anything U.S. viewers were then used to, particularly if they’d never caught Monty Python’s Flying Circus reruns on PBS. Continue reading.

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Call Me Fitz

Kim Cattrall comedy among The Movie Network/Movie Central new productions

From a media release:

The Movie Network and Movie Central Announce 2013 Production Slate

Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) are pleased to announce the original series, comedy specials and documentaries that have been greenlit for production in 2013. The line-up includes the new half-hour comedy series, Sensitive Skin, slated to begin shooting in Toronto in October; returning stand-up series Funny as Hell; and documentaries Fanarchists: The Fan Film Phenomenon; Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story; Hip Hop Evolution and The DNA of GSP.

The new and returning series and documentaries greenlit for 2013 join previously announced projects slated to air this fall, including the fourth season of the popular and acclaimed half-hour comedy Call Me Fitz and the inaugural season of six-part documentary series Reelside.

In addition to these original series, specials and documentaries, The Movie Network and Movie Central continue to support the best in Canadian film. Notable up-coming films include Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes from Young Ghouls, The F Word from Mike Dowse, Atom Egoyan’s Queen of the Night, Jason Priestley’s Cas and Dylan, Enemy from Denis Villeneuve and Escape from Tehran from Larry Weinstein and Drew Taylor.

New Canadian original productions from The Movie Network and Movie Central for 2013:

Sensitive Skin (6 x 30 min; comedy)
Kim Cattrall returns to television in this half-hour comedy that revolves around a woman going through a mid-life crisis. Based on the acclaimed UK series, Sensitive Skin also stars Don McKellar, who will also direct. The series will be written by Bob Martin and produced by Rhombus Media. Series slated to begin shooting in Toronto in October and will air in 2014.

Funny As Hell – Season 4 (10 x 30 min; comedy)
Produced by Just for Laughs Television, Funny As Hell is back for a hell of a fourth season. The half-hour comedy series mixes daring stand-up featuring some of the funniest rising stars in comedy, with musical comedy and digital shorts. Hosted by Jon Dore, Season 4 will be filmed during the 2013 Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and will air in 2014.

Fanarchists: The Fan Film Phenomenon (1 x 90 min; documentary)
Directed by Donna Davies and produced by Ruby Tree Films (Nightmare Factory), Fanarchists delves in to the world of amateur-made films that play in the shadows of Hollywoods’ greatest creations. Armed with the latest technology, rogue films fans take media into their own hands, jeopardizing Hollywood’s place as the driving force in popular culture. Production scheduled to begin in summer of 2013.

Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story (1 x 90 min; documentary)
From director/producer Barry Avrich comes the extraordinary story of the larger than legendary Bob Guccione. Visionary, public-relations master, recluse and self-destructive optimist, Avrich tracks Guccione from the pinnacle of power and wealth as publisher of Penthouse to his spectacular fall into personal debt in the tens of millions of dollars. Production is complete, with a broadcast tentatively slated for fall 2013.

Hip Hop Evolution (2 x 90 min; documentary)
Produced by the renowned team at Banger Films (Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage; Metal Evolution), Hip Hop Evolution follows critically acclaimed MC and hip-hop scholar Shad as he realizes every hip-hop fan’s dream: a global journey through hip hop’s superstar artists, producers and moguls to unravel the music’s complex DNA. Production slated to begin in summer 2013.

The DNA of GSP (1 x 90 min; documentary)
The action-packed life story of Canadian Georges St-Pierre (GSP), UFC World Welterweight Champion and one of the most high-profile athletes in the world. Currently in production, The DNA of GSP is directed by Peter Svatek and Kristian Manchester and produced as a co-venture between Triplex Films, Upside Up Media Group and Jimmy Lee.

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Dramas and Comedies

Ruby Skye PI webseries picked up by CBC

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From a media release:

AWARD-WINNING DIGITAL SERIES, RUBY SKYE P.I. ENTERS MULTI-PLATFORM DEAL WITH CBC FOR WINTER 2014 BROADCAST AND DIGITAL PREMIERE

Series Eyes U.S. Expansion

Digital media producer Story 2.OH inks an exclusive multi- platform deal with CBC for the broadcast and digital premiere of multi-award-winning teen/tween detective mystery series, RUBY SKYE P.I. for winter 2014. From creator, Jill Golick and her Toronto- based production shingle Story 2.OH the new digital series eyes international expansion into the U.S, led by Seiffert Media Advisors, as the show enters production of its’ third season this fall.

Fast-paced and funny mystery series RUBY SKYE P.I. follows smart, stubborn, and quick-thinking, teenage detective Ruby Skye (Madison Cheeatow), as she finds her way into the middle of the most baffling mysteries. With reluctant help from tech-savvy sister Hailey (Marlee Maslove), Ruby often lands in hot water before finding herself en route to a magnificent solution.

“CBC is quickly emerging as a front-runner in digital innovation,” says Kim Wilson, Creative Head of Children’s and Youth Programming. “We’re proud to be contributing to innovative new multi-platform initiatives with the incorporation of web-based series Ruby Skye P.I. to Kids’ CBC.”

The entire series will premiere online at Kids’ CBC in winter 2014, followed by broadcasts on CBC-TV. Between episodes, the audience can participate online through a host of activities, allowing viewers to solve the mystery along with trusted sleuth Ruby. The CBC multi-platform deal acts as a catalyst for the series overarching strategy to build RUBY SKYE P.I. into a valuable international cross-platform franchise.

“The sky is the limit for Ruby,” says Jill Golick, creator of Ruby Skye P.I. “We are thrilled to be partnering with CBC, and with a robust audience including over 2.5 million views and thousands of fans, Ruby is ready to go international, across multiple digital platforms.”

“Ruby Skye represents premium video content at its best,” said Alan Seiffert, President of Seiffert Media Advisors. “Teens and parents demand authentic, smart, and fun stories, and they want to access them across all media platforms. Ruby Skye P.I. delivers on all counts, and we are excited about bringing this ground-breaking series to U.S. television and digital screens next year.”

Ruby Skye P.I. is produced by Story 2.OH and was created by interactive storyteller, Jill Golick. Janice Dawe, Swing Media, joins the series in Season 3 as an Executive Producer. The series is produced with the participation of The Independent Production Fund (IPF) and made possible with the support of The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC). Ruby Skye P.I. is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Banff “Rockie;” a Parent’s Choice Silver Honour; Youth Media Alliance Award of Excellence; Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award; the New York Television Festival’s Best Family Pilot and the 2013 LAWebFest’s Grand Jury Prize.

Get more Ruby Skye P.I. online at:

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Battle of the Blades, Cracked, Dragons' Den, Featured, Heartland, Murdoch Mysteries, Package Deal, Played, Republic of Doyle, Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Examining the fall season of CanCon

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Broadcasters have had their upfront presentations and announced their fall primetime seasons, so now we can get the microscope out to look at their Canadian offerings. (In the case of Global, an electron microscope may be needed.) I am, as usual, only including scripted and reality shows, so excluding news, sports, newsmagazines, specials, movies, documentary series or infotainment series.

CBC

I wanted to write a post about CBC’s 2013/14 season when they launched it, but it would have been nearly identical to what I wrote for 2012/13: this isn’t the public broadcaster I want. The upcoming year shows minimal risk, aiming for middle-of-the-road appeal, a renewal of everything that moves despite ratings, no new scripted series, and a foreign import for prime time — more egregiously, they felt the need to import a cop show when those comprise a large percentage of Canada’s gross domestic product.

However, what I said last year is more true this year: CBC is in a difficult place financially and politically (Executive Director for commissioned and scripted programming Sally Catto gave us a candid interview about how the budget cuts have affected programming). And some of their mid-season TV movies and mini-series seem promising. And at least their slate of CanCon is visible to the naked eye.

CanCon scripted and reality series for fall primetime:

  • Battle of the Blades (1 hour)
  • Cracked (1 hour)
  • Dragons’ Den (1 hour)
  • Heartland (1 hour)
  • Murdoch Mysteries (1 hour)
  • Republic of Doyle (1 hour)
  • Rick Mercer Report (1/2 hour)
  • 22 Minutes (1/2 hour)

Total: 7 hours

City

With less market penetration than the others, City is often the poor cousin in terms of Canadian series as well. This year, their fall season has more than the other private networks if you count those that will air first on specialty network OLN. Which I don’t quite, except maybe half marks for effort. They gave Seed a surprise renewal for 2014 — the ratings didn’t entirely justify it, but perhaps they’ll experiment with a different timeslot or find other ways to grow the audience that shrank last year — and have Mother Up and Meet The Family on the horizon for mid-season.

I have mixed feelings about the scheduling of their one true original fall show, Package Deal. The premiere date has been pushed back more than once; they seem to have landed on airing it on June 24 as last announced but then delaying the rest of the season for a fall run. They used the “because, hockey” excuse for two delays, which make them seem like the only Canadians unaware of the playoffs. But I do admire them for breaking away from the model of summer season being the safe season for CanCon, and for putting their new multi-camera comedy between two US multi-camera comedies (single-cam Seed’s old spot between How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls, but without the draw of a Big Bang Theory rerun at the same time to pilfer viewers).

CanCon scripted and reality series for fall primetime:

  • Package Deal (1/2 hour)
  • The Liquidator (OLN first run – 1 hour)
  • The Project: Guatemala (OLN first run – 1 hour)
  • Storage Wars Canada (OLN first run – 1/2 hour)

Total: 1/2 hour or if I’m generous, 3 hours

CTV

As CTV bragged in their 2013/14 launch media release, “In total, CTV’s fall schedule features 17.5 hours of simulcast programming weekly, more than any other Canadian network.” So you know the CanCon news isn’t great. Apparently Bell Media president Kevin Crull has said he can see a time soon when in-season primetime will be 25% Canadian, but that time is not now. The network has announced one CanCon series launching in fall this year — Played (I will imagine your surprise that it’s another cop show) — while MasterChef Canada was announced for mid-season (I’ll imagine your surprise that it’s another Reality Show X Canada format) and Motive is renewed for a second season.

CanCon scripted and reality series for fall primetime:

  • Played (1 hour)

Total: 1 hour

Global

Coming off their cancellation of Bomb Girls, Global announced two new scripted series slated for mid-season: hospital drama Remedy and comedy Working the Engels. But alone among the major networks, they have no Canadian scripted or reality shows added to their fall schedule.

CanCon scripted and reality series for fall primetime:

  • Nothing (0 hours)
  • Yup, apparently really nothing (0 hours)
  • They do have Walk the Walk on Saturday nights — a documentary series about Canada’s Walk of Fame — but I’m not including anyone else’s documentary series (or Saturday nights as primetime) so this shouldn’t count. But I’m throwing them a bone.

Total: 0 hours. No I’m not generous enough to include Walk the Walk‘s 1 hour here.

For an at-a-glance chart of Canadian networks’ fall season, check out The TV Addict’s Definitive Fall 2013 Primetime TV Schedule (Canadian edition).

Photo by Cameron Archer

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Continuum

New Sunday: Continuum

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Continuum, Showcase – “Second Degree”
Kiera and Carlos discover that a Juror on Julian’s trial has been compromised and must race to protect his family from a Liber8 plot. Alec is torn between telling the truth at his brother’s trial or protecting his mother. Emily reveals she is more than just a pretty face.

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