Industry Update – The cast and creator of Satisfaction

June 6, 2013 Cameron

As Satisfaction was one of the two Canadian shows participating in the 2013 CTV Upfront Press Conference, I had the opportunity to speak to castmembers Luke Macfarlane, Leah Renee, and Ryan Belleville, plus showrunner/creator Tim McAuliffe:

How will Satisfaction differ from CTV’s previous series, Hiccups and Dan for Mayor?

Tim McAuliffe: Well, it’s funny. I wrote for Dan for Mayor for a brief period of time, and briefly for Corner Gas as well. We actually have Gabrielle Miller on our show. I think [Satisfaction] is different in that it’s skewing a little younger … This is a story about people living in the city, in their twenties.

How worried are you about ratings? Dan for Mayor and Hiccups both debuted to an audience of around two million viewers; the audiences dwindled to around half a million by the end of their second seasons.

McAuliffe: Worry about the ratings? Yeah, I’m super worried.

Leah Renee: I always worry about the ratings!

Ryan Belleville: Well, the sign of a good showrunner is, of course, he’s always worried about the ratings. He’s also worried about the paint fillers being used on his sets; he’s worried about new scripts. [McAuliffe] has non-stop worries going on. I mean, there’s really nothing you can do. It’s a really funny show, and I think people will like it. It’s nice to have an urban comedy about young people in Canada. It’s a really refreshing thing, I found. We just have to hope people will agree with us.

Renee:Â We all just got to see some cuts of the show. … We all saw two episodes just the other day and they were really funny, you guys. They were really funny. I was laughing out loud, and I was like, “I was a part of this, and I’m laughing!” I think we’re all a little worried, but at the same time, I’m not, really. I feel like [Satisfaction‘s] going to be good.

Big Brother Canada, Featured, Top Chef Canada

The trend: Reality Show X Canada

June 6, 2013 Diane Wild 3 Comments

By Graeme Stewart

Shaw Media’s 2013/14 slates includes a robust line-up of both new and original Canadian series for the upcoming broadcast year. What’s become abundantly clear over the last few years is that Canadian television is embracing reality content in a big way. Obvious renewals for shows like Big Brother Canada and Top Chef Canada rounded out a list that also included several auction shows and some new scripted series. Bell has ordered Masterchef Canada. While it’s great to see a healthy amount of Canadian shows getting the green light, I can’t help feeling a little underwhelmed by the orders.

The slew of reality television set to hit Canadian airwaves this year is understandable – the selected shows are low-cost, high-reward concepts that can easily translate across international borders. The problem, however, is that this focus takes us away from where we should be as a country that prides itself on our culture. Furthermore, it compounds the Canadian television industry’s reputation as significantly risk-averse.

The merits of reality television have been debated in the North American media since Survivor, itself a Swedish import, debuted in 1997 on CBS. I can’t argue against the economic choice to develop a higher reality slate. Import or otherwise these programs have a proven ability to draw in audiences, advertising, and are cheaply produced. I can also see the narrative value inherent in a cross country collection of characters of ranging absurdity. It can be a pleasure to step out of your respective province and watch a young Montreal chef competing against the best of the country in Top Chef Canada, or a Calgary cowboy playing Godfather against a Nova Scotian schoolteacher and Toronto drag-queen in Big Brother Canada. The entertainment value is high, and we’ve proven that Canadian reality TV can be just as exciting and engaging as the content produced by our Southern neighbours.

These shows have proven themselves as guaranteed hits time and time again across all borders. The problem, then, lies in the lack of new ideas and concepts we see from our Canadian broadcasters. With international co-productions like Orphan Black and Vikings adding a heightened level of production value, writing, and acting to Canadian line-ups, is there anyone seriously asking for Storage Wars Canada?

Every show can’t be a hit. The bottled lightning combination of Orphan Black‘s international success, high-concept creativity, and critical acclaim, for instance, is rare and difficult to match. Shows like this should inspire confidence and the willingness to pursue a raised bar. They should stand in stark defiance of the easy to produce reality imports that are, at their worst, now serving as crutches to round out Canadian content.

The Golden Age of Television has largely bypassed the Canadian market, but unnecessarily so. I hope that with next year’s network slates the bar is raised a little higher than a collection of low-concept reality shows, and that the original content we can look forward to is slightly elevated beyond hospital, legal, and cop procedurals. It’s time we take ownership of the storytelling potential our nation holds in great reserves, and to translate that potential into shows that demand attention and can join the upper echelon of television production.

Masterchef Canada

CTV orders Masterchef Canada

June 6, 2013 Diane Wild

From a media release:

Get Cooking Canada! CTV Orders MASTERCHEF CANADA

Sizzling cook-off competition series ordered for winter 2014 debut on CTV

CTV has ordered MASTERCHEF CANADA, a Canadian version of the smash hit international format, it was announced today in advance of the #CTVUpfront. MASTERCHEF CANADA becomes the 42nd local production of the iconic format to launch. Ordered for a winter 2014 debut, CTV has commissioned Proper Television to produce the series in Canada, with production to begin this fall.

The new commission was brokered with CTV by Tania Jacobson, Senior Vice President of Sales for Canada at Shine International, the worldwide distributor of MASTERCHEF. Shine Americaâ€™s Paul Franklin will serve as a Creative Consultant.

Fans are encouraged to visit CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada and follow @MasterChefCDA for further details.

Demonstrating Canadian viewersâ€™ hunger for the format, MASTERCHEF CANADA follows consecutive seasons of explosive growth of CTVâ€™s most-watched summer series, MASTERCHEF, currently airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. Showing growth and momentum throughout the season, MASTERCHEF ended the summer as the #1 program on CTV, and the #2 program overall in Canada among all key advertiser demos.

As a result, CTV will announce later today the acquisition of JUNIOR MASTERCHEF, to premiere this fall. The culinary competition series for talented kids between the ages of 8 and 13 who love to cook will air on family-friendly Friday nights at 8 p.m. on CTV.

Following unprecedented advertiser demand for THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, CTV will now begin working with advertisers on potential product integration, customized activations, and original branded content opportunities. MASTERCHEF CANADA is ideal for innovative brand extensions and various in-show integrations throughout its inaugural season.

Canada is a food-crazy country with some of the most culturally diverse communities in the world. Each evening, Canadians of all ages, genders, occupations, and regional lines concoct vastly different dinner menus â€“ from Indian, Innuit, and Italian, to Chinese, Ukrainian, French-Canadian, Jamaican, and more. Now, MASTERCHEF CANADA promises to set a place at the table for competitive Canadian cooks.

MASTERCHEF CANADA provides an opportunity for Canadian amateur chefs to develop their culinary skills as they compete for the MASTERCHEF CANADA title. Following the traditional MASTERCHEF format, MASTERCHEF CANADAâ€™s initial rounds consist of a number of hopefuls from across the country individually “auditioning” by presenting a food dish to the judges to gain one of the coveted semifinalist spots. Competitors must be true amateurs who are in it for the love of food. The semi-finalists then compete in several challenges which test their food knowledge and preparation skills. The judges whittle down the contestants through a number of individual and team-based cooking challenges and weekly elimination rounds, until a winning MASTERCHEF is crowned.

Casting for the Canadian judges and amateur chefs for #MasterChefCDA will be announced in the coming months at CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada.

MASTERCHEF is noted as one of the worldâ€™s most successful primetime entertainment formats. Now produced locally in over 40 countries, the series is watched in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Dramas and Comedies, Featured, Industry News, Package Deal, Seed

Industry Update – Rogers Media/City 2013 Upfront

June 5, 2013 Cameron

Rogers Media’s 2013 upfront was held June 4, 2013, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Before the upfront, Rogers announced the renewal of Seed, as well as the rescheduling of Package Deal to fall 2013. This stuff you already know, so I won’t waste time typing about it.

The interviews started shortly after 2:30 PM ET. Surprisingly, five of the seven interview segments focused on Canadian shows. Seed and Package Deal featured cast interviews, though a majority of Seed‘s questions were answered by executive producer Mark Farrell and star Adam Korson. Eva Longoria was on hand for Mother Up! Also interviewed were the cast of OLN/City’s Storage Wars Canada, and Ray Zahab from OLN/City’s The Project: Guatemala. Rounding out the bill were James Wolk from The Crazy Ones, and Lauren Ash from Super Fun Night.

The Score, which joined the Sportsnet family as soon as the CRTC approved Rogers’ takeover of the channel, will become Sportsnet 360 on July 1. This doesn’t mean The Score is dead – the website and mobile businesses Score Digital owns still carry The Score’s lineage, and name.

Rogers promised Sportsnet 360 would retain The Score’s personality, and I hope Sportsnet 360 makes the cut. I just hope it doesn’t become a clearinghouse for Sportsnet 590 The Fan simulcasts. It’s nice Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro are back on The Score/Sportsnet 360, but the Tim and Sid simulcast is there for three hours of easy weekday CanCon.

The Rogers upfront presentation was typical of its kind: a rundown of Rogers’ properties, with a visible countdown displaying the number of minutes until free bar access. The most genuine surprise was two performances by Tegan and Sara, in service of City obtaining Canadian broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards. Professional wrestler Ron Killings (d/b/a WWE’s R-Truth) and IZOD IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe shepherded The Score into the Sportsnet family.

Rogers was especially interested in Mother Up!, showing unfinished and behind-the-scenes clips of the show during the upfront presentation. The clips were rough – backgrounds weren’t cleaned up and painted in. It struck me as odd to showcase Mother Up! in beta mode, yet it’s obvious Rogers has high hopes for it. Package Deal clips were also screened, while Breakfast Television formally announced a Montreal edition with a “surprising” host.

One notable thing about City’s 2013-14 fall schedule is the return of Great Canadian Movies, which will air Saturday at 9:00 PM ET, after an “encore presentation” of The Project: Guatemala. The Canadian movie block was temporarily retired in 2012-13, in favour of The Bachelor Canada, Less Than Kind and Murdoch Mysteries “encores”.

The Rogers upfront promoted OMNI’s Bollywood Star. Mohawk Girls, an APTN/OMNI series, wasn’t mentioned. It was a curious omission. CityNews Channel’s immediate termination last week was also ignored. Granted, upfronts deal in “happy news” moments, and don’t focus on the failures. I would have liked to see Rogers mention CityNews Channel; it was an integral part of Rogers’ 2011 upfront.

To promote Storage Wars Canada during the free bar, advertisers were handed “Rogers Cash”. The completion of activities – e.g., having a caricature drawn at the Mother Up! booth, playing a racing simulation and/or meeting R-Truth at the Sportsnet 360 booth, getting a Cityline beauty makeover – allowed participants to earn more “Rogers Cash”. It was a departure from standard protocol – Canadian television upfronts don’t usually have a gaming element. This was mainly for the advertisers’ amusement, but it was effective enough promotion.

In the end, Rogers Media had a relatively modest 2013 upfront, even though it was more lavish than the 2012 upfront. While not much actual news was offered, at least Rogers didn’t oversell itself. The countdown-to-free-bar display was a bit much, though.

The Listener

New Wednesday: The Listener

June 5, 2013 Diane Wild

The Listener, CTV â€“ â€œThe Blue Lineâ€
Toby (Craig Olejnik) and Michelle (Lauren Lee Smith) track a gang of robbers armed with lethal, high-powered bullets under the additional pressure of a demanding new police superintendent, Nichola Martell (Ingrid Kavelaars).