TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1614
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Motive, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Thursday: The Nature of Things, Motive

beetles.jpg

The Nature of Things, CBC – “The Beetles Are Coming”
Global warming is wreaking havoc across the landscape in surprising ways. A beetle apocalypse has been unleashed across the forests of Western Canada.

Motive, CTV – “Famed”
Detectives Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and Vega (Louis Ferreira) are called to the scene to investigate the death of a beautiful, young art aficionado who was shot and killed on her morning run. When the murder weapon turns out to be an antique firearm, the case focuses on a nerdy gun collector still living at home with his mother. Angie discovers that blood is indeed thicker than water when she realizes the lengths to which a son will go to protect his mother.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Match Game will return for second season

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MatchGame

From a media release:

Time for a Rematch! The Comedy Network Orders Second Season of MATCH GAME

  • Darrin Rose returns as host; Seán Cullen and Debra DiGiovanni are back as regular panellists
  • Montreal’s Zone3 to shoot another 60 episodes in Toronto this summer

This year, no blanks shall remain unfilled as The Comedy Network orders a second season of the retro-classic comedy game show MATCH GAME from FremantleMedia. Set to shoot for the first time in Toronto this summer, another 60 episodes of the half-hour comedy series have been ordered. Produced in association with Montreal’s Zone3, Season 2 of MATCH GAME premieres exclusively on Comedy this fall. Oshawa-born stand-up Darrin Rose is back for another round as host, and is again joined by wisecracking regular panellists Canadian comedy legend Seán Cullen, and beloved stand-up Debra DiGiovanni.

Season 1 of MATCH GAME featured an extraordinary roster of comedy all-stars including Samantha Bee, Scott Thompson, Tom Green, Caroline Rhea, Andy Kindler, Yvette Nicole Brown, Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Hotz, and Greg Grunberg, among others. Since the series premiere on Oct. 15, 2012, more than nine million viewers have watched the original Canadian series, while approximately two million Canadians continue to watch MATCH GAME each week. Viewers can relive the first round of shenanigans Monday – Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy.

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Awards, Featured, Saving Hope

Esta Spalding on her WGC Screenwriting Award Nomination for Saving Hope

Esta SpaldingThis year’s Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award winners will be announced on April 22. We’ve been catching up with many of the writers nominated in the comedy and drama categories. Saving Hope‘s Esta Spalding was nominated for her episode “Bea, Again”.

Can you describe the episode “Bea, Again” and how it fit into the Saving Hope season?

The episode “Bea, Again” was the episode of Saving Hope that came after the three week break the series had taken so that CTV could air the Olympics.  Right before the break, in episode 8, there was a very big cliffhanger:  Charlie (a lead character who has been in a coma since the first episode and has been walking around the hospital as a ghost) is unplugged from life support.  Alex, his fiancee, is devastated.  In my episode, Charlie has to survive this process.  The plug is pulled in episode 8, but he needs to be hanging between life and death and only declared alive at the end of episode 9.  Now, in real life, once the plug is pulled you either live or die.  So the challenge was to make that process last for a TV-hour without having it last for an actual hour.  I also knew that dramatically Alex needed to be with Charlie, at his bedside, but that the show’s mandate was for her to have a high-stakes medical case each week. How could I do both things?  It was such a strange, challenging crossword puzzle.  Maybe because of my background as a poet, I found all of the limitations really energizing and I came up with a very fun structure and story.

What does this recognition mean to you?

This recognition means so much to me.  There’s no higher honor than to be honored by your peers — your fellow writers in the trenches. I am thrilled to have been nominated.

If there was one Canadian show that is no longer on the air that you could see honored at this year’s awards, what would it be? (If you have a specific episode, even better).

I’ve been watching Aaron Sorkin’s Newsroom show on HBO and thinking how much better Semi Chellas’s Eleventh Hour was.  There was always great critical acclaim for that show, but I wish that show had found a larger audience while it was on the air.  It’s a show I’d still be happy to be writing for, all these years later.

Saving Hope season one airs Saturday nights on CTV Two. Season two is slated to air this summer.

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Arctic Air, Battle of the Blades, Cracked, Dragons' Den, Heartland, Mr. D, Murdoch Mysteries, Republic of Doyle, Rick Mercer Report, The Ron James Show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes

CBC announces 2013-14 season

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CBC TELEVISION ANNOUNCES 21 RENEWALS, EXPANDED SEASONS OF HIT SHOWS, AND NEW TITLES FOR 2013-14

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CBC Television, currently in year two of a three-year plan to manage funding cuts, today confirmed a number of new and returning shows for 2013-14, including a brand new season of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, expanded (full) seasons of MURDOCH MYSTERIES and REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, a mini-series based on the award-winning Canadian novel THE BEST LAID PLANS (PDM Entertainment), and a television movie adaptation of THE BOOK OF NEGROES (Conquering Lion Pictures).

The following favorites have been renewed and will return to the programming schedule:

  • 22 Minutes
  • Arctic Air
  • Battle of the Blades
  • Best Recipes Ever
  • Cracked
  • Coronation Street
  • Doc Zone
  • Dragons’ Den
  • the fifth estate
  • George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
  • Heartland
  • In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita
  • Just for Laughs
  • Mr. D
  • Marketplace
  • Murdoch Mysteries (full season – 18 episodes)
  • The Nature of Things
  • Republic of Doyle (full season – 16 episodes)
  • The Rick Mercer Report
  • The Ron James Show
  • Steven & Chris

Further information about the 2013-14 season will be announced at a later
date.

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Arctic Air, Mr. D, Rogue, The Ron James Show

Wednesday: Rogue, Mr. D, Ron James Show, Arctic Air

Rogue

Rogue, The Movie Network/Movie Central
Grace Travis (Newton) is a wife, mother of two, and Oakland’s best undercover detective. She’s adept at transitioning between suburban life and the docks where she’s been embedded for months with a criminal enterprise run by James “Jimmy” Laszlo (Marton Csokas) and his sons, Max (Matthew Beard) and Alec (Joshua Sasse). When Grace is abruptly pulled out of the field when her son is killed in a drive by shooting, her life is shattered. Four months later, the investigation into the death has gone cold and Grace, guilt-ridden and unable to accept the loss, has begun to search for answers. With the help of her mentor, Mitch (Ian Tracey), a link is uncovered between the death and Laszlo’s organization. Unable to convince her superiors that she is fit for duty, Grace goes rogue slipping back undercover as “Jackie Hays” in Laszlo’s gang.

Mr. D, CBC – “Culture Day”
It’s Culture Day at Xavier and Gerry wants what Dwyer already has. Leung admits to loving Lisa. Callaghan and Trudy work out a system to avoid Callaghan’s ex wife.

The Ron James Show, CBC
Knowing that the world has changed by leaps and bounds, Ron questions if things really are better? Exhausted medieval peasants are appalled when the King announces he has raised the age of retirement… to 27. Early adopters of a new invention called ‘the telephone’ learn the convenient new gadget can also dial up a huge amount of hassle. Meanwhile, when a mining company coal hole appears in L’il Ronnie’s backyard, it seems everyone wants a piece of the rock. Plus, in this week’s ‘Ode to the Road’, Ron breaks away from his usual poutine and learns to experience Montreal, QC in a whole new way. Featuring special guest stars, Sean Cullen, Cliff Saunders, Allana Harkin and Darren Frost.

Arctic Air, CBC – “Blood is Thicker Than Water”
Krista’s mother pays a visit to Yellowknife and throws Krista’s life into turmoil; and Bobby gets his first real chance to play “family” with Connor and Petra.

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