TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1664
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Mr. D, Murdoch Mysteries, The Ron James Show

Monday: Mr. D, Ron James, Murdoch, Being Human, Know-It-All, Match Game, J4L

BeingHuman

Mr. D, CBC – “Late Shift”
Gerry takes a second job but struggles to juggle both. When the school is pressed to cut costs, Robert is forced to cut from Leung’s library. When Trudy learns Bobbi can’t flirt, she calls her on it.

The Ron James Show, CBC – “Home”
Ron proves that when it comes to funny, there’s no place like Home. A young couple’s search for their dream home turns ugly when the wife becomes possessed – literally – with getting into the right neighbourhood; when a man realizes the storage unit he’s renting is roomier than his downtown condo, he starts to think inside the box; L’il Ronnie attempts a daredevil bike jump to impress a girl; and in this week’s Ode to the Road, Ron finds the “magnetism” in Moncton, New Brunswick. Special guests: Lauren Ash, Raoul Bhaneja & Allana Harkin.

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “Winston’s Lost Night”
After a veteran of a brutal North African battle is slain by a sword, Detective Murdoch’s prime suspect is the victim’s fellow soldier, who is none other than Winston Churchill.

Being Human, Space – Season 3 premiere
Season 3 picks up 15 months after the events of last season’s riveting finale which ended with Aidan (Sam Witwer, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) being buried alive as punishment from vampire leader Mother (Deena Azziz, The Moth Diaries), Sally (Meaghan Rath, 18 TO LIFE) lost in a state of limbo, and Josh’s (Sam Huntington, Not Another Teen Movie) plot to kill Ray (Andreas Apergis, 18 TO LIFE), his werewolf “maker” — which instead endangered Nora (Kristen Hager, Wanted).

Canada’s Greatest Know-It-All, Discovery – “Dive Deep, Shoot Straight…To Survive”
The 10 Know-It-Alls arrive for the competition and are instantly thrown into the deep end – literally! First, they must SCUBA dive and defuse an underwater bomb; then battle it out in a know-it-all knowledge gun duel; and finally try to avoid elimination by winning the “name that thing” challenge. For one Know-It-All, the game ends here.

Match Game, Comedy
Tonight’s guest judges Andy Kindler (CONAN), DeAnne Smith (LAST COMIC STANDING), Nile Seguin (VIDEO ON TRIAL), and Lainey Lui (ETALK) gift audiences with their ludicrousness.

Just For Laughs: All Access, Comedy
Straight from Montréal, comics Joel McHale (COMMUNITY), Jack McBrayer (30 ROCK), Mario Cantone (SEX IN THE CITY), Ryan Hamilton (CAROLINE RHEA AND FRIENDS), podcast icon Pete Holmes (UGLY AMERICANS), Britain’s Gina Yashere (MARRIED SINGLE MOTHER), and home-grown hero Dave Hemstad (LITTLE MOSQUE) steal the stage at the Just For Laughs Festival.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Bomb Girls, Cracked, Dragons' Den, Heartland, Mr. D, Murdoch Mysteries, Ratings, Republic of Doyle, Rick Mercer Report, The Ron James Show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Ratings: Winter premiere week numbers

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family:

  • Murdoch Mysteries lifts CBC’s premiere week
    Premiere week is over. How did CBC do? The first week of January is a big one for CBC as the public broadcaster tries to take advantage of a more-or-less down week in network television to sneak on its 2013 series premieres. The network headed into the beginning of the year behind the 8 Ball with Hockey Night in Canada off its schedule due to the prolonged lockout, although the good news is the CBC’s most-watched broadcast returns Jan. 19. Add in budget cuts, the loss of popular supper hour driver Jeopardy! and other slings and arrows and its a wonder CBC managed to keep the lights on at all last fall. Read more.
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Dragons' Den, Heartland, Lost Girl, Republic of Doyle

Sunday: Lost Girl, Heartland, Dragons’ Den, Republic of Doyle

allanhawcoisjakedoyleincbcsrepublicofdoyle.jpg

Lost Girl, Showcase
When Kenzi’s childhood friend is snatched away, Bo follows her bestie underground to help find him. Meanwhile, Dyson’s new partner looks like trouble for Bo.

Heartland, CBC – “The Road Ahead”
Amy and Ty hold off telling the family their great news when they return from their trip to find everyone reeling from the devastating fire at Lou and Peter’s home.

Dragons’ Den, CBC
The Dragons put their fitness skills to the test; a franchise opportunity spins a few wheels and the largest ask ever drops Dragon jaws. Plus; a Prairie product creates a buzz in the Den.

Republic of Doyle, CBC – “Bloodwork”
Jake and Mal are given no choice but to help an escaped convict prove his innocence, and they get a glimpse of the drug trade in the city in the bargain; Tinny’s curiosity about her father grows; Jake finds out why Leslie’s been off the radar. Guest stars: Erin Karpluk, Joris Jarsky, Joel Thomas Hynes, Avery Ash, Gordon Miller.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Uncategorized

The trouble with Canadian TV

From Alex Strachan of Postmedia News:

  • Canadian TV faces host of problems
    “As a Canadian television executive, the biggest frustration is that I have to compete with and worry about simulcasts. I don’t control my schedule. One example: The Big Bang Theory is the No. 1 show in Canada. CBS moved Two and a Half Men from Mondays at 9 to Thursdays after Big Bang. Which is great, because it’s a killer hour — the No. 1 and two comedies in Canada. But I actually would have preferred it had stayed on Mondays because then I could have used those two shows to launch Canadian shows behind them. But if I’d kept Two and a Half Men on Monday — I can only get so much of a pre-release — I’d have had to air it four days later, and by then it’s old and mouldy, and everyone would just watch it on CBS anyway. Not controlling our destiny is the toughest thing to deal with.” Read more.
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Degrassi

Degrassi’s ironic legacy

From Benjamin Boles of Now Toronto:

  • Degrassi’s sweetly ironic legacy
    Back in the pre-Internet era, I remember watching old Degrassi episodes with my teenage friends, and feeling a peculiar emotion that fell somewhere between ironic appreciation and authentic affection. That paradoxical combination of conflicting feelings now seems to be the default setting for a generation of kids who’d rather not be described as hipsters, and the cult appeal of Canada’s longest running tween drama is even bigger than it was back in the irony-loving 90s. It seems like there’s a constant flow of weird Degrassi-related news popping up all the time, even after 33 years on the air. Read more.
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail