TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1726
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Panic Button begins production for Space

From a media release:

SPACE Begins Production on Groundbreaking Original Reality Series, PANIC BUTTON

  • From Canadian-based 11 Television, PANIC BUTTON is set to premiere on SPACE in 2013

SPACE and 11 Television Canada announced today that production is underway on the new groundbreaking original reality series, PANIC BUTTON. The innovative new format developed by Kevin Healey (DESTINATION FEAR, BETTY WHITE’S OFF THEIR ROCKERS, SCARE TACTICS) and Jonathan Dueck (DESTINATION FEAR, PAWNATHON) follows real people as they face their innermost fears. Filming runs until Oct. 19 in Toronto, with 10 episodes of the one-hour reality series set to air in 2013 on SPACE.

PANIC BUTTON is a high-impact, bone-chilling, reality series where a group of select participants become brave subjects in an elaborate and daunting maze. Each week, six people are confronted by the thing that terrifies them most, including: confinement, fear of the unknown, germs, snakes, spiders, or swarming. The Panic Button maze presents them with four ever-escalating and ever-changing levels of fear. Only the most courageous will get to the end without hitting their panic button.

“The PANIC BUTTON arena is a multi-phased, ever-changing labyrinth of fear that is customized for each person,” said series Co-Creator and Executive Producer Kevin Healey. “PANIC BUTTON is different from every other reality show because it’s not a contest against other people – subjects are playing only against themselves.”

“PANIC BUTTON is both gripping and frightening,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “As the participants work their way through increasingly scary and eerie situations, the audience experiences the fear and bravery of the participants through their eyes.”

PANIC BUTTON is produced by 11 Television Canada in association with Bell Media. Entertainment One (eOne) is selling the series in all media as well as format rights. Directed by Leo Scherman (SCREWED OVER), editing by Aren Hansen (CANADA’S GOT TALENT, SCARE TACTICS), and production design by Andy Barry, Joel Klein (FEAR FACTOR) serves as a creative consultant, and Dr. Steven J. Stein, Ph.D, provides consultation. Jonathan Dueck is Producer. Kevin Healey and Jesse Fawcett are Executive Producers. Robin Johnston is Director, Independent Production, Factual and Reality, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

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Murdoch Mysteries, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New tonight: Over The Rainbow, Who Do You Think You Are, Murdoch Mysteries

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Over the Rainbow, CBC – “Results #3”
The bottom two competitors are announced and will face off to determine who will be eliminated from the show by the judges.

Who Do You Think You Are?, CBC – “Measha Brueggergosman”
Opera star Measha Brueggergosman takes a huge leap back in time to uncover her African origins by using DNA testing.

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “Evil Eye of Egypt”
When Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) investigates a series of deaths linked to an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities, Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris) is convinced a mummy’s curse is to blame.

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Heartland, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New tonight: Heartland, Over The Rainbow, Call Me Fitz

Heartland, CBC – “Keeping Up Appearances”
Tim hopes for a big commission when he helps a wealthy weekend cowboy look for his dream ranch, while Amy’s stuck teaching his trophy wife how to ride.

Over the Rainbow, CBC – “Performance #3”
The remaining Dorothys compete, singing a mixture of Broadway and pop songs for a chance to star as Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz, to be staged at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.

Call Me Fitz, HBO Canada – “The Virgin Homo-Cide”
No episode description available.

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Dramas and Comedies

Primeval: New World premieres October 29 on Space

From a media release:

New Original Series PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD Hatches Monday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. ET on SPACE

  • Starring Niall Matter, Sara Canning, Danny Rahim, Crystal Lowe, Miranda Frigon, and Geoff Gustafson
  • Andrew Lee Potts guest stars in the premiere episode as Connor Temple from the original U.K. series

Prehistoric creatures are about to invade Vancouver with the premiere of the highly-anticipated SPACE original series, PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD. Sinking its teeth into SPACE’s fall lineup beginning Monday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. ET, the series stars a flock of genre luminaries, including Niall Matter (EUREKA) and Sara Canning (VAMPIRE DIARIES). The North American spin-off follows a specialized team of animal experts and scientists who discover dinosaurs and other dangerous predators emerging onto the streets of modern-day Vancouver through anomalies in time, and features guest star Andrew Lee Potts as Connor Temple from the original U.K. series. Featuring over 70 visual effects shots in each of the 13 one-hour episodes, the monster of a series will also include 16 land, sea, sky, and sand creatures created by Atmosphere Visual Effects, supervised by Mark Savela (STARGATE UNIVERSE).

Leading up to the premiere, fans can fulfill their curiosity about the new series through the official, soon-to-launch, PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD website featuring an episode guide, cast bios, behind the scenes content, and more. Users can also download high quality visual effects from the series and insert themselves into the dino-action via green screen. A mobile action game is also set to unleash before the premiere, and will take fans inside the series via their IOS devices, as they defend the streets of Vancouver from dinosaur attacks. Users can inhabit a team member and work to capture creatures and rescue civilians. Episodes of PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD will also be available online at SPACEcast.com following their premiere.

In Primeval: New World, while investigating temporal anomalies, a Special Projects Group battles prehistoric creatures. Led by Evan Cross (Matter), an enterprising inventor and visionary hero, the team is comprised of predator attack expert and specialist in animal behaviour Dylan Weir (Canning), security specialist Mac Rendell (Danny Rahim, EAST ENDERS), and physics prodigy Toby Nance (Crystal Lowe, SMALLVILLE). Ange Finch (Miranda Frigon, HEARTLAND), Evan’s oldest friend and business partner, keeps things afloat while Evan and his group track the escapee dinosaurs, with the overeager help of Lieutenant Ken Leeds (Geoff Gustafson, Hot Tub Time Machine), head of the government’s decommissioned department for investigating alien life and other mysteries.

On board this season as directors are sci-fi queen Amanda Tapping (SANCTUARY), Andy Mikita (STARGATE UNIVERSE), Martin Wood (SANCTUARY), and Mike Rohl (SMALLVILLE).

PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD is produced by Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd. Executive producers for Omnifilm are Gabriela Schonbach and Michael Chechik. The series is produced and developed in association with Bell Media, German free-to-air broadcaster ProSieben, and UKTV channel Watch, with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund, The Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, The Canadian Film & Video Production Tax Credit Program, and British Columbia Film. Entertainment One (eOne) is selling the series in all media as well as format rights, and will be bringing cast members Niall Matter, Danny Rahim and Sara Canning to MIPCOM to promote the worldwide launch of the series.

Based on the original series produced by Impossible Pictures, Martin Wood (SANCTUARY, STARGATE: ATLANTIS) and Gillian Horvath (YOUNG BLADES, HIGHLANDER) are executive producers. Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S THE LOST WORLD) are creators. Gillian Horvath, Peter Hume (CHARMED, FLASH GORDON), Jon Cooksey (THE COLLECTOR, THE OUTER LIMITS), Sarah Dodd (FLASHPOINT, ARCTIC AIR), Katherine Collins (ENDGAME), Dennis Heaton (CALL ME FITZ), and Judith and Garfield Reeve-Stevens are writers.

Rebecca DiPasquale is Production Executive, Drama, Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director of Drama, Independent Production, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

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