An Indigenous woman returns to her birth family in APTN’s Unsettled

September 15, 2021 Greg David Leave a comment

There have been many, many television series using the fish out of water scenario as a key part of its storytelling. And APTN’s Unsettled does it in a very effective way.

Airing Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern on APTN, Unsettled follows the journey of Rayna Keetch (Cheri Maracle). A victim of the Sixties Scoop—the mass removal of Indigenous children from their families into the child welfare system—Rayna returns to her First Nation for a traditional homecoming ceremony when life throws her a curveball. Her husband, Darryl (Brandon Oakes), loses his business, car and their Toronto home. The result? A short visit turns into something more long-term for Rayna, Darryl and kids Stacia (Michaella Shannon) and Myles (Joshua Odjick).

Created, written and directed by Jennifer Podemski and Derek Diorio (Hard Rock Medical), Unsettled has been in the back of Podemski’s mind for years.

“I built this narrative around this family,” Podemski says. “Really using a lot of my own experiences and my desire to interweave and focus it with an authentic Indigenous lens.” Themes include child welfare, the aforementioned Sixties Scoop, residential schools, loss of identity and substance abuse and Podemski had a circle of advisors on-hand to make sure she got the facts correct.

A truly unique way of framing the story is through Henry (Albert Owl), Rayna’s father and the local radio DJ. Viewers listen to Henry speaking to his audience in Ojibwe, recalling the past while fuzzy, home movie-like visuals roll. It’s very well done.

“These stories are effective because they’re so rarely told,” Podemski says. “My goal was to weave these storylines, but not be an issue-driven show, be a character-driven show that weaves characters that are directly connected to these issues.”

Unsettled airs Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern on APTN.

Images courtesy of APTN.

Strays

Links: Strays, Season 1

September 14, 2021 Greg David Leave a comment

From Melissa Hank of Postmedia:

Link: Kim’s Convenience spinoff Strays hopes to have you howling
Kim’s Convenience may have been suddenly cancelled in March, while its fifth season was still airing, but co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White have given fans the gift of a spinoff. Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Nicole Power moves past Kim’s to her new pet project Strays
“Whether or not you’re an actor or professional performer, you’re doing sketches, writing songs and telling stories. It’s an essential part of being out there.” Continue reading.

Bachelor Canada, Bachelorette Canada

Citytv reveals 26 singles heading to the lakeside love nest on Bachelor in Paradise Canada

September 14, 2021 Greg David Leave a comment

From a media release:

Fall may be around the corner, but Citytv is gearing up for a quintessentially Canadian summer of love. Today, the network revealed the romantic hopefuls looking for another chance at love on the highly-anticipated new series Bachelor in Paradise Canada. Featuring a mix of 12 Canadian and U.S. Bachelor alumni favourites and – in a first for the global franchise – 14 Canadian #BachelorNation fans, Camp Paradise officially gets underway with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Citytv and Citytv.com. Then, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, join KiSS 92.5’s Deepa Prashad and Daryn Jones for the weekly half-hour The Bachelor After Show: After Paradise Canada where they break down all the juicy gossip and drama from the Bachelor universe – The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise – and across Bachelor Nation.

Ranging in age from 25 to 37 – and hailing from all over Canada and the United States – the Camp Paradise singles are a diverse group of character, energy, and background, with one thing in common – their search for that special someone. See full list below; fans can learn more about each romantic hopeful at Citytv.com.

Brand partnerships for the inaugural season of Bachelor in Paradise Canada include Expedia, Twisted Tea, KITS and Estée Lauder to name a few. Each of the sponsors will receive variations in multiplatform sponsorship integration across Roger Sports & Media’s Entertainment brands, including television, radio, and digital. Activations also entail in-show content, brand sell opportunities, co-branded promotions, and in-store extensions.

Hosted by Jesse Jones and featuring Bachelor alumni Kevin Wendt as bartender, Bachelor in Paradise Canada airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and follows some of North America’s most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes as they explore new relationships in their secluded love nest on the lake where their only job is to soak up the summer sun, cozy up by the campfire, frolic in the water, take long romantic canoe rides under the vast Canadian star-filled sky… and fall in love.

Canadian Bachelor Alumni

Bianka Kamber, 37, The Bachelor Canada Season 1 (Brad Smith), Toronto, ON

Chris Kotelmach, 35, The Bachelorette Canada Season 1 (Jasmine Lorimer), Saskatoon, SK

David Pinard, 32, The Bachelorette Canada Season 1 (Jasmine Lorimer), Toronto, ON

Lisa Mancini, 28, The Bachelor Canada Season 3 (Chris Leroux), St. Catherines, ON

Mike Ogilvie, 34, The Bachelorette Canada Season 1 (Jasmine Lorimer), Winnipeg, MB

Stacy Johnson, 29, The Bachelor Canada Season 3 (Chris Leroux), Vancouver, B.C.

U.S. Bachelor Alumni

Alex Bordyukov, 32, The Bachelorette Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay), Detroit, MI

Angela Amezcua, 31, The Bachelor Season 21 (Nick Viall), Greenville S.C.

Brendan Scanzano, 26, The Bachelorette Season 17 (Katie Thurston), Toronto, ON

Caitlin Clemmens, 27, The Bachelor Season 23 (Colton Underwood), Toronto, ON

Illeana Pennetto, 26, The Bachelor Season 25 (Matt James), New York, NY

Kamil Nicalek, 33, The Bachelorette Season 14 (Becca Kufrin), New York, NY

Bachelor Nation

Adam Kunder, 28, Windsor, ON

Alice Li, 27, Toronto, ON

Ana Cruz, 26, Montreal, QC

Brendan Morgan, 30, Edmonton, AB

Connor Rogers, 27, Toronto, ON

Iva Mikulic, 25, Calgary, AB

Jeremy Lohier, 28, Montreal, QC

Joey Kirchner, 31, Medicine Hat, AB

Josh Guvi, 28, Vancouver, B.C.

Karn Kalra, 30, Toronto, ON

Kit Blaiklock, 27, Vancouver, B.C.

Nicole Cregg, 25, Toronto, ON

Sasanet Iassu, 26, Halifax, N.S.

Veronique Paquette, 31, Sudbury, ON

Bachelor in Paradise Canada is the Canadian version of the perennially successful Bachelor in Paradise franchise, which is currently in its 7th season on Citytv. Both the 10-episode, original reality series and The Bachelor After Show: After Paradise Canada are produced by Good Human Productions Inc., with Claire Freeland serving as Executive Producer, Keely Booth as Showrunner and Michael Margolis as Series Director.

Feudal, Moonshine

Links: Moonshine, Season 1

September 13, 2021 Greg David Leave a comment

From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:

Link: ‘Moonshine’ creator Sheri Elwood mines Nova Scotia family roots for CBC dramedy
Driving onto the set of her new Nova Scotia series “Moonshine,” creator Sheri Elwood can see her mother’s house and her family’s campground. Sometimes her dad zips by in a golf cart. Continue reading.

From Stephen Cooke of Saltwire:

Link: Don’t get on the bad side of Moonshine’s family in Hubbards-shot CBC comedy
If it looks like the cast members of the new CBC comedy Moonshine are having a blast topping each other with one outrageous deed after another, that’s because they really are. Continue reading.

From Melissa Hank of Postmedia:

Link: New CBC comedy Moonshine keeps it all in the dysfunctional family
You can’t pick your family, but you can certainly use them as creative fodder for television shows. Sheri Elwood knows this well. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Previewing Moonshine with Sheri Elwood
“This place is just imbued with classic rock. You turn on any radio station in Nova Scotia, and it’s the same 30 songs. That sounds like a bad thing, but for me, it’s not.” Continue reading.

Featured, Kim's Convenience, Strays

Nicole Power stars in Kim’s Convenience companion piece Strays

September 13, 2021 Greg David

I admit it. I’m going to miss Kim’s Convenience. Certainly the saddest part about its demise is what happened behind the scenes. I won’t go into that here—search on the site for stories about it—but perhaps the best news to come out of that bad situation was Strays.

Bowing Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on CBC, Strays follows Shannon Ross—Kim’s Convenience‘s Handy car rental manager—as she heads west to become the new executive director of the Hamilton East Animal Shelter. My initial thought surrounding Strays was that it quickly came together as Kim’s Convenience was falling apart. Not so, says star Nicole Power, who reprises Shannon on Strays and serves as consulting producer too.

“At the end of Season 3, I was approached with the opportunity to start developing an idea for a show that would be a companion piece to Kim’s Convenience,” Power says during a conference call. “It would be an expansion of the universe and explore a different side of Shannon and Shannon exploring something new.”

That “something new” is Hamilton, where she is surrounded by new people, clients and fur babies. The new humans in Shannon’s life include her cousin Nikki (Nikki Duval), animal care manager Kristian (Frank Cox-O’Connell), office manager Joy (Tina Jung), landlord Liam (Kevin Vidal) and maintenance guy Paul (Tony Nappo). Nappo, in particular, is a joy to watch on screen, his trademark gruff exterior buffed by Shannon’s cheery countenance.

When Shannon arrives at Hamilton East Animal Shelter, things are in disarray. Nikki is foisted on Shannon, building budgets have been cut and a birthday party for an elderly cat goes horribly awry. But where most would curl up in a corner, Shannon soldiers on, using her unique word choices to get her and others through trying times.

“Shannon always wants to make the best out of a situation and people-please,” Power says, with a laugh. “She is always trying to manage that everyone else is good, so what you’ll see in Strays is just an extension of Shannon’s desire to have the best of the situation be the reality.”

Strays airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.