From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:
Link: On location in Montreal with upcoming CTV drama Transplant
Here’s the great irony of Canadian TV: I was in Montreal earlier this week on the set of Transplant, a medical drama set to premiere early next year on CTV. It’s about a Syrian refugee played by Hamza Haq (The Indian Detective) returning to his medical training roots as a resident in the emergency ward of a downtown Toronto hospital. Continue reading.
From a media release:
In 1991, two Canadian filmmakers uncovered the gripping story of Katherine Wryfield and Grace Lee’s drug-addled, alien-goddess worshipping, all-female cult, New Eden. Now, decades after their story faded to black, Crave “revisits†the infamous cult and its founders in the eight-part Crave Original Series NEW EDEN, dropping New Year’s Day, it was confirmed today.
Based in Halworth, BC, the New Eden cult, and the infamous 1980s trial that put its founders behind bars, dominated the Canadian news cycle of the day. Originally directed by two LA-based filmmakers named Travis Meeks and Jake Dermay, the docuseries was televised by Broadcast Network Television (BNT) as NEW EDEN: WHEN WOMEN SIN.
The original docuseries premiere was one of the largest in BNT history, but just as the story of New Eden disappeared from Canadians’ collective memories, the BNT docuseries literally faded as well, never to be broadcast again. Decades later, with true-crime fascination at an all-time high, Crave has uncovered the original broadcast tapes from the now-defunct BNT and restored them to their former glory. After months of restorative work, the original series is presented to Canadian viewers once more as it was seen in 1991. A teaser trailer for Crave’s NEW EDEN is available HERE.
NEW EDEN transports viewers back in time to 1991, as cult founders Grace and Katherine prepare for their release after serving eight years in federal prison. Having gone from true-crime sensations, to national jokes, to largely forgotten altogether, they are persuaded to talk on-camera by a pair of unassuming documentarians seeking to tell their story. The series traces Grace and Katherine’s attempt to start a large-scale feminist utopia in the 70s; the sensational 80s murder trial that landed the founders in prison; and finally their decline and seeming rehabilitation behind bars.
Featuring astounding undercover footage captured on the New Eden compound, news footage, and interviews with those closest to the events, NEW EDEN is the shocking tale about an ill-advised plan executed by two overwhelmed women that quickly spirals into a darker narrative of murder, betrayal, and manipulation.
About WHEN WOMEN SIN
Travis Meeks and Jake Dermay met as UCLA film grads in 1987. Inspired by Errol Morris’ boldly unconventional Thin Blue Line in 1989, Meeks and Dermay began searching for a true crime subject worthy of their own self-proclaimed “shock doc†style.
Produced and co-financed by Magnus Meeks, Travis’ father, NEW EDEN: WHEN WOMEN SIN was originally intended to be a film, but got expanded into a docuseries when BNT stepped in as partners in early 1991. Released later that year, the series was as shocking as it was unprecedented. According to Meeks, the piece was about revealing the intricacies of female friendship and crime through the lens of “our inevitable ‘male gaze.’â€
While Meeks-Dermay Films continued to collaborate following the original release of the series, none of their later projects achieved the infamy or impact of WHEN WOMEN SIN, and both men have since faded into obscurity. Until now.
From a media release:
Frantic Films today announced that principal photography has begun on Season 5 of the multiple award-winning CBC original sketch comedy series, Baroness von Sketch Show. Filming is currently underway in Toronto.
The fifth season will be helmed by award-winning directors Vivieno Caldinelli (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss by Passing Through the Gateway Chosen by the Holy Storsh) and Joyce Wong (Wexford Plaza, Running with Violet). Co-creators and stars Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen will also direct select sketches. Whalen also serves as Showrunner.
Since its debut, Baroness von Sketch Show has received 27 award nominations and 21 wins to date, being recognized by the Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Comedy Awards, Banff Rockie Awards, DCG Awards and ACTRA Awards.
Fast-paced and irreverent, Baroness von Sketch Show celebrates the absurd, mines the embarrassing and satirizes daily life. Shot entirely on-location, this single-camera comedy series takes a fresh look at navel-gazing, contemporary culture. From marriage equality and screen addiction, to Airbnbs and ultrasounds, this satirical sketch show captures the banalities and absurdities of the modern world.
Season 4 is currently airing Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (10 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service. The series also airs Wednesdays at 12 a.m. ET/PT on IFC in the U.S.
A CBC original series, Baroness von Sketch Show is produced by Frantic Films and consists of the talented and award-winning team of Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen. For Frantic, Jamie Brown serves as Executive Producer and Jeff Peeler is Supervising Producer. Sally Karam also serves as Supervising Producer and Executive Producer.
We are reminded from time to time that Murdoch Mysteries is, first and foremost, a procedural, solving crimes, it’s just that we were given these two wonderful characters, thanks to the chemistry between the actors, who added an element of fun and romance and we have been expecting it ever since in every episode (it does happen in other shows!). Although Murdoch and his colleagues are very good at solving murders, the tandem William and Julia makes it so much more fascinating instead. Let’s face it procedurals, however clever, are still dull. The showrunners/writers understood that. I hope they have not lost their way. I too relish earlier episodes compared to what we are seeing now. I still think Watts, however quirky at first, is now an uninteresting character who is given far too much attention. That actor should find another gig! Henry fills that role much better especially with Ruth! —Noele
I liked the episode “Toronto the Bad,†and watched it with interest. Dynamic development of the plot with an unexpected ending, excellent acting. We first saw the work of Henry as a taxi driver. It is very touching to see him tired for the well-being of his beloved wife. Lots of fun, enjoyable scenes that I really love in Murdoch Mysteries. This is the mysterious disappearance of a pelican figurine from the house of Murdoch, who was nevertheless stolen by a bad neighbour. The surprise and fun was the route in the house of Julia and William due to a breakdown of the vacuum cleaner. And of course, William’s game of billiards and his expression in the finals! I wonder if Julia, whom she tells William about, will get a raise? I hope that she will not receive it and will return to investigations again. Many fans of the show agree that Julia and William do it very well. Looking forward to the next episodes! —Lilia
Must writers screw up Murdoch Mysteries constantly, or maybe, it’s time to hire new ones? Yes to adding comedy, but stick to solving murders. Yes to Julia and William working together, not writers creating personal problems again. Crabtree’s new relationship is good, until the writers destroy it . Watts is a Sherlock Holmes type crime solver, until the writer’s agenda takes over. The new Parker detective is a good addition, but will he around long? Sorry to be grumpy, but Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian TV treasure, to hopefully carry on for ever, eh? —Nolan
I’d love to hear a response from producers about the Watts situation considering so many are pointing out the inconsistency in this storyline. Considering the popularity of the show you’re seeing that people do pay attention to this kind of thing. —Pierce
OK here’s one. Watts, like many young men and women of the period (and even today), tried for years to suppress his natural tendencies to fit in with the norms and morals of the society he lived in. As such he even overcompensated in his attempts to find a woman he could live with and perhaps marry. But then given an alternative (a chance at a relationship with a man) he decided to be true to himself. Victorian literature (and history) is full of examples of this kind of character. I would be so bold that even today there are many who are suppressing their natural desires to try and fit in. —Peter Mitchell
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.
From a media release:
The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) is pleased to announce Writer/Producer/Director Robert Cooper as Showrunner for the 2020 Scripted Series Lab. Cooper will be a mentor to six up-and-coming BC-based screenwriters selected to participate in next year’s program starting in January 2020. With Cooper leading the story room, they will work together to develop his original series in the PSP’s flagship training program now in its second year. Combining real-world story room experience, mentorship, boot camps, workshops and information sessions, the program equips writers with the skills, experience and connections necessary to establish a sustainable career in the province’s dynamic screen industry. The Pacific Screenwriting Program is a collaboration between Netflix, CMPA, the Writer’s Guild of Canada and Creative BC.
Robert Cooper most recently created wrote and directed episodes of CBC’s Unspeakable, following Canada’s tainted blood scandal. A lifelong dream project, the mini-series recently won the Leo Award for best dramatic series. Previously, he served as showrunner of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for BBC America, Netflix and AMC Studios, and is probably best known for having been showrunner of the record-breaking Stargate television franchise for MGM. He co-created Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe and served as executive producer, writer, and director of multiple episodes of all three series and two DTV movies. Cooper has been nominated and won several awards for both writing and directing, including two Hugo nominations and a Canadian Writer’s Guild award for best dramatic screenplay. In 2009, he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award for contribution to the British Columbia television industry.
The Scripted Series Lab is a 15-week intensive training program providing support and career- advancement opportunities for active and aspiring screenwriters from across British Columbia, where they receive the necessary support to expand their portfolio and pursue opportunities in the evolving TV marketplace. Throughout the program, participants hone their craft, strengthen their collaboration and presentation skills, and obtain a deeper understanding of the global television industry and how to market themselves within it. As the Scripted Series Lab showrunner, Cooper will mentor the six selected participants within a real-world story room over 10 weeks, breaking stories and writing scripts for the original project he brings to the room and will subsequently be pitching to streamers and networks around the world.
