Canada’s Worst Driver was one of the few shows I looked forward to. Thanks for the years of laughs. —JT
We enjoyed watching Canada’s Worst Driver very much and had many laughs and conversations. Miss ya. Thanks a lot! —Jen
So glad Hudson & Rex has been renewed! Love watching! —Donna
Awesome show. Keep going. Love it. —Carolyn
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.
From a media release:
O Canada! As Pride Month winds down, and Canada Day approaches, Canadians have another reason to celebrate this weekend as Crave and OUTtv announced today an unprecedented partnership that extends the reach of international television phenomenon, RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE in Canada. This partnership includes the new Crave Original Series, DRAG RACE CANADA, the first-ever Canadian adaptation of the show.
Crave and OUTtv are set to become the leading Canadian broadcast and streaming homes of:
All past seasons of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE and RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS will be available on Crave and OUTtv.
Produced by World of Wonder, RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE has become a world-wide movement since its premiere in 2009. After 11 Seasons and more than 100 competitors, the series has garnered nine Emmy Awards; critical praise; a legion of fans including mega-celebrities from Katy Perry to Anne Hathaway to Henry Rollins; and a world-renowned drag and pop culture convention, RuPaul’s DragCon, in Los Angeles and New York City .
Now, DRAG RACE is sashaying to the North and producers are on the look-out for the country’s most sick’ning artists to slay the competition, and be crowned Canada’s first Drag Superstar. Produced by Blue Ant Studios, DRAG RACE CANADA combines elements of the classic fan-favourite, with a healthy serving of Canadian maple shade, and likely, some Canadian bacon. Casting begins this summer on the 10-episode, one-hour original series, with production to begin this fall in Ontario. The DRAG RACE CANADA host and judges will be announced at a later date.
In association with Crave, DRAG RACE CANADA is produced by Blue Ant Studios. World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, and Tom Campbell serve as Executive Producers. RuPaul serves as Executive Producer. Executive producers for Blue Ant Studios include Betty Orr, Michael Kot and Laura Michalchyshyn with Mike Bickerton acting as Showrunner.
From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:
Link: Goodwood, Ont., becomes tourist hot spot as the backdrop of Schitt’s Creek
Goodwood, Ont., is the Schitt and couldn’t be prouder. The picturesque bedroom community north of Toronto, population 663, is also known as Schitt’s Creek for being the site of many key locations in the hit comedy series of the same name. It has attracted busloads of international tourists hoping to see the sets and stars. Continue reading.
I was instantly enthralled with the first season of Save Me. Created, written and directed by Fab Filippo, the dark comedy follows Toronto EMT Goldie (Filippo) and his assorted partners (Amy Matysio and Suresh John are two), as they arrive on the scene of 911 calls.
The twist in the storytelling is Goldie et al. are the through line connecting those making an emergency call rather than being the mains. That’s not to say we don’t get some back story into Goldie and his fellow EMTs lives, but they’re not the focus.
The second chunk of new episodes have landed on CBC Gem—produced by Lisa Baylin—and they’re as strong as the first. The Canadian Screen Award-nominated program is in fine fettle, boasting not only great scenarios for EMTs Goldie, Dogf***er (John), Kevlar (Matysio) and Bizemmingway (John Bourgeois), but a plethora of guest performances by Schitt’s Creek‘s Emily Hampshire, Frankie Drake Mysteries‘ Rebecca Liddiard, Bad Blood‘s Lisa Berry, Kim’s Convenience‘s Andrew Phung, Hudson & Rex‘s Kevin Hanchard, Scott Thompson and Nicholas Campbell.
In the first instalment, it’s all hands on deck as the EMTs—including rookie Hubcap (Heartland‘s Kataem O’Connor)—are called to the scene of multiple ecstasy overdoses suffered by aging couples looking for some fun. Watching Thompson, Hanchard and Fiona Highet tripping out is something to behold. But where there is comedy, tragedy follows, and how each of the paramedics deals with it is also what makes Save Me so engaging. In just a few short minutes in each episode, the web series is able to jump from laughter to tears, while exploring the PTSD first responders experience.
In Episode 2, two men choose to trim some hedges using a lawnmower. It has the predictable, bloody, result, but also reveals a shift in the tale I didn’t see coming. You never know what’s going on in the lives of the folks calling 911; Save Me goes there with spectacular results.
Season 2 of Save Me is on CBC Gem.
Image courtesy of CBC.
It has been seven years since the release of Casino Confidential on TVtropolis, and memories of the reality series set in Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel in Las Vegas live long in the hearts of Canadian casino fans. The documentary series only ran for ten episodes, but its success in the North American country led TLC to pick it up and broadcast it to USA citizens. In the years since 2012, the gambling industry has boomed further. Indeed, revenues have surpassed $45 billion and are continuing to grow exponentially. Now could be the perfect time to revisit Binion’s, or perhaps create a similar series. Canadians, who love gambling and reality TV, would be sure to be grateful for a sequel.
What Was Casino Confidential About?
Casino Confidential was a fly-on-the-wall documentary centred on the players and staff at Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel, a bustling Las Vegas hotspot. The aim of the series was to provide viewers with a number of different perspectives within the casino. In the early episodes, there was heavy focus on one of the blackjack dealers. These are key staff members, and they need to have specific knowledge and training in order to do their jobs. When playing online, players can refer to information pages such as the Betway online blackjack guide. It tells them what to do in certain situations, such as when to double and split and how. When you’re playing in a land-based casino though, it is down to the dealer to give advice to players on what to do. For this reason, blackjack dealers are fountains of knowledge about the game in addition to great people skills.
By putting an emphasis on the dealers and croupiers, Casino Confidential was able to show a wide range of different customers sitting and playing the games at Binion’s. The Nevada city is renowned for attracting an eclectic mix of clientele, who come from all over the world. Over 42 million people visit Las Vegas each year, and all these different visitors from far-flung corners of the Earth make for interesting viewing. Some of the other segments of the documentary followed the dining staff, security, and the famous cowgirls who operate some of the table games.
Casino Confidential went down well in Canada, but it wasn’t to everyone’s taste. It pulled no punches and showed both the good and bad sides of the day-to-day running of a casino. When it aired in the USA, it wasn’t quite as popular. This is perhaps part of why the show wasn’t renewed for another season.
Canada Has a Lot of Similar Programming
Casino Confidential was always going to go down well in Canada, as Canadians love reality television. In fact, there have been 145 different reality TV shows on various networks throughout the 2010s. Big Brother Canada and Property Brothers are both vastly popular among the population.
Property Brothers from Cineflix has been running for 136 episodes since 2011 on W Network initially and then HGTV Canada from 2017. The series, which features Drew and Jonathan Scott as real estate and renovation experts, averages 2 million viewers per week and is one of the highest-rated shows on the network. It has sprouted a franchise which includes a web series, short films, an app and a radio show. Meanwhile, Big Brother Canada has been through seven editions since first airing in 2013. The series which is now hosted by Global has been consistently viewed by an average of over 1 million people per season since 2015.
These successful programs show how popular reality TV is in Canada and suggest that there is a market for more of the same. If another casino show was to come about, it could decide to take elements from these highly viewed shows. Big Brother has an element of competition to it, which could easily be replicated in the gaming scene. Property Brothers is all about turning ramshackle residences into extravagant abodes. This could be done with rundown casinos as well. Perhaps there’s a gap in the market for an Apprentice-style competition to see who can create and run the best casino?
What Other Casino-Based TV Series Have Been Successful?
Despite being one of the most popular pastimes in the world, casinos haven’t been represented well in television. There have been other documentaries such as The Player: Secrets of a Vegas Whale, and Bet Raise Fold, but none have been worldwide hits.
Las Vegas is one of the most notable series to have taken place in a casino. The series starred James Caan as head of operations at a fictional casino on The Strip. It was hugely popular, and lasted for five seasons before being cancelled by NBC. The series focused on the glitz and glamour of the casino world but also featured plenty of intrigue and action.
Casino Confidential may not be getting resurrected, but it does seem as though the time is ripe for a similar series. There have been a lot of developments in the industry since the documentary aired, and it would be interesting to see advancements in technology, such as virtual reality games, depicted on television. There is always a market for reality television in Canada, and something that involves gambling is sure to be well received.
