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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
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2019-20 Canadian TV season renewal scorecard

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With the 2018-19 Canadian television season ending soon, the networks are putting the finishing touches on their primetime lineups for 2019-20. That means celebrations for fans of shows that have been renewed and sadness for programs that won’t return.

To help keep track of what’s been renewed or ending, we’ve put together a handy list for you of what will air between the summer of 2019 and the end of spring in 2020. Check back often to see the status of your favourites.

If you are a television network publicity team member or production company with updated information regarding your show, please contact me a greg.david@tv-eh.com.

Renewed

  • Still Standing (CBC)
  • Letterkenny (CraveTV)
  • Murdoch Mysteries (CBC)
  • Frankie Drake Mysteries (CBC)
  • In the Making (CBC)
  • Highway Thru Hell (Discovery)
  • Heavy Rescue: 401 (Discovery)
  • Dragons’ Den (CBC)
  • Frontier (Discovery)
  • Vikings (History, final season)
  • Private Eyes (Global)
  • Cardinal (CTV)
  • Schitt’s Creek (CBC, final season)
  • Anne with an E (CBC)
  • Killjoys (Space, final season)
  • The Detectives (CBC)
  • The Nature of Things (CBC)
  • CBC Arts: Exhibitionists (CBC)
  • CBC Docs POV (CBC)
  • Marketplace (CBC)
  • Coroner (CBC)
  • The Fifth Estate (CBC)
  • Eyes for the Job (AMI-tv)
  • Employable Me (AMI-tv)
  • The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC)
  • Kim’s Convenience (CBC)
  • Baroness Von Sketch Show (CBC)
  • Burden of Truth (CBC)
  • Heartland (CBC)
  • Mayday (Discovery)
  • Mighty Trains (Discovery)
  • Mary Kills People (Global, final season)
  • Odd Squad (TVO)
  • Corner Gas Animated (The Comedy Network)
  • Disasters at Sea (Discovery)
  • Quest Out West: Wild Food (APTN)
  • The Next Step (Family)
  • Mind Set Go (AMI-tv)
  • Slasher (on the air now, Netflix)
  • Future History (on the air now, APTN)
  • Carter (Bravo)
  • Where to I Do? (Gusto, renewed for Season 3)
  • etalk (CTV)
  • The Social (CTV)
  • The Marilyn Denis Show (CTV)
  • Your Morning (CTV)
  • Mighty Cruise Ships (currently on the air, Discovery)
  • Mighty Trains (Discovery)
  • Disasters at Sea (Discovery)
  • Workin’ Moms (CBC)
  • Diggstown (CBC)
  • 22 Minutes (CBC)
  • Hudson & Rex (Citytv)
  • Big Brother Canada (Global)
  • Entertainment Tonight Canada (Global)
  • Iron Chef Canada (Food Network Canada)
  • Carnival Eats (Food Network Canada)
  • Fire Masters (Food Network Canada)
  • Big Food Bucket List (Food Network Canada)
  • Top Chef Canada (Food Network Canada)
  • Home to Win: For the Holidays (HGTV Canada)
  • Property Brothers (HGTV Canada)
  • Island of Bryan (HGTV Canada)
  • Save My Reno (HGTV Canada)
  • Backyard Builds (HGTV Canada)
  • History Erased (History)
  • The Beaverton (Comedy Network)
  • Bonacini’s Italy (Gusto)
  • Spencer’s Big 30 (Gusto)
  • Watts on the Grill (Gusto)
  • Hellfire Heroes (Discovery)
  • Wild Bear Rescue (Animal Planet)
  • Jann (CTV)
  • Holly Hobbie (Family Channel)
  • Paranormal 911 (T+E)
  • Worst to First (on the air now, HGTV Canada)
  • Hope for Wildlife (Cottage Life)
  • Wynonna Earp (Space)

Awaiting confirmation

  • One World Kitchen (Gusto)
  • Wild Archaeology (APTN)
  • Bake with Anna Olson (Food Network)
  • Bryan Inc. (HGTV Canada)
  • Nirvanna The Band The Show (Viceland)
  • Mighty Planes (Discovery)
  • Tougher Than It Looks (Discovery)
  • Love It or List It (HGTV Canada)
  • Mighty Ships (Discovery)
  • Yukon Gold (History)
  • Buying the View (W Network)
  • Max & Shred (YTV)
  • Drive Me Crazy (YTV)
  • Massive Monster Mayhem (Family Channel)
  • The Baker Sisters (Food Network)
  • Second Jen (City)
  • Bad Blood (City)
  • When Calls the Heart (Super Channel)
  • The Stats of Life (CBC)
  • The Other Side (APTN)
  • Blood & Water (Omni)
  • The Launch (CTV)
  • Love It or List It Vancouver (HGTV Canada)
  • Property Brothers: Buying and Selling (HGTV Canada)
  • Border Security: America’s Front Line (HGTV Canada)
  • Just Like Mom & Dad (YesTV)
  • Sarah Off the Grid (HGTV Canada)
  • Holmes + Holmes (HGTV Canada)
  • Jade Fever (Discovery)
  • Dog Tales Rescue (Gusto)
  • Last Stop Garage (Discovery)
  • Rocky Mountain Railroad (Discovery)
  • Flour Power (Gusto)
  • MasterChef Canada (CTV)
  • The Murders (Citytv)
  • Northern Rescue (CBC)

Not Returning

  • Street Legal (CBC)
  • Travelers (Netflix)
  • Backstage (Family Channel)
  • Canada’s Worst Driver (Discovery)
  • Crawford (CBC)
  • Little Dog (CBC)
  • Cavendish (CBC)
  • Paranormal Survivor (T+E)
  • Crazy Beautiful Weddings (Makeful)
  • Intervention Canada (T+E)
  • Lakefront Luxury (Cottage Life)
  • Ransom (Global)
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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Asian influences highlight MasterChef Canada

Last week, the remaining MasterChef Canada home cooks were schooled when they made lunches for over 100 hungry kids and Rozin was eliminated from the competition.

This week, Chef Alvin took centre stage during the Elimination Challenge when he uncovered Asian treats for the participants to tackle.

But before all of that, there was the latest Mystery Box to get through. The seven home cooks lifted the lids to reveal two smaller boxes. One was clear, showing all of the ingredients. The other was black, hiding its contents. Which box each chose would go a long way to presenting their personalities. Were these home cooks risk takers or not? Josh and Andre—the last two guys in the competition, it should be noted—opted for the clear boxes and 45 minutes of cooking time while the gals went for it. The secret boxes held exotic ingredients like black cod, escarole and passion fruit. Six seasons in, I continue to be impressed with the challenges the producers are coming up with and Monday’s Mystery Box was just the latest.

While Chef Michael admitted he would have chosen the “safe” box, Alvin and Claudio said they’d have gone for the secret box to test their skills. Chanelle decided on a Thai inspired cod dish for her recipe, Alyssa with fish tacos, Jennifer with fish cakes, Jenny a po’ boy sandwich and Cryssi a pan-fried cod with vinaigrette and fingerling potatoes. Andre and Josh had 15 minutes to plot and plan their recipes, the former with dry-rubbed glazed pork and the latter a pan-seared pork chop with potatoes and butternut squash puree.

The judges chose to taste Chanelle’s plate (“The flavours were fresh and clean,” opined Michael), Josh (“Very nicely done,” Alvin said) and Cryssi (“Great flavours, good technique,” said Michael). From the glowing reviews she got, it was no surprise that Cryssi won the Mystery Box challenge but it was still great to see. And though she wasn’t safe and would have to cook in the Elimination Challenge, Cryssi got her pick of Asian-themed ingredients like abalone, uni, ebisudai, Waygu beef, black garlic and XO sauce and then assigned her competitors the rest.

Cryssi chose the beef for herself and then aimed to cull the herd, giving Andre the uni, Alyssa the XO sauce, Chanelle the abalone, Jennifer the ebisudai fish, Josh the black garlic and Jenny the matsutake mushrooms.

Meanwhile, Cryssi planned to honour the beef as a steak and a tartare. Alyssa opted to put the XO sauce on pork belly, and Josh was stoked he got the garlic because he cooks with it all the time and planned to top his pasta with it. Jennifer aimed for a carpaccio, Jenny and mushroom egg drop soup and Andre a cauliflower steak with uni sauce. As time ran out, Alyssa discovered her pork wasn’t quite done and would have to complete it in a frying pan. Everyone was out of sorts, except for Cryssi and that was her plan.

Jenny’s mushroom egg drop soup wasn’t up to par, according to Claudio and didn’t honour the main ingredient; Alvin deemed Josh’s pasta beautiful thanks to the creamy black garlic sauce; Claudio called Jennifer’s carpaccio amazing and Alvin was honoured she served it in the fried carcass; Michael advised Alyssa her pork was just cooked through and the XO sauce didn’t come through; Alvin loved Chanelle’s fried abalone; and Alvin was disappointed Andre used so little sea urchin on his slab of cauliflower. Finally, Cryssi’s tartare and steak were a mixed bag according to Claudio.

Jennifer came out on top with the best dish of the night. On the bottom were Jenny and Alyssa, who had struggled so badly with the ingredients Cryssi gave them. And while they were asked to remove their aprons, they weren’t eliminated yet; both face off in a Redemption Challenge in next week’s episode.

MasterChef Canada airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Children's Programming, Featured

Detention Adventure bursts on to CBC Gem

I had the honour of moderating the panel for a very cool new series that’s debuted on CBC Gem. On Friday, May 3, cast, crew, friends and family of Detention Adventure packed Toronto’s vintage theatre, The Royal, to watch the first five episodes of the digital series on the big screen.

Co-created by Joe Kicak and Carmen Albano, written by Kicak, Albano and Karen Moore, executive-produced by Moore, Lauren Corber and produced by Ryan West, Detention Adventure summons Goonies, Stand By Me and the Harry Potter franchise in its tone. Legend says inventor Alexander Graham Bell built a secret lab under a school attended by three nerds. Raign (Simone Miller), Joy (Alina Prijono) and Hulk (Jack Fulton) are determined to find the entrance, which is supposed to be located somewhere in the old library that now serves as a detention room. The trio’s plan? Get into trouble, go to detention and find that entrance. The problem? Raign, Joy and Hulk have to include the school bully, Brett (Tomaso Sanelli), in their plans.

I’ve been a fan of Detention Adventure since last spring when Kicak, Albano and Moore were seeking Independent Production Fund money to help get it made. Now, one hot summer later, and the 10-episode spectacle is available for all to see

And truly enjoy.

Detention Adventures is touted as CBC’s first original kids scripted series for CBC Gem and is aimed at the tween crowd. That makes sense; after all, a quartet of kids putting teachers and a principal in their place and solving cool puzzles rates with that crowd. But there is a lot for adults to like as well. The writing is razor-sharp, the performances spot-on and the production values are stellar. Detention Adventure is chock-full of Easter eggs adults will revel in, including a nod to The Shining.

The science used in the series is sound (Hulk’s science class antics are what land him in detention) and the sets are incredible (the show’s tunnel sets were built in a high school gymnasium), but it’s the message that most impressed me. Everyone is different, everyone comes from a different background, but we can all work together to solve problems.

Detention Adventure is available for streaming on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC and Joe Kicak.

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Kim's Convenience

Thunderbird Entertainment reaches distribution deal with Encore Airlines for Kim’s Convenience

From a media release:

Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”), a global multiplatform entertainment company, is pleased to announce it has reached a distribution deal with Encore Inflight Limited for the first two seasons of the Company’s scripted series Kim’s Convenience. The deal will see the Canadian Screen Award-winning series available for in-flight viewing on major world airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, SilkAir, Scoot, Royal Brunei Airways, Thai Airways, Qantas, and Qatar Airways. The deal will also include season three when available.

Kim’s Convenience is the comedic, heartfelt story of the Kims, a Korean-Canadian family who runs a convenience store amidst the energetic landscape of downtown Toronto. It follows two generations of the family, as they deal with customers, each other and the evolving world around them. The award-winning series stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Appa, Jean Yoon as Umma, Simu Liu as Jung, Andrea Bang as Janet, and Andrew Phung as Kimchee.

This high-profile partnership follows other major distribution deals for the award-winning Canadian series. In January, Yoon & Company acquired the series for distribution on cable TV in Japan and Korea, on top of the ongoing partnerships with Netflix for global streaming rights, and with Amazon for VOD rights in the United States and United Kingdom.

Season three of Kim’s Convenience premiered in Canada on CBC Television on January 8, 2019, and a fourth season begins shooting this spring. The series is based on the award-winning play by Ins Choi, who co-created the series with Kevin White. The series is produced by Ivan Fecan, who is also the executive producer along with Choi and White, and Thunderbird’s Executive Chair of the Board.

About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a Vancouver-based global multiplatform entertainment company with offices in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Ottawa and London. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and International broadcasters. Thunderbird’s vision is to produce high quality, socially responsible content that makes the world a better place.  The Company develops, produces and distributes animated, factual and scripted content through its various divisions, including Atomic Cartoons, Great Pacific Television, Thunderbird Productions and Thunderbird Releasing Limited.

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Awards, Mr. D

Screen Nova Scotia announces 2019 award winners

From a media release:

Screen Nova Scotia hosted its fifth annual awards gala on Friday, May 3rd in front of a sold-out crowd at Casino Nova Scotia. The event celebrates the incredible talent, creativity, and passion that are the trademarks of Nova Scotia’s screen industry. Notable awards include the ACTRA Awards for Outstanding Performances, the Film Crew Excellence Award, the Digital Animators of Nova Scotia Award, the Women in Film & Television Atlantic Award, and the Community Recognition Award, along with Screen Nova Scotia Awards for best television, film, and animation.

The event was kicked off by actor/comedian Bette MacDonald, and presenters included producers, directors, crew members and actors, with musical accompaniment from the Bill Stevenson Trio.

The night’s finale was the Screen Nova Scotia Award for Best Feature Film, which went to the indie drama Splinters, from acclaimed director Thom Fitzgerald (produced by Emotion Pictures). The film — which explores interconnections of sexual identity and family, as a young woman reassesses her relationship with her mother following the death of her father — also garnered top prizes for its actors. Shelley Thompson was awarded the ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Female Role, and Bailey Maughan won Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Male Role.

The final season of CBC’s Mr. D was crowned the winner of the Best Television Series Award. Produced by Topsail Entertainment, Mr. D filmed for eight seasons in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Production on the series generated $126.5 million in economic activity and created over 1,400 jobs.

Kathryn MacLellan took home the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Female Role for her role in the Nova Scotia/Newfoundland co-production Hopeless Romantic, while Jordan Poole won Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Male Role for his role as Luke, Toni Collette’s son, in the movie Birthmarked.

Peep Media’s Bernie Langille Wants to Know…Who Killed Bernie Langille won the Best Short Film Award, with the film’s director Jackie Torrens also taking home the Best Director Award from Women in Film & Television – Atlantic. The Best Documentary Film Award went to The Social Shift, from Mirror Image Media and Common Good Solutions.

Paul Bronfman, Chairman/CEO, William F. White International Inc. received the inaugural Industry Champion Award in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the production services company setting up shop in Halifax, and their continued and unwavering support of the Nova Scotia screen industry.

Digital animation was also spotlighted at the awards, with Teletoon’s Spaceman and Robotron sweeping both animation categories. The series is produced by Connections Productions and animated by Cartoon Conrad.

Greens Master William Gerhardt (IATSE 849) won the 2019 Film Crew Excellence Award. Gerhardt was instrumental in transforming Yarmouth’s Cape Forchu into an island from the 1800s for Robert Eggers’ most recent feature film The Lighthouse — currently screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival —  and has worked on multiple productions including The Mist, The Curse of Oak Island, and the Book of Negroes. The Community Recognition Award was presented to long-time industry supporter Bea Renton, Chief Administrative Officer, the Town of Lunenburg, for her tireless efforts to consistently ensure that Lunenburg is a welcoming community for film & TV production.

THE FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS:

Screen Nova Scotia Awards:

  • Best Feature Film: Splinters (Emotion Pictures)
  • Best Television Series: Mr. D (Topsail Entertainment)
  • Best Documentary Film: The Social Shift (Mirror Image Media)
  • Best Short Film: Bernie Langille Wants To Know…Who Killed Bernie Langille (Peep Media)
  • Best Animated Series: Spaceman and Robotron (Connections Productions)

ACTRA Maritimes Awards:

  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Female Role: Shelley Thompson (Splinters)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Male Role: Bailey Maughan (Splinters)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Female Role: Kathryn MacLellan (Hopeless Romantic)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Male Role: Jordan Poole (Birthmarked)

Industry & Community Awards:

  • WIFT-AT Award for Best Director: Jackie Torrens (Bernie Langille Wants To Know…Who Killed Bernie Langille)
  • Film Crew Excellence Award: William Gerhardt, Greens Master
    Community Recognition Award: Bea Renton, Chief Administrative Officer, the Town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
  • DANS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Don
  • Pinsent & Team, Spaceman and Robotron
  • Industry Champion Award: Paul Bronfman, Chairman/CEO, William F. White International Inc.

Image courtesy of Michael Tompkins

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