From a media release:

After 13 incredible seasons on CTV, Marilyn Denis announced live today on THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW that the daytime series will conclude at the end of the current season. Beginning Monday, May 8, the series will celebrate with special guests, audience surprises, and highlights from its more than 2,000 shows, culminating with a memorable farewell episode on Friday, June 9 at 10 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

While Canada’s Queen of Daytime has chosen to conclude THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW following a 34-year career of daily daytime television, the veteran broadcaster will continue as co-host on Marilyn Denis and Jamar weekday mornings on Toronto’s CHUM 104.5. Denis will also remain as host of MARILYN DENIS DOES A PODCAST, available on iHeartRadio.ca, the iHeartRadio Canada app, and everywhere podcasts are found.

“Hosting a national television show has been a career highlight, and such a rewarding and fulfilling chapter in my life, but after more than three decades of balancing my radio show with a daytime series I’m ready to step away and refocus on my family and other projects,” said Marilyn Denis. “While I’m moving on from daytime TV, I’m not saying goodbye and will continue on the CHUM morning show and with my podcast. I want to thank the entire team at THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, who are and always will be family, the incredible experts and guests who have joined me over the years, and most importantly – every studio audience member and the viewers at home for welcoming me into your lives. I’ll be forever grateful for the wonderful years we’ve spent together.”

“Marilyn is a trailblazer with a relatable and authentic approach that has made her a much-beloved figure in Canadian broadcasting and to viewers across the country,” said Dave Daigle, Vice-President, Local TV, Radio, and Bell Media Studios. “While we are truly sad to see THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW end, we are proud to have been the home of this incredible series. We will miss seeing Marilyn on TV every day, but we are happy she’ll remain with the company on CHUM 104.5. I want to thank Marilyn and the production team for their dedication as they made the show a destination for our viewers and guests alike.”

Currently celebrating its 13th season, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW airs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, and 11 a.m. ET on CTV2. The four-time Canadian Screen Award-winning series connects with viewers across the country through a mix of expert and celebrity guests. Denis places fans at the centre of it all, as she provides a unique blend of entertainment and topical lifestyle information, from fashion to food to fitness.

Denis has always balanced her dynamic radio career, which she began in 1976, with her candid television presence. Her career in television started by reporting on sports, weather, and entertainment at CTV Calgary, while also working as a freelance reporter for TSN. Denis also shared hosting duties on Bravo!’s Gemini Award-winning concert series LIVE AT THE REHEARSAL HALL, and was host of the popular daily show CITYLINE for nearly 20 years. Denis is the recipient of The Rosalie Award, honouring Canadian women who have paved the way for others in radio broadcasting. She is also listed as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by WXN, and is the first female recipient of the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award. Denis continues her morning show co-hosting duties weekdays at CHUM 104.5, a position she has held since 1986.

CTV’s new daytime programming lineup, including a new series, will be announced later this year.

THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW is produced by Bell Media Studios. Michelle Crespi and John Simpson are Executive Producers.

Slasher

Links: Slasher: Ripper

April 10, 2023 Greg David

From Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert:

Link: Slasher returns to Shudder with intriguing new season
There’s something fun about a talented group of people getting together to tell different stories, which is the modus operandi for Aaron Martin’s Canadian horror hit “Slasher,” returning to Shudder. Continue reading.

From Courtney Mroch of 1428 Elm:

Link: Slasher Season 5: An interesting twist on Jack the Ripper (so far)
The one thing the trailer for Slasher season 5, Ripper, promised was that it would be “the most gruesome season of horror yet.” The first two episodes premiered on Shudder and AMC+ on Thursday, April 6, and so far that promise has been kept. Right from the beginning, there’s blood. Continue reading.

From Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central:

Link: ‘Slasher: Ripper’ star Eric McCormack on playing a diabolical character in the Shudder series
“I had just heard the name and heard it was a horror thing. I think I was three scenes in [to the script] and I called my agent and I said, “Uh, “I’m in.” I love this guy. I love the language of the show. Ian and Aaron have written a beautifully Gothic darkly funny show, but this character is such a bastard.” Continue reading.

From Stephen Andrew of Pop Culture:

Link: Eric McCormack says ‘Slasher: Ripper’ role is ‘Most Delicious Thing I’ve Ever Chewed on’ (Exclusive)
Eric McCormack is an actor that most wouldn’t associate with the horror genre, but that is all going to change with Slasher: Ripper. In the newest season of Shudder’s anthology horror series, McCormack plays charismatic 19th-century tycoon Basil Garvey, a man who is as ruthless as he is successful, and whose villainy is rivaled by a mysterious new serial killer known as The Widow. Continue reading.

From Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic:

Link: Slasher: Ripper’s Eric McCormack dishes on franchise’s deadly trip to the past
“I think there’ll be some moments of confusion for the audience where it’s like, I hated this guy, and now I’m feeling bad for him.” Continue reading.

From Isaac Rouse of TV Insider:

Link: Eric McCormack talks playing against type as a villain on ‘Slasher: Ripper’
“Basil Garvey is one of my favourite things I’ve ever done. He is a bastard! He is a brutal asshole. He is entitled and rich. He’s Rupert Murdoch if Rupert Murdoch killed people. He couldn’t be worse. And I absolutely adored him.” Continue reading.

From Stephen Andrew of Pop Culture:

Link: ‘Slasher: Ripper’ actor Gabriel Darku reveals how Batman influenced his character
“I think it was fun for me to try to use that as heavy inspiration and really find this place of a character that walks into a room and is immediately taking in all of his surroundings. He’s way more observant than you might initially see him to be. He notices every little detail and he’s not afraid.” Continue reading.

From Courtney Mroch of 1428 Elm:

Link: Slasher: Ripper interview: the A, B and sCreams of season 5
“What’s more fun: concocting the kills or crafting the whodunit?” was among the three questions we asked during our Slasher: Ripper interview. That one was directed toward the show’s executive producer/creator, Aaron Martin, and executive producer/showrunner, Ian Carpenter. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin talk Slasher: Ripper
One of my great joys in covering Slasher is getting to chat with the mad scientists who bring it to life (or, you know, murder) every season. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Steve Byers talks Slasher: Ripper
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If Slasher‘s first season hadn’t been so delightfully bonkers and well done, we wouldn’t be five seasons in. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Ian Carpenter, Steve Byers, and Sharron Matthews Talk the Slasher: Ripper Finale
How’s everybody doing after that bananas Slasher: Ripper finale? Despite the gore that preceded it, that final scene of everyone leaving the church, bloodsoaked and defiant, was a thing of beauty. Continue reading.

Featured, Slasher

Slasher: Ripper takes the franchise to a bloody great new level

April 5, 2023 Greg David

What would Detective William Murdoch say? And would he be able to solve the crime? Those were the first two thoughts when I watched screeners of the first two episodes of Slasher: Ripper.

Returning Thursday at 9 p.m. ET to Hollywood Suite, Slasher: Ripper is the latest instalment of the gruesome, gory whodunit from creator-executive producer Aaron Martin and fellow executive producer Ian Carpenter.

Set in the late 19th century, and partly filmed on the backlot where fellow Shaftesbury project Murdoch Mysteries is created, Ripper catches up with a Toronto galvanized by fear. There is a vengeful killer on the loose slaughtering the city’s elite in horribly creative ways. Charged with solving the case is Detective Kenneth Rijkers (Gabriel Darku), who becomes increasingly desperate to connect the deaths before the body count gets any higher.

Toplining this tale is Eric McCormack, who dons 19th-century garb to play Basil Garvey, a supremely nasty tycoon who holds Toronto in his greedy grip. Easily the evilest character McCormack has ever played, Martin and Carpenter were positively giddy with his performance.

“Not unlike last year, when we brought David Cronenberg in [for Slasher: Flesh & Blood], we were looking for that type of person for that and [executive producer] Christina Jennings said, ‘I wonder if we can get him?’ He told me that as soon as he read one of his first lines of dialogue he said, ‘I have to do this part.'”

Complementing McCormack is Martin and Carpenter’s stable of Slasher performers in Paula Brancati as heiress Viviana Botticelli, Jefferson Brown as pimp Horatio Dixon, Lisa Berry as physician Dr. Melanda Israel, Jo Vannicola as newspaper editor Enid Jenkins, Steve Byers as man of God, Andrew May Jr., Sabrina Grdevich as Viviana’s sister, Venetia, Christopher Jacot as brothel owner Terrence Crenshaw and Salvatore Antonio as sex worker Salomé. And while all are familiar faces to the franchise, Martin and Carpenter ensure their characters are always unique.

“We like to give them a chance to play outside of the roles they are usually cast in,” Martin says. The result is performances that are mesmerizing and truly memorable. That goes for the acting chops provided by new faces alongside McCormack. Murdoch Msyteries‘ Clare McConnell goes against type as Regina Simcoe, Frankie Drake Mysteries‘ Sharron Matthews as housekeeper Gladys and Killjoys‘ Thom Allison as Georges Rondeau.

Written by Martin, Carpenter, Shelley Scarrow and Lucie Pagé, the eight-episode scripts are taut, enthralling, exciting and deliciously over-the-top. And, thanks to director of photography Scott McClellan and director-executive producer Adam McDonald, the setting is disturbing and very un-Murdoch.

“That backlot is beautiful,” Carpenter says. “We set some visual goals, and Scott and Adam shot the hell out of it. We wanted to get the dirt, the animals, the feces, the blood … it was really exciting.”

Slasher: Ripper airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Hollywood Suite.

Images courtesy of Shaftesbury.

Web series

#WombWednesdays are here! Womb Envy debuts May 10 on AMI and OUTtv

April 4, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

When a gay party boy’s estranged small-town best friend shows up expecting him to play baby daddy, even a lover who is partially sighted and an imaginary drag queen can’t stop his womb envy.

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in partnership with Border2Border Entertainment and OUTtv, is thrilled to reveal the debut date of the web series Womb Envy on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com.

The first two episodes of Womb Envy debut Wednesday, May 10, on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com; two episodes will debut online on subsequent Wednesdays. Additionally, the first episode will be available on AMI’s, OUTtv’s and Border2Border Entertainment’s YouTube channels in a special sneak peek prior to May 10.

Created by Toronto drag artist Champagna, Womb Envy (12 x 15 minutes) is written by Mark Keller, directed by Jake Horowitz and produced by Charlie David of Border2Border Entertainment for AMI-tv and OUTtv.

“We’re making queer content, we’re making accessible content and with shows like Womb Envy, we’re creating challenging conversations on
cisgendered, non-binary, trans, disabled and queer bodies,” said Charlie David, President and Producer, Border2Border Entertainment. ”Most importantly, we’re providing a BIG sand box in which to play and inviting more people to join us. We’re working hard to ensure that at each stage of a production we’re inclusive. We don’t make the kind of shows that most companies make and I’m proud of that—it sets us apart.”

“Womb Envy is a fantastic project,” said Philip Webb, COO OUTtv Network. “OUTtv is proud to be supporting creators like Champagna, Mark and Jake to make accessible, life affirming and beautiful shows which celebrate our community.”

“We are proud and excited to bring Womb Envy to our audience,” says John Melville, Vice President of Content Development and Operations, AMI. “Truly inclusive storytelling is at the heart of what AMI does, and Womb Envy is proof of that.”

Max (Daniel Fernandes, The Space) is stuck in a rut. Nearly 30 years old, he is wanting more than the tired beat of the Toronto gay dance floor and needs a purpose in his life other than vodka and a deteriorating septum. Meanwhile, Maggie (Storm Steenson, Sunshine City) is pregnant and desperate to escape the clutches of her religious zealot mother, Dorothy (Helen Holtham), and the small town that her and Max grew up in.

Showing up on Max’s door one day after years of separation, Maggie convinces Max to pretend to be her baby daddy, since he was the only man her mother ever approved of. They create rules to ensure the success of their half-baked idea, which causes Max’s fragile queer ego to create a drag queen apparition—The Divine (Champagna, Drag Heals, Call Me Mother)—who constantly fights against this new assimilation to heteronormativity. Confusing things even more, Max soon falls head over heels in love with their Lamaze instructor, Patrick (Jeffrey Haase, Haunted Hospitals). Patrick, who is partially sighted, soon becomes an important part of Max’s life, throwing a huge wrench in their charade.

Internalizing the chaos in his life, Max develops a rare condition known as couvade syndrome, bizarrely displaying pregnancy symptoms which become increasingly more difficult to hide. Everything in their lives quickly unravels, and soon Max and Mary are forced to see what’s important in life, even if that’s the hardest thing for them to do.

Womb Envy is the first scripted project developed with Integrated Described Video (IDV) by Border2Border Entertainment for AMI, and the first collaboration between AMI and OUTtv, which was sparked at the Primetime conference in Ottawa in January 2020, where a conversation was started between the two Canadian networks about their similarities in serving marginalized audiences.

Womb Envy is created by Champagna, written by Mark Keller and directed by Jake Horowitz. The producer is Charlie David, Champagna is associate producer.

Womb Envy was developed with the Ontario Creates IDM Development Fund and produced with the participation of the Ontario Creates IDM Production Fund, Bell Fund, Border2Border Entertainment, AMI and OUTtv.

Industry News, Tall Pines

Netflix announces new limited series Tall Pines with creator and co-showrunner Mae Martin

April 4, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Netflix today announced a limited series order for TALL PINES, a thriller from Mae Martin. Martin will also play a leading role in the show.
Logline: TALL PINES is a thriller set in a bucolic but sinister town that explores the insidious underbelly of the “troubled teen industry” and the eternal struggle between one generation and the next.
Format / Episodes: 8 episode Limited Series
Creator / Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer: Mae Martin (Mae Martin: SAP, Feel Good, The Flight Attendant)
Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer: Ryan Scott (Servant, Treadstone, Fear The Walking Dead)
Executive Producers: Ben Farrell, producing through his company, Objective Fiction (Feel Good, The Gold), Hannah Mackay (Peep Show, Year of the Rabbit), Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, The Porter, Cardinal), Bruno Dubé (Transplant, The Sticky)
Production Company: Sphere Media
- Mae Martin: “Tall Pines is a story I’ve been dying to tell for years, and I’m beyond excited for people to see what we have in store! It’s going to be an insane roller coaster and so different to anything I’ve done before. Very very grateful to Netflix for supporting it, and I can’t wait to get going.”
- Ben Farrell, Chief Creative Officer, Executive Producer, Objective Fiction: “Tall Pines is a truly gripping, intergenerational mystery thriller. Objective Fiction is delighted to be partnering with Netflix and Sphere Media to bring Mae Martin’s latest creation to the screen.”
- Jennifer Kawaja, President English Scripted, Executive Producer, Sphere Media: “This is a fantastic project and Sphere is thrilled to be part of the team, with Netflix and Objective Fiction, producing work with a unique Canadian voice at its center.”
- Danielle Woodrow, Director, Content – Canada, Netflix: “Tall Pines is a wildly entertaining story that explores the complex and sometimes twisted relationship between teens and adults. We’re thrilled to be working with a singular talent like Mae and bringing their unique voice to one of our first commissions for Netflix Canada.”

About Sphere Media

Sphere Media is one of Canada’s preeminent scripted content companies. In current release are several multi-award award-winning series – half hour Peabody notable dramedy Sort Of (CBC/HBO Max/Sky/Viaplay), currently nominated for a Rockie award and multiple Canadian Screen Awards; Primetime Emmy and Indie Spirit nominated 1920s period drama The Porter (CBC/BET+); and International Emmy nominated Transplant (Bell Media/NBC/NBCU), both also nominated for multiple CSA’s. Other recent credits include Variety Top 25 Trickster (CBC/Sky/ AMC), critically acclaimed Cardinal (Bell Media/BBC/Hulu) and 19-2 (Bell Media). They are currently in production with new seasons of Sort Of, and Transplant as well as The Sticky, a limited half hour series with Blumhouse and Amazon.

About Objective Fiction

With bases in London and Los Angeles, Objective Fiction is a leading producer of distinct and celebrated scripted stories for the screen. Productions include multi-award-winning Feel Good for Netflix; Year of the Rabbit for IFC; Toast of Tinseltown, Eric, Ernie and Me and Witless for BBC; The Larkins for ITV; Peep Show, Toast of London, GameFace and Fresh Meat for C4, and via Tannadice Pictures, The Gold for BBC/Paramount+. Objective Fiction is part of Objective Media Group, an All3Media company.

Image courtesy of Joseph Sinclair.