TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 345
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Workin' Moms

Links: Workin’ Moms, Season 3

From Sonya Davidson of Toronto Guardian:

Link: Catherine Reitman is the creator, producer, writer & star of Workin’ Moms
“I’m always so blown away by the connection both women and men have with this show. When people stop me on the street, it’s not only to tell me how funny the show is, it’s almost always to express how much they feel represented on the show.” Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: 8 Things to Know about Workin’ Moms Season 3
“Their friendship is so important to me, to the audience and we always say the romance between them is what the show has ended up cruxing on.” Continue reading.

From Eric Volmers of the Regina Leader-Post:

Link: Workin’ Moms star Jessalyn Wanlim finds the ‘misunderstood human being’ at the centre of her characters
“It’s an interesting journey that Jenny takes. She makes some new friends and, because they don’t know her past and relationship with her ex-husband, she kind of manipulates the scenario to fit her needs.” Continue reading. 

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: The Women of Workin’ Moms are perfectly imperfect
“These women are flawed, three-dimensional and make mistakes because they think in that moment that’s what they need. That’s how most people operate and they have to pay the consequences.” Continue reading.

 

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The Nature of Things

The Power of Play world premiere on January 20 as part of The Nature of Things

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From a media release:

Did you ever see an octopus play? How about a kangaroo frolic with a deer? A hamster riddled with social anxiety? Researchers are finding some astounding evidence that all living things – from fish to humans – not only like to play, but they need it for survival. The new episode of The Nature of Things - The Power of Play, explores why this is especially crucial in children, as more young Canadians spend less time outdoors and more time indoors focused on screens.

The Power of Play is a one-hour documentary that explores the science behind play and reveals how researchers are linking play deprivation to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The documentary will have its world broadcast premiere on CBC’s THE NATURE OF THINGS on Sunday, January 20 at 8 P.M. (8:30 NT) and will also be available to stream on CBC Gem from 5 p.m. ET on Friday, January 18.

The documentary takes viewers to research labs, zoos, and aquariums around the world to see how animals play, who they play with, and what happens when they are prevented from playing. McMaster University’s Jonathan Pruitt found out that a species of female social spiders that “play” sexual intercourse live longer. Sergio Pellis, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Lethbridge explains how he came to the conclusion that play deprivation causes depression in lab rats. It’s something American psychiatrist Stuart Brown suspected when he studied violent offenders in the United States. Pellis and Brown are among a growing number of experts who are convinced that unstructured play is vital to our mental health and well being.

Other experts, including Vancouver’s Mariana Brussoni and Norway’s Ellen Sandseter are leading a movement to return to risky play which involves some level of danger. A visit to an outdoor childcare centre in Norway shows the resilient, rosy-cheeked children benefiting from playing outside all day in a space with no fences and almost no limits.

The Power of Play was written and directed by Halifax’s Christine MacLean, created and produced by Erin Oakes, and executive produced by Edward Peill from Halifax-based Tell Tale Productions Inc. It was produced in association with the CBC / Radio-Canada with support from the Canada Media Fund, The Nova Scotia Film & TV Production Incentive Fund, and Federal Tax Credits.

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Unspeakable

Links: Unspeakable

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: Robert C. Cooper was one of many Canadians sickened by tainted blood in the ’80s. His new TV show reminds us of the tragedy
To say that the miniseries Unspeakable is a passion project for Robert C. Cooper understates his dedication to telling the tale of Canada’s tainted-blood scandal. For one thing, the Toronto-born writer, producer and director is part of the story. He’s one of the thousands of hemophiliacs who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood in the 1980s. Continue reading.

From Sabrina Furminger of YVR Screen Scene:

Link: ‘Unspeakable’ explores the worst public health disaster in Canadian history
Gay cancer. Gay plague. These were the kinds of words that were used to describe AIDS in the early 1980s. AIDS was dismissed as something not worth thinking about by politicians and medical boards on both sides of the border – this, as thousands of people suffered and died. Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: Unspeakable’s Sarah Wayne Callies, Shawn Doyle and Robert C. Cooper
“When we first presented to the writers and to the network, we presented a little too much factual information, but that’s where you have to start with something like this. You want to adhere to the truth as much as you can.” Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: CBC’s Unspeakable brings tragedy close to home
“What drew me ultimately to the project, was the relationship of this family at the core of it and trying to hold that together, while also understanding how I could protect my son and repair the damage that’s happened between us.” Continue reading.

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Burden of Truth

Links: Burden of Truth, Season 2

From Alaina Pawlowicz of Beyond Fashion:

Link: Kristin Kreuk Talks the New Season of ‘Burden of Truth’, Acting, and Living Life in Toronto
“In Season 2 Joanna is involved in this crazy incident in her car. She is working with this hacktivist kid, played by Varun Saranga, and her technology starts to go out of control and that’s what propels the season.” Continue reading.

From Jill Wilson of the Winnipeg Free Press:

Link: Nothing but the Truth
“A lot of the bonds that were formed last season have deepened in a way by this season, so the subject matter that we’re dealing with is extremely heavy, but there’s a closeness to the characters.” Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: Burden of Truth’s Kristin Kreuk
“It’s nice to see an appreciation for stories that are particularly located in Canada, and Canadian stories. We were really excited to have another shot with it because we had a difficult start last year with the changing of showrunners and things like that. So we got to take our time without interruption in the prep for season 2, and that was really exciting for us. In season 2, we really made an effort to give it a distinct visual style.” Continue reading.

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Mary Kills People

Global announces start of production on the third and final chapter of Mary Kills People

From a media release:

The conflicting choice between life and death is at the forefront one last time as Global announced today the start of production on the third and final chapter of the critically acclaimed drama Mary Kills People. From Canadian broadcaster and production partner Corus Entertainment, with Entertainment One (eOne) and Cameron Pictures Inc., the provocative event series (6×60) created by Tara Armstrong will film in and around Toronto this winter, with the premiere set for spring 2019 on Global.

Following last season’s shocking finale, that left the fate of Detective Ben Wesley (Jay Ryan) up in the air, Dr. Mary Harris (Caroline Dhavernas), along with her partner Dr. Desmond “Des” Bennett (Richard Short), return to face the complications of running their newly established “death retreat”. New casting this season features Canadian actresses Elizabeth Saunders (Alias Grace, It) as a nurse who complicates Mary’s life, and Rachael Ancheril (Rookie Blue, Wynonna Earp) as a patient at the hospice with the desire to live a little before she dies. Leading the way behind the scenes is the multi-talented powerhouse team including co-showrunners and executive producers Tassie Cameron and Marsha Greene, executive producer Amy Cameron, and directors Norma Bailey, James Genn, and Paul Fox. The series was created by Tara Armstrong.

In the third and final chapter of Mary Kills People, Dr. Mary Harris must come face-to-face with her own personal choices, ethics, and demons in a way she never has before. The death retreat is up and running, but its cover as a legitimate hospice is crumbling away and with it the idyllic vision Mary and Des had for continuing their work in quiet secrecy. With Mary’s family and the work she loves in jeopardy once more, she realizes she is finally going to have to put life, with all of its complexities and imperfections, first.

In anticipation of the final chapter, viewers can watch the first and second season of Mary Kills People on GlobalTV.com or Global GO (available for Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV).

Mary Kills People is produced by eOne and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Corus Entertainment, and with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive produced by Tassie Cameron (Ten Days in The Valley, Rookie Blue), Amy Cameron (The Book of Negroes), Marsha Greene (Ten Days in the Valley, Private Eyes), Jocelyn Hamilton (Private Eyes), Tecca Crosby (Private Eyes), and Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal). The series was created by Tara Armstrong (Private Eyes). It will be directed by Norma Bailey, James Genn, and Paul Fox. Writers include Tassie Cameron, Marsha Greene, Jane Maggs, Matt Huether, Karen Moore, and Chris Roberts. For Corus, Susan Alexander is Production Executive; Rachel Nelson is Director, Original Content, Drama, Kids and Factual; Lisa Godfrey is Vice President of Original Content, Corus Entertainment.

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