TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 427
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Featured

Preview: Wishfart shakes up Saturday mornings on Teletoon

I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons. Scooby Doo, Sylvester and Tweety, Bugs Bunny and the Pink Panther were all mainstays at my house. Now, decades later, I’m adding a new one to my Saturday morning viewing: Wishfart.

Debuting this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET/PT on Teletoon, the outrageous, hilarious Wishfart shakes up the airwaves in this country. After premiering in the UK, Italy, Africa and Belgium already—and headed to the Ukraine and Russia soon—Wishfart finally bows in its home and native land. It’s about time.

Created and produced by John Hazlett, Lienne Sawatsky and Dan Williams, the founders of Wishfart Productions, each episode of the animated project focuses on Dez (voiced by Mac Haywood), a teen leprechaun who is just getting used to his wish-granting powers. Alongside his friends—a ghost named Akiko (Grojband‘s Stephany Seki) and a puffin named, well, Puffin (Flashpoint‘s Sergio Di Zio)—Dez tries to fix wishes that have gone horribly wrong, a.k.a. wishfarts.

In Episode 1, “Cartwheel, Cartwheel, Cartwheel,” Dez gets into major trouble when he grants Akiko her wish of becoming human again. She’s overjoyed to have feet and be able to feel things—she’s positively giddy when she licks a cactus and studs her tongue with thorns because she can register pain—but Dez’ actions have a disastrous effect. The King of the Underworld emerges and commands Dez to reverse the wish before it brings an end to the world. Wishfart‘s scripts are tight, the voice actors are stellar and the animation, while current, is definitely reminiscent of the classics I tuned in to. Check it out.

Wishfart airs Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. ET/PT on Teletoon.

Image courtesy of Wishfart Productions.

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Industry News

Corus Entertainment and Bell Media agree to terminate share purchase agreement for Historia and Séries+

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) (“Corus Entertainment”) today announced that Corus Entertainment and Bell Media Inc. (“Bell Media”) have agreed to terminate their Share Purchase Agreement for French-language specialty channels Historia and Séries+.

As announced on May 28, 2018, the Commissioner of Competition did not approve the sale by Corus Entertainment of these channels to Bell Media.

Corus Entertainment will continue to own and operate Historia and Séries+ and also remains an active contributor to the Quebec broadcast and production community with Global Montreal, Télétoon and La chaîne Disney, as well as Toon Boom, its animation software company.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Montreal’s Pixcom options Morgue: A Life In Death for true crime series

From a media release:

Pixcom Productions is announcing an exclusive agreement with Dr. Vincent Di Maio and co-author Ron Franscell, which includes an option on their recent book Morgue: A Life In Death. Both the book and the series mine Dr. Di Maio’s prolific career in forensic pathology for the most amazing mysteries he helped solve. From Trayvon Martin to Lee Harvey Oswald, Phil Spector, and the West Memphis Three, the series will showcase Di Maio’s pivotal insights into the real world of autopsies, exhumations and courtroom testimony. Every episode will explore one gripping case from his unique perspective, highlighting the incredible science and scalpel-sharp logic behind each solve.

Dr. Di Maio is internationally renowned in the field of forensic pathology. He wrote the foremost textbook on gunshot wounds, has performed more than 9,000 autopsies and investigated over 25,000 deaths. Ron Franscell is a bestselling crime author whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, among others.

Morgue joins other titles in Pixcom’s true crime slate, including an active cold-case investigation series currently in production with Investigation Discovery and 13 seasons of The Killer Next Door produced for Bell Media.

Pixcom is bringing Morgue: A Life in Death to Realscreen West this coming June.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Gusto’s Dog Tales Rescue is a show that will touch your heart

Being a dog lover all my life, I was very excited to watch the new TV show from Gusto called Dog Tales Rescue. Though my dog is not a rescue puppy, when I was little I always wanted to adopt one. Even if it is hard to accept that you can’t save every animal, you still can try. And that’s what Dog Tales Rescue is about: love, care and respect for our little friends.

Dog Tales Rescue—debuting Thursday, May 31, at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT—is a touching and heartwarming docu-series that follows the lives of rescue animals from Canada’s creatures to internationally unique animals. Danielle Eden-Scheinberg and Rob Scheinberg run their Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary out of King City, Ont. supported by a team of more than 50 helpful staff. Their main goal is to make animals feel loved, and of course provide them with all necessary medical and training care.

The first episode introduces viewers to Danielle and Rob, who treat their animals like their own kids. Danielle gets a call that a lot of chihuahuas are arriving at the sanctuary. The happiness on her face and the staff’s faces says it all; these people care so much and they are going to do everything to find these dogs new and safe homes.

Dog Tales Rescue is not only a dog rescue sanctuary but one for horses as well. Ilana is a head horse handler and, in addition to saving the horses are from slaughter, is the one who helps them to reconnect with nature. The new horse they receive in Episode 1 is very frightened because of all of the other horses in the sanctuary. Eventually, she gets along with them very well.

Each episode of Dog Tales Rescue is an emotional one. You could cry from sadness or happiness. Looking to adopt a dog or sponsor a horse? Head to Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary’s website for details.

Dog Tales Rescue airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m PT on Gusto.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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