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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Blood and Water, Second Jen

OMNI Regional Greenlights New Seasons of Critically Acclaimed Original Multicultural Series Blood and Water, Mangoes, and Second Jen

From a media release:

Following the successful launch of multilingual newscasts across the country, OMNI Regional is furthering its commitment to delivering premium multicultural Canadian content to communities across Canada by greenlighting brand-new seasons of original series Blood & Water, Mangoes, and Second Jen. Currently in various stages of development, the series are slated to air in 2018, with additional broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

With production scheduled to begin in November on eight new half-hour episodes, critically acclaimed and Canadian Screen Award-nominated OMNI original drama Blood & Water returns with a compelling new season. Jo Bradley (Steph Song) returns home from her dramatic departure to China at the end of Season 1 and, unable to face the reality of meeting her biological family, is back at work, living again with her former partner, and now estranged from her adopted mother, Colleen (Maria Ricossa). But it isn’t long before another murder brings Jo back into a web of lies and crime involving the Xie family dynasty.

Following an overwhelming response from South Asian audiences, the multilingual – featuring Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and English – digital dramedy Mangoes joins the OMNI Regional programming lineup with six new half-hour episodes. From creators, stars, and brothers Adeel Suhrwardy and Khurram Suhrwardy, Mangoes is an invigorating tale of Canadian South Asian youth, capturing the optimism and potential of the younger generation living as ‘global citizens’ and intrepid individuals. New to Canada, Sami (Adeel Suhrwardy), Asha (Maha Warsi), and Rakey (Khurram Suhrwardy) are on a journey to explore, integrate, and contribute towards the building of their new home. Writing on the series is currently underway with production scheduled to begin in January.

And back with six all-new half-hour episodes is original comedy Second Jen, slated to air on both OMNI Regional and City in 2018. A diverse, female-driven comedy from creators and stars Amanda Joy and Samantha Wan, the series follows two second-generation Chinese and Filipino-Canadian millennials as they tackle even more “firsts” while branching out on their own in Toronto. Writing is currently underway with production scheduled to begin in January.

 

 

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Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls, Fifth and Final Season Debuts Tuesday, November 14 Exclusively on APTN

From a media release:

APTN’s (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) critically-acclaimed and award-winning dramatic comedy Mohawk Girls returns for its fifth and final season. The series takes a comedic look at the lives of four modern-day women trying to stay true to their roots while navigating sex, work, love and what it means to be Mohawk in the 21st century. The half-hour dramedy follows these twenty-something women as they begin to forge their own identity within a community embedded with rules and cultural traditions.

Filmed and set in Montreal and the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, the six-episode, fifth season of the half-hour dramedy premieres Tuesday, November 14 with weekly episodes airing on APTN e, and HD at 8:30 p.m. ET, APTN w at 8:30 p.m. MT and on APTN n at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Viewers can venture deeper into the world of Mohawk Girls via the interactive website, with a quiz app, behind-the-scenes secrets and entertaining content. Viewers can enjoy an enhanced viewing experience during the show by live Tweeting and simultaneously accessing bonus content via the link to the Second Screen Experience.

This season, the protagonists navigate love triangles, sex addiction, career aspirations, conformity, bad boyfriends, and impossible choices, all as they try to forge their own identities in a community embedded with rules and cultural traditions. With the show’s inimitable combination of humour and pathos, Season Five brings all four girls to the brink and forces them to answer the question of what kind of Mohawk they want to be.

The dynamic cast of four leading women includes returning cast members Jenny Pudavick (Bailey), Brittany LeBorgne (Zoe), Heather White (Caitlin), and Maika Harper (Anna).  Meegwun Fairbrother (Butterhead), Shawn Youngchief (Ohserase), Dwain Murphy (Leon) and Jeffrey Wetsch (James) reprise their roles as the men they love. Also returning, Tantoo Cardinal as Zoe’s mom and Glen Gould as Bailey’s father.

Mohawk Girls is created and executive produced by Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight; Tracey Deer directs the episodes and Cynthia Knight is the head writer. The series is produced by Rezolution Pictures’ Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon and Linda Ludwick, and executive produced by Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick and Ernest Webb. Innovate By Day is the Digital Media Producer. LVL is the producer of the Second Screen Experience web application. Monika Ille is the Executive Director, Programming and Scheduling for APTN.

 

 

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Featured, Fubar

FUBAR heads to the small screen for stoner fun on Viceland

I once dismissed the mockumentary FUBAR as a ripoff of the Trailer Park Boys. The first FUBAR movie came out in 2002, a year after TPB debuted on Showcase, so the timing seemed apt. And, with buddies Terry (David Lawrence) and Dean (Paul Spence) getting drunk and shouting expletives at one another and folks in their community, I couldn’t help but assume they were the same as Bubbles, Ricky and Julian. There are definitely similarities, but Lawrence, Spence and Michael Dowse created their own brand of Canadian hosers via two feature films.

Now the trio has reunited for FUBAR: Age of Computer, an eight-episode adventure—created by Dowse, Lawrence, Spence, North Darling and Immanuela Lawrence—debuting Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Viceland. When we catch up with Dean and Terry, they’re down on their luck, have no jobs (“Jobs aren’t even jobs anymore,” Terry laments as he mocks millennials. “I’m at home in my man-bun on the computer.”) and off to do the most Canadian of things: blowing off some steam camping in Alberta. Who hasn’t gone into the wilderness, gotten drunk, put WAY too much wood on the fire and shot fireworks at one another? Except that, in the case of Terry and Dean, it’s hinted their antics may have caused the legendary fire in Fort McMurray. (The producers make a point of noting the joke in the disclaimer ahead of Episode 1 lest anyone get upset.)

The pair flees to Calgary to meet up with Terry’s cousin, Shank (Darling), after hearing that those displaced by the fire would receive $1,800 from the federal government. Aiming to get a new start, Terry applies for the credit … and then spends most of it on frivolous items (a lifesized cardboard cutout of AC/DC guitarist Angus Young is just one). Meanwhile, Dean’s King Diamond-esque falsetto could land him a singing career.

The homer genre is hot right now thanks to Letterkenny (creator Jared Keeso was inspired by FUBAR), the Canadianity podcast from Jonathan Torrens and Jeremy Taggart and even Team Give’r from this summer’s exploits on The Amazing Race Canada. As a result, FUBAR: Age of Computer fits right in with its well-timed laughs and memorable characters.

FUBAR: Age of Computer airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Viceland.

Image courtesy of Rogers.

 

 

 

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The Nature of Things

Link: Into The Fire Burns With Intensity

From James Bawden:

Link: Into The Fire Burns With Intensity
“I’d started the research and then the B.C. wildfires raged. There had been Fort McMurray –an entire city of 90,000 ravaged –the human tragedies were huge. I also wanted to hook into the people who spend their lives studying fires. And there are a lot of them out there. The fires are getting bigger. It’s important to understand the science. I was told each rise in temperature of just 1 degree means a 12 fold increase in lightning.” Continue reading.

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Slasher

Link: Slasher: Guilty Party showrunner Aaron Martin on what’s really scary

From Captain John K. Kirk of Pop Mythology:

Link: Slasher: Guilty Party showrunner Aaron Martin on what’s really scary
“The moments that are more graphic and horrifying are less terrible for me, personally. While I love them because they’re shocking and fun to pull off, it’s the moments that seem wholly real that are the most disturbing to me.” Continue reading.

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