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Featured, Travelers

Travelers: Eric McCormack and Nesta Cooper preview crazy Season 2

Season 1 of Travelers wrapped with one hell of a cliffhanger. In a stressful face-off in the barn, Trevor (Jared Abrahamson) and Grace (Jennifer Spence) were both shot moments before Trevor could destroy the quantum frame.

Those final moments were preceded by some major information: Shelter 41 had collapsed and been taken over by The Faction, people unsupportive of the director and the grand plan. By the end of the instalment, Carly (Nesta Cooper), MacLaren (Eric McCormack), Marcy (MacKenzie Porter), Trevor and Philip (Reilly Dolman) had been captured by the FBI, headed by MacLaren’s partner Walt (Arnold Pinnock). Crazy, right? Episode 1 of Season 2—returning Monday, Oct. 16, at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase—blows that out of the water. Seriously. And that’s all thanks to new cast member Enrico Colantoni, who plays Vincent, a mysterious character whose back story takes up much of Monday’s return. We spoke to McCormack and Cooper about what fans can expect as Brad Wright’s creation hurtles into its sophomore season.

Enrico Colantoni … how did that casting come about? Was that a result of Brad wanting to expand the world in Season 2?
Eric McCormack: As you see in the final image in Monday’s first episode, we now know who Enrico was playing in Season 1. As for it being Enrico, I take my one producer credit: Brad showed me the script and said, ‘Who do you think should play that?’ I knew we were going to go for Canadian cast across the board, so I immediately thought of Enrico. What he did on Person of Interest reminded me of the kind of intensity and danger that he could bring. But what he does in the first five minutes of the premiere is so exciting and so heartbreaking. Somebody watching the show must have been wondering, ‘Well, when did all of this traveler business start?’ The question gets answered, and in such a cool way.

When I got the first script, I was reading it and saying, ‘Where’s the barn?’ But there is a such a good reason to set up [Monday’s return] the way that we do.

Let’s discuss the Season 1 finale in the barn. The FBI rolls in and there is Walt. The cat is out of the bag.
EM: ‘The cat is out of the bag! How can it be out? It’s only Season 1?!’ That’s what fans have been saying to me.

Nesta Cooper: There are so many questions going through our heads. Carly didn’t kill MacLaren even though the director told her to. Am I not going to get saved because I didn’t complete the mission? What’s going to happen to the quantum frame? What is it capable of?

Travelers is a very active show with lots of hand-to-hand combat. Do you do your own stunts?
NC: We’ve had the same stunt team for both seasons. In Season 1, I was a twiggy and very weak. [Laughs.] I’m still weak but I work out a lot more now. The stunt team has seen how I fight and carry myself and I’m lucky because the writing has taken this physically strong person and put her into the body of a weak, single mom. Carly is able to grow with me as I’ve learned to carry myself. This season I’m able to do a lot of my own stunts, like when I flip people and when I punch people.

What can you say about the relationship between Carly and MacLaren going forward?
EM: I hope what’s been made clear to the audience is that it’s something that should never have been brought into the past. We were clearly fraternizing in boot camp and that probably shouldn’t have happened, but who cares because it’s a dystopian, awful future. I wasn’t sure how long the relationship would go and I was surprised how it’s kind of come to a stop because of MacLaren’s feelings for [his wife] Kat [Leah Cairns]. But I hope it still comes up as a thing. It’s an unsettled score.

NC: To me, it’s still a thing for Carly. I had imagined that Carly did not open up to a lot of people ever, and MacLaren was her person. And when she felt betrayed by him, it was a big loss for her. I hope it continues to be a thing and I’ll certainly be playing it that way. When we pick up, she’ll be facing those feelings head-on.

Not only does Amanda Tapping have a role in Travelers this season, but she directed an episode as well. What was it like working with her?
NC: Literally a dream.

EM: There is a such an ease with her. Watching her run a crew is effortless. She knows what she’s doing 10 minutes before anyone else does.

Travelers airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase; Season 2 returns on Monday, Oct. 16.

Image courtesy of Corus.

 

 

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Bad Blood, Kim's Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries

Link: Canadian TV networks bring stars to the fans in attempt to boost sagging ratings

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From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:

Link: Canadian TV networks bring stars to the fans in attempt to boost sagging ratings
In English Canada, based on the first three weeks of the season, the total available TV audience among broadcasters CBC, CTV, City and Global is down eight per cent year-to-year. Among viewers aged 25 to 54, a demographic advertisers covet the most, the drop is 12 per cent in all day parts, according to Numeris, which measures TV viewership in Canada. Continue reading.

 

 

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Industry News

TSN Mourns the Passing of Iconic Curling Broadcaster Ray Turnbull

From a media release:

TSN mourns the passing of Ray Turnbull, an iconic Canadian curling analyst and competitor and fan-favourite broadcaster. A standout competitive curler and instructor as well as broadcaster, Turnbull was inducted as a member of the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 as both a curler and a builder, and was also inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame in 2013 and the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2015.

“Ray set the standard for curling broadcasting in Canada, and was instrumental in developing and building our world-class curling coverage,” said Mark Milliere, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, TSN. “A true champion, Turnbull’s expertise on and off the ice, his warm nature and distinct charm and personality elevated his craft and made him a fan-favourite for Canadians nationwide. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Ray’s family and friends. His legacy upon curling in Canada will always be remembered.”

With a career spanning over 25 years, Turnbull joined TSN in 1984. He was the long-time face of the network’s curling coverage alongside Vic Rauter, becoming one of curling’s most familiar and trusted voices providing expert analysis on a slate of major tournaments including the Tim Hortons Brier, Scotties Tournament of Hearts, World Championships, and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Turnbull retired from TSN at the end of the 2009-2010 season.

Affectionately known as “Moosie,” Turnbull was a 1965 Brier champion and travelled the world teaching the game and introducing people to it. He played a crucial role in the creation of a junior-age national championship with the Canadian Curling Association (now Curling Canada), and was responsible for developing various teaching techniques. Turnbull also worked as an official, and was among the first to provide formal instruction for players and coaches in Canada and around the world.

“For 25 years, along with Linda Moore, we were broadcast partners travelling from one side of the country to the other through cities and towns, and also around the world,” said TSN’s Vic Rauter. “Curling was in his heart and in his blood. His love for the game, the athletes, and the fans was unquestioned and it showed. He will truly be missed.”

 

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19-2, Featured

Comments and queries for the week of October 6

19-2 really was pleasant to watch and kept me glued to my seat week in and week out. The characters were well developed and the acting was phenomenal. J.M. was someone we loved to hate. I really loved his character and how it kept everyone else on edge. The rookie was fantastic as well. Not everyone gets along at work and the fact that his character was just starting to develop, makes me sad we will not see any more of this show. Yes, it was about Chartier and Nick but it was much more. Many of my friends are police officers in Montreal and they have mentioned many times about the realism of the episodes and how accurate they are. Well done and gone before it had to! The emotion shown by Chartier and Nick when they returned to the school was very powerful. Not only was that original school shooting episode riveting, but their return shows how affected they really are by the job that they do. These things stay with you forever and the way this show portrays these scenes is amazing. You cannot help but feel for these characters and when a show can leave you with such emotion, you know that it is well-written and well-acted. Proud of this Canadian show, both English and French versions. —Johnny

Please continue on with this series. It’s a great show and my husband and I look forward to watching it each week. —Maria

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

 

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries: Colin Mochrie shares secrets to his memorable guest role

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It all began with a tweet. Back in March, veteran comic actor and improviser Colin Mochrie posted congratulations to Murdoch Mysteries landing a Season 11 renewal while making a not-so-veiled pitch to get himself on the long-running CBC series.

The request led to reality: Mochrie’s guest role happens on Monday during “8 Footsteps,” when he portrays Ralph Fellows, house detective at the Windsor House Hotel where Murdoch and Julia are living. The relationship between Fellows and Murdoch is anything but friendly, especially when a murder occurs inside the hotel. Monday’s instalment is jam-packed with special guests, including the return of Alexander Graham Bell (played by John Tench), who is accompanied by Helen Keller (Amanda Richer) and her companion Anne Sullivan Macy (Severn Thompson).

We spoke to Mochrie ahead of “8 Footsteps.”

Congratulations on landing a guest role on Murdoch Mysteries.
Colin Mochrie: It took long enough, didn’t it?

How much of your tweet was just having a little fun?
It was about 50 per cent. It’s alway good to put yourself out there and I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to be the last one [to guest star]. That happened with The Red Green Show, so time was running out.

Had you wanted to be on Murdoch Mysteries before and have been waiting for the call all this time?
Yes, sure. It’s a Canadian institution and I always enjoy working. It seemed like the perfect fit.

How did getting you onto the show actually work? Did Yannick Bisson contact you, or was it the show’s producers, Shaftesbury?
I tweeted, ‘Hey, come on, hire me.’ And Yannick had been working on it for awhile and this part came up and I guess they figured, ‘What the hell, maybe he’ll stop tweeting us.’

What can you say about the character of Ralph Fellows?
He is the hotel detective at the hotel that Murdoch lives in. So, there is a little bit of a professional jealousy. He has to deal with things like stolen cutlery whereas Murdoch gets all the sexy cases. There is definitely an antagonistic quality in their relationship throughout the show. He doesn’t hide it very well.

It sounds as though Monday’s case is a little bit more serious than stolen silverware if Murdoch is involved.
It’s murder! It’s great because it involves Alexander Graham Bell and Helen Keller, so it’s sort of a high profile case. There is a charity event and she is the guest of honour. They decide to have a meal in total darkness so that people can get insight into what it’s like being blind. The lights are out and not everyone makes it through dinner.

A great storyline!
It is. And a great set. I had always heard how wonderful it was to work there. The cast and the crew are just great, and I have to give Yannick full points. The feeling on-set emanates from the star and he is such a graceful man and classy, it’s very professional set and we have a lot of fun. When we get down to work, we work.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Are you looking forward to Monday’s episode? Let me know in the comments below!

 

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