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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Private Eyes

Link: ‘Private Eyes’ star Jason Priestley on Canadian pride and returning to the director’s chair

From Clare Douglas of Hello Canada:

Link: ‘Private Eyes’ star Jason Priestley on Canadian pride and returning to the director’s chair
“I’m most excited about the way we continue to break the fourth wall for the audience. We did a whole race-car thing out at Mosport with James Hinchcliffe and an episode around Toronto Women’s Fashion Week with Jeanne Beker. We [film] at iconic places or events and have iconic people show up, which adds a level of realism to the show.” Continue reading.

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Private Eyes

Link: Private Eyes scores on chemistry

From Jane Stevenson of 24 Hours Toronto:

Link: Private Eyes scores on chemistry
There’s definitely some lingering sexual tension between Private Eyes’lead characters on the Canadian dramedy whose second season recently debuted on Global and airs on Thursday nights.

But the actors who play former hockey player Matt Shade and his private eye partner Angie Everett – former Beverly Hills, 90210 heartthrob Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson – say their on-screen future is up in the air … for now. Continue reading.

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Featured, Saving Hope

Comments and queries for the week of June 2

1 Comment

Very, very sad that [Saving Hope] is ending. A completely original concept for a medical show, the actors were all amazing and best one of all is it was UNPREDICTABLE! So many shows now are not original and highly predictable, boring story lines and drab and boring. To lose this show is really disappointing, but I guess it was too “intellectual” to the general audience. They didn’t “get it”! Anyway, I wish all the actors have wonderful lives; all great and good things don’t last, unfortunately! Going to miss you, Hope Zion. —Patricia

I really like reno shows but I’m losing interest in [Home to Win]. The contractors act like 12-year-olds and the designers wear jeans so tight they can hardly walk!! If that’s how they work on a real job I’d fire them all. Grow up. —Stan

Very captivated by [Anne]. So well shot, written, acted, etc. I even convinced my family to watch an episode with me and they were hooked from there on in. :) Really hope Season 2 is not far off! —Adria

 

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

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada: And the winner is …

8 Comments

After a three-hour marathon that included their fellow competitors and family members watching from the sidelines, Thea and Trevor did battle in a three-course non-stop cook for the ages to win the $100,000 grand prize and title of MasterChef Canada.

By the time the dust steam had settled on Thursday night, Trevor the plumber/gas fitter from Edmonton had emerged victorious. Thea, the insurance broker from Vancouver, came in second place. Things may have been very different if the tamale ball Thea served chef Claudio Aprile hadn’t been raw in the middle, but the devil is in the details and that one ruined her chances of winning. Judges Alvin Leung, Claudio Aprile and Michael Bonacini awarded Trevor the trophy, explaining that his three-course meal presented the best story of the two.

“Winning this has kick-started my food dream,” Trevor told producers after the confetti had fallen. “My life is changing as we speak. Goodbye plumbing, hello cooking!”

“I’m really happy for Trevor,” Thea said in defeat. “I still feel like a winner. This has been the best journey I’ve ever had and nothing is going to stop me from pursuing my food dream right now.”

MasterChef Canada continued to be groundbreaking in its challenges this season by presenting a doozy of a final one: Thea and Trevor had three hours to create an appetizer, entree and dessert and the clock would not stop running. This meant the pair would not only have to stay focussed while cooking but have excellent time-management skills. Thea’s take on Mexican food with street corn panna cotta, pork cheek tamale and orange sponge cake played to her strength of having bold flavours while Trevor’s octopus and chips, lamb two ways and deconstructed chocolate mint ice cream cone showcased his sophistication in taste and plating.

There wasn’t a ton of drama during the hour-long episode—despite producers injecting dramatic music to suggest there was—and it all rightly came down to taste for final judgement from Claudio, Alvin and Michael. A frontrunner from Week 1, the only way Trevor was going to lose was if something catastrophic went wrong with one of his plates. As soon as the trio went off without a hitch his win was sealed.

What did you think of this season of MasterChef Canada? Did the right home cook win? Let me know in the comments below!

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Caught

Production begins on new CBC original drama series Caught starring Allan Hawco and Paul Gross

From a media release:

Take The Shot Productions announced the start of production of the new CBC original drama series CAUGHT, which will premiere in winter 2018 on CBC, as announced at the public broadcaster’s 2017-18 season preview launch last week. Starring Allan Hawco (who will play David Slaney) and Paul Gross (playing Patterson) and produced by Take The Shot Productions, filming kicked off this week in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Executive producers include Allan Hawco, Perry Chafe, John Vatcher, Alex Patrick, Peter Blackie, Rob Blackie and Michael Levine. The series is written by Allan Hawco along with John Krizanc, Adriana Maggs, and Julia Cohen. It will be directed by TJ Scott and John Vatcher. CAUGHT is adapted from Canadian author Lisa Moore’s acclaimed novel of the same name (published by House of Anansi Press), which was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Scotiabank Giller Prize and selected as an Amazon.ca Best Book and for The Globe 100 Books in 2013.

CAUGHT is a new series set in 1978. Locked up after a drug deal goes wrong, David Slaney (Hawco) makes a daring break from a New Brunswick prison to attempt one more deal with his former partner (Eric Johnson) – all this with a dogmatic police officer, Patterson (Paul Gross), at his heels. It’s Slaney’s last chance at freedom – but in this tale of bravado and betrayal, nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

CAUGHT stars Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle, Frontier, The Book of Negroes), Paul Gross (Alias Grace, Hyena Road, Passchendaele), Tori Anderson (Open Heart, No Tomorrow), Eric Johnson (Fifty Shades Darker, The Knick), Charlotte Sullivan (Chicago Fire, Disappearance), Greg Bryk (Bitten, Frontier) and Enuka Okuma (Rookie Blue, Battle of Sexes).

ABOUT TAKE THE SHOT PRODUCTIONS
Take The Shot Productions Inc. has developed and produced award winning content which has garnered critical and commercial success, both domestically and globally. Based in St John’s Newfoundland, TTS produces a variety of both scripted and unscripted projects for television. Past productions include award nominated series Republic of Doyle on CBC and Discovery Canada/Netflix Worldwide Original Series Frontier, starring Game of Thrones and Aquaman’s Jason Momoa. Frontier will be returning for Season 2 in 2017. Other projects have included the hot factual series Majumder Manor, Boy on Bridge featuring Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle, HBO Canada’s Shaun Majumder, and Every Word is Absolutely True.

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