From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:
The awful, unending appeal of home-renovation shows
Don’t mock me: I’ve been watching the Love It or List It shows. Lots of people do. Real estate shows are a surefire draw. Love or List it Vancouver (W network) is mind-boggling. And not just the eye-watering real estate values. There is also the matter of Jillian Harris. Continue reading.
From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:
How much Ben Mulroney can Canada take?
In the annals of Canadian television, few persons – man, woman or child – have the status of Ben Mulroney. This is, after all, a man who tied with the Canadian Tire Guy for Most Irritating Canadian (TV-related) back in the year 2004. And now, people of Canada, prepare yourselves. Mulroney will co-host CTV’s new morning show Your Morning. He’ll be on the national network for three hours in the morning, day after day after day. Continue reading.
From Megan Logan of Inverse:
This is How You Carry A Show: Melanie Scrofano Dominates As Wynonna Earp
If you haven’t gathered by now, we kind of think Wynonna Earp is TV’s latest and greatest oddball. A show about Wyatt Earp’s demon-killing great-great granddaughter, Wynonna Earp isn’t like anything else on television. Though it’s garnered comparisons to Buffy and Jessica Jones, it is unquestionably its own thing — its own weird, fantastic, bold, beautifully feminist story. Wynonna Earp is a breath of fresh air in a crowded TV landscape, thanks in large part to its strong female voices and its titular hero, who’s a gun-toting bonafide badass, even with powdered sugar on her nose. Continue reading.
Last night the Leo Awards presented their gala awards ceremony — the final of three nights celebrating British Columbia’s film and television industry — and the television winners  were dispersed among several shows.
CTV’s whydunnit Motive won best dramatic series, beating out 19-2, Blackstone, Continuum and The Romeo Section.
In performances, Jared Keeso was named best lead performance by a male for 19-2, and Carmen Moore of Blackstone won best lead performance by a female. Lauren Lee Smith of This Life was named best supporting performance by a female, with Osric Chau  best supporting male for Blood and Water.
Jesse McKeown picked up a screenwriting award for 19-2’s “Orphans” episode, while David Frazee won best direction in a dramatic series for The Romeo Section’s “Elephant Faces East.”
For a complete list of winners, see the Leo Awards website.
From a media release:
VICELAND Announces New Slate of Original Programming with Six All-New Canadian-Produced Series
Rogers and VICE today announced six additions to the 2016 summer/fall schedule for Canadian specialty channel VICELAND, including the network’s first-ever scripted series, Nirvanna The Band The Show. Commissioned by Rogers, the newly announced original programming slate will all be produced by VICE through VICE Studio Canada.
From the creative team behind the critically acclaimed and internationally celebrated films The Dirties (2013) and Operation Avalanche (2016), Nirvanna The Band The Show is a 10-part, 30-minute comedy series following two lifelong best friends and roommates as they plan the greatest musical act in the history of the modern world. Without ever playing a note, Nirvanna the Band will take Toronto by storm, one scheme at time.
Canadian content and culture take a front seat as VICELAND brings a fresh approach to linear programming for viewers at home and abroad with a diverse programming lineup spanning a vast array of themes, including culinary adventure program Dead Set on Life, starring celebrity chef Matty Matheson, and tech docu-series Cyberwar, hosted by VICE journalist Ben Makuch.
Please see below for additional programming descriptions and broadcast details. VICELAND is available on an extended free-preview period until September 30, 2016.
Cyberwar: Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings), beginning July 5
**Series Premiere**
A 16-part, 30-minute doc series tapping into the geopolitics of hacking and government surveillance. Ben Makuch travels around the world to meet with hackers, government officials, and social dissidents to investigate the world’s cyber warfare mysteries.
Abandoned: Wednesdays at 11 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings), beginning July 6
**Series Premiere**
In this 10-part, 60-minute series, legendary skateboarder Rick McCrank embarks on a journey exploring abandoned landmarks and architectural remains with the people who lived, breathed and held these places dear.
Dead Set on Life: Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings), beginning July 7
**Series Premiere**
An eight-part, 30-minute doc series, Dead Set on Life takes viewers on a culinary adventure from the mind of Matty Matheson – a boisterously warm Canadian chef. From $6 subs at gas stations to the most sought-after ingredients on the planet, Matty eats it all and meets amazing people on the way.
RISE: ***Broadcast details to be announced at a later date; special sneak peek of the pilot episode to air June 19 at 11 p.m. ET/PT
**Series Premiere**
RISE brings viewers to the frontlines of Indigenous resistance in this eight-part, one-hour documentary series. Sarain Carson-Fox and Gitz Crazyboy travel to Indigenous communities to meet people engaged in protecting their homelands and rising up against threats to their survival.
Payday: ***Broadcast details to be announced at a later date
**Series Premiere**
This eight-part, one-hour documentary series follows millennials as they navigate the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Each episode’s distinct city serves as the backbone of the narrative analyzing each character’s economic situations. Payday is ultimately a critical examination of a disillusioned generation who are highly educated and streetwise yet facing mounting debt, struggling to find decent jobs, and working to survive post-economic collapse.
Nirvanna The Band The Show: ***Broadcast details to be announced at a later date
**Series Premiere**
Matt and Jay can’t catch a break. Jay is a savant, a talented musician who can play any song on piano by listening to just a few bars. Matt is less musically inclined, but is somehow the brains of the operation. Together, they are Nirvanna the Band and are trying to make it big in the Toronto music scene. From the creative team behind the independent films The Dirties (2013) and Operation Avalanche (2016), this scripted series is created by and stars childhood friends Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol.
