From Allison Lawlor of the Globe and Mail:
Film pioneer Ralph Ellis celebrated Canadian nature
Ralph Ellis was not only one of Canada’s most successful producers of television drama and entertaining nature documentaries, but also a pioneer in independent television production in this country. Continue reading.
From Hermione Wilson of the TV Junkies:
Orphan Black paints it black
Clone Club took some hard knocks on last week’s episode of Orphan Black and “The Antisocialism of Sex†was all about the aftermath. Each of the clones had their own way of dealing with the tragic loss of Kendall and all Cosima’s vital information on their genome. Continue reading.
Greg’s away so the Diane mouse will play in this week’s issue of Comments and Queries. Here are answers to questions we got by Twitter, Facebook, emails and comments:
Pure is a new new show, do you know? Because the others were ordered last season, no?
CBC’s 2016-17 season announcement snuck in news of this previously unknown (to me) series about the Mennonite mob, which will apparently air in winter 2017. I posted more about it here but in brief, it’s described as “the story of Noah Funk, a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers by betraying a fellow Mennonite to the police. But instead of solving the problem, Noah’s actions trigger an ultimatum from Menno mob leader Eli Voss: in order to protect his family he must get involved in the illegal operation. Noah decides that if he must work for the mob, he will secretly gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization.”  It’s created by David Macleod (Haven, Call Me Fitz) and Michael Amo (The Listener, Transporter: The Series).
I wonder if This is That, the webseries, is based on the radio show/podcast.
It is indeed. From CBC:  This is That is an award-winning current affairs program that doesn’t just talk about the issues, it fabricates them. Nothing is off-limits — politics, business, culture, justice, science, religion — if it is relevant to Canadians, hosts Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring will find out the “this” and “that” of the story. Each week, they introduce the voices and stories that give this country character in this 100% improvised, satirical send-up of public radio. In a new original digital series, they will be This is That-ing a new range of topics ripe for parody, including autonomous cars, rock-star chefs and thought leaders.
Has it been picked up in the UK yet?
No word on international pickups yet for the Global series starring Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson but it is produced by global studio eOne so they’re likely to be shopping it around. Stay tuned for any news.
Which network or channel will this air on?
My cyber-sleuthing has failed me and I have no idea. I have an inquiry out to the production office but the bare bones news we have from the above link seems to originate from production information which lists Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol) as director and Sarah Polley (Stories We Tell, Away from Her) as producer — and we know Polley wrote the mini-series adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel.
I’m trying to get ahold of Scott and Sheldon, do you know how I can do that?
Canadian Pickers was cancelled a few years ago, so the men are not likely to be answering queries related to the show. However, if you think your question outlives the series, Cineflix was the producer and you could start with them for contact information.
From the TV Junkies:
Wynonna Earp’s Rayisa Kondracki previews the many sides of the Stone Witch
Never judge a book by its cover. The saying definitely applies when it comes to the villains that inhabit Purgatory on Wynonna Earp. Constance Clootie, aka the Stone Witch, may seem like pure evil–all dressed up in a pretty pink bow–but viewers will soon be seeing a few more shades of gray added to the character in this week’s episode, “Bury Me With My Guns On.†What’s the real reason she put Doc (Tim Rozon) at the bottom of that well for all those years, and what’s the deal with her “boys†that she’s trying to resurrect with help from Bobo (Michael Eklund)? Continue reading.
CBC announced their 2016-17 schedule this morning, bringing back this fall long-standing favourites such as Murdoch Mysteries, Dragons’ Den, Rick Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as well as the second seasons of low-ish-ly rated Romeo Section, This Life and Crash Gallery.
Fall is a difficult time to launch new series, though this year CBC has Olympics-watching eyeballs over the summer to endlessly promote their wares. Will it be enough to successfully launch Shoot the Messenger, Kim’s Convenience and This is High School, the three new series for fall?
Originally announced for summer season, Shoot the Messenger is the Jennifer Holness/Sudz Sutherland creation described as “a gritty political thriller that centres on the complex relationships between crime reporters and the police.” Starring Elyse Levesque, Lucas Bryant, Lyriq Bent and Alex Kingston, the eight-episode series centres on “a sharp and ambitious j-school grad trying to balance a messy personal life while working at a big city newspaper. Things begin to go sideways for Daisy when she witnesses a murder she thinks is gang related, only to find herself slowly drawn into an interconnected web of criminal activity that reaches into the corridors of corporate and political power.” The show should benefit from a big Murdoch Mysteries lead-in on Mondays, though the tonal differences might not work in its favour: “gritty” Murdoch is not.
Kim’s Convenience is based on the hit play by Ins Choi, who also adapted it for television. It’s “the funny, heartfelt story of The Kims, a Korean-Canadian family, running a convenience store in downtown Toronto. Mr. and Mrs. Kim (‘Appa’ and ‘Umma’) immigrated to Toronto in the 80’s to set up shop near Regent Park and had two kids, Jung and Janet who are now young adults. However, when Jung was 16, he and Appa had a major falling out involving a physical fight, stolen money and Jung leaving home. Father and son have been estranged since.” It lands in the middle of CBC’s comedy block on Tuesdays.
This is High School is a factual series airing Sundays this fall and described as “a love letter to teachers.” It’s a six-part series “set in an extraordinary, ordinary school — where teachers, led by a passionate principal, go the distance to prepare their students for adult life. But when you’re dealing with teenagers, nothing is ever straightforward.”
Today’s announcement was the first I’ve heard of Pure, which is not on the fall schedule so likely airing in winter 2017. It’s a six-episode dramatic series that sounds ripped from CBC’s own headlines. From CBC:
“PURE, from Big Motion Pictures, tells the story of Noah Funk, a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers by betraying a fellow Mennonite to the police. But instead of solving the problem, Noah’s actions trigger an ultimatum from Menno mob leader Eli Voss: in order to protect his family he must get involved in the illegal operation. Noah decides that if he must work for the mob, he will secretly gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization.
Hidden from view, Old Order Mennonites exist in a world all their own, dedicated to living the same plain lifestyle as their ancestors. However, a tiny percentage of outlaw Mennonites controls one of the most efficient drug trafficking operations in North America. Supplied by an unholy alliance with the Juarez Cartel, their pipeline extends from Mexico, through the U.S. and into Canada.
Noah finds his beliefs and principles challenged every step of the way. Struggling to save his soul and complete his mission, Noah receives help from an unlikely source: his high school nemesis, local cop Bronco Novak. With his law-enforcement career hanging by a thread, Bronco sees the Menno mob case as his ticket to redemption. Created by David Macleod and Michael Amo, the series will be filmed on location in Nova Scotia and Alberta.”
