Link: Previewing The Spencer Sisters with Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber “The pilot was so funny while [also] having the traditional detective, procedural crime thing going on. And [for me], playing a cop but also having all the comedic beats of her life falling apart in the first half of the first episode. I thought it would be really fun to play that and go through all of those scenes leading up to the big moment where she returns home to her mom’s house.” Continue reading.
Lace ‘em up! As revealed today by TSN’s Jay Onrait and SportsCentre, Crave has ordered a second season of the hit original comedy SHORESY. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, the six-episode, half-hour series follows the foul-mouthed, chirp-serving, mother-loving, fan favourite character, Shoresy (Keeso), and the embattled Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs as they continue their quest to never lose again. Production is set to begin in Sudbury this spring.
A hit with both fans and critics alike, SHORESY was the most-watched Canadian series debut in Crave history, and received rave reviews from The New York Times who regarded the series, “as wild and filthy as its predecessor, absolutely bubbling over with indecency, and outrageousness in all of the best ways;” and The Globe and Mail who said “at last, a real hockey show about real hockey.” A bonafide hit on both sides of the border, Hulu will once again be the exclusive streaming home of SHORESY in the U.S., alongside its wildly popular forerunner, LETTERKENNY.
Returning to the SHORESY lineup is Tasya Teles (THE 100) as Nat; Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat (Prey) as Sanguinet; Blair Lamora (Paranormal Nightshift) as Ziigwan; and Keilani Rose (FLIMSY) as Miigwan. From, Blainville, QC, rapper Jonathan-Ismael Diaby stars as Dolo; and former Montréal Canadien, author, and actor Terry Ryan stars as Hitch. Ryan McDonell (THE CROSSING) stars as Michaels, Max Bouffard (LETTERKENNY) is JJ Frankie JJ, and former Kahnawake Condor and MMA fighter Andrew “The Canon” Antsanen returns as Goody. Legendary all-time tough guy Jon “Nasty” Mirasty, former ‘Canes centre Brandon Nolan, and three time Stanley Cup winner, Jordan Nolan star as Jim, Jim, and Jim, respectively, with Listowel’s Keegan Long as Liam, and North Bay’s Bourke Cazabon as Cory.
Developed by Bell Media for Crave, SHORESY is produced by New Metric Media, in partnership with Play Fun Games in association with Bell Media, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Bell Fund, with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and Ontario Creates. The series is distributed by WildBrain, New Metric Media is the exclusive sales agent. Jared Keeso is executive producer, writer, star, and creator. Jacob Tierney is executive producer and director. Kaniehtiio Horn is producer. Mark Montefiore and Kara Haflidson are Executive Producers for New Metric Media.
A mother-and-daughter duo become budding crime investigators in the new CTV Original drama THE SPENCER SISTERS, airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning February 10. Created by award-winning executive producer Alan McCullough (PRIVATE EYES, ROOKIE BLUE) and co-showrun with Jenn Engels (SORT OF), the female-led series is a light-hearted, one-hour procedural that follows mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Lea Thompson, Back To The Future, CAROLINE IN THE CITY) and her daughter Darby Spencer (Stacey Farber, VIRGIN RIVER, SCHITT’S CREEK) who are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in the fictional town of Alder Bluffs, Ont. Filmed in Winnipeg, the first season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.
In THE SPENCER SISTERS, after a string of bad luck, Toronto police officer Darby Spencer (Farber) quits her job and is forced to return home to her estranged mother, internationally renowned mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Thompson). After the duo are thrust into solving a crime together, Darby discovers a side to Victoria she never knew, and ultimately takes the plunge into the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming her partner in a private detective agency. Despite their opposing personalities, generational differences and complicated history, they discover they may have more in common than they thought. Each episode brings a new case to solve, and while the tightly-wound Darby and the carefree Victoria may never quite see eye to eye, they discover that maybe – just maybe – they need each other more than they realize.
Joining the cast in supporting roles are Thomas Antony Olajide (Learn To Swim) as Darby’s high school best friend and Alder Bluffs cop Zane Graham; Edward Ruttle (ARCTIC AIR) as Darby’s high school flame Doctor Lucas Collins; Husein Madhavji (SAVING HOPE) as Victoria’s “IT Consultant” (a.k.a. hacker) Alastair Dhumal; Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves (SORT OF) as Victoria’s feisty literary agent Sarita Stark; Rodrigo Massa (EL DRAGÓN: RETURN OF A WARRIOR) as Zane’s (Olajide) husband Antonio Pereira, who operates a Brazilian bistro in Alder Bluffs; Kaitlyn Leeb (SPINNING OUT) as Lindsay Yip – a hotshot lawyer who is Lucas’ fiancée; and Adam Hurtig (Cult of Chucky) as the lead detective of the Alder Bluff’s police force.
Season 1 also features guest appearances by Paul Popowich (MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN), Andrew Bushell (HUDSON & REX), Cindy Sampson (PRIVATE EYES), Seán Cullen (MURDOCH MYSTERIES), Matt Wells (Crown and Anchor), Alex Ozerov (CARDINAL), Jennifer Hui (STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS), Nancy Sorel (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE), Mercedes Morris (AMERICAN GODS), Julius Cho (CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING), Mika Amonsen (EZRA), Daniel Kash (The Man From Toronto), Paul Essiembre (THE PORTER), Tova Epp (TITANS), Zarrin Darnell-Martin (GINNY & GEORGIA), and Hazel Venzon (BURDEN OF TRUTH).
On the series premiere of THE SPENCER SISTERS, “The Scholar’s Snafu” (Friday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app), after her life in the city falls apart, former cop Darby Spencer (Farber) is forced to return to her childhood home and her estranged, best-selling mystery novelist mother Victoria Spencer (Thompson). But when Darby’s friend Kaia (guest star Jennifer Hui, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS) is wrongfully accused of plagiarism, Darby and Victoria must put aside their differences and investigate, uncovering a wide-ranging scandal. A special preview of the debut episode airs Sunday, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7p.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, immediately following the conclusion of the NFL Conference Championship.
Exclusive videos are available throughout the season on @CTV’s social channels and on CTV.ca and the CTV app, providing viewers with an extension of the series with bonus digital content that includes behind-the-scenes videos and more.
A CTV Original series, THE SPENCER SISTERS is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Buffalo Gal Pictures. The series is created by Alan McCullough and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels .
First, there was Mighty Ships. Then, Mighty Planes, followed by Mighty Cruise Ships and Mighty Trains. Now, there is simply The Mightiest.
Debuting on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery, the latest in the Mighty franchise takes viewers on a six-episode adventure into some of the mega-ist of mega machines around the planet. Hosted by Teddy Wilson (Mighty Trains) and environmental journalist Aliya Jasmine, each installment focuses on one main machine surrounded by smaller stories. Each segment is tied together by Aliya Jasmine and Wilson, who converse while standing in Hanger 1 at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
“It’s the latest and the greatest in the Mighty franchise,” Wilson says, on the line during a recent media day with his co-host. “They wanted to take this amazing franchise and really kick it up a notch. This series focuses on planes, trains and ships. We’re going to take viewers on some amazing and epic adventures.”
For environmental journalist Aliya Jasmine, The Mightiest offered her many tales to tell.
“So many of these stories deal with nature and some of the world’s most destructive natural forces,” Aliya Jasmine says. “We were able to fly into the eye of a hurricane and over wildfires. [We’re] not only looking at these mighty machines and the innovation in science and engineering but also the actual humans behind them. There are incredible people who put their lives at stake to operate these machines.”
The adventure begins on Wednesday with “Launch Day,” where Wilson is aboard the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. Updated with the latest in technology—including a switch from steam to electricity to launch and land aircraft—the Gerald R. Ford is a small town on the sea, to which The Mightiest crew were given unprecedented access.
“It was a mind-blowing experience,” Wilson recalls. “It was incredibly loud, incredibly dangerous… the deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous places on earth. And, we had to arrive and leave the carrier via a military transport plane landing and taking off, which was one of the coolest experiences of my life.”
In addition to highlighting the USS Gerald R. Ford, Wednesday’s debut looks at the massive Airbus A-380’s first landing into a major North American hub, the re-launch of a flying telescope after being grounded for months, and final touches on a cruise ship three times bigger than the Titanic. And while Wilson says as cool as the aircraft carrier assignment was, he believes his co-star got a plum Season 1 assignment seated inside an F-18 as a member of the Blue Angels.
“The Blue Angels are the only F-18 pilots in the world that don’t wear G-suits and don’t have oxygen masks,” Aliya Jasmine says. “When you see Tom Cruise in Top Gun, he has a G-suit on that helps him stay conscious, keep his eyesight, help him breathe and not be nauseous.
“It takes them years to train, and they trained me in two minutes,” she continues with a laugh. “They did warn me that it’s not uncommon for people to pass out, momentarily go blind, pee or defecate themselves, or puke. My body has never gone through anything like that before.”
So, how did she do?
“We pulled 6Gs, broke the sound barrier, did a couple of loops and I did puke four times on camera.”
The Mightiest airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery.
CTV announced today that acclaimed comedian and actress Lilly Singh is confirmed to host and executive produce the inaugural season of CTV’s previously announced primetime quiz show BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS. Each episode of the nostalgia-packed quiz show features four contestants representing a different generation (Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z), as they battle through multiple rounds of nostalgia-packed pop culture trivia. Whoever triumphs in this unique game of time travelling trivia enters The Vault for a chance to win a cash prize of up to $25,000.
CTV also confirmed today that nationwide casting for BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS is currently underway, with production on the 20-episode, one-hour quiz show set to begin February 2023 in Toronto. Viewers who think they have what it takes to reign supreme in this epic battle of the ages now have a chance to represent their generation on CTV’s new game show. For casting details and updates, including instructions on how to apply, fans can visit CTV.ca/BOTGcasting.
BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS not only asks how well you know your own generation but how well you know your rivals’ generations – ultimately resolving the question of which generation has what it takes to win it all. Additional programming information to be announced in the coming months.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Blink49 Studios and Bell Media’s multi-year partnership with Singh and her company Unicorn Island Productions on a unique first-look global scripted and second-look unscripted deal. Singh and Unicorn Island also have a first-look unscripted deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio.
About Lilly Singh Lilly Singh is a multi-faceted entertainer, actress, producer, writer, and creator. A leading force in popular culture, she has amassed a global audience of nearly 40 million followers across her social media channels. Earlier this year, Singh starred in the DreamWorks Animation action-comedy The Bad Guys, which premiered to a global box office of over $230 million. Singh is also a judge on CANADA’S GOT TALENT and will star in the upcoming Disney+ comedy series The Muppets Mayhem. Singh was the only woman to host a late-night show on a broadcast network television in nearly two decades for her show A LITTLE LATE WITH LILLY SINGH. As an author, she has published the #1 New York Times bestseller “How To Be A Bawse: A Guide to Surviving Conquering Life” and “Be a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life Into Shape”, which debuted as an instant best-seller in Canada and India.
As part of her Unicorn Island umbrella, Singh launched the Unicorn Island Fund – focusing on girls who continue to be systemically undervalued across cultures and geographies. She currently resides in Los Angeles and was born and raised in Scarborough, Ont.
BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS is an international format created for markets around the world and will be available for distribution globally. The series is executive produced by Jennifer Couke and Michelle Crespi for Bell Media Studios, Martin Oxley and Abigail Adams for Motion Content Group, and Lilly Singh and Polly Auritt for Unicorn Island Productions.
