Tag Archives: CBC Gem

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

CBC’s Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan returns to spotlight more creepy Canadian locations with celebrity friends

When I’m planning a day trip, I always research the food options. Where has John Catucci eaten that I should visit for a meal after that museum or art gallery visit? But now, thanks to Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan, I should include potentially haunted Canadian locations on that list.

The duo have returned for Season 2 of Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan on CBC Gem, investigating the most haunted properties in Canada—and the stories surrounding them—with a help from their celebrity friends.

Part history lesson, part gossip-fest, part paranormal investigation, Hutchie and Finlan are determined to showcase parts of this country where spooky goings-on have occurred.

“The concept of the show was, ‘How do you essentially rebrand Canada to not seem like the side-chick to the United States?'” co-creator and co-executive producer Hutchie says during a recent chat. “Season 2 really does sell you on the glitz and the glamour and the grandeur of the show.”

Where the debut go-round stayed within Ontario, visiting locations like Picton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Baden and Cornwall, the sophomore eight storylines led them to Nova Scotia, British Columbia and the Yukon. Joining Hutchie and Finlan this season are Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka (pictured above with Finlan and Hutchie), Veronika Slowikowska (Ezra), Nikki Roumel (Ginny & Georgia), Percy Hynes White (Wednesday), Krista Nazaire (Hell of a Summer), Joel Oulette (Trickster) and more.

Luke Hutchie, Veronika Slowikowska and Matthew Finlan

One of the highlights in Season 2 is Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. Built by wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, it is reportedly haunted in a trio of spots. After a quick history lesson on Dunsmuir and the castle by Hutchie and Finlan, the pair meet up with Percy Hynes White as the lights go down.

I watch a lot of paranormal series. And, like them, Ghosting rolls out REM pods, SLS cameras, EMF detectors and the Ovilus 5, all technologies that are purported to capture the movements, thoughts and voices of the supernatural. What sets Ghosting apart from those programs is the chemistry, friendship and teasing between Hutchie, Finlan, and their friends. There are truly laugh-out loud, outrageous moments, usually delivered by Hutchie (sometimes the only thing missing is him looking right into the camera, fully breaking the fourth wall), but lots of jump-scares as well.

At the end of each instalment, Hutchie, Finlan and their guest each decide if the location is “haunted” or “not haunted.”

“We’re trying to prove if the ghost story is true or not,” Hutchie says. “This season, it’s more, ‘the claims are this, we didn’t get that, so the story’s not true.'” But in some cases, strange things occurred that weren’t part of the ghost story; Hutchie points to Lunenberg Academy as a place where he can be heard muttering, “what the…” under his breath.

To me, whether the locations are truly haunted isn’t the point. In a show like Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan, the fun is in the journey.

Season 2 of Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan is available now on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of Blue Ant Media.

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Awards, Featured

Comedian Lisa Gilroy to take the stage as host of The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards live on CBC Gem

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today that Canadian Actress and Creator Lisa Gilroy will host The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards, live from the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto and streaming in its entirety on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT on the free CBC Gem streaming service. 

“We are beyond excited to have Lisa Gilroy host The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards on CBC Gem — her infectious energy, quick wit, and undeniable charisma make her the perfect choice to lead our celebration of Canadian screen excellence,” said Tammy Frick, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “With the show streaming live on CBC Gem and Lisa at the helm, The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards will be truly unforgettable.”

Live from the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards is Canada’s biggest night in entertainment, with legendary icons and rising stars coming together to honour the very best in our homegrown film and television — all streaming on CBC Gem. Featuring unforgettable moments, heartfelt tributes to beloved entertainers, and a showcase of this year’s most celebrated content, The 2025 Canadian Screen Awards will be a uniquely Canadian evening celebrating the stories and talent that unite us all. 

“I’m over the moon to be hosting such an iconic Canadian event — I feel so lucky,” said Actress and Creator Lisa Gilroy. “Canada is home to some of the most talented people in the world and I can’t wait to celebrate them!”

Lisa Gilroy is a Canadian Screen Award nominated actor and creator living in LA. Most recently, she played Detective Green in the main ensemble of Taika Waititi’s critically acclaimed series for Hulu, Interior Chinatown. Recent TV appearances include Mindy Kaling’s Running Point (Netflix); a recurring role in Twisted Metal (Peacock); The Studio (Apple TV+) for director Seth Rogen; and Shrinking (Apple TV+). She is known for Amazon’s Jury Duty, her viral social media videos (notably her parody plea to rude fans) and her appearances on the popular comedy platform Dropout. Gilroy is an alumna of The Second City’s Touring Company in Toronto, The Groundling’s Sunday Company in LA and was featured in the 2022 Just For Laughs New Faces showcase in Montreal. Currently, Gilroy has a First Look deal with Sony Pictures Television, performs with the ASSSSCAT cast at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade and with Dinosaur Improv at the iconic Largo Theatre in Los Angeles.

Image courtesy of Kristina Ruddick.

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Featured, North of North

Indigenous stories, characters and cast front and centre in CBC’s charming North of North

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It’s hard to re-invent yourself, especially when you live in a small town, where everyone knows you. How can you convince a community that you shouldn’t be pigeonholed or dismissed? And how do you do it with an air of positivity and humour?

That’s the premise behind North of North, CBC’s newest comedy.

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem (and the spring on Netflix), North of North stars Anna Lambe (True Detective, Trickster) as Siaja, a young Inuk mother who strives to be something other than the wife of her self-absorbed husband, Ting (Kelly William). So, she exits her marriage, moves herself and her daughter in with her mother, Neevee (Maika Harper), and chases down a job at the community centre in fictional Ice Cove, Nunavut.

With so much upheaval in her life, one could assume North of North is dark and dour. It’s anything but. Created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Qanurli, The Grizzlies) and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Angry Inuk, The Grizzlies) and produced alongside executive producer Miranda de Pencier (Anne with an E, The Grizzlies), North of North is jam-packed with quips and comedy, largely due to lead Lambe, whose presence jumps off the screen.

“I was honestly so terrified of comedy,” Lambe says during a recent interview. “So much Indigenous film and television [is drama-based], and I think that’s important and necessary, but comedy was one of those things where it was either going to hit or it’s going to miss so bad that maybe it will be funny.” Add to that the fact the series was filmed in Iqaluit, Lambe’s hometown, and surrounded by background cast that knows her, and the pressure was on.

She need not have worried. Lambe’s Siaja is charming and fun to watch on screen. Siaja’s repartee with Neevee is funny and irreverent (their relationship seems more sisterly than mother-daughter), innocent flirting with the handsome Kuuk (Braeden Clarke) smile-inducing and awkward conversations with Alistair (Jay Ryan), laugh-inducing.

Yes, there are nods to colonialism and residential schools in the dialogue, but they are often used for comic effect in scripts and storylines.

“There was a real challenge to finding what the final tone of the show was going to be and having someone fail so publicly,” Lambe says. “But one of the things I love so much about the show is how authentic it is about how we get through life.

“The only way out of a bad situation is through the bad situation and why not laugh along the way? Why not try to find those funny moments?”

North of North airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Son of a Critch

Links: Son of a Critch, Season 4

From Bill Brioux of the Toronto Star:

Link: When Mark Critch got a video camera in 1990 he didn’t know it would become a sort of time machine. He’s got even more memories to share in the new season of ‘Son of a Critch’

For three seasons now, “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” comedian Critch has been writing, executive producing and starring in the show about growing up and finding his career path in St. John’s — it’s CBC’s top scripted comedy. Continue reading.

From Heidi Ulrichsen of Bay Today:

Link: We catch up with ‘the other Son of a Critch,’ Sudbury’s Colton Gobbo

As Sudbury’s Colton Gobbo quips, he’s the “other Son of a Critch.”

Since 2022, Gobbo has appeared in the CBC television series “Son of a Critch,” the semi-autobiographical series created by Canadian comedian Mark Critch (who you may know from “This Hour has 22 Minutes”). Continue reading.

From Dana Gee of the Vancouver Sun:

Link: North Vancouver actor Sophia Powers grows up on hit TV series Son of a Critch

“This was my first job when I was 11, so I think it was a lot of learning on the go. And then not really knowing what to expect and just trying to take it day by day, and figure it out and kind of find my footing with it… This show has given me so many opportunities to just grow, as an actor and as a person.” Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Everything Zoomer:

Link: Malcolm McDowell on Memories of Margaret Trudeau, His Shakespeare Theory and the Fourth Season of ‘Son of a Critch’

“I remember when I first read it, and I talked to Mark and I said, ‘You better concentrate on finding this boy, because we live or die by his performance.’ You have to get the best you can find and they did.” Continue reading.

From Jim Moodie of The Sudbury Star:

Link: At just 24, Sudbury’s Colton Gobbo becoming an acting veteran

“For Mike Jr., he’s spent the last few years trying to get out of his dad’s shadow. The struggle for Mike has been that he has the same passion but doesn’t want to be handed things. This season it’s really exciting because he really goes off on his own.” Continue reading.

From Rudy Blair of Rudy Blair Entertainment Media:

Link: Intv w Actor Colton Gobbo Mike Jr The CBC/CBC Gem Comedy Series “Son Of A Critch Season 4”

The comedy series based on the award-winning, best-selling memoir from Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) on his hilarious and very real coming of age story growing up in St. John’s, Newfoundland returns Tuesday, January 7th at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC/CBC Gem. Rudy Blair Entertainment Media speaks with Actor Colton Gobbo (Mike Jr) on “Son of a Critch Season 4. Continue reading.

From Tara Bradbury of The Telegram:

Link: Rick Mercer joins ‘Son of a Critch’ cast as car salesman-turned-VOCM boss

Mercer, best known for his work on “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” and “The Rick Mercer Report,” says he’s been a fan of “Son of a Critch” since the first episode.

It’s also been about that long since Critch has wanted him to be a part of it. Continue reading.

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Featured, Saint-Pierre

Allan Hawco returns to CBC with rollicking, refreshing Saint-Pierre

For six seasons, Allan Hawco’s Republic of Doyle entertained viewers on CBC. The fast-paced detective drama was set in and around St. John’s and spotlit the unique island community through the eyes of Jake Doyle and his co-workers, friends, lovers and enemies.

Now Hawco is back and spotlighting another island community.

Debuting Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem, Saint-Pierre—co-created by Hawco, Robina Lord-Stafford and Perry Chafe—boasts the humour, heart and unique environs that are Hawco’s bread and butter.

At the centre of the series is its two lead characters. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector Donny “Fitz” Fitzpatrick (Hawco) finds himself banished to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon—the French territory of 6,000 nestled in the Atlantic Ocean—after digging too deeply into illegal activity surrounding a local politician (played by Eric Johnson), who happens to be married to Fitz’s ex-wife (Vanessa Matsui).

Once on the island, Fitz is partnered with Deputy Chief Genevieve “Arch” Archambault (Joséphine Jobert). There are some fish-out-of-water moments for Fitz in the first episode—he not only suffers from sea sickness (bad news when you’re working on a small island) and a fear of heights—not to mention struggling with the language barrier (luckily, Fitz understands French better than he speaks it). Rounding out the main cast are Benz Antoine, Erika Prevost, Jean-Michel Le Gal and James Purefoy as the big bad in Season 1.

Much of Monday’s debut sets up the people and their world. And what a world it is! Quaint, brightly painted wood homes dot the coast of Saint-Pierre while older stone buildings stand sentry inland. French flags wave everywhere, and croissants and seafood are plentiful. Hawco revealed during a recent interview that he was on a location scout for fellow CBC/Hawco Productions project Son of a Critch when he visited the island, and knew it should be the setting for his next series. He had written two pilot projects and Saint-Pierre was the perfect fit for one.

“One [idea] was very close to what this show is, the very notion of these two partners who were thrust together by fate, and unwilling partners who didn’t know they needed each other until now,” he says.

Eagle-eyed fans of Death in Paradise will quickly identify Jobert, who portrayed Detective Sergeant Florence Cassell from 2015 to 2024 on the veteran British series. The chemistry Jobert has with Hawco is instantaneous and undeniable and is a huge part of why Saint-Pierre works so well.

“She’s my favourite type of person and actor,” Hawco says. “She’s prepared. She’s also totally flexible to go with anything in the moment. She’s practical about what the technical requirements of the job are while keeping a fluidity and an absolute freshness and spontaneity to her work. No ego, no status, no judgment. She’s generous with the crew. She understands people’s jobs, she respects them. She’s a true angel. She’s an absolute unicorn.”

Saint-Pierre airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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