Tag Archives: CBC

CBC renews new original comedies Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch and Strays

From a media release:

Continuing its commitment to nurturing world-class Canadian comedic talent, CBC today announced the renewal of new original series RUN THE BURBS, SON OF A CRITCH and STRAYS for their second seasons on CBC and CBC Gem. The series join CBC’s 2022-23 comedy slate alongside acclaimed comedy SORT OF from Sienna Films/Sphere Media, also recently announced by CBC and HBO Max as returning for its sophomore season. Additional CBC renewals across all genres and content areas to be announced in the spring.

Created by comedian, writer and actor Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience) and his best friend and collaborator, filmmaker Scott Townend (The Secret Marathon), RUN THE BURBS follows the Phams, a young, bold Vietnamese-South Asian-Canadian family taking a different approach to living life to the fullest, while changing the way we think about contemporary family values and life in the burbs. The series is produced by Pier 21 Films, with Endeavor Content holding international distribution rights. RUN THE BURBS premiered on January 5, 2022, and airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m (9 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.

Based on Mark Critch’s award-winning, best-selling memoir, SON OF A CRITCH is the hilarious and very real story of 11-year-old Mark coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the 80s. Created by Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Tim McAuliffe (The Office, Last Man on Earth and MacGruber) and produced by Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek), the series is an inter-provincial co-production between Barnsley’s Project 10 Productions Inc. and Newfoundland-based Take the Shot Productions in association with CBC and Lionsgate Television. SON OF A CRITCH premiered on January 4, 2022, ranking as the #1 scripted program on CBC in the 25-54, 18-49 and 18-34 audience demographics,* and garnering CBC’s highest rating for a comedy premiere since Kim’s Convenience debuted in October 2016.** The series airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.

STRAYS follows Shannon Ross (Nicole Power) as the new executive director of the Hamilton East Animal Shelter, where she is boss to an eclectic staff. Developed for television by Kevin White (Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek), Anita Kapila (Kim’s Convenience, Son of a Critch) and Clara Altimas (Kim’s Convenience), STRAYS is produced by Thunderbird Entertainment and premiered on CBC and CBC Gem in September 2021.

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CBC and HBO Max renew Sort Of for a second season

From a media release:

CBC and HBO Max have renewed SORT OF for a second season, it was announced today. Created by Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me), the critically acclaimed CBC and Max Original comedy debuted on HBO Max in November 2021 following its Canadian premiere on CBC Gem in October 2021. The series was an official selection of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and made The Hollywood Reporter, The Globe and Mail and Vanity Fair’s Best TV Shows of 2021 lists. SORT OF also leads this year’s Canadian Screen Award nominations with 13 nods, including Best Comedy Series.

“We are so thrilled that we are able to dive back into the worlds of SORT OF, and to keep exploring the evolution of all our characters (including some new ones!) as they continue to investigate who they are in the world as friends, family members, lovers and human beings,” said Bilal Baig, co-creator, showrunner, executive producer and lead actor.

“SORT OF speaks to the complexity of being human in the world with wit, warmth and an authentic sense of inclusivity, thanks to the distinct voices of Bilal and Fab,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC. “SORT OF has struck such a powerful chord with audiences, and we are thrilled to work with HBO Max and Sienna Films on the next chapter of Sabi’s story.”

“Baig and Filippo’s honest and insightful storytelling is a lesson in unraveling conventional views of identity,” said Jeniffer Kim, SVP, International Originals, HBO Max. “We could not be more excited to partner with CBC and Sienna Films on another season of this very special show.”

“It’s been a wonderful experience to develop this show from the ground up with Bilal and Fab, and now to have the opportunity in Season 2 to dig even deeper,” said Jennifer Kawaja, executive producer, Sienna Films.

Called “funny, tender, and humane” by NPR, “the kind of representation everyone deserves” by Mashable, and “a small masterpiece of contemporary urban storytelling” by The Globe and Mail, SORT OF follows the journey of “Sabi Mehboob” (Baig), a gender fluid millennial who straddles various identities from sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family. Sabi feels like they’re in transition in every aspect of their life, from gender to love to sexuality to family to career. A coming-of-age story, SORT OF exposes the labels we once poured ourselves into as no longer applicable…to anyone.

The series is created by Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, who also serve as showrunners and executive producers, and produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Sienna Films’ Jennifer Kawaja is also an executive producer on the series. SORT OF is distributed worldwide by Sphere Media. Abacus Media Rights handles sales outside of the United States and Latin America.

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Links: The Porter, Season 1

From Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:

Link: Labour of love: Sabryn Rock’s latest acting job was a life-changing experience
“It was this interesting kind of synchronistic thing … having this huge life event of motherhood happen and then portraying somebody who all she wants is to be a mother.” Continue reading.

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: CBC’s ‘The Porter’ sheds light on part of Canadian history with ‘energy,’ ‘sexiness’ and ‘fun’
If you want to know what CBC’s historical drama “The Porter” is about, there’s a lot to be gleaned from the television series’ opening minute and 10 seconds. Continue reading.

From Sadaf Ahsan of the Toronto Star:

Link: CBC’s ‘groundbreaking’ new drama series ‘The Porter’ is a story of Black ambition
When CBC’s “The Porter” debuts Monday, it will become one of the network’s largest Black-led television series, ringing in Black History Month in a “powerful” way, says Toronto star Ronnie Rowe Jr., who adds that he’s “honoured to be a part of history.” Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Previewing CBC’s The Porter with the creative team
A rich, wide-ranging story of Black Canadians during the 1920s, the series follows the story of the titular porters who work the railways and their extended community of family and friends in Montreal. Continue reading.

From Johanna Schneller of The Globe and Mail:

Link: The Porter is an overdue win for Black representation on Canadian TV
When the cast wall went up, everyone got a lump in their throats. Headshots of the actors playing the 100-odd characters in The Porter, an eight-part CBC series in partnership with BET. Row after row of faces. Ninety-five per cent of them Black. Continue reading.

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: The Porter takes a rare look at the injustices, triumphs of Canada’s Black Diaspora in the 1920s
In the new CBC series, The Porter, part of the action takes place in a lively night spot called Club Stardust. It’s a gathering place for many of the characters in the series, a hotspot in Montreal’s Black neighbourhood of St. Antoine in the roaring 1920s. Continue reading.

From Alicia Cox Thomson of Chatelaine:

Link: How CBC’s The Porter Made Me Reexamine My Own History
The Porter takes place in 1921 when train travel for wealthy white people was the height of luxury; train porters were always male and Black. Continue reading.

From Sherlyn Assam of Broadview:

Link: ‘The Porter’ showcases Black Canadian train workers’ historic fight for equality
CBC’s new original series The Porter tells the fascinating story of how Canadian train porters helped organize North America’s first Black labour union. Continue reading.

From Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette:

Link: Brownstein: CBC-TV’s The Porter revisits the Black experience of 1920s Montreal
Some had just returned from fighting overseas for Canada during the First World War. Others were recent immigrants from the Caribbean. They had dreams of finding promising jobs and earning the respect of their fellow countrymen. Continue reading.

From Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter:

Link: ‘The Porter’ Creators Talk Black Representation and Canadian TV’s Culture Shift: “It’s a Pretty Powerful Moment”
Canada is making a giant step forward in representation with the civil rights drama The Porter, to air on the CBC and BET+ stateside. Continue reading.

From Carolyn Hinds of The Gate:

Link: Loren Lott and Aml Ameen talk The Porter on CBC
“Colorism has affected me all my life, you know? But it’s something that I always swept under the rug, just like I think the Black community has.” Continue reading.

From Norman Wilner of NOW Toronto:

Link: The Porter gives Black Canadian history a new look
Mostly, the show is about the path to social justice for its idealistic characters, which is paved with tragedies, betrayals and setbacks. But it makes room for Black joy, and that feels important. Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: The Porter is a dazzling train ride 100 years into Canada’s past
Set 100 years ago in the early 1920s, the Canadian railway drama tells the story of train porters Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett (Ami Ameen and Ronnie Rowe Jr.) and their families as they strive against fierce resistance to form North America’s first Black labour union. Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: The cast and creators of The Porter
It was extremely resonant hearing from Marsha Greene, in particular, about the ways in which The Porter developed along the way, finding the correct track, so to speak. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: The Televixen chats with the women of The Porter
In the final part of my chat with The Porter team during the press day, series stars Mouna Traoré (Marlene), Loren Lott (Lucy), and Oluniké Adeliyi (Queenie) discuss working on the show. Continue reading.

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Preview: CBC’s The Porter is an important story of Black history in Canada

The first thing that struck me about The Porter, CBC’s newest series—debuting Monday at 9 p.m.—was the sound. The flick of a lighter, the crackle of a tobacco cigarette igniting, the scrape of glass on a wooden bar. Then, it was the colour of the clothing, a peacock of brights, followed by the music. This, I told myself, was going to be different. And I was right.

Co-created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay, showrun by Marsha Greene and Annmarie Morais, and based on true events, The Porter delivers a rich and dramatic look at the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal—known at the time as the Harlem of the North—the key characters who live in it and the relationship the community has with the train line between Montreal and Chicago.

The eight-episode journey begins in Montreal in 1921 and follows train porters Junior Massey (Aml Ameen) and Zeke Garrett (Ronnie Rowe, Jr.). While Zeke fights the railway to change how Black porters are treated by unionizing them, Junior takes advantage of the existing structure to pursue money and power through gambling and bootlegging. Meanwhile, Junior’s wife, Black Cross nurse Marlene (Mouna Traore), and club performer Lucy (Loren Lott) are set on different paths to a better life after an awful tragedy.

In CBC’s press material for The Porter, series creator, executive producer and writer Pinnock, an avid reader and history buff, first came across the story of the sleeping car porters and the first Black Labour Union. It resonated with him, and the first seeds of The Porter grew in his mind.

I’m a history buff as well, and a series like The Porter not only tells a story from Canada’s past but an important Black story from this country’s past. The Porter has been grabbing a ton of headlines for its storytelling, creative team, cast and crew. So, is it worth the hype? Absolutely.

The Porter airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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The Canadian Academy announces the return of the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards on CBC

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today the return of the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards show, which will broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, April 10 at 8:00 PM (9:00 PM AT / 9:30 PM NT), and the continuation of virtual events for the remainder of Canadian Screen Week 2022, taking place from Monday, April 4, 2022, to Sunday, April 10, 2022. The nominees for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 15 at 7:00 AM ET.

For the past ten years, the Canadian Screen Awards have brought together Canada’s best and brightest film, television, and digital media talents to honour achievements in their crafts, and the 2022 edition is sure to be the most exciting and innovative yet. Featuring a selection of prominent categories and tributes to this year’s Special Award recipients, the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards broadcast show will be a star-powered, creatively curated treat for fans of our homegrown entertainment, highlighting Canadian content and its notable moments that made us laugh, cry, and reflect over the past year.

In collaboration with powerhouse creative producers Makers, the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards broadcast show will be an hour-long pre-taped studio production featuring the talents of the multi-award-winning sketch comedy troupe TallBoyz (Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair, and Franco Nguyen). This promises to be an award show like you’ve never seen before: a true celebration of all things Canadian entertainment, with an eclectic variety of artists coming together for the love of storytelling and a deep appreciation for the power of our film, television, and digital media and everyone who enjoys it.

In an effort to prioritize the health and safety of all nominees, attendees, and Canadian Academy staff, the remainder of the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards will be presented virtually during Canadian Screen Week 2022 due to pandemic-related uncertainties. Split by genre, each of these nine virtual shows will feature a host and live acceptance speeches, allowing us to once again hear directly from the week’s big winners. Nominees and their peers are encouraged to tune in online via Academy.ca livestream — as well as the Canadian Academy Twitter and YouTube channels — to celebrate the momentous accomplishments of our Canadian creators from Monday, April 4, 2022 through Friday, April 8, 2022.

The full schedule for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards is as follows:

Monday, April 4
7:00 PM ET – The Broadcast News Awards

8:30 PM ET – The Documentary & Factual Awards

Tuesday, April 5
7:00 PM ET – The Sports Programming Awards, presented by CTV

8:30 PM ET – The Digital & Immersive Awards

Wednesday, April 6
7:00 PM ET – The Children’s & Animation Awards, presented by Shaw Rocket Fund, supported by 9 Story Media Group

8:30 PM ET – The Lifestyle & Reality Awards, presented by CTV

Thursday, April 7
7:00 PM ET – The Drama & Comedy Crafts Awards

8:30 PM ET – The Scripted Programs & Performance Awards, presented by CTV

Friday, April 8
8:30 PM ET – The Cinematic Arts Awards, presented by Telefilm Canada, supported by Cineplex

Sunday, April 10
8:00 PM (9:00 PM AT / 9:30 PM NT) – 2022 Canadian Screen Awards on CBC and CBC Gem

Tallboyz image courtesy of George Pimentel.

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