From Bill Brioux:
Once upon a time, a TV western was a western. Now it’s “an original action-adventure crime procedural drama.â€
That’s the way The Pinkertons is being pitched. The series, which is shot in and around Winnipeg, premieres Tuesday night with a two hour launch beginning at 8 p.m. on CHCH. Continue reading.
I’m a sucker for historical dramas. Need proof? My current list of favourites includes Hell on Wheels, Vikings, Murdoch Mysteries, Downton Abbey and the upcoming X Company. Now I’m adding The Pinkertons to my list. The syndicated shoot-em-up debuts Tuesday on CHCH, and it’s one heck of a good time.
Produced by the folks at Rosetta Media and Buffalo Gal Pictures (and with Murdoch Mysteries‘ Philip Bedard and Larry Lalonde, Remedy‘s Alison Lea Bingeman, Flashpoint‘s Christina Ray and Corner Gas‘ Rhonda Baker among producers), The Pinkertons is based on the real cases of the legendary law enforcement, detective and security agency founded in 1850. Hired by President Abraham Lincoln to be his security detail during the Civil War, the company was headed by Allan Pinkerton and based out of Chicago.
Tuesday’s two-hour debut quickly introduces viewers to founder Allan (Angus Macfadyen, Turn), his son William (Jacob Blair, Dark Rising: Warrior of Worlds) and Kate Warne (Martha MacIsaac, 1600 Penn) as they team to solve the case of ex-Confederate outlaws who rob a train. Kate Warne, it turns out, really was the first female detective in the U.S., a point made early on and the source of sarcasm and laughs because William can’t handle the fact she’s better at sleuthing, disguises and infiltrating gangs than he is.
Shot in and around Winnipeg (the primary location is Grosse Isle, Man.), the first two instalments in the 22-episode season are light-hearted with the touches of drama that has made Murdoch so successful. Yes, the ex-Confederates are plotting to make a bomb, but you never feel like they’ll really get away with it. The costuming is lush, the old-timey sets suitably dusty and the three keys leads are charming, especially MacIsaac, who has canny comic timing and is able to set herself apart from her craggy co-stars.
It’s too early to be sure, but I’m pretty confident that, as time goes on, sexual tension will simmer between Kate and William. And while I’m not averse to that TV trope, I hope it’s kept on the back burner for now; to me the story is the thing and with a group like the Pinkertons, there are lots of stories to tell.
The Pinkertons airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CHCH.
From Kevin King of the Winnipeg Sun:
The Prairie Dog Central Railway has added a new stop it’s just about ready to share with the rest of the nation.
The tiny community of Grosse Isle, along with the vintage operating train, are subbing in for Kansas City, Mo., in action-adventure crime procedural drama The Pinkertons that’s been filming here since late August.
The one-hour series, which draws from real cases of the legendary Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency, has been airing in first-run syndication on 211 channels in the United States since October. It makes its Canadian debut on Jan. 27 with a two-hour premiere event on CHCH. Continue reading.
For 35 years, Tiny Talent Time shone a spotlight on kids who could sing, dance, juggle and play instruments. There was no cash prize for being the best, no panel of judges looking down their noses and sniffing in disdain, no voting someone off the stage. It was a gentler time, and one CHCH is getting back into this weekend.
Yes, Tiny Talent Time returns to CHCH on Saturday with the first of 12 new half-hour episodes (a second season has just been announced). And while the brand has been updated from the original that ran from 1957 to 1992–a stunning 35 years–the message remains the same: have fun without any judgment. The idea for bringing back the series–the original was hosted by CHCH legend Bill Lawrence–came up during planning for the channel’s 60th anniversary happening this year.
“One of the things they said was to bring back Tiny Talent Time,” remembers producer Jennifer Howe (Descending). “I think this is a very good homage to the past with a new, modern take on it.” Producers went with two hosts for this incarnation (“I joke to Bill that it took two people to replace him,” Howe laughs.) in Jason Agnew (Splatalot) and Jaclyn Colville (Morning Live), which affords them the opportunity to bounce things off each other while interacting with the kids. The set has been updated, social media implemented and a website boasting a Wish Wall, an online update to a Lawrence mainstay.
“Bill always said, ‘If I could snap my fingers and make a wish come true for you, what would it be?’ and not everyone was able to reveal their wish because they weren’t on the show,” Howe explains. “Now kids can go and upload their wishes and can see each other’s wishes and interact.” Each half-hour instalment spotlights five on-air acts–beginning with Saturday’s “An Amazing Premiere”–and an interview with a child whose performance can only be seen by visiting the Tiny Talent Time website.  Howe reveals over 500 kids auditioned to appear on the program from across Southern Ontario.
“There were a lot of viewers of the old show, a lot of people who had been on the old show and wanted their grandkids to be on, or their nieces and nephews,” she says. “That seemed to be the big connection for people auditioning.”
Tiny Talent Time airs Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET on CHCH.
