Tag Archives: CTV

Featured, The Detail

Cop drama The Detail cancelled at CTV after one season

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It’s one and done for The Detail; CTV has opted not to order another season of the cop drama.

“Canada! The last ever episode of @TheDetailCTV starts now!” star Shenae Grimes-Beech tweeted prior to the show’s first season finale on Sunday night. “Sadly we will not be coming back for a second season on @CTV but it’s been an absolute dream getting to bring Det. Jack Cooper to life!”

“CTV was so lovely, they were so passionate about the show and I know everyone really wanted it to go again,” Grimes-Beech continued on her latest YouTube post. “Unfortunately, due to finances, I think, and ratings and all of that kind of stuff it won’t be going again. I loved that show a lot. It was so much fun being a badass homicide detective and it was so much fun getting to play Det. Jack Cooper.” You can watch the full video below.

Developed by Ley Lukins (Saving Hope) who served as co-showrunner and co-executive producer alongside Adam Pettle (Saving Hope), The Detail was a 10-episode adaptation of the UK smash Scott & Bailey and starred Grimes-Beech as street-smart Detective Jacqueline “Jack” Cooper, who has keen investigative skills but a messy personal life. Angela Griffin starred as Detective Stevie Hall, a sharp quick-witted interrogator who is Jack’s mentor. Wendy Crewson played Staff Inspector Fiona Currie, the homicide unit’s boss, who works overtime to secure justice, no matter what the cost.

Supporting cast included David Cubitt as Detective Kyle Price, Stevie’s ex-boyfriend and new co-worker at the division; David Ferry as Harry Barker, Stevie’s stepfather and retired cop; Matthew Edison as Stevie’s husband Jono Hall; Ben Bass as Marc Savage, Jack’s boyfriend; Al Mukadam as Detective Aaron Finch; and Matt Gordon as Detective Donnie Sullivan.

Executive producers included Ilana Frank (Saving Hope), John Morayniss (Bitten), and Linda Pope (Rookie Blue), with co-executive producers Jocelyn Hamilton (Cardinal), Sonia Hosko (Saving Hope) and Gregory Smith (Rookie Blue).

The Detail‘s lack of a renewal is the latest move by Bell Media; the broadcaster announced InnerSpace and Daily Planet would not be back.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Serious business on MasterChef Canada

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Finally! Tonight’s episode of MasterChef Canada was an incredible challenge for the six remaining home cooks: they had to work in a professional kitchen. And it was not an ordinary kitchen, but chef Claudio’s restaurant, Copetin. No pressure! Kaegan and Michael G. won the last Tag team challenge which made them team captains this week and Michael G. had the advantage of choosing his teammates first. Nadia and Andy made it to Michael’s Red Team, while Eugene and Beccy were in Kaegan’s Blue Team.

The two teams were tasked with cooking two appetizers: La Plancha Octopus with green curry and compressed cucumber and Beef Tartare with smoked egg yolk and crispy pasta. For the entrées, they had to prepare Sea Bream with chorizo and clams and Lamb Loin with black lentils and Vichy carrots. The bar was raised very high for both teams and they had just one hour to prepare all the ingredients for the stunning dinner.

The Red Team started out very strong, showing good communication and teamwork while the Blue Team struggled from the beginning. The orders were coming, the teams were working hard. The appetizer service was completed and the guests had a few words to say. There were mixed reviews. Chefs Claudio, Alvin and Michael tried the appetizers from both squads. The Red Team’s octopus was a bit overdone, while the Blue Team’s was juicy and perfectly cooked. The tartare was underseasoned for both.

Then it was time for the main course! Kaegan was losing his confidence and struggling with being a team captain, so he made Beccy team captain and the service went smoother. Hashtag team Beccy? The Red Team was strong in the beginning and had a few ups and downs in the middle. Nevertheless, they made it through the challenge. Both teams perfectly seared the skin on the fish, the Blue Team cooked their meat perfectly, while the Red’s meat was a bit overdone. In the end one team was better than the other. The winning team was … the Red Team.

That meant, sadly, the Blue squad had to compete in the Pressure Test. Beccy, Eugene and Kaegan had to master a box of macarons in 75 minutes by presenting 10 macarons with two different fillings. Beccy decided on hazelnut praline and Bakewell tart macarons, Eugene with Thai-inspired and matcha macarons, and Kaegan with baked orange and lavender and coffee and rum macarons. All three cooks had some good and some bad. Beccy nailed the meringue and was safe from the elimination. Chefs Claudio, Alvin and Michael had to say goodbye to Kaegan after Eugene’s flavours saved him. Who do you think will win MasterChef Canada? Let me know in the comments below!

MasterChef Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Amazing Race Canada

CTV announces heroic 2018 summer schedule anchored by first-ever The Amazing Race Canada: Heroes Edition

From a media release:

CTV confirmed today details of its summer 2018 schedule anchored by the return of the #1 Canadian series for five consecutive years, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. CTV’s summer schedule is also stacked with star power including: television veterans Rachel Bilson and Eddie Cibrian in the hot new detective drama TAKE TWO, comedy powerhouses Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman in the new crafty DIY competition series MAKING IT, and worldwide phenomenon Jennifer Lopez in Season 2 of WORLD OF DANCE who take centre stage.

Hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery, the multiple Canadian Screen Award winner THE AMAZING RACE CANADA welcomes a new cast of racers to the Season 6  starting line, premiering Tuesday, July 3 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. MT on CTV and CTV GO, and delivers a new twist with first-ever THE AMAZING RACE CANADA: HEROES EDITION. Featuring teachers, first responders, parents, community leaders, mentors, athletes, and other everyday heroes with a story to tell, the most-watched Canadian program of the 2016-17 broadcast year follows 10 intrepid teams as they push themselves out of their comfort zones in a non-stop, action-packed adventure with the hopes of being the last team standing, in the biggest race this country has ever seen.

Also returning to the CTV schedule this summer are some of Canada’s most-watched competition series including: the action-packed AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR, culinary competition series MASTERCHEF, Emmy® Award-winning pop-culture phenomenon THE $100,000 PYRAMID, and the critically acclaimed true crime comedy TRIAL & ERROR. In addition, the all-new comedy series CORNER GAS ANIMATED inspired by Canadian cult classic CORNER GAS, and the original mystery-crime drama CARTER, starring Jerry O’Connell, make their network debut.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

A (Corner) Gas of a time on MasterChef Canada

Tuesday’s “Cooking with (Corner) Gas” episode of MasterChef Canada was full of challenges for the Top 7 home cooks. They had to compete in a Mystery Box Challenge and, FINALLY, a classic MasterChef Canada Tag Team Challenge. But just hold on and let me tell it in order.

As the seven remaining home cooks entered the kitchen they saw a MASSIVE Mystery Box. What could be in it? Or perhaps, who could be in it? Tonight’s challenge was elevated diner food and the contestants got a little bit of help from the cast of the hit series Corner Gas Animated, including Brent Butt, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Lorne Cardinal and Nancy Robertson. For me, it was a good opportunity to add one more great Canadian series to my watch list. For the cooks, winning would give them a huge advantage in the upcoming Elimination Challenge.

All of the cooks rushed to the pantry and got baskets full of delicious products. And then there was Beccy, who had just a couple of grapefruits, eggs and butter. I was looking forward to seeing what she had in her creative mind and what the judges would get in the end. The atmosphere in the kitchen was easy and fun. The Top 7 cooks were cooking passionately and had so many great ideas, like chicken and waffles from Eugene, a Japanese play on steak and eggs from Kaegan and a tuna melt from Marissa. But chefs Claudio, Alvin and Michael made their choice and decided to try three dishes out of the seven; the lucky ones were Nadia, Andy and Beccy. Nadia made a stuffed French toast with smoked applewood brie and spicy berry fig sauce and the judges loved her brie! Beccy cooked an elevated diner pie with grapefruit and basil with Italian meringue and crumble; the presentation was extraordinary. Andy prepared a Thai Burger with vegetable tempura.

Chef Alvin was very impressed by Andy’s dish … and he was the home cook who won the challenge. Which dish would you like to try?

The Elimination Tag Team Challenge was a replication of an Asian box with five different dishes. It contained perfectly crafted Chinese bao with pork belly, cucumber and Asian pear, jellyfish salad and Banh Mi sandwich, and Takoyaki. And for the dessert? Fried banana in coconut batter. The home cooks had 70 minutes to master the box. Andy was safe from elimination but as well had a power to make teams for the Tag Team Challenge. He made Eugene and Beccy a team, Michael G. and Kaegan the second team and Nadia and Marissa the third. The heat was on. The teams were rushing to finish. The normally quiet Beccy was very vocal, urging Eugene to work faster. The judges started to sample the dishes. The first team to get all of their items in their box were Kaegan and Michael G. The Banh Mi was great, the takoyaki and the bun were good, but the bananas were burnt. Beccy and Eugene missed a couple of details but still made a great box. Nadia and Marissa, unfortunately, disappointed judges and Marissa left MasterChef Canada.

MasterChef Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

The art of food on MasterChef Canada

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Tonight’s team challenge was set at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, home to a magnificent Group of Seven collection. As the home cooks were approaching the location they saw seven Canadian masterpieces. What could be more inspiring than that? For me, it was a good opportunity to travel back in time and learn a bit more about Canadian art history.

Nevertheless, let’s talk about Tuesday’s episode of MasterChef Canada. The main goal of this challenge was to be inspired and to inspire others. The Top 7 had to cook a three-course meal for seven extraordinary Canadians, including Marc Kielburger, co-founder of the international youth charity Free The Children and CTV News special correspondent Lloyd Robertson. The theme for the dishes was land, sea and sky. Sound easy? Let me know what your idea of the dish would be in the comments below!

Eugene and Beccy won last week’s Pressure Test, which made them team captains. Eugene had the right to choose first and added Michael G. and Andy to the Red Team. Beccy chose Marissa and Jen for her Blue Team. The only cook left was Nadia. She wanted to join Beccy’s team but judges had other thoughts. Chefs Claudio, Alvin and Michael sent Nadia to the Red Team and revealed a huge secret: one home cook was coming back to the MasterChef Canada! Three home cooks were invited to cook for redemption and the winning cook was … Kaegan!

The Top 8 had 60 minutes to think over the menu and prepare the first dish. After that, there were only 30-minute intervals between the second and the third dishes. The pantry, of course, was full of the best ingredients. Not an easy choice to make. The teams started to prepare their dishes and I was excited to see what ideas the chefs would put on the plates. The Red Team made venison tartare with berry sauce and the Blue Team had a pan-seared venison with celeriac purée. Back in the kitchen, the teams kept pushing hard for the sea-inspired dishes. For the second course, the Red Team had shrimp heads stuffed with caviar and mussels with béchamel sauce. The dish looked bright and very appetizing. The Blue Team made classic French mussels with white wine cream sauce.

The third course was extremely stressful for the Red team. They had deboned quails and with 16 minutes to go, they hadn’t cooked them. Fortunately, they made it and delivered deboned quail with caramelized shallots and pecans. The Blue team prepared warm-spiced duck with roasted beets and braised carrots.

The winner of this challenge was … the Red Team! The Blue team had to face the Pressure Test. Four home cooks had to replicate three unique oyster dishes. But first, as usual, there was a little twist. The home cook who shucked the most oysters was safe from elimination. And it was Marissa, who went back to the balcony.

Beccy, Kaegan and Jen had to cook to survive and had just 35 minutes to master the oysters. Chefs Claudio, Alvin and Michael tried all the dishes and made their decision. Beccy and Kaegan stayed in the show while Jen went home.

Do you think anyone should have been allowed back in the competition? Let me know in the comments below.

MasterChef Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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