Tag Archives: CTV

Transplant

Acclaimed drama Transplant returns for Season 3, joining CTV fall schedule beginning September 23

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From a media release:

CTV announced today that TRANSPLANT is back for a riveting third season airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning September 23. Following a sophomore season of accolades and critical acclaim, which saw the CTV Original continue as the most-watched Canadian drama series, TRANSPLANT joins CTV’s Friday night lineup as part of the upcoming fall schedule. The series is produced by Sphere Media in association with CTV and Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. The translated French version of the series, TRANSPLANTÉ, is also set to air on VRAK.

Filmed in Montréal, Season 3 of TRANSPLANT finds Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq, MY SALINGER YEAR) continuing on his journey to start over, but with each new milestone comes a new challenge. While pursuing Canadian citizenship for both himself and his younger sister Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus, ORPHAN BLACK), Bash closely examines who he is becoming in his adopted country. Bash is still being asked to repeatedly prove himself, and while he and his colleagues work to move forward following the dramatic conclusion of Season 2, everyone finds themselves looking to adapt to change and understand how they fit in, both within and beyond the walls of York Memorial Hospital. The first two seasons of TRANSPLANT are available for streaming now on Crave, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

Joining the cast as a series regular is Rekha Sharma (YELLOWJACKETS) as Dr. Neeta Devi, the new Chief of Emergency Medicine who comes to York Memorial Hospital with big ideas.

TRANSPLANT was the most-watched Canadian drama series with total viewers and in all key demos throughout its second season, averaging 1.1 million viewers. The series also continues to receive critical acclaim and recognition, receiving nine 2022 Canadian Screen Award nominations, and taking home eight awards including second consecutive wins for Best Drama Series and Best Lead Actor, Drama Series for Hamza Haq; and first-time wins for Best Lead Actress, Drama Series for Laurence Leboeuf, and Best Supporting Actress, Drama for Ayisha Issa.

Season 3 of TRANSPLANT stars Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed; Laurence Leboeuf (19-2) as Dr. Magalie “Mags” Leblanc; Ayisha Issa (POLAR) as Dr. June Curtis; Jim Watson (DESIGNATED SURVIVOR) as Dr. Theo Hunter; Sirena Gulamgaus as Amira Hamed; Torri Higginson (DARK MATTER, THIS LIFE) as Claire Malone; Kenny Wong (PRETTY HARD CASES) as Arnold De Luca; Sugith Varughese (KIM’S CONVENIENCE) as Dr. Aajay Singh; and Gord Rand (ORPHAN BLACK) as Dr. Mark Novak.

Writers on Season 3 of TRANSPLANT include Joseph Kay, who is also Executive Producer and Showrunner, Rachel Langer (EP), Shelley Eriksen (Co-EP), Tamara Moulin (Supervising Producer), Laura Good (Supervising Producer), Carmine Pierre-Dufour (Consulting Producer), Kay Issa (Junior Story Editor), Abdul Mallik (Junior Story Editor), and Ahmad Meree (Junior Story Editor). Directors are Stefan Pleszczynski, who also serves as Executive Producer, Wiebke von Carolsfeld, Kim Nguyen, Sharon Lewis, Eric Tessier, and Peter Stebbings.

Cultural consultants on Season 3 of TRANSPLANT, providing valuable insight and feedback on scripts and character development, include Dr. Khaled Almilaji, Kay Issa, Ahmad Meree, Manar Shab, and Eli Shankji.

TRANSPLANT is created by Joseph Kay who also serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner. For Sphere Media, Executive Producers are Bruno Dubé, Jocelyn Deschênes, Josée Vallée, Rachel Langer, and Stefan Pleszczynski; and Sarah Timmins is Co-Executive Producer.

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Featured, Podcast

TV, Eh? Podcast Episode 250: Celebrating 250 and Bell Media’s Upfront Announcement, Part 2

After saluting Diane and Anthony for starting the podcast in the first place, Greg and Amy go through debuts and returns on the Canadian TV calendar.

Then, we cover the latest Canadian TV news, including CBC’s fall debut and return dates; CBC’s newest reality series, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge; CTV’s new drama, The Spencer Sisters; the chainsaw welding competitors of A Cut Above and Bell Media’s pact with Lilly Singh.

We finish off with Part 2 of Bell Media’s upfront announcement, noting factual programming.

This podcast brought to you by coffee and some kind of alcohol.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Industry News, The Spencer Sisters

Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber cast as dynamic mother and daughter duo in CTV original series, The Spencer Sisters

From a media release:

CTV and Entertainment One (eOne), together with Buffalo Gal Pictures, today announced that award-winning television and film actress, director, and producer Lea Thompson (Back To The Future, CAROLINE IN THE CITY) and acclaimed Canadian actress Stacey Farber (VIRGIN RIVER, SCHITT’S CREEK) will headline the upcoming CTV Original procedural series, THE SPENCER SISTERS.

Created by Alan McCullough (PRIVATE EYES, ROOKIE BLUE) and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels (SORT OF), the lighthearted 10-episode, one-hour series centres on a hot-headed former police officer Darby Spencer (Farber) and her estranged, internationally renowned, mystery novelist mother, Victoria Spencer (Thompson). Despite opposite personalities, differing sensibilities, and a complicated history, they embark on the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming partners in a private detective agency. THE SPENCER SISTERS is set to begin production next month in Winnipeg, with broadcast slated for 2023. Additional details are to be announced at a later date.

As one of the titular characters, Victoria Spencer (Thompson) is an intelligent, charismatic, and renowned best-selling author of mystery novels, who is suffering from crippling writer’s block. When her estranged daughter Darby returns home, Victoria seizes the opportunity to reconnect with her. After the two work to solve a crime together, Victoria is inspired by the experience – and the possibility of a mended relationship with her daughter – to sit behind the keyboard once more.

Darby Spencer (Farber) is a smart, opinionated, and passionate woman who follows in her late father’s footsteps and becomes a police officer – much to Victoria’s stark disapproval. Carrying an innate intellect and the natural intuition of an experienced detective, Darby’s career aspirations come to a halt when she impetuously quits her job as a police constable after an unjust reprimand. About to turn 30 and in a dead-end relationship with a cheating boyfriend, she returns home, where to her surprise, she finds she may have more in common with her mother than she thought.

Talent biographies for the leading actresses are as follows:

Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson is actress, singer, and director, continuously honing her craft for over 40 years. She is best known for starring in the iconic Back To The Future films. Thompson has also starred in All The Right Moves with Tom Cruise, George Lucas’s Howard The Duck, John Hughes Some Kind Of Wonderful, and Red Dawn. Thompson won the People’s Choice award for the title role in the NBC sitcom CAROLINE IN THE CITY. Her acting credits are many, including Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, THE JANE DOE MYSTERIES, 102 episodes of the Peabody award-winning series SWITCHED AT BIRTH, and many telefilms and Sundance indies. Some of her directing credits include THE GOLDBERGS, Chuck Lorre’s CBS comedy MOM and YOUNG SHELDON, RESIDENT ALIEN, Greg Berlanti’s, STARGIRL, and STAR TREK: PICARD. Lea is perhaps most proud of her feature directorial debut The Year Of Spectacular Men, which her daughter Madelyn Deutch wrote, scored, and starred in, along with Lea and her other talented daughter Zoey Deutch. She has been married to their father, director Howard Deutch for 33 years. She is represented by Gilbertson Entertainment, Innovative Artists and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman.

Stacey Farber
Stacey Farber is known for her compelling performances in numerous hit TV series— both dramatic and comedic. She recurs as grief-stricken Tara in the Netflix chart-topper VIRGIN RIVER and played villainous Leslie Larr in The CW’s breakout SUPERMAN & LOIS. She can also be seen in the award-winning comedies SCHITT’S CREEK (CBC/Pop TV), GRACE AND FRANKIE (Netflix), and 18 TO LIFE (CBC) as well as UnREAL (Lifetime), THE BRAVE (NBC), DIGGSTOWN (BET+), CHICAGO JUSTICE (NBC), SAVING HOPE (CTV/Ion TV), and ROOKIE BLUE (GLOBAL/ABC). For seven years, Stacey portrayed the fan-favourite character Ellie Nash in DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (CTV). She is represented by The Characters Talent Agency, Manager Christina Gualazzi and A3 Artists Agency.

A CTV Original series, THE SPENCER SISTERS is produced by eOne together with Buffalo Gal Pictures with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Bell Fund, and is distributed internationally by eOne. The series is executive produced by McCullough and Jenn Engels, who are both co-showrunners. Jocelyn Hamilton serves as Executive Producer for eOne. Phyllis Laing and Jennifer Beasley are executive producers for Buffalo Gal Pictures.

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Shelved

New CTV original comedy Shelved announces Lyndie Greenwood, Chris Sandiford, Dakota Ray Hebert and Paul Braunstein as series leads

From a media release:

CTV, together with award-winning independent production company Counterfeit Pictures, announced today the cast joining the new original comedy series, SHELVED. Created by Playback Magazine’s 2021 Showrunner of the Year recipient Anthony Q. Farrell (THE OFFICE), Lyndie Greenwood (THE EXPANSE), Chris Sandiford (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS), Dakota Ray Hebert (Run Woman Run), and Paul Braunstein (BARONESS VON SKETCH) are confirmed to lead the cast of the eight-episode, half-hour series. With production currently underway in Toronto, Taylor Love (MOST DANGEROUS GAME), Varun Saranga (WYNNONA EARP), and Robin Duke (SCHITT’S CREEK) round out the ensemble cast.

Executive produced by Farrell, SHELVED is a single-camera workplace comedy centred around the lives of the employees and patrons at the Jameson Public Library in Parkdale as they go about their lives in this unassuming yet extraordinary place. Greenwood stars in SHELVED as Wendy, Head of the Jameson Branch. Wendy is an energetic dreamer who always sees the best in people and cares passionately about her library and the community of Parkdale. The staff at Jameson Public Library also includes the fastidious and judgmental Howard (Sandiford), who begrudgingly joins the team after getting transferred from the prestigious Midtown branch; social rights activist Jaq (Hebert), who is obsessed with dystopian Young Adult novels and calling out micro-aggressions; and Assistant Branch Head, Bryce (Braunstein), a conservative devoted to conspiracy theories and following the letter of library law.

Lyndie Greenwood
Lyndie Greenwood has appeared in several regular and reoccurring roles for television including THE EXPANSE, S.W.A.T., STAR, SLEEPY HOLLOW, and NIKITA. Greenwood’s feature film roles include The World Without You, Cut To The Chase, and This Movie Is Broken. Greenwood is repped by Management 360.

Chris Sandiford
Chris Sandiford is an actor and comedian whose television credits include multiple seasons of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS for FX, GHOSTS, CAVENDISH, TALLBOYZ, and the recent Netflix series GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT. Sandiford was also recently seen in the feature Moonfall. He is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Play Management.

Dakota Ray Hebert
Dakota Ray Hebert is an actress and comic who recently starred in the award-winning feature film Run Woman Run, for which she won the Best Actress Award at last years’ American Indian Film Festival and the Vancouver Film Festival. Her first televised stand-up set will be on the upcoming COMEDY NIGHT WITH RICK MERCER. She is repped by Oscar, Abrams, Zimel, & Associates.

Paul Braunstein
Paul Braunstein is a familiar face from Canadian film and television whose TV credits include BARONESS VON SKETCH, BURDEN OF TRUTH, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, and OCTOBER FACTION. He is repped by The Characters.

Alongside Farrell, SHELVED is executive produced by Dan Bennett, Shane Corkery, and Anton Leo of Counterfeit Pictures. Jay Vaidya serves as co-executive producer, Sadiya Durrani as co-producer, and Colin Brunton produces. Aleysa Young (THE KIDS IN THE HALL, RUN THE BURBS) serves as executive producer and pilot director. Additional directors for SHELVED’s first season include Cory Bowles, Joyce Wong, Cazhhmere, and Samantha MacAdam.

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Amazing Race Canada

The Amazing Race Canada returns July 5 on CTV, as all 10 teams revealed

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From a media release:

CTV’s mega-hit original series THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is back. After crisscrossing the country and covering more than a quarter-million kilometres around the world during the past seven seasons, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA makes its triumphant return Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning July 5.

Hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery, Season 8 of Canada’s favourite summertime adventure continues as an all-new cast of racers head to the starting line to push themselves out of their comfort zones in a non-stop, action-packed expedition. Teams competing this season include an Olympian, a JUNO Award-winning singer, teachers, personal trainers, a firefighter, a comedian, entrepreneurs, a sales representative, a marketing expert, a motivational speaker, and Broadway performers.

Faced with the most intense race of their lives, the teams tackle various challenges with the hope of winning two first-ever Chevrolet Silverado ZR2’s, a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two around the world courtesy of GURU Organic Energy, a $250,000 cash prize, and the coveted title of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA champions.

The 10 teams poised at the starting line for Season 8 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA are:

Beverley & Veronica
Competitive best friends on a mission to be the second all-female team to win the Race.

Brendan & Connor
Fun-loving, family-oriented small-town brothers who are the life of every party.

Cassie & Jahmeek
Athletic and energetic engaged couple with big smiles and a competitive spirit.

Catherine & Craig
Long-time best friends and Broadway performers who know what it takes to beat the odds.

Cedric & Tychon
Father and son who are in the race for every Black father and son across the country – with the hope of being the first Montréal team to win.

Court & Ali
Dating couple who want to be positive role models for Indigenous youth.

Dennis & Durrell
Active and competitive uncle and nephew who are passionate about being positive role models in their community.

Franca & Nella
Sisters, known as “Franella,” who are racing for the Filipino and immigrant community across Canada.

Jesse & Marika
Competitive and accomplished siblings who want to represent the Inuit population of Canada

Jully & Kathy
Close friends who are racing in memory of their late mothers.

For more information on the teams competing on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, including team videos, bios, and exclusive content, visit CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada. As the go-to resource for the series, CTV.ca also includes full episodes and sneak peeks throughout the season.

THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is produced by Insight Productions Ltd. (a Boat Rocker Company) in association with CTV. John Brunton is Executive Producer and Mark Lysakowski is Executive Producer and Showrunner.

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