Tag Archives: Discovery

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Cold Water Cowboys push it to the limit in Season 3

From a media release:

The captains and crews of COLD WATER COWBOYS return to the waters of the Atlantic, more determined than ever to ride the massive rolling sea and wrangle their big hauls! Anchoring Discovery’s most-watched night of the week, the third season of the original Canadian series COLD WATER COWBOYS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT beginning March 8 on Discovery and Discovery GO. Joining COLD WATER COWBOYS on Discovery’s must-see Tuesdays is the 16-time Emmy® Award-winning series DEADLIEST CATCH, returning to the Bering Sea March 29 at 9 p.m. ET.

From Paperny Entertainment, COLD WATER COWBOYS follows seven captains and their crews aboard fishing boats off the coast of Newfoundland. Eager to fight the unforgiving waves to reach their weekly tallies and cash them in are returning fishermen Captain Richard Gillett aboard the Midnight Shadow; Conway and Rick Caines aboard the Seadoo; Andre and Michelle Jesso aboard the Wave on Wave; Morris Anstey aboard the Sebastian Sails; Paul Tiller aboard the Atlantic Bandit; and newcomer Rick Crane aboard his new boat, Crane’s Legacy. Throughout Season 3, the fishermen face big challenges and risks, putting it all on the line for their passions and pay days.

Last season, Discovery was the #1 entertainment specialty network during COLD WATER COWBOYS’ Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET timeslot among total viewers, adults 25-54, and adults 18-49. Viewers can revisit all eight episodes of the salty second season of COLD WATER COWBOYS on Discovery GO.

For fans looking to complement their television experience and build their very own fishing dynasty, the Cold Water Cowboys: Atlantic Empire simulation game is back and refreshed for Season 3 at Discovery.ca. Combining strategy and skill based gameplay, show characters and locations, along with a strong social media component, players control their own fishing vessels while going for broke as one of the cold water cowboys in the unforgiving North Atlantic.

About COLD WATER COWBOYS Season 3:
There’s a new skipper in town for Season 3 – Captain Rick Crane. With every cent sunk into his new boat just Southwest in Cox’s Cove, he’s putting everything on the line to prove himself in the big leagues. Back for another season on the water, Morris Anstey is just as determined as ever, pushing his crew to their limits in Iceberg Alley before fishing the most dangerous bays on The Rock. The kings of crab and turbot, Paul Tiller and his crew attempt to give seining another shot. When winter sets in, the crew of the Atlantic Bandit fishes for urchin in the freezing North Atlantic.
On the West Coast, Conway Caines and his dad Rick start their season fishing 200 miles out to sea. Andre Jesso, his First Mate (and wife) Michelle, and their crew of greenhorns hope to make up for last year’s dismal season. Last but not least, Captain Richard Gillett is back, racing to make up ground after health issues last spring. Richard’s determined to hook his biggest score yet – two and a half million pounds of herring.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mayday flies into Season 15

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I’m always conflicted about watching an episode of Mayday. I’m fascinated by how airplanes work and the unfortunate circumstances that bring them down, but I also love to fly, so seeing a flaming ball of wreckage on a runway sends shivers up my spine. Of course, the point of Mayday‘s real stories isn’t just to focus on the accidents themselves but how such incidents go a long way to improving airplane safety.

Season 15 kicks off Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery with “Fatal Transmission,” the tale of a fiery collision between a United Express commuter flight and a small private plane in Quincy, Ill., that leaves investigators flummoxed. Did the fact the pilot and first mate had been working for 12 hours straight figure into what happened? Did having no flight attendant present during the 20-minute jaunt contribute to the death toll? Have pre-recorded in-cabin safety instructions become merely background noise?

Throughout the course of the episode, the impact multiple takeoffs and landings have on a flight crew, the common practice of letting first mates control the bulk of a flight to acquire hours of experience, and a lack of air traffic control at small airports are all offered as possible reasons for what occurred next: a deadly conflagration that claimed 14 lives.

Mayday‘s strength in storytelling remains the eyewitness accounts, and that continues Friday as flight instructor Paul Walker provides a dramatic and tragic account of what happened. Heartrending news footage continues the story until the National Transportation Safety Board and lead investigator Tom Haueter arrives. It doesn’t take long until the shocking reasons for the accident are revealed.

Mayday airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Jade Fever, Mayday and Cold Water Cowboys return to Discovery

From a media release:

Fresh on the heels of December’s “Holiday Bash” schedule filled to the brim with premiere programming, Discovery today unveiled the network’s 2016 winter schedule. Canada’s most-watched primetime entertainment specialty network rings in the New Year with an abundance of fresh hit programming, including the season premieres of ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE (Jan. 4), RAILROAD ALASKA (Jan. 5), and MAYDAY (Jan. 15) right out of the gate, along with HOW IT’S MADE (Feb. 22), JADE FEVER (Feb. 23), and COLD WATER COWBOYS (March 8),  premiering through the winter. Also set to debut in January is a slew of new episodes from current seasons of hit series, including GOLD RUSH (Jan. 5),MOONSHINERS (Jan. 6), and ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTER (Jan. 10). Viewers can also catch up on full episodes of Discovery series live and on demand on the Discovery GO app and at Discovery.ca.

Also in January, Discovery raises a glass for a special goodbye toast to Co-Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage as they stage their final gonzo experiments during the concluding season of the perenial favourite, MYTHBUSTERS, beginningSunday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, Discovery’s jam-packed winter schedule also features the  previously announced “Future Tech Week” on DAILY PLANET(Jan. 4-8), followed by returning Canadian turbo favourites VEGAS RAT RODS andMEGASPEED headlining Thursday nights,beginning Jan. 7.

Discovery’s full suite of top entertainment brands also features extensive winter schedule highlights and happenings beginning Jan. 5, including:

Free Previews:

Viewers are invited for an extended stay in Animal Planet’s backyard jungle to explore the extraordinary relationship between humans and animals. Viewers are also welcome to park in Discovery Velocity’s lot – Canada’s only home for Factual Turbo programming – for all things automotive, as well as diverse travel, survival, and cultural world content. In the holiday spirit of giving, Discovery today announced a nationwide 36-day free preview from Jan. 20 – Feb. 24 of both Animal Planet andDiscovery Velocity, available to subscribers of participating television service providers.

Animal Planet winter highlights:

Animal Planet brings in the New Year with an all-star, all-adorable cast returning on Super Bowl Sunday for Animal Planet’s pup-culture phenomenon PUPPY BOWL. Viewers can expect a winning combination of terrier tackles, canine touchdowns, puppy penalties, and Fido first downs on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The canine entertainment continues with live coverage of WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB 140TH ANNUAL DOG SHOW, Feb. 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET. New series 100 MILES FROM NOWHERE (Jan. 24) and AFRICA (Feb. 14), make their debut. Returning favourites ALASKA MONSTERS (Jan. 5), RUGGED JUSTICE (Jan. 5),NORTH WOODS LAW (Jan. 7), ICE LAKE REBELS (Jan. 8) premiere. TANKED(Jan. 6), REDWOOD KINGS (Jan. 6), TREEHOUSE MASTERS (Jan. 6), FINDING BIGFOOT (Jan. 7), and PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES (Jan. 8) return with all-new episodes.

Discovery Velocity winter highlights:

Discovery Velocity buckles up, leaves last year in the dust, and takes off to Scottsdale, Arizona for BARRETT-JACKSON, the world’s greatest collector car auctions, Jan. 26-31. Additional turbo programming takes a spin with all-new seasons of HOW IT’S MADE: DREAM CARS (Jan. 5), BITCHIN’ RIDES (Feb. 4), GEAR HEADS (Feb. 5), CAR FIX (Jan. 4), WHEELER DEALERS USA (Jan. 4), and new episodes of CHASING CLASSIC CARS (Jan. 4).

Investigation Discovery winter highlights:

New Year’s resolutions for 2016: less crime and more justice? Investigation Discovery’s fresh start includes new seasons of FATAL ENCOUNTERS (Jan. 5),TRUE NIGHTMARES (Jan. 9), DISAPPEARED (Jan. 13), HOUSE OF HORRORS: KIDNAPPED (Jan. 14), NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR (Jan. 15), and new episodes of HOMICIDE HUNTER: LT. JOE KENDA (Jan. 5).

Discovery Science winter highlights:

Questioning everything in the New Year, Discovery Science dives deep into 2016 with new series ALL-AMERICAN MAKERS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (Jan. 4), season premieres of HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS: EXPANDED EDITION (Jan. 5), MONSTERS INSIDE ME (Jan. 22), STRIP THE CITY (Jan. 27), STRIP THE COSMOS (Feb. 15), and new episodes of HOW DO THEY DO IT? (Wednesdays) and GHOST STALKERS (Fridays).

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Season 2 of Proper Television’s Vegas Rat Rods set for January 7

From a media release:

It’s turbo speed ahead as Steve Darnell and his Welder Up’ gang return to Sin City for a second season of VEGAS RAT RODS, featuring 10 killer new vehicles that are bold, bitchin’, and definitely badass. Premiering Thursday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery, the 10-part original Canadian series from Toronto’s Proper Television (CANADA’S WORST DRIVER and MASTERCHEF CANADA) follows Darnell and his crew at their custom car shop as they create rolling works of art from everyone else’s junk. This season showcases builds created in the spirit of rat rods that are bigger, badder and breaking the mold. Sometimes the best action in Vegas happens off the strip!

In the Season 2 premiere of VEGAS RAT RODS, “Wagon Rod” (Thursday, Jan. 7 at9 p.m. ET/PT), Darnell is asked to transform a Chevy wagon into something faster and meaner, complete with a corvette suspension, a new LS3 engine, and all the modern conveniences any family man could ask for. The Welderup crew makes this Wagon Rod a kind of Jekyll-and-Hyde creation: badass to the eye, but comfortable enough to throw in the kids and dog for a weekend of adventure. Twiggy takes on a new responsibility as “parts girl,” but Steve puts a wrench in her first assignment. And new guy Grant is brought on board to help with the heavy workload, and naturally the crew initiates him. Click HERE for a sneak peek of VEGAS RAT RODS.

Also, on Thursday Jan. 7 on Discovery, MEGASPEED, produced by Bell Media’s own Exploration Production Inc., returns for a third season at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. A six-episode documentary series, the Canadian original circuits the globe from Jamaica to Iceland and Belgium, profiling personalities from the world’s most iconic motorsports events.

This season features a wide variety of dreamers and schemers, including a visit to the home of Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett Jackson, for a private tour of his extensive vehicle collection and one-of-a-kind garage. When Jackson isn’t running his world famous Barrett Jackson car auctions, returning to Scottsdale Jan. 23-31 (airing on Discovery Velocity), he’s out driving rare, exotic cars.

In the Season 3 premiere of MEGASPEED, “Rolex 24” (Thursday, Jan. 7 at 11 p.m.ET/8 p.m. PT on Discovery and Saturday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT on Velocity), Wayne Taylor Racing is the underdog heading into The Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first auto race on the North American racing calendar. The race, two times around the clock, is a test of endurance, perseverance, and mental toughness with 67 cars sharing the narrow, high-banked tri-oval of the Daytona International Speedway. And later, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Flat Track Championship, and meet a Hollywood fabricator who makes hot rod dreams come true. Click HERE for a sneak peek ofMEGASPEED.

VEGAS RAT RODS is produced for Discovery by Toronto’s Proper Television. The series is executive produced by Guy O’Sullivan. Jennifer Scott is the Series Producer. For Discovery, Ken MacDonald is Vice-President and General Manager, Discovery. Tracey Pearce is Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media.

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Featured, Frontier

Discovery heads into a new Frontier

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Allan Hawco is up front that Frontier is not “an Allan Hawco vanity project.”

He says that a couple of times during the course of our chat about Discovery Canada’s first foray into scripted television. Yes, he’s set to co-star in the six-parter about the fight for wealth and power in the North American fur trade of the late 18th century, but he’s not the lead. That honour goes to Jason Momoa. Instead, Hawco will remain largely behind the scenes, serving as an executive producer alongside his fellow Take the Shot Production partners, two of whom—Rob (on the right in the above picture) and Peter Blackie—actually conceived of the project.

“There are so many stories to mine from history around the world, especially here in Canada, that has never fully been exploited,” Hawco says. “That’s just bizarre to me. I think there is a real appetite from Canadians to hear their stories told in an interesting and thought-provoking way.” Hawco, who starred, directed, wrote and produced Republic of Doyle for six seasons describes Frontier as being the story of the birth of capitalism in North America, and the greed, blood and power that went along with it. Frontier begins with The Hudson Bay Company, which has a monopoly on what’s happening during the fur trade in the region that will one day be Canada. Smaller factions seek out their own piece of the pie; Hawco portrays Douglas Brown, who plots alongside his brothers to steal some of the HBC’s thunder.

Rob Blackie explains the idea for Frontier came about thanks to a chance meeting at MIPCOM between business parter Alex Patrick and Discovery’s Edwina Follows. The network’s interest in having more dramatic, scripted programming lead to the brothers kicking around ideas for a time period history-based series; they presented Follows with two projects and Frontier was greenlit.

‘It’s an interesting, super-violent part of Canadian history that not a lot of people know about,” Blackie says. “As soon as we started researching it, we were shocked at how little we knew and how conflictual the time period was. The deeper we got, the more interesting it got.” Momoa plays the series’ anti-hero, a part-Irish, part-Cree man named Declan who works with a gang and becomes an unlikely host to a boy named Michael who has been living on the streets of London. Other cast includes Alun Armstrong, Landon Liboiron, Zoe Boyle and Jessica Matten.

Production just wrapped filming in England and has set up shop in St. John’s until a Christmas hiatus. Then it’s on to Louisbourg, N.S., to film at the famous fort and Morrisburg, Ont., to capture action at Fort Wellington in February.

“Winter has an inherent beauty and, if you can capture it, an amazing production value,” Blackie says. “And it’s true to the story. Winter was an important part of the fur trade.”

Frontier debuts on Discovery Canada and Netflix outside of Canada in 2016.

(Photo credit: Duncan de Young on set of Frontier.)

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