Tag Archives: Family Law

2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists announced

From a media release:

The WGC Screenwriting Awards are now in their 28th year of celebrating the very best Canadian screenwriters—the all-important talent behind the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, and shorts.

In contention for the 2024 awards are scripts from Children Ruin Everything (Kurt Smeaton, Jessica Meya, Kathleen Phillips, Anita Kapila), Pinecone and Pony (Tally Yong Knoll, Lienne Sawatsky, Corey Liu), Murdoch Mysteries (Simon McNabb), Bones of Crows (Marie Clements), Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory (Desmond Sargeant, Sonya Ballantyne), Little Bird (Zoe Hopkins), Suze (Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark), and many others.

Please see the complete list of categories and finalists below.

The 2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a ceremony on Monday, May 13 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The ceremony will be hosted by Jessica Holmes.

In addition to the eight categories featured, one WGC member will be awarded the prestigious Showrunner Award, a special prize previously won by Susin Neilsen (Family Law, Robson Arms), Anthony Q. Farrell (Shelved, Run the Burbs), Morwyn Brebner (Coroner, Saving Hope) and others. Other special prizes will be awarded, including the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, and the Sondra Kelly Award which is generously supported by AFBS.

CHILDREN’S
Interstellar Ella, “Big Little Problems” | Written by Emer Connon

Interstellar Ella, “A Star is Born” | Written by Anne-Marie Perrotta Jane, “Ursus maritimus” | Written by J.J. Johnson

Pinecone and Pony, “Once in a Violetmoon” | Written by Tally Yong Knoll

Pinecone and Pony, “Hero Soup” | Written by Lienne Sawatsky

Pinecone and Pony, “Pinecone and Horse” | Written by Corey Liu

COMEDY SERIES
The Lake, “Death on Denial” | Written by Julian Doucet & Lori-Ann Russell

Children Ruin Everything, “Arguments” | Written by Kurt Smeaton

Children Ruin Everything, “Therapy” | Written by Kurt Smeaton & Jessica Meya

Children Ruin Everything, “Clothes” | Written by Kathleen Phillips

Children Ruin Everything, “Babysitters” | Written by Anita Kapila

Shelved, “Jane Eyre FICTION BRO” | Written by Anthony Q. Farrell

Workin’ Moms, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” | Written by Enuka Okuma

DRAMA SERIES
Family Law, “Under the Influence” | Written by Sarah Dodd

Transplant, “Crete” | Written by Joseph Kay & Rachel Langer

Pretty Hard Cases, “Always a Bridesmaid” | Written by Tassie Cameron & Sherry White

Moonshine, “Get My Baby Back” | Written by Sheri Elwood & Alexander Nunez

Murdoch Mysteries, “The Porcelain Maiden” | Written by Simon McNabb

Little Bird, “Bineshi Kwe” | Written by Zoe Hopkins

FEATURE FILM
Butterfly Tale | Story by Heidi Foss and Michael Solomon/Screenplay by Heidi Foss and Lienne Sawatsky

Irena’s Vow | Written by Dan Gordon

Suze | Written by Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark

The Burning Season | Written by Jonas Chernick and Diana Frances

MOW & MINISERIES
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story | Written by Gregory Small & Richard Blaney

The Amityville Curse | Written by Dennis Heaton

Bones of Crows, “To Be Here” | Written by Marie Clements

PRESCHOOL
Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Groom-Ba” | Written by Desmond Sargeant

Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Orange Shirt Day” | Written by Sonya Ballantyne

Mittens and Pants, “Bunny Family Wedding” | Written by Katherine Sandford

Dino Ranch, “Luna Sees The Light” | Written by Naomi Jardine

Superbuns, “The Sweet Sound of Christmas” | Written by Suzanne Bolch & John May

SHORTS (includes web series, drama and comedy series episodes under 15 minutes)
I Will Bury You, “Depression” | Written by Ravi Steve Khajuria

Armadillo Avalanche, “Clem” | Written by Celeste Koon

Armadillo Avalanche, “Raven” | Written by Alix Markman

TWEENS & TEENS
Popularity Papers, “Pain in the Bat Mitzvah” | Written by Jeff Detsky

Popularity Papers, “Ghost Mortem” | Written by Evan Thaler Hickey

The Hardy Boys, “The Crash” | Written by Ramona Barckert

The Hardy Boys, “At the Old House” | Written by Chris Pozzebon

ABOUT THE WGC
The Writers Guild of Canada represents 2,500 professional English-language screenwriters across Canada, the creators of Canadian entertainment enjoyed on all screens. wgc.ca

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Global greenlights Season 4 of original scripted series Family Law

From a media release:

All rise! Today, Global announced that hit Canadian legal drama Family Law has been greenlit for a fourth season with 10 all-new episodes. Produced by SEVEN24 Films and Lark Productions, and created by Canadian award-winning author Susin Nielsen, Season 4 starts production in Vancouver this March. Jewel Staite, Victor Garber, Zach Smadu, Genelle Williams and Lauren Holly are all set to return for the new season. This renewal comes ahead of the show’s highly anticipated Season 3 Canadian premiere, set to be announced later this year.

Season 4 of the hit Canadian legal drama Family Law finds Abigail Bianchi (Jewel Staite) tackling intriguing new cases as she juggles work, family, and her love life. Abigail’s father Harry (Victor Garber), and her half-siblings Daniel (Zach Smadu) and Lucy (Genelle Williams) face their own unique challenges, balancing their ever-complicated professional and personal lives. The team continues to grapple with unconventional cases this season including surrogacy, parental liability and “rental families” – all while managing their own fraught family dynamics.

Viewers can catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 of Family Law only on STACKTV and the Global TV App.

Family Law is produced by SEVEN24 Films (HeartlandJANN) and Lark Productions (Allegiance, Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent). It was created by Susin Nielsen (Robson ArmsCedar Cove), who also serves as executive producer and showrunner. The series is executive produced by Jordy Randall, Tom Cox, Erin Haskett and Andy Mikita. This season’s writers include Sarah Dodd, Ken Craw, Sonja Bennett and Corey Liu. Directors include Andy Mikita, David Frazee, Alysse Leite-Rogers, Siobhan Devine and Damon Vignale.eOne distributes the series internationally.

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New seasons of Canadian original dramas Family Law and Departure return

From a media release:

Canada’s biggest stars shine bright this summer on Global with the return of Global scripted series Family Law and Departure, plus new reality competition series Superfan adds even more star power to this summer’s hottest schedule. The wait is over for Family Law Season 2, premiering Monday, May 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global and STACKTV. The principal cast including Canadians Jewel Staite, Victor Garber, Zach Smadu, Genelle Williams and Lauren Holly all return for the new season, which was the #1 new Canadian series when it debuted. Then, fresh off five nominations at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Drama Series, Departure Season 3 promises to bring the action this summer when it returns Monday, August 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global and STACKTV. Acclaimed Canadian actor Eric McCormack joins Emmy Award® winner Archie Panjabi and the rest of the ensemble cast as they investigate the sinking of a sea ferry destined for Newfoundland.

Airing Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning May 22, Family Law Season 2 follows Abby (Jewel Staite) and her dysfunctional family as they help other dysfunctional families – all while navigating their own personal dramas. After six months’ probation at her father’s firm, Abby’s getting into the groove of family law –but her marriage is a trainwreck. Harry (Victor Garber), meanwhile, has finally made Daniel (Zach Smadu) a partner – but is he ready to share his firm with his son? Daniel’s quest for approval leads him to a carefree woman who is definitely not his type, or is she? And Lucy (Genelle Williams) is crashing at Joanne’s, hoping she can fix things with a newly-pregnant Maggie –and getting up her older sister’s nose at the same time.

Then later this summer, Departure Season 3 sets sail Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT starting August 7. The all-new, six-part event series follows the investigation into the sinking of a sea ferry, The Queen of the Narrows. It’s a beautiful day in Boston when almost 500 passengers board the ferry destined for Newfoundland, Canada. A few hours into the journey an “explosion” onboard throws passengers into a panic, rushing for lifeboats as the ferry takes on water with alarming speed. What unfolds for many of the passengers is an unimaginable nightmare with serious loss of life as the ship sinks in record time. The investigation team, led by Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi) begin to unravel the many tangled threads of the investigation all in search of one answer: why did the Queen of the Narrows suddenly sink to the bottom of the sea?

Stay tuned for more summer lineup announcements coming soon, including the premiere date for the much-anticipated new Global Original Robyn Hood from prolific Canadian music video director and renowned TV director and filmmaker Director X. Plus another exciting new season of Big Brother!

Global’s entertaining lineup of hit series are also all available to stream anytime on STACKTV, GlobalTV.com and the Global TV App.

Family Law is produced by SEVEN24 Films (Heartland, JANN) and Lark Productions (Motive, Fortunate Son). It was created by Susin Nielsen (Robson Arms, Cedar Cove), who also serves as executive producer and showrunner. The series is executive produced by Jordy Randall, Tom Cox, Erin Haskett and Andy Mikita. For Corus, Susan Alexander is Production Executive; Rachel Nelson is Vice President, Original Content, Scripted, Factual and Kids; Lisa Godfrey is Senior Vice President of Original Content and Corus Studios; Colin Bohm is Executive Vice President of Content and Corporate Strategy.

Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Paul Pope, Jackie May, and Archie Panjabi are Departure’s executive producers, joined by Vincent Shiao and T.J. Scott. Patrick Cassavetti and Julie Lacey are the series producers. Executive producing for Starlings are Chris Philip and Karine Martin, along with Propagate Content’s Ben Silverman; Red Arrow Studios International’s Tim Gerhartz Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, and Laura Beetz; and Sleeping Giant’s David A. Stern and D. Matt Geller. Departure is directed by T.J. Scott and created by Vincent Shiao. For Corus, Kathleen Meek is Production Executive; Rachel Nelson is Vice President, Original Content, Scripted, Factual and Kids; Lisa Godfrey is Senior Vice President of Original Content and Corus Studios; Colin Bohm is Executive Vice President of Content and Corporate Strategy.

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TV, Eh? Podcast Episode 246: Race Against the Tide renewed and looking back at Orphan Black

This week, Greg and Amy go through debuts and returns on the Canadian TV calendar.

Then, we cover the latest Canadian TV news, including Global greenlighting Season 3 of Family Law, Screen Nova Scotia’s 2022 award nominees and CBC’s Race Against the Tide returning with a totally hip new host. Then, in a new segment in class Canadian TV, we look back on the success of Orphan Black.

This episode is brought to you by Pimm’s and Canada Dry ginger ale.

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Global greenlights Season 3 of original scripted series Family Law

From a media release:

The verdict is in! Today, Global announced that Season 3 of hit Canadian legal drama Family Law has been greenlit for an all-new 10-episode season. Produced by SEVEN24 Films and Lark Productions, and created by Canadian award-winning author Susin Nielsen, Season 3 is set to begin filming in Vancouver on May 24. The principal cast including Jewel Staite, Victor Garber, Zach Smadu, Genelle Williams and Lauren Holly all return for the new season. This renewal comes ahead of the show’s Season 2 premiere, which will be announced at a later date.

Family Law is a witty, heartfelt look at the trials and tribulations of an imperfect family. The one-hour legal drama follows Abigail ‘Abby’ Bianchi (Jewel Staite) as she navigates her new life with her family including Abby’s father Harry Svensson (Victor Garber), her half-brother Daniel Svensson (Zach Smadu), and half-sister Lucy Svensson (Genelle Williams). Season 3 will follow Abby and her dysfunctional family as they help other dysfunctional families – all while navigating their own personal dramas. Guest stars for the new season will be announced soon.

Lauded as “the unexpected drama worth bingeing right now,” viewers can catch up on Season 1 of Family Law with STACKTV and the Global TV App.

Family Law is produced by SEVEN24 Films (HeartlandJANN) and Lark Productions (MotiveFortunate Son). It was created by Susin Nielsen (Robson ArmsCedar Cove), who also serves as executive producer and showrunner. The series is executive produced by Jordy Randall, Tom Cox, Erin Haskett and Andy Mikita. This season’s writers include Sarah Dodd, Ken Craw, Sonja Bennett, Corey Liu and Jordan Hall, and directors include Andy Mikita, Jordan Canning, David Frazee and Alysse Leite-Rogers.

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