From Ryen Veldhuis of Bay Today:
Link: Hard Rock Medical returns with North Bay-shot season on TVO
“I’ve shot a lot in the winter up north and you always have trailers that break down among other things, and it costs a fortune and the schedule is always late. But Canadore is blessed with a lot of things, rooms, programs, and a lake and a river and huge amounts of forestry behind it. We staged at Canadore and could do pretty much everything from there.” Continue reading.
From a media release:
TVO’s first commissioned drama series, Hard Rock Medical, returns with nine new episodes in January 2017. The episodes premiere on TVO starting on Sunday, January 8 at 8 pm, and for the first time, all of new the episodes will be available on demand on tvo.org following the January 8 broadcast.
Loosely inspired by the world-renowned Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Hard Rock Medical’s students navigate their way through an offbeat medical training program in the North at Hard Rock U. With another year of med school under their belts, the stakes are raised with the students travelling by snowmobile to rescue a lumberjack with severed fingers, tending to patients with hypothermia, and caring for seniors with addiction issues.
The students are immersed in all areas of Northern life, as they grapple with issues of medical ethics, and struggle to keep their personal lives together. In the Nipissing First Nation, Eva and Melanie face a difficult cancer case that is complicated by Eva’s relationship with the patient’s mother. Gary and Charlie are embedded with EMS teams, working alongside paramedics, local police, and emergency room doctors. Cameron and Gina are based out of a downtown clinic doing outreach to street kids, seniors, and drug addicts, and Nancy and Farida learn what it takes to be a doctor in a small regional hospital.
The series’ ensemble cast returns including Canadian talents, Patrick McKenna (The Red Green Show, Traders), Angela Asher (18 to Life, Degrassi: The Next Generation), Tamara Duarte (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Northern Ontario favourite, Stéphane Paquette.
Mini docs that give an in-depth look into life in the North accompany the series. Created by students at North Bay’s Canadore College, topics include: the Full Moon Ceremony, inspiring accounts from the Nipissing First Nation, and the art and music of Hard Rock Medical. The short films will air on TVO in January and be available on tvo.org following the broadcast.
New episodes of Hard Rock Medical premiere on TVO beginning on Sunday, January 8 at 8 pm and repeat Mondays at 10:30 pm and Fridays at 7 pm. All nine 30-minute episodes will be available on demand on tvo.org, directly following the broadcast premiere, where viewers can also catch up on past episodes. The series will also be broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
Hard Rock Medical is produced by Distinct Features and was co-created by Smith Corindia and Derek Diorio. The series received funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to support the regional production of the series, which is shot entirely in Northern Ontario. Filming for the new episodes took place exclusively in North Bay.
Hard Rock Medical is back, and with a new backdrop. Season 3 was officially announced on Thursday via press conference from Canadore College’s Studio 1 in North Bay, Ont., where filming will take place. The first two seasons of the medical drama were shot in Sudbury, Ont., but an educational partnership with the support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) meant a shift in cities.
“I am here to announce an NOHFC investment of $825,000 to TVO and its production partners for their production of Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical,” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and chair of the NOHFC. “We’re really excited about it, and that will support the production of nine half-hour episodes.”
“I feel honoured that so many institutions are squarely behind Hard Rock Medical,” said co-creator/director Derek Diorio. “Thank you to the city of North Bay, that has been so welcoming to our production. Without all of you here, there is no Hard Rock Medical.” Diorio explained over 50 per cent of Season 3 will be shot at Canadore College. Seventy-five students from the Digital Cinema Program, Television Program and Theatre Arts Program, are currently working on pre-production and will be an integral part of the six-week shoot. A local warehouse and medical centre location will also be used for filming. Post-production will take place at Canadore as well.
“I want to thank Derek,” George Burton, President and CEO of Candore College said. “You have provided an incredible opportunity for learning to our students, which means so much to them. I want to thank everyone on Hard Rock Medical for being such wonderful role models to our students. You bring a level of professionalism to our campus which will hold them in good stead long after graduation.”
All local crew and musicians will be used and over 30 local actors will have lead roles this season, including North Bay native Jamie Spilchuk, who plays Cameron Cahill on the series. Hard Rock Medical follows a group of medical students training in Northern Ontario and is loosely based on the curriculum of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Shooting begins next week and continues until the middle of March.
Co-created by Smith Antonio Corindia and Diorio, Hard Rock Medical stars Patrick McKenna, Angela Asher, Danielle Bourgon, Rachelle Casseus, Tamara Duarte, Kyra Harper, Christian Laurin, Andrea Menard and Stephane Paquette.
Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical will be broadcast on TVO and APTN.
CBC’s Hello Goodbye tells our stories via Canada’s busiest airport
Best show ever. Why not an hour long? I have travelled all my life and always got emotional when seeing other people saying hello and goodbye at airports. No dry eyes here! —Rick
Canadian TV series Hard Rock Medical to set up in North Bay
I’ve been dying of curiosity after what’s his name rode off on his (borrowed) motorcycle. North Bay, eh? My wife is from North Bay. Cool! —Steve
Great news! I was surprised to see it was renewed. I really like the show. —Alicia O
Review: Schitt’s Creek – How the mighty have fallen
I did feel a bit of that with the first two episodes, but I thought episode three was back to Season 1 standards. But even when I’m not laughing out loud I have an appreciation for the actors and the writers. They’re talented. —Kathleen
Oy. After the third episode, I’m still disappointed. I haven’t laughed once all season. I really wanted to find something to appreciate, but it just didn’t happen. And I loved Season 1. Something is just off this time. —Charis
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.
From Chris Dawson of BayToday.ca:
Canadian TV Series to set up in North Bay
A Canadian produced TV series will be calling North Bay home.
Later this month officials from the TV series Hard Rock Medical will be making the formal announcement that they will be shooting a third season and the production will be done here in North Bay. Â Continue reading.Â
