Tag Archives: Highway Thru Hell

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Ontario’s highways thru hell star in Discovery’s Heavy Rescue: 401

Anyone who relies on Ontario’s 400-series highways knows that, at the best of times, you’ll fly along to your destination. But throw in some weather or boneheaded move by a fellow driver and chaos ensues. That’s what’s captured in Heavy Rescue: 401.

Debuting Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery Canada—and from the same folks behind Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue: 401 tracks the tow truck drivers, provincial police and emergency personnel who work long hours in dangerous conditions to keep cars and trucks full of precious cargo—human, animal and product—safe and on to their destinations. Yes, the west coast’s Coquihalla highway has snow and high peaks, but Ontario’s roads have their own challenges.

“I would fly into Toronto for meetings at Discovery and would drive from the airport and see guys smashing into each other in front of me,” executive producer Mark Miller says. “I’d get to Discovery and tell everyone about the hell I had just been through and they’d say, ‘Yeah, we go through that every day.’ We spoke to tow truck drivers that work the roads and quickly realized there was something there. It was different enough that it makes for a really cool series.” Miller likens the 401 to a spine with manufacturing plants and factories attached to it; the sheer number of tractor trailers needed to transport supplies along that route means jam-packed lanes and accidents waiting to happen.

“It’s all about time,” says longtime Abrams Towing driver John Allen (pictured above), one of several drivers featured in Heavy Rescue: 401. “You have auto parts going to Oshawa, auto parts going out to Windsor. If they get tied up, it’s costing GM or Chrysler or whoever is doing the manufacturing millions of dollars because they don’t have the storage capacity. Their storage is the trucks coming in.” Tuesday’s debut episode wastes no time showing what happens when snowy conditions and several lanes of traffic mix: a multi-vehicle accident has shut down part of the 401 and Allen is among the drivers rushing to the scene. Other companies followed in Season 1’s episodes include Herb’s Towing, Preferred Towing, Ross Services, Steve’s Towing, Classic Heavy Towing and Metro Towing.

Allen, with over 25 years in the towing business, has seen it all on Ontario’s roads and isn’t fazed by the fact he’s about to become a TV star. Instead, he’s more interested in educating viewers about the dangers involved in his profession.

“Part of what I want to get out of this show is for drivers to slow down, move over and give us a little space,” Allen says. “One tow truck driver is killed every six days in North America. That’s more than police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers put together.” Injuries and death, he says, occur when a tow truck operator is crushed between vehicles or in what he refers to as “the 30 feet of kill zone” between his door and the back of the truck working in an active traffic lane and totally unprotected.

“Not even one in 10 drivers will move over and give me room,” Allen says. “I was watching the episode back and was getting scared! Give me some space in my workplace … that’s all I ask.”

Heavy Rescue: 401 airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery Canada.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Highway Thru Hell returns for Season 5

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Just like the kids going back to school, September has become the month Highway Thru Hell returns for a new season on Discovery. Still one of the highest-rated series on the specialty channel, Jamie Davis and his crew—and some competitors—hit the icy roads for Season 5.

Returning on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, you know what you’re going to get with 13 episodes of Highway Thru Hell: cars and tractor trailers sliding around asphalt and colourful tow truck drivers pulling them out and cleaning up the mess. It takes all of two seconds after the opening credits for Highway Thru Hell to get down to business as truckers are stranded on the Smasher on The Coquihalla highway and request help.

It’s the first storm of the season, and as Al Quiring and Gord Boyd of Quiring Towing explain, it takes that initial dumping to remind everyone how treacherous the highway is in the winter. It doesn’t take long for Al and Gord to turn grumpy, the former over “snow socks” and the latter because of a rookie driver who can’t seem steer straight.

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Images courtesy of Bell Media.

For Jamie Davis, this season is all about changes. In a bid to downsize because of the changing economy, Davis sold the most prized truck in the fleet and aims to spend more time on the road rather than managing people. But will business suffer even more with him away from the office? His first call in Episode 1 is to a truck fire that’s still burning when he arrives and Jamie makes a bold decision to clean up the mess … with help from a familiar face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Hope, B.C., Jordie Duperon of Mission Towing is called to the scene of a van half-submerged in a river. Along with his brother, Nik, the fourth-generation tow truck drivers want to prove they’ve got the stuff to make their grandfather proud.

Visually, Great Pacific TV’s Highway Thru Hell remains stunning, especially in HD. Davis’ trucks pop against the swirling, snowy backdrop and cameras mounted on drones offer a whole new dimension to filming as they swoop over collision scenes.

Also this season? Viewers get a sneak peek at the Highway Thru Hell spinoff, Heavy Rescue: 401, which focuses on the challenges faced by those tasked with keeping Ontario’s 400 series highways safe.

Highway Thru Hell airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery.

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Frontier

Discovery breaks new ground for fall with new series, specials and first-ever scripted series

From a media release:

– Jason Momoa stars in world debut of hotly aniticipated original Canadian series and Discovery’s first foray into scripted series, FRONTIER –
– Discovery star Andrew Younghusband introduces new series TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? –
– Discovery’s fall lineup features five new series including scripted project HARLEY AND THE DAVIDSONS, a three-part miniseries based on a true story about the history of the iconic motorcycle brand –
– New seasons of Top 10 returning series, headlined by Canadian hits HIGHWAY THRU HELL and CANADA’S WORST DRIVER –
– Schedule features debuts of brand-new EPI special DEATH ON A COMET and series MIGHTY TRAINS, plus premiere of original Canadian special BUILDING STAR TREK –

Discovery, Canada’s most-watched entertainment specialty channel, sets course on another #1 season, announcing today its 2016 Fall  lineup*. Discovery breaks new ground this year with its most robust lineup ever, featuring five new series, including the world debut of the network’s first original Canadian scripted drama series FRONTIER (Sunday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

But first, the fall schedule kicks off with the all-new “Boldly Go” theme week on DAILY PLANET (begins Monday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT), going behind the scenes to uncover new scientific revelations and technologies in celebration of the Season 22 premiere of the flagship daily science program.

Subscribers can access live streaming of the fall schedule through the Discovery GOapp, and catch up on full seasons of Discovery’s returning series on demand on the Discovery GO app and at Discovery.ca. Discovery GO features the largest Canadian specialty on demand library in Canada.

Starring Jason Momoa, FRONTIER debuts Nov. 6. Beginning Monday, Oct. 24 at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT is new series TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? starring Andrew Younghusband, following the Season 12 of Discovery’s most-watched series last season among A25-54 and A18-49, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Canada’s most-watched series on entertainment specialty television last season among total viewers (P2+), GOLD RUSH premieres later this fall (date to be announced).

Final data for the 2015/16 broadcast year to-date confirms that Discovery is the most-watched entertainment specialty channel among adult viewers in the key A25-54 and A18-49 demos. Winning three of seven nights per week in primetime among A25-54 viewers, and with more than any other entertainment specialty network, Discovery also claims half of the Top 10 series on entertainment specialty television with CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, GOLD RUSH, HIGHWAY THRU HELL, DEADLIEST CATCH, and ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE.

Among the highlights from Discovery’s Fall 2016 lineup:

Bold New Series (in chronological order)

MIGHTY TRAINS (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 16
Hosted by intrepid traveller and Space’s INNERSPACE co-host Teddy Wilson, MIGHTY TRAINS joins the lineup of Discovery’s MIGHTY series, riding the rails around the world to follow engineers and conductors as they navigate their way through busy rail yards, vie for priority departures, and deal with the unexpected. Train managers, load-masters, head chefs, track inspectors, rail traffic control officers, and passengers move the audience through an in-depth journey through the fascinating world of rail travel.

TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Mondays at 11 p.m. PT/8 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 24
From the makers of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, host Andrew Younghusband delves into the world of terrifying heights, extreme sports, tough trades, small spaces, and strange hobbies. Younghusband’s wild quest takes him into the dangerous, weird, and just plain tough, as he meets people driven by passion, doing jobs and partaking in past-times that often look impossible. In each episode, Younghusband struggles to keep up with the pros and experts as they show him the ropes. With minimal training, Younghusband attempts working as a window cleaner on a dauntingly high skyscraper, wing walking on a bi-plane in mid-air, barefoot water skiing, and racing lawnmowers. Nothing is too scary or obscure for Younghusband to try…at least once.

FRONTIER
Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, beginning Nov. 6 (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Commissioned by Discovery Canada as its first-ever scripted series, the action-packed and authentic fiction series follows the chaotic and violent struggle to control wealth and power in the North American fur trade of the late 18th century. Rooted in Canadian history and told from multiple perspectives, FRONTIER takes place in a world where business negotiations might be resolved with close-quarter hatchet fights, and where delicate relations between Aboriginal tribes and Europeans can spark bloody conflicts. Starring Jason Momoa (GAME OF THRONES, Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice) along with Alun Armstrong (NEW TRICKS, Braveheart), Landon Liboiron (HEMLOCK GROVE, DEGRASSI), Zoe Boyle (DOWNTON ABBEY, SONS OF ANARCHY), and Allan Hawco (REPUBLIC OF DOYLE) who round out the international cast. The series also introduces Canadian newcomer, Jessica Matten.

Adventurous New Specials (in chronological order)

BUILDING STAR TREK (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Sunday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
Marking the 50th anniversary of the iconic series, and following the announcement of Bell Media’s licensing agreement for rights to STAR TREK: EXPLORER and the STAR TREK library in Canada, BUILDING STAR TREK tracks the restoration of the original Starship Enterprise and the unprecedented search for every remaining original part of the original 1966 TV show. The goal of the special: to reassemble the original series bridge around authentic artifacts. Meanwhile, every precious and slightly battered relic discovered in the film becomes a jump off point to tell the incredible stories behind a series that sent popular culture into warp drive. The hour-long BUILDING STAR TREK made its public debut last week during a panel presentation at San Diego Comic-Con.

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HIGHWAY THRU HELL Recap Special (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Jamie Davis reflects on the rocky road that brought him to the fourth season’s dramatic crossroads as viewers get a sneak peek at the twists and turns ahead. In Season 5, the risks for Jamie have never been greater and the wrecks never more extreme. Jamie Davis Towing and his competitor Quiring Towing face epic challenges of their own. Plus, viewers get an update on their favourite drivers and a look behind the cameras at how HIGHWAY THRU HELL is made.

DEATH ON A COMET (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
On the heels of Discovery’s most-watched special to date, JUPITER: CLOSE ENCOUNTER, and following the November 2014 special LANDING ON A COMET: ROSETTA MISSION, Discovery brings viewers its latest real-time space odyssey, anchored by DAILY PLANET’s Dan Riskin. Rosetta, the European Space Agency (ESA)-built spacecraft that took years to conceive and another decade to journey through space, has been travelling alongside its assigned comet for the last two years. Now the mission is coming to an end and the team that poured years into this project must say goodbye. DEATH ON A COMET takes viewers inside the control room as Rosetta ends its six billion-kilometre journey, transmitting one final postcard.

RETURN TO ATLANTIS (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
(Date to be announced)
From Executive Producer James Cameron comes a unique documentary featuring an exploration team assembled to investigate several new theories about the real Atlantis, from its location to its people, and the terrible disaster that wiped it from the planet more than three millennia ago.

DAILY PLANET YEAR IN SCI TECH (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
DAILY PLANET closes out 2016 with DAILY PLANET YEAR IN SCI TECH as co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin recap the greatest technological feats and scientific breakthroughs of the year. Viewers are invited inside the control room as NASA heads to Jupiter and as ESA’s Rosetta ends a decade-long mission to a comet. From the Hyperloop test track in California to the artificial intelligence labs of Asia and beyond, viewers get an in-depth look at the people, places, and things shaping the future.

Bell Media

Returning Hit Series (in chronological order)

DAILY PLANET (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Weekdays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, beginning Monday, Aug. 29
DAILY PLANET’s 22nd season kicks off with its all-new theme week, “Boldly Go”.  Viewers get a front-row seat at the world’s first concert inside a volcano, go deep in Silfra, Iceland – the only place in the world where divers can swim between two continental plates, and watch a rocket launch from a sailing platform in the Baltic Sea. DAILY PLANET also celebrates STAR TREK’s 50th anniversary during “Boldly Go Week” with interviews of the team who dreamed big 50 years ago and brought the series to life.

HOW IT’S MADE (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, beginning Sept. 12
Season 28 explores the manufacturing from handcrafted to factory-made products including everything from cereal, gas tanks, and work boots.

HIGHWAY THRU HELL (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, beginning Sept. 13
Returning for a milestone fifth season on Discovery, HIGHWAY THRU HELL is back and better than ever as it follows the men of Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue as they fight to keep open some of the most economically important, most-travelled – and most-inhospitable – trucking routes in North America. Big changes have blown into Hope, B.C., altering the course of legendary Heavy Rescue Operator Jamie Davis. After expanding his tow business into Alberta’s frozen north two seasons ago, a new reality has set in as Jamie has been forced to simplify his operation and shift his attention back to his mountain base in B.C. where it all began.

CANADA’S WORST DRIVER (Discovery Original Canadian Series)
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, beginning Oct. 24
Season 12 of perennial favourite CANADA’S WORST DRIVER follows a new group of eight drivers. Each nominated by a friend or family member, these truly terrible drivers are put through their paces in a controlled environment and evaluated by a panel of driving experts. Hosted by Andrew Younghusband, each episode features tried-and-tested challenges designed to push the drivers to their limits. They must master basic training and more advanced techniques before graduating or they will be named Canada’s Worst Driver.

 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Production Underway on Discovery’s New Series Heavy Rescue: 401 from Highway Thru Hell producers

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From a media release:

Discovery announced today that production is underway on HEAVY RESCUE: 401, a new original Canadian series set to debut in 2017 based on the network’s hit series HIGHWAY THRU HELL. With the support of the OPP, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, York Regional police, maintenance contractors, and several other organizations, the new documentary series follows the men and women who keep Ontario’s 400-series highways operating at any cost.

Spanning the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario, HEAVY RESCUE: 401 follows multiple major tow operators, rescue, and maintenance crews day and night along North America’s most intense stretch of highway. From Sarnia eastbound to Toronto and north to Barrie, the cast of heroes work diligently to keep Canada’s most important and busiest series of highways open through any weather condition. From monster snow storms creating kilometers of mayhem to trucks spilling their loads, these efforts safeguard the country’s most important trade route with the U.S. from grinding to a crippling halt through the worst of the winter driving season.

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Comments and queries for the week of March 4

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Highway Thru Hell on DVD?
I would love to order all seasons of Highway Thru Hell on DVD. Can you help me on how I can? I live in the States and I have friends who live in Canada. I just love this show and would like to get all seasons of this show. —Gail

There’s good news and bad news. First, the bad news: at this time no seasons of Highway Thru Hell are available for purchase on Blu-ray or DVD. The good news? Four seasons of Highway Thru Hell are available for purchase via the iTunes store.

Let’s talk skinny basic

In December, don’t they have to completely unbundle? So what, $40 a month for FX, $5 a month for OLN? $80 for HBO, $2 for Comedy Gold? In theory, this was a good idea but so was eliminating three-year cell phone contracts. Did the consumers actually save money? No. Did Bell, Rogers and Telus recently raise their cell phone prices-again? Yes, but not everywhere. Where didn’t they? Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan. What’s different about them? MTS Mobility, Videotron and SaskTel. I wonder why a lot of people want telecom competition? Anyone else see a lot of brands all linked to a few of the same names? Doesn’t that look like a problem? —Dan

Great article! I really liked it. I’m 33 and I’ve always been a cord cutter (or cord never had it). I watch Netflix, but that’s basically it. I’ve actually been watching YouTube more and more and I was curious what your thoughts are on that trend? 18-25 watches more YouTube than TV or Netflix combined. And 26-35 isn’t far behind I think. YouTube made $8B in ad revenue last year and with YouTube Red being the biggest app in the app store at the end of the year, it’s likely to continue. Thanks for the great article. I’ll be back on the site soon and have followed on Twitter. Definitely want to see more of your thoughts. —Somnia

These offers from the cable companies are not surprising, they are tailored to fit the flawed CRTC new rule which explicitly excludes equipment. If you get only a few OTA channels, it could be that your antenna is not up to the job. Before even looking at those cable packages, see if you can upgrade your setup. A new/better antenna, with installation (if required) may cost you a few hundreds, but it will quickly pay for itself. We cut the cord two years ago and switched to high-speed unlimited internet with VoIP landline phone and to a rooftop antenna connected to a Roku and a Tablo DVR. With 23 American and Canadian over the air TV channels, we never looked back. Our own setup was not cheap ($800) but was paid back in eight months. Not having any kind of cable package is by far the best way to respond to any cable company offer! —Jerome

Life imitates art for X Company‘s Sandra Chwialkowska

This show is the best show on television. These articles help bring it more and more into the light. Waiting for each new episode with anticipation is one thing but the ante is upped with each new insight, interview, and article that comes out. Yes, I await each glimpse into this masterpiece with almost the same excitement with which I await each new episode. With great pride I have nudged, nieces, nephews and friends toward this show, and with great joy share in their addiction of same. Thank you for this quality gift called X Company. —Linda

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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