Tag Archives: Mr. D

Mr. D, Schitt's Creek, X Company

New titles and returning favourites highlight CBC’s midseason schedule

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From a media release:

CBC-TV’s winter programming lineup is filled with returning hit comedies, dramas and current affairs programs, as well as new titles filled with intrigue, suspense, and heart-warming moments.

New additions to the CBC prime-time lineup include the critically acclaimed drama JEKYLL AND HYDE, premiering Jan. 11; the emotional real-life stories of HELLO GOODBYE, premiering Jan. 8; and suspenseful three-part mystery MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT, premiering Jan. 6.

The acclaimed comedy hit SCHITT’S CREEK is among a group of shows returning with new episodes, as well as World War II spy thriller X COMPANY, and comedy staple MR. D. Ongoing CBC prime-time series are back with all-new episodes for winter 2016, including MURDOCH MYSTERIES, HEARTLAND, RICK MERCER REPORT, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, DRAGONS’ DEN, THE NATURE OF THINGS, FIRSTHAND, MARKETPLACE, THE FIFTH ESTATE, and on CBC News Network, THE PASSIONATE EYE.

New for winter 2016:

  • JEKYLL AND HYDE – Mondays 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 11
    It’s 1930s London and Robert Jekyll (Tom Bateman) is a naive, sensitive young man finding his place in the world and moving away from the protection of his loving foster parents. As he begins to feel himself coming under the power of a darkness he cannot control, he realizes that all this time his parents were protecting him from his true self. Jekyll has inherited the curse of his grandfather, and when angered or in danger, he undertakes a graphic and twisted transformation to become Hyde, a shadowy, brooding figure of incredible strength and agility; confident and fearless. As he tries to discover his past and search for a cure, Robert Jekyll is drawn deep into Hyde’s world of monstrous creatures and freaks of nature.
  • HELLO GOODBYE – Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (9 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 8 (Encore broadcasts air Sundays at 8pm (8:30 NT))
    HELLO GOODBYE draws out touching stories from people in Canada’s busiest airport: Toronto Pearson International Airport. Hosted by Dale Curd, the series shines a spotlight on the themes of love, family, friendships, immigration, grief, and joy. It presents a window into our most emotional moments.
  • MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) beginning Jan. 6
    Outspoken, intelligent, and down-to-earth, single mother Merrily Watkins (Anna Maxwell-Martin) is not what you’d expect to see upon hearing the words “Church of England priest”. However, her Bishop has total faith in her, so much so he’s offered Merrily the position of an Exorcist – plunging her into a dark and dangerous world in this crime drama with a supernatural twist. Deeply human in her doubts and scepticis, Merrily reluctantly agrees to assist when police discover a body crucified in the woods. But as Merrily and her family  are drawn further into the mystery, she must summon all her strength to fight the evil she uncovers amid a web of murder, abuse, power and lies. MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT is based on the novel by Phil Rickman and adapted by BAFTA- winning screenwriter Stephen Volk.

Returning to CBC-TV’s prime-time lineup in winter 2016:

  • HEARTLAND – Sundays at 7 p.m. (7:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 10
  • MURDOCH MYSTERIES – Mondays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 11
  • RICK MERCER REPORT – Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 5
  • 22 MINUTES – Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. (9 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 5
  • SCHITT’S CREEK – Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Season 2 premieres Jan. 12 with back-to-back episodes
  • MR. D – Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. NT); Season 5 premieres Jan. 19
  • DRAGONS’ DEN – Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 6, beginning with the Second Chance Special
  • X COMPANY – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Season 2 premieres Jan. 27
  • THE NATURE OF THINGS – Thursdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 7
  • FIRSTHAND – Thursdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 14
  • MARKETPLACE – Fridays at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 8
  • THE FIFTH ESTATE – Fridays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 8

Returning to the News Network lineup in winter 2016:

  • THE PASSIONATE EYE – Sundays at 10 p.m. (10:30 p.m. NT); Returns with new episodes Jan. 17 on CBC News Network
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Industry News

Link: A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016

From Cassandra Szklarski of The Canadian Press:

A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016
It’s been a heck of a year for the CBC — a scathing report denounced managers for their handling of the Jian Ghomeshi affair while former anchors Amanda Lang and Evan Solomon faced controversies of their own.

All the while, the CBC continued to grapple with steep budget cuts that slashed news broadcasts, gutted sports and documentary divisions and put for sale signs in front of aging facilities.

But with a more CBC-friendly Liberal government now holding the purse strings, could things finally be looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster?

Many observers seem to think so. Continue reading.

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Mr. D

Link: Gerry Dee on Mr. D, My Scottish Family and life on the road

From Jim Slotek of Postmedia Network:

Gerry Dee on Mr. D, My Scottish Family and life on the road
“The plan is to try to run Mr. D as long as it feels right. If you have another show and are in a position to do it, there’s a strategy there. Right now, I feel we’re peaking with Mr. D, so that’s my focus. If we get Season 7, maybe we’ll say, ‘Well that’s been a pretty good run.’” Continue reading. 

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Mr. D

Link: CBS signs rights deal for CBC’s ‘Mr. D’

From Jim Slotek of Postmedia Network:

CBS signs rights deal for CBC’s ‘Mr. D’
Turns out CBS likes the CBC classroom sitcom Mr. D – a lot. They just want to American it up a bit.

Comedian Gerry Dee, the creator of the sitcom, told Postmedia he’d signed a deal Thursday with CBS for the format rights to the series based on his career as a Toronto teacher.

Fellow Canadian Will Arnett will be shepherding the project through his production company. Continue reading.

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Featured, Mr. D

Gerry Dee keeps it real in Season 5 of Mr. D

Mr. D is headed into its fifth season on CBC, and series creator and star Gerry Dee isn’t messing with success. He’s sticking with the formula that keeps viewers coming back every week: keeping it real.

“I always try to bring authenticity to the show,” Dee told Sirius XM radio hosts Humble & Fred during an appearance Monday morning. That authenticity continues in Season 5, when Dee’s small-screen alter ego, Gerry Duncan, experiences a student teacher with stage fright, educational assistants, a mother who can’t believe that her son is capable of pushing other students around and an odd item brought for Show & Tell.

“A friend of mine had this Grade 1 class and a kid brought in a vibrator for Show & Tell and thought it was a rocket ship,” Dee recalls. “So we shot the episode where a kid comes in and says he has a rocket ship and that it buzzes when you turn it on. I try to grab it and it falls and breaks. He’s trying to zoom it at my face and everything. Those are the stories we get from teachers sometimes.” Dee taught in a private school for 10 years before committing to stand-up comedy full-time. Now, a decade removed from the classroom, he brings teachers into the writers’ room to mine details for possible storylines alongside what he and his writing staff come up with.

“Things have changed. In Season 4 we did an episode called ‘Lockdown,’ which is something that’s, sadly, common now in schools but I’d never heard of,” he says.

With Season 5 of Mr. D set to return on CBC in the winter and Season 4 re-airing on City in November, Dee’s plate is pretty full. Aside from his homegrown sitcom, Dee is writing for other projects—like My Scottish Family for CBC—and is constantly touring, with dates in Toronto, Ajax and Mississauga, Ont., lined up in September and October. Those dates, he reveals to Humble & Fred, are in preparation for his next big stand-up goal.

“I want to do the Air Canada Centre within two years,” he says. “I sat down with my tour manager and looked at the ticket sales and it’s all adding up to 10,000 tickets. It may be a big mistake and I’d have to stay on television within the next two years. I’m planning to do that and tape it as my next special.”

Listen to the rest of Dee’s interview with Humble & Fred (his chat is during the last 20 minutes).

Season 5 of Mr. D returns in the winter on CBC.

Season 4 of Mr. D airs in a second window on City starting in November.

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