Tag Archives: Murdoch Mysteries

Featured, Murdoch Mysteries, Still Standing

Comments and queries for the week of June 26

South of the border love for Murdoch Mysteries

I am a Bostonian and I currently live in the L.A. area and I find most of our syndicated television dramas/comedies to be “cookie-cutter” programs. When a new and fresh program idea comes along that garners my interest and gains popularity, it eventually gets so diluted (cast/writing changes) and repeated to death it quickly loses its appeal.

It is SO REFRESHING to have found this gem known as Murdoch Mysteries/The Artful Detective.  The core cast are all brilliant in their portrayals of their diverse characters. The continuity of storylines and the character development is a tribute to the writing teams. This TV series has been like opening a very good book and being drawn to the characters, chapter by chapter and always anticipating what will happen next. (Yes, I do realize the basis of this TV show is Ms. Jennings book series—which I am now hoping to read this summer.)

THANK YOU, CANADA and the men and women involved in its total production—quality programming at its best. I also have to thank my sister in Boston. When she told me of the premise (a Toronto detective from the turn the century who solves murders that involve the basic “whodunit” woven with historical characters), I took the bait. BEEN HOOKED ever since. I very much look forward to the next chapter in Season 9. —Corrinna

Murdoch Mysteries star celebrates small-town Canada with laughter

Nice! Love Murdoch Mysteries. It’s my buffer for the rough action that never ends on Game of Thrones. Jonny Harris has a dry sense of humour that I can relate to being a Mainer-Portland, Maine that is. Best wishes to him for success with this endeavor!—Lenora

Is Canada ready for another late-night talk show?

Strombo’s The Hour/Tonight was the closest (and best) we’ve ever come to a viable late-night model. Re-invented the format, top-notch host with smart interview style, top-notch guests (leaning heavily on BIG stars with some windows for Canadian up and comers) and a bold and flashy style. It was the perfect storm that I don’t think can be easily replicated. Someone will want to do it cheap, have low-rent guests, hire a host who thinks they’re better at it than they will be and the writing will be sub-par. And it has to find an audience. But maybe I’m wrong … a reboot of Thicke of the Night? I hear Alan’s schedule is wide open. —Jon

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

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries, Still Standing

Murdoch Mysteries star celebrates small-town Canada with laughter

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On Murdoch Mysteries, Jonny Harris plays Constable George Crabtree, tasked with aiding Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) in the solving of crimes in and around turn-of-the-century Toronto. But in his newest series, Harris does some investigating of his own.

The veteran Newfoundland comedian swaps his scratchy police wardrobe for regular duds in Still Standing. Debuting Tuesday on CBC, the series finds the energetic lad discovering small communities across Canada and spotlighting the citizens who call the areas home. As Harris told me at CBC’s upfront announcement, he spends five days in each community, getting to know those who live and work there and doing various chores (like milking goats or lassoing a calf). At the end of it, Harris hosts a small comedy show where he tells jokes based on his experiences, a tough task for a guy who prefers to wait until the last minute to write, even if he does have a couple of guys helping him.

“We write jokes while we’re on the road,” he explains. “We’ll meet someone in the morning and then we’ll furiously write on our laptops. Then we’ll go and meet the next guy or I’ll do the next activity and then over dinner we’ll write. Then we have to out together the set itself in a way that flows and makes sense to people.   At the end of four days I have to try and cram it all into my brain.”

Thirteen episodes comprise Season 1 of Still Standing and among the communities featured are Rowley, Alberta—population eight—a virtual ghost town neighbouring communities support with a monthly pizza night; Berwick, Nova Scotia, a.k.a. the Apple Capital of Canada; Souris, Prince Edward Island; Oil Springs, Ontario, the birthplace of the modern oil industry in North America; and Coleman, Alberta (population just over 1,000), a location fraught with tragedy. Mining disasters, including the Frank Slide of 1903 that wiped half the town of neighbouring Frank off the map.

“They have a very on-their-sleeve attitude about the slide, which made it very interesting for me comedically,” Harris admitts.

Locations were chosen because they were struggling to survive as towns, were locations not on major highways and places most people had ever heard of. The communities may be far-flung, but they all shared the same passion for the land they and past generations call home.

“The goal of the show is to celebrate the towns,” Harris notes. “And if somewhere down the line someone decides to stop in there because they saw it on Still Standing then it’s even better.”

Still Standing airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.

 

Will you be watching Jonny Harris in his new role? Let me know in the comments below! Follow Greg on Twitter.

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William Shatner lands Murdoch Mysteries role

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Clearly Peter Mitchell found the right man for the job. Back in March, Murdoch Mysteries‘ showrunner teased what was to come in Season 9 of the period piece Canadian drama, saying “I’m hoping—if we can find the right guy—Mark Twain will come to town.”

That person was found—and revealed by lead actor and producer Yannick Bisson on Tuesday afternoon—when Bisson tweeted out the following image:

Murdoch_1

Earlier in the day, Bisson posted an image of the day’s call sheet, revealing Shatner would be portraying the American author, best-known for penning The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

According to a press release sent out by Shaftesbury, the show’s production company, “when Twain stirs up controversy during a speaking engagement in 1903 Toronto, Detective Murdoch and his colleagues must protect the esteemed writer.” The storyline is featured in Episode 2, “Marked Twain.”

Murdoch Mysteries is the latest Canadian series to feature Shatner as a guest star; he completed filming four episodes of Showcase’s sci-fi series Haven last year.

Shaftesbury teases Season 9 with more info:

“From within the walls of a maximum-security prison to the outer atmosphere of the earth, Season 9 of MURDOCH MYSTERIES explores new worlds and mystifying cases. 1903 begins with Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) and Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly) still reeling over the arrest of Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris). Then a shocking death brings great change to the world of Station No. 4. Through it all, Murdoch and team continue to solve the unsolvable, coming face to face with everything from an impossible bank robbery to a threat to destroy Canada, confronting each case with wit, wisdom and innovation.”

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Interview: Murdoch’s shocking season finale; plus what’s coming in Season 9

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Constable George Crabtree: murderer? Surely that can’t be true, but by the end of Monday’s season finale George was locked up and charged with the death of Archie Brooks just the same. There’s more to this crime than meets the eye, but George’s bloody boots and his refusal to speak has placed him firmly behind bars and put his detective’s job in question.

That wasn’t the only cliffhanger in Monday’s “The Artful Detective”: Lillian asked Emily to move to London with her so that the two could continue their support of the Suffragette Movement in England. Emily had not made a decision by the time the show’s credits rolled. It’s been a dramatic season of Murdoch Mysteries, with such high points as William and Julia getting married to the rise of the Suffragettes in Toronto, and lows like the fall of Chief Constable Giles and Constable John Hodge.

In our last behind-the-scenes chat with the creative folks at Murdoch Mysteries, we spoke to showrunner Peter Mitchell.

Was the episode title, “The Artful Detective,” a little nod to Ovation, the U.S. cable channel that airs Murdoch under that name?
Peter Mitchell: It was a wink to that, yeah, as well as a great horse name.

I counted seven bodies in last night’s episode and all of them were pretty gruesome. How did the idea for that come about?
We usually try to do one sequential killer storyline a year and we got into the whole thing of The Most Dangerous Game. The most dangerous game is man and we wanted to get Ogden a little more involved in psychological profiling. Our last several episodes—one was pro wrestling and the one before that was girl gangs—we’d done a few lighter ones and we wanted to go out with a darker, sequential killer storyline that ultimately isn’t that. It fit the mood of winter, which we were fortunate enough to get.

What was it like filming in those conditions? It was cold enough to see breath.
It was pretty cold. It wasn’t minus-40 Toronto but it was cold. When you’re out there in temperatures hovering around zero and nobody is really prepped for it, it’s not fantastic.

You mentioned the wrestling episode. I understand you’re a fan of pro wrestling. How long have you enjoyed it?
Oh gosh, longer than my wife would care to admit. Probably around WrestleMania II or III. I kicked around doing something with those guys a few years ago and it never happened. The identical twin referees is still a stroke of storytelling genius. We just tried to throw a few things into it. Murdoch driving the ambulance was, of course, Steve Austin driving the ambulance when they took Vince McMahon away. We hit four or five really deep in-jokes. My daughter and I started going to local wrestling in Toronto which is where we found a bunch of those guys.

We’re probably going to work, a little more this year, at putting the team back together and see them work more as a coordinated unit.

OK, when we last saw George in the finale, he was behind bars and charged with murdering Archie. But I feel like there is more to this than meets the eye.

It’s Murdoch, of course there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Probably more than even George is aware of. It goes deeper than what George thinks is going on.

I think George is innocent and is covering for Edna because he thinks she is involved somehow.
He’s kind of where you are … but wrong. [Laughs.]

Where do we pick up next season?
It will pick up about five months later and George will be in completely different circumstances. Our fans are pretty diligent about changing seasons, we can never pick up right where we left off. We end a season with snow on the ground and we’ll pick up, hopefully, with leaves on the trees.

What year will it be in Murdoch’s world when we come back for Season 9?
For history it will be 1903, which is the year before the ‘Great Fire of Toronto.’

Is that something you’re working towards?
We’re aware of it, but we’re not sure exactly where we’re going to place it. You’re as aware of the numbers and the good feelings for this show as we are and we don’t see a firm end date. As long as people are ambulatory we have a decent chance of making this for awhile. I’m not sure where we will place the Great Fire and the producer on the show with me, Steve Montgomery, would probably kill me the minute I suggest Great Fire. We will get to it.

Are there some key events in Toronto’s history that occurred in 1903 that you’re planning on covering?
We’re working towards that. We’ve got our list of historical characters that we’d like to get on the show this year. In terms of actual events, we’re always researching but nothing jumps out right now as being significant to hang an episode on. I think Prime Minister Laurier will come back to town this year, I’m hoping—if we can find the right guy—Mark Twain will come to town. We might have a little bit of fun with Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Michelle Ricci told me you guys have been trying to get that character on the show for years.
Yeah, I think Crabtree will teach her how to write. [Laughs.]

What can fans expect from next season?
That’s a really loaded question. What the fans expect is not always what we deliver. I think that we did try some avenues of experimentation this year in expanding the franchise. We may have lost sight, once or twice, in our core characters. The last three episodes were basically George, George, George in terms of an emotional storyline and prior to that we had been doing stuff with Emily. We’re probably going to work, a little more this year, at putting the team back together and see them work more as a coordinated unit. But it’s Murdoch Mysteries, so hopefully we’ll still have controversial storylines and zany storylines and a little more focus on Julia and William’s relationship in the coming year.

Season 9 of Murdoch Mysteries will return to CBC later this year.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Interview: George’s rejection on Murdoch Mysteries

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Poor George Crabtree. The guy is simply not lucky when it comes to love. That was driven home during Monday’s latest episode, “Election Day,” when Edna’s presumed-dead husband returned from overseas to crush Crabtree’s plans of marrying Edna and sharing a life with she and Simon.

George’s shattered love life was just one topic of our conversation with Michelle Ricci, who co-wrote “Election Day” with Mary Pedersen.

Damn you for making Crabtree cry!
Michelle Ricci: I know. Wasn’t that sad?

I kind of figured Edna’s husband would actually show up before the end of the season. Was that the intention all along or was there a chance George and Edna were going to make it as a couple?
We left it open. We weren’t quite sure in the early going. It had been eight years since Tamara Hope had been on the show and we wanted to see if she and Jonny still had that chemistry. They did and she did a great job of growing that character eight years on and having a life lived in between. It became a nice counterpoint to his previous relationships with Dr. Grace and his flirtation with Ruby. We felt it would be great to show Crabtree in a more dramatic environment, give him some curveballs and let him run with it. He did a great job. Wait until you see the finale. I was really impressed with how he took the dramatic scenes and made them very powerful.

Last night’s episode featured the return of the man some people love and others hate: Terrence Meyers.
He’s one of those polarizing characters. You either love to hate him or you love him. I always get a kick out of him because Peter Keleghan is so much fun to watch. He can really sell the ham. When you have a part like this, sometimes an actor will oversell it and not quite pull it off. But he’s one of those actors who can really pull it off and you don’t mind when he goes over the top. You relish it. Last year we had a dramatic turn for Meyers because he was implicated in a murder and things got a little tense for him. We really wanted to take it back to basics with the playful, ridiculous Meyers.

A lot of bodies. There’s a whole lot of bodies. Dead bodies. More than any other Murdoch episode ever.

It’s always fun to see Yannick play off of that. Yannick is the straight man on the show and over the last couple of seasons we’ve been trying to loosen him and he’ll sometimes ad lib some jokes. It’s always great when he goes up against Meyers because he can give it back to him. It was just the two of them going head-to-head without Clegg, the U.S. agent.

I spoke to Arwen Humphreys last week and noted the interesting remark Mrs. Brackenreid had to the Suffragette’s being a wasted vote.
A little bit of that scene might have gotten trimmed, but when we read it the first time, Arwen was wondering what Mrs. B was thinking. And then she realized that not only was Mrs. B representing women of the time but was being very true to her character in embodying that old adage that behind every strong man is a strong woman. A woman at the time would not have necessarily gone against the grain and put herself at risk the way that Ogden and Grace have. None of that would have occurred to her and by that same token she didn’t care about having to vote because her vote happened through Brackenreid. She’s telling him what to do. She’s telling him how to vote and he’s agreeing with her because that’s the way their marriage works and a successful marriage of the time works.

Will the Suffragette Movement angle continue next season?
We have some things happening next season that will change it up a bit.

Agnes Macphail was interesting to see added to the story. The first woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons.
We like to do that all the time and see where our Canadian celebrities are sitting in history. In this case it was with Women’s Suffrage and there were a ton of women we could have referenced but it’s just impossible to fit them in. We still haven’t been able to fit in Emily Stowe and have been trying forever. Mary Pedersen, who co-wrote the episode with me, suggested introducing Agnes as young girl. Technically, she wasn’t living in Toronto at the time but we had her visiting her grandfather who was going to vote that day. It was just a nice little nod to what these early Suffragette’s did to pave the way for the women who were actually able to make those gains later.

What can you tell me about next week’s season finale? What can fans expect?
A lot of bodies. There’s a whole lot of bodies. Dead bodies. More than any other Murdoch episode ever.

Is it a cliffhanger?
There is a cliffhanger, yes.

The season finale of Murdoch Mysteries airs next Monday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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