Tag Archives: Shaftesbury

Featured, Hudson & Rex

Citytv renews Hudson & Rex for new season and announces return of John Reardon

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From a media release:

Citytv today announced the return of its hit original series Hudson & Rex this fall with an action-packed 12-episode new season. John Reardon returns as Detective Charlie Hudson and is reunited with his trusted canine-partner Rex, alongside returning cast members Mayko Nguyen (Dr. Sarah Truong), Kevin Hanchard (Superintendent Joseph Donovan), Justin Kelly (Tech Analyst Jesse Mills) and Luke Roberts (Detective Mark Hudson). 

“I’m excited to step back into the role of Charlie as Hudson and Rex moves into its next chapter,” said John Reardon. “The series has earned a passionate audience around the world, and I’m grateful for the continued support. I’m looking forward to beginning production on the new season with the cast, crew, creative team, production, and network partners – and to sharing more adventures with Rex and the fans.” 

Production for the new season is scheduled to begin in June in St. John’s, Newfoundland. When viewers last saw Charlie Hudson, he was heading to South America in search of his missing brother, Jack. Next season will see Charlie shocking everyone with his return to St. John’s with one final task to accomplish before putting the Belize nightmare behind him. Charlie’s return creates a complicated dilemma for loyal Rex and sets off a chain reaction inside the St. John’s Police Department. 

  “John is a talented actor and we’re incredibly pleased to have him return as Detective Charlie Hudson,” said Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. “We know that fans missed him and so did we. We look forward to getting back to work and bringing fans an exciting new season.” 

“Hudson and Rex has been a staple on the Citytv schedule for nearly a decade and we’re thrilled to bring it back for viewers with John returning as Charlie for another season of action-packed crime-solving drama,” said Kale Stockwell, Head of Original Programming, Rogers Sports & Media.  

Produced by Shaftesbury and Pope Productions Ltd., in association with Citytv and Beta Film, the new 12-episode season builds on its passionate and loyal fanbase. Hudson & Rex has been sold to more than 100 territories including the United States, Italy, Germany, and France. Sherry White is the series showrunner and Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Lisa Porter, John Reardon, Kevin Hanchard and Sherri Davis serve as executive producers. Beta Film handles the distribution of Hudson & Rex. 

  

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Featured, Slo Pitch

Beer, lesbians and baseball! Casting announced for new Crave original comedy series, Slo Pitch

From a media release:

Crave announced today casting details for its new original series SLO PITCH, produced by Shaftesbury in association with Boss & Co, and Elliot Page’s PAGEBOY Productions. The 10-episode, half-hour mockumentary, which is in production now through October, is centred around a queer, underdog, slo pitch softball team and their dedicated and determined coach.

Welcome to the world of beer league sports, where Joanne Pico (Jess Salgueiro) is coach to six-time league losers, “The Public Lass Brovaries.” Coach Joanne is dead set on turning things around this season despite having just been brutally dumped by her girlfriend and co-founder of the team. Throughout the summer, Joanne leads her lovable, chaotic crew through a season of strikeouts, petty rivalries, conservative-politician sponsors, and sexy carwash fundraisers gone wrong. With her ex now playing on a rival team, Joanne’s got a lot to prove this season. It’s time to win the breakup, get the gang back together, and maybe even find new love over beers in the dugout.

SLO PITCH also stars Karen Knox, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Chelsea Muirhead, Emma Hunter, Lane Webber, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Amanda Cordner, and Emily Hampshire.

Guest stars include actors Varun Saranga, Laura De Carteret, Don MacLean Jr., Nadine Bhabha (who is also a writer on the series) and comedians Carolyn Taylor, Chris Locke and Chris Sandiford, plus a cameo from Japanese softball pitcher Ayami Sato, who recently made history as the first woman to play in a Canadian men’s professional baseball league. 

Created by J Stevens, and Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn who also star, SLO PITCH is based on the short-form series of the same name and is developed for television by Katie Ford and Jane Cooper Ford. The series marks Bell Media’s first project with PAGEBOY Productions following the announcement of a co-development deal earlier this year.

The series will be available to Crave audiences in both English and French, and is distributed internationally by Shaftesbury.

SLO PITCH is produced by Shaftesbury in association with Crave, Boss & Co, and PAGEBOY Productions, with participation of the Bell Media Fund and Ontario Creates. Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, and Paige Haight are executive producers for Shaftesbury. Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn are executive producers, writers, and stars. Katie Ford and Jane Cooper Ford are executive producers. J Stevens is executive producer and director. Michael Schram is executive producer. Elliot Page is executive producer for PAGEBOY Productions, and Emily Hampshire is executive producer.

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Featured, Hell Motel, Slasher

Hollywood Suite invites you to check in to Hell Motel, from Slasher creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter

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From a media release:

Hollywood Suite invites you to stay awhile this June with the exclusive broadcast premiere of Hell Motel, the highly anticipated new eight-episode limited horror series from Slasher creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter. Featuring Emmy® Award-winner Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, Departure), Paula Brancati (Slasher), Shaun Benson (The Boys), Atticus Mitchell (The Hardy Boys), Emmanuel Kabongo (Murdoch Mysteries), Jim Watson (Slasher) and Genevieve DeGraves (Slasher), the first episode of the Shudder original series, Hell Motel, will premiere in Canada on June 13 at 9pm ET. Additional episodes will then premiere weekly on Tuesdays beginning June 17, and will be available on Hollywood Suite On Demand.

Watch the trailer!

Horror fans are also invited to attend a FREE advance screening of the first episode of Hell Motel on June 13 at Revue Cinema in Toronto, featuring scary surprises and a special Q&A with select cast and crew. Tickets are first come, first served, so follow @hollywoodsuite and @revuecinema for updates in the coming days.

The new series follows a group of 10 true crime obsessives, who are invited to the opening weekend of the newly renovated Cold River Motel. The site of a 30-year-old unsolved satanic mass murder, history soon repeats itself at the motel when the guests are stranded and start getting knocked off one by one, in increasingly gruesome ways.

“We are thrilled to be the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of Hell Motel,” said Suzanne Marshall, Hollywood Suite Senior Manager, Programming. “With a chilling new setting and story, Aaron and Ian have delivered all of the terrifying scares and gore that genre fans have come to expect. We can’t wait for viewers to discover it this June!”

“Our ongoing partnership with Hollywood Suite means that we get to keep bringing Canadian-made horror to fans who love something fresh and fearless,” said Christina Jennings, Chairman and President of Shaftesbury. “Hell Motel is another great example of what we can do together – creating bold, genre-pushing horror that builds on our past successes and takes things in exciting new directions.”

Eric McCormack leads the cast in the role of Hemmingway, a chef with a wickedly sinister flair. He’s joined by fellow motel guests Paige (Paula Brancati), a former actress and scream queen looking to revive her career; Crow (Shaun Benson), a new-age medium with an apparent connection to the massacre’s victims; Blake (Atticus Mitchell), a true crime writer; Kawayan (Emmanuel Kabongo), a talented artist with a dark focus on murder; Andy (Jim Watson), an academic at the forefront of contemporary true crime studies; and Adriana (Genevieve DeGraves), a flight attendant with several notorious serial killer notches on her bedpost.

Canadian drag superstar and winner of Canada’s Drag Race Season 2, Icesis Couture, makes a guest appearance as Magenta, a stylish real estate agent who sells the Coldwater Motel to new owners Ruby (Brynn Godenir) and Portia (Michelle Nolden).

Hell Motel is a Shudder Original Series, developed and produced by Shaftesbury, in association with Hollywood Suite, with the financial participation of the Bell Fund. The series is created and executive produced by Aaron Martin and showrunner Ian Carpenter. Additional executive producers include Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie and director Adam MacDonald. AMC Networks holds distribution rights.

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Hudson & Rex

Link: Hudson & Rex trainer confirms show’s beloved dog star has ‘passed away,’ new canines have taken over role

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From Kelli Bender of People:

Link: Hudson & Rex trainer confirms show’s beloved dog star has ‘passed away,’ new canines have taken over role

Police procedural drama Hudson & Rex is mourning the loss of a crucial cast member.

Diesel vom Burgimwald, the German shepherd who portrayed the titular K9 Rex in the series, “passed away” during the production of Season 7, according to Sherri Davis, the executive producer and dog master for Shaftesbury’s Hudson & Rex. Continue reading.

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Featured, Underbelly

Crave announces new original crime drama series Underbelly, starring Stephen Amell, Hamza Haq, Tamara Podemski and Minnie Driver

From a media release:

Crave announced today the new, six-episode, one-hour crime drama UNDERBELLY. Also announced today are the series’ stars Stephen Amell (ARROW) as Officer Henry Roland, Hamza Haq (TRANSPLANT) as Tommy, and Emmy® and Academy Award®-nominee Minnie Driver (THE SERPENT QUEEN) as May, the residents of a tranquil riverside town in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario, who are caught up in a dark, twisted mystery centred around an international drug ring.

In a quiet riverside town in the Thousand Islands, Officer Henry Roland (Amell) finds evidence linking a case of missing illegal substances to his childhood best friend, Tommy Hawley (Haq), with whom he shares a dark secret. As Henry embarks on a mission to save his friend, a ruthless British crime family, led by matriarch May Ferguson (Driver), is also on the hunt for the drugs and Tommy.

A tragic accident sets off a chain of events involving international drug trafficking, and Henry faces the concerns of his police chief father-in-law (Christopher Heyerdahl, VAN HELSING), and suspicions from rival officer Erica Ross (Tamara Podemski, RESERVATION DOGS). As Henry digs deeper, he uncovers unexpected ties between the crime, his friend’s daughter Ruby (Katia Edith Wood, 8-Bit Christmas), and her partner Miles (Jeremy Watson, SURREALESTATE), pulling him further into the chaos. Henry must confront his friend’s betrayals as they face an epic, life-changing showdown.

Produced by Shaftesbury in partnership with Crave, with global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON co-financing and handling worldwide rights (excl. Canada), UNDERBELLY began filming in the Thousand Islands, and is continuing production on location across Southern Ontario, including Grimsby, Brantford, Cobourg, and Bowmanville. Filming will move to Toronto in the coming weeks. All episodes are directed by Robert Budreau (Stockholm). The writing team is led by Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin (SLASHER). 

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