Tag Archives: Super Channel

Mirage

Super Channel to premiere international spy thriller series, Mirage

From a media release:

Super Channel is pleased to announce that Mirage, a six-part dramatic spy thriller about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, will make its Canadian English broadcast premiere on Sunday, March 8 at 8 p.m. ET as a new Super Channel Fuse Original Series. Each one-hour episode will also be available on Super Channel On Demand the day following its weekly linear broadcast.

The series is directed by Louis Choquette (Versailles, 19-2) and stars an international cast featuring Quebec native Marie-Josée Croze (Jack Ryan, The Barbarian Invasions), UK actor Clive Standen (Vikings, Taken), Germany’s Hannes Jaenicke (Sardsch, Code Name: Eternity), Canadians Shawn Doyle (House of Cards, Frontier) and Maxime Roy (19-2, October Faction), as well as France’s Grégory Fitoussi (Spiral, Spin).

Mirage is set against the backdrop of a futuristic cityscape—on its glittering surface is a world of fabulous wealth and opportunity, but underneath hides a much more mysterious side. The series tells the enthralling story of Claire (Croze)—an expatriate starting over in Abu Dhabi with her son and husband Lukas (Jaenicke). Claire is thrust into the shadowy world of espionage after she discovers that her former husband Gabriel (Standen), who supposedly died years ago, is alive.

For the past 15 years, Claire’s been convinced Gabriel died in the 2004 tsunami. When she catches his reflection in a restaurant window one night, she sets out to find him, and inadvertently unleashes a sinister chain of events that ultimately push her to the brink. As past and present collide, Claire embarks on a life-or-death mission that includes blackmail, nuclear sabotage, and deceiving the people she loves the most.

Mirage is created and written by Franck Philippon (No Limit, Tunnel), Bénédicte Charles (La Légiste), and Olivier Pouponneau (Surveillance, Watch Your Lip!). The director of photography is Ronald Plante (Sharp Objects). The producers are Christine De Bourbon Busset, Marc Missonnier, Pablo Salzman and André Barro. The executive producers are Marc Gabizon, Joseph Rouschop, Jean-Yves Roubin, Franck Philippon, Louis Choquette, Julien Leroux and Peter Emerson.

An international treaty France/Canada coproduction by Lincoln TV and Connect3 Media, a division of Cineflix Media, with the participation of France Télévisions, Super Channel and Bell Media. A European coproduction with ZDF, Wild Bunch Germany and Gapbusters. Cineflix Rights has the exclusive global distribution rights for the series.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
When Calls the Heart

When Calls the Heart returns to Super Channel for seventh season

From a media release:

Super Channel is pleased to announce that Hearties across the country can look forward to heading back to Hope Valley on Sunday, February 23 at 8 p.m. ET when season seven of When Calls the Heart returns to Super Channel Heart & Home, day and date with its premiere on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S.

In addition, Hearties can look forward to a double dose of heart and hope on Sunday evenings with a repeat broadcast of When Hope Calls season one episodes, immediately following When Calls the Heart each week at 9 p.m. ET.

Canadian fans of both series can catch up on all six seasons of When Calls the Heart and season one of When Hope Calls currently available on Super Channel On Demand.

In the season seven premiere, titled “A Moving Picture,” Lucas gives Elizabeth writing advice that causes her to search for new inspiration. Rosemary and Lee plan a vacation. Faith returns home with a dilemma that may force her to part ways from Carson and Gowen is interviewed for a business magazine.

The Super Channel original series is filmed on location in British Columbia and based on the bestselling book series by acclaimed Canadian author Janette Oke. The series stars Erin Krakow (Elizabeth Thatcher), Jack Wagner (Bill Avery), Pascale Hutton (Rosemary Coulter), Kavan Smith (Leland Coulter), Martin Cummins (Henry Gowen), Andrea Brooks (Faith Carter), Paul Greene (Carson Shepherd), Chris McNally (Lucas Bouchard), Kevin McGarry (Nathan Grant), Aren Buchholz (Jesse Flynn), Eva Bourne (Clara Stanton) and Kayla Wallace (Fiona Miller).

The enchanting series has captured the hearts of loyal viewers in both Canada and the US and boasts a passionate fan base known as the #Hearties, who have become a social media phenomenon, making When Calls the Heart one of Super Channel’s most social series.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Super Channel Heart & Home gives Hearties new hope this summer with the debut of When Hope Calls

1 Comment

From a media release:

Super Channel is pleased to announce that When Hope Calls, a spin-off of Hallmark Channel’s beloved series When Calls the Heart, will premiere on Super Channel Heart & Home with a special two-episode debut on Friday, Aug 30 at 8 p.m. & 9 p.m. ET. Each episode of the ten-episode season will also be available on Super Channel On Demand, the day following its weekly linear broadcast.

To view the trailer for When Hope Calls, click here.

When Hope Calls stars Canadians Morgan Kohan and Jocelyn Hudon, whom Hearties will remember were introduced as Lillian and Grace, in 2018’s When Calls the Heart holiday movie, The Greatest Christmas Blessing. The series follows Lillian (Morgan Kohan) and Grace (Jocelyn Hudon), sisters who were orphaned and raised very differently, as they reunite as adults and open an orphanage in a small Northwest town in the early 1900s. The town and its people are on the cusp of change, transitioning from the simple times of the horse and buggy to the more modern times of cars and technology.

The series is currently in production 20 kilometres outside of North Bay Ontario and features a predominantly Canadian cast which also includes Wendy Crewson (Saving Hope) as Tess Stewart, Ryan-James Hatanaka (Nurses) as Gabriel Clark, Greg Hovanessian (Another Life) as Chuck Stewart, Hanneke Talbot (Star Trek: Discovery) as Maggie Pearson and Jefferson Brown (Good Witch) as Joe Moody.

When Hope Calls is produced by WHC Season 1 Productions Inc. and distributed by All Canadian Entertainment Inc.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Pure

Pure: Ryan Robbins previews Season 2 finale on Super Channel

Ryan Robbins has two words to describe Pure‘s Season 2 finale, broadcast this Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel: “Holy shit.”

A pretty strong reaction from an actor who has seen his character, Noah Funk—not to mention Noah’s family—go through some major stuff over the last two seasons. In the first go-round, newly-elected Mennonite paster Noah, his wife Anna (Alex Paxton-Beesley), and his brother Abel (Gord Rand) are pulled into the world of shipping drugs between Mexico and the United States. After dispatching that season’s big bad, Eli Voss (Peter Outerbridge), Noah left his family behind.

Season 2 caught up with everyone a year later, with Noah avoiding his family, them dealing with the aftermath of his actions and Anna picking up the pieces to care for son Isaak (Dylan Everett) and Tina (Jessica Clement). Anna was quickly drawn into the drug trade again thanks to Hector Estrada (Victor Gomez) and when she’s not organizing that she’s been chased by Augustus Nickel (Christopher Heyerdahl), who wants to marry her. Last week, viewers witnessed Anna’s world coming apart as she was arrested, Auggie’s business was being searched and Isaak was fully under Hector’s power.

We spoke to Robbins ahead of Tuesday’s finale to get a taste of what’s to come.

A man and a woman sit next to each other on some stairs. They are sad.I was shocked when Michael Amo told me Noah and Anna wouldn’t reunite until Episode 3 of Season 2. Were you?
Ryan Robbins: I was and I wasn’t. We got the Breaking Bad comparison and joked that Anna was always more Heisenberg than Noah was. We always intended to pick up a year later and that just seemed the most logical scenario to kick off with Anna this time. It was very challenging and weird because during Season 1 we all spent so much time filming together and then in Season 2, having those duelling storylines was strange because we didn’t work together. We had alternate shooting schedules and barely saw each other in passing for the first half of the season.

In fact, I actually got there a week after they started filming, for a few reasons. One, I was finishing up my commitment on another show and two, when I talked to [executive producer] Ken Girotti and [creator] Michael Amo, we also agreed that it might be a good dynamic for me not to be there from the very beginning, the cast and crew dinner, and for me to come in after everyone had reconnected. To return as the outsider. It did make a lot of sense and it was difficult because I had to reintegrate myself with everyone one at a time. It was a totally different dynamic this time around.

I was thrilled that Gord Rand returned to the show as Abel.
RR: What I love about the way Michael wrote it is the subtle flip, even to the point of me fussing with that baseball cap the way I did. That was a very specific and intentional homage to Abel and his ball cap in Season 1. To show that Abel is kind of leading the way and Noah is the lost sheep in that dynamic. I enjoyed that very much and I think many writers might have steered clear of that, Michael went with it and I think it was wonderful. When I read the scene where Noah and Abel reunited, I cried. When we shot the scene, those were real tears and when I watched the scene I cried again. There is something about that guy, Gord Rand, he’s a special guy. Every time Noah reunited with a family member, those were tough scenes.

The scene between Auggie and Noah was a powerful one this past week. Noah wanted to punch Auggie but was disarmed with a hug. Abel asks who Noah was talking to and is told, ‘It was a salesman.’ I may be reading too much into it, but Noah is right: Auggie is selling something.
RR: I can’t speak for how it was written but I’m glad you said that. It’s absolutely what I was feeling when I was delivering that line. That way my intention and I assumed it was written that way. All of the writers are very clever that way in they say so much with so little. The writing becomes quite intelligent and quite clever. We’re a show that tries to avoid exposition with our dialogue. I always wonder if people pick up on that.

What can you say about the Season 2 finale? How will the fans react?
RR: Two words: Holy shit. Holyyy shit. I don’t know how the fans will react. If you thought that the end of Season 1 caused some controversy, the end of Season 2 … I know this is such a typical thing to say but I don’t think people have any idea what’s going to happen in the season finale. When we all got that script, we literally all WTFed all over the place. I called Michael Amo and said, ‘Is this for real?’ And he said, ‘Oh yeah, this is happening.’ It’s definitely something we couldn’t have done in Season 1.

Pure‘s second season finale airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel.

Images courtesy of Super Channel.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Pure

Pure’s Alex Paxton-Beesley: “It feels so special”

You can hear the enthusiasm in Alex Paxton-Beesley’s voice when she talks about Pure. She was crushed when CBC pulled the plug on the show after one season and thrilled when it was resurrected on Super Channel Fuse. Paxton-Beesley uses one word to describe Michael Amo’s creation: special.

With Episode 3 headed our way on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel Fuse, we spoke to her about hers and Anna Funk’s journey.

What were your initial thoughts after Pure was cancelled after Season 1?
Alex Paxton-Beesley: I was devastated because I felt like it was such a great world. I knew from talking to Michael Amo about it that there was a ton of story left to tell. I was excited for the story arc that he had planned for Season 2. And then the rumours started. There was rumbling around in the fall a year later. ‘What do you mean, stand by? What does that mean?’ It felt really surreal, even into shooting Season 2. We would look around and say, ‘Are we actually here? The dream came true?’ It’s one of those projects that feels so special.

What did Michael Amo tell you about Season 2 that got you excited?
APB: How different life was going to be at the beginning of Season 2. The Funks have been cast out of everything that they were fighting for, really, the first time around. I thought that was a very interesting place to start from because they’re sort of in purgatory. Anna has one foot in the Auslander world and she doesn’t to be there. She’s desperately trying to keep a foot in the Mennonite world but they don’t want her there. And she’s also trying to protect her kids and give them some semblance of a life. Dylan Everett, Jessica Clement and I had some conversations about what we thought had happened in that year or so since the end of Season 1 because Noah walks away and all of a sudden it’s the three of us.

That was a very satisfying and fun conversation because we went all over the place with our imagining.

How has the tone changed for Season 2?
APB: I think it’s gotten much, much darker. Part of that is afforded by the plot. We’re not so much within the Mennonite colony. There is so much more going on in the outsider world. It’s been a very satisfying element, to push the envelope story-wise.

Christopher Heyerdahl is a new addition to the cast and plays Augustus Nickel. What can you say about Augustus?
APB: I think people are going to be pretty darn surprised at the kind of man Augustus Nickel is going to turn out to be. [Laughs.] He is the most incredible human being and actor and at times made my life very difficult because he is so delightful as Augustus and in character, Anna is not always delighted. He made it really, really hard to stay in character.

The shock for me was Gord Rand returning as the not-so-dead Abel.
APB: Gord Rand is one of the most amazing actors we have in Canada. He is the most inspirational person I’ve ever seen and I want to eat his brain and absorb his knowledge. When he was killed, we all knew he wasn’t really dead because he’s too good of a character and his journey is really rich, especially now. The conversation he has with Noah in the first episode about seeing God and maybe God just wants us to be happy. I think that’s going to be a very powerful perspective for Noah to have to contend with.

Alyson Hannigan was announced as a cast member but nothing else has been revealed. Can you say anything?
APB: I’m not allowed to say much. She is going to be appearing later on in the season. She’s playing a very fun character. The day I was on set watching her, I was just losing my mind laughing. She is so funny. The character she plays is super-feisty, mouthy and integral to the plot.

Pure airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel Fuse.

Images courtesy of Super Channel.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail