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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Acting Good, Featured

CTV original series Acting Good returns for fifth and final season, October 19 on CTV Comedy Channel and October 20 on APTN

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From a media release:

Five seasons. One unforgettable community. And one last chance for Paul to start acting good. CTV and APTN Original comedy ACTING GOOD returns for its fifth and final season on Monday, Oct. 19 with a special two-episode premiere kicking off at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy Channel and streaming next day on Crave. Subsequent new episodes air Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy and stream next day on Crave. Season 5 of ACTING GOOD will also air on Oct. 20 on APTN at 10 p.m. ET and stream next day on APTN+. Filmed on location in Winnipeg and Baaskkandibewiziibing Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Season 5 consists of 10 half-hour episodes, bringing the beloved series to a milestone 50 episodes.

Inspired by co-creator and stand-up comedian Paul Rabliaskas’ life in his fly-in first nation, in its final season, Paul’s (Paul Rabliauskas) constant immaturity and antics finally catch up with him when Rose (Cheyenna Sapp), alongside his friends and family, stages a surprise intervention at Yeah Man. When Paul refuses to see the error of his ways, Rose reaches her breaking point, forcing him to confront a hard truth: if he wants to keep the people he loves together, he’s going to have to change. What follows is a very Paul-like journey of self-improvement, complete with divorced dads, an unlikely counsellor, and a stint competing on the reality survival series The Deadliest Native. But when Paul’s transformation goes a little too far, his newfound self-righteous attitude creates problems of its own. To repair his relationships and help his community, Paul must find the balance between the person he was and the person he wants to become.

“ACTING GOOD was a show created from the heart, and we’ve been honoured to bring the first ever Indigenous sitcom to a major Canadian Network,” said Executive Producer, Showrunner and star Paul Rabliauskas. “The show may be over but we’re hopeful that the characters and the fictional community of Grouse Lake will live on forever.”

“Bringing Indigenous comedic perspectives to the screen was an extraordinary experience,” said producer Tina Keeper, who also stars as Agnes. ”Working with Paul and the dedicated creative team along with Bell Media and APTN was groundbreaking.”

“ACTING GOOD has been a landmark and incredibly special part of CTV Comedy Channel’s original programming lineup,” said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Global Content, Bell Media. “Paul and the entire creative team have created something truly unique, delivering five seasons of big laughs, heartfelt storytelling, and unforgettable characters. We couldn’t be prouder of the series and are excited to celebrate this final season with viewers, culminating in a fitting send-off for Paul and the residents of Grouse Lake.”

Guest stars for Season 5 include Leenah Robinson (40 ACRES, DON’T EVEN), Herbie Barnes (GUILT FREE ZONE, DANCE ME OUTSIDE), Victoria Sawal (THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY), Glen Michael Grant (CHAOS WALKING), Crystle Lightning (TRICKSTER, THREE PINES), Chris Locke (RUN THE BURBS, WHO’S YER FATHER), Vance Banzo (TALLBOYZ), Glen Gould (TULSA KING, CASHING IN), along with returning guest stars Miss Universe 2015 and Miss Universe Canada 2024 Ashley Callingbull (BLACKSTONE, THE PRICE IS RIGHT TONIGHT). As well as Joel D. Montgrand (TRUE DETECTIVE) and a return from ACTING GOOD’s very own, Roseanne Supernault.

On the Season 5 premiere, titled “KooKoo for Kookum” (Monday, Oct. 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy and streaming next day on Crave and Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 10 p.m. ET and next day streaming on APTN+), Agnes (Tina Keeper) finally meets her online granddaughter, Irma (Leenah Robinson), but when Paul (Paul Rabliauskas) grows suspicious things turn deadly…and not deadly in a good way. Rose (Cheyenna Sapp) is tasked with Chief duties with Deedee (Rosanna Deerchild) on a slack year and is quickly saddled with the task of kicking some uninvited guests out of Grouse Lake.

In Part 2 of the two-episode premiere, titled “Love Eyes” (Monday, Oct. 19 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy and streaming next day on Crave and Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 10:30 p.m. ET and next day streaming on APTN+), Paul tries to save his relationship from the infamously seductive, Johnny Love’eyes (Herbie Barnes). Meanwhile, Cousin Leon (Michael Greyeyes) is reunited with his estranged daughter Leona (Victoria Sawal), and Roger (Billy Merasty) has a meet cute with a hydro worker. Glen Michael Grant also guest stars as Andre.

ACTING GOOD is the #1 Canadian Scripted Series on CTV Comedy among A25-54 since the series debuted in 2022. The series has also garnered industry recognition throughout its run, including a 2024 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Series, nominations from the Writers Guild of Canada and ACTRA Awards, and two Canadian Sync Award nominations. Beyond the screen, ACTING GOOD has created meaningful opportunities for dozens of Indigenous crew members to build their skills and gain valuable experience in television production, while supporting training and development across the production.

Previous seasons of ACTING GOOD are available for streaming on Crave and APTN+.

ACTING GOOD is produced by CTV Comedy Channel, in association with Kistikan Pictures Inc. and Buffalo Gal Pictures Inc., with the participation of Canada Media Fund, APTN, and Manitoba Film & Music.

ACTING GOOD is co-created by Paul Rabliauskas, Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Eric Toth, and Pat Thornton. Producers are Tina Keeper (Kistikan Pictures) and Vanessa Loewen (Kistikan Pictures), with Phyllis Laing (Buffalo Gal Pictures), Paul Rabliauskas (who also serves as Showrunner), Jennifer Beasley, and Amber-Sekowan Daniels as Executive Producers. Jeff Peeler is Supervising Producer. Eric Toth also serves as Executive Producer, Writer, Director (Episode 510) and Showrunner. Sage Daniels is Executive Producer, Jr. Showrunner and Writer.

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Featured, Private Eyes, Private Eyes West Coast

Feature: Cindy Sampson and Jason Priestley return to form in Global’s Private Eyes West Coast

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New city. New cases. New characters. New showrunners. Same chemistry. Angie Everett (Cindy Sampson) and Matt Shade (Jason Priestley) are back, and it’s like they never left.

Ending in 2021 after five seasons, Private Eyes returns to Global with a West Coast feel and name. Debuting Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Global, Private Eyes West Coast sees private investigators Angie and Shade swapping Toronto for Victoria.

When viewers last saw the couple, they shared a kiss in the then-series finale. Now, the duo are married, have an infant son, and are trying to figure out just what to do next. The same could be said for Sampson and Priestley. They both shared concerns over whether a series reboot would actually work. After all, a new setting, new supporting characters and new showrunners in Sarah Dodd and Jennifer Kassabian might have been too much change for viewers. It could have been a massive failure.

“Absolutely it could have,” Priestley acknowledges during a recent interview. “But Jennifer and Sarah, when they came in to pitch their idea for where Shade and Angie are now five years later, their idea was so original and so charming. They both just absolutely overperformed. They were fantastic partners and super creative people and we just had a great time with them.”

“Five years had passed since we aired,” Sampson says. “There was this cliffhanger to the original series that I feel like the fans, even us as cast, the crew, it was left hanging out there for someone to do something about it. And this was the natural progression. I never thought that it would work and it works so beautifully. Shade and Angie being married, having a kid, solving cases together.”

Sampson and Priestley

That uncertainty extended to new showrunners Jennifer Kassabian (Hudson & Rex) and Sarah Dodd (Cardinal). The duo, who had never worked together, pitched ideas that Corus Entertainment, Lionsgate Canada and Pillar/Segan liked, so they paired the two.

“Well, I see them married,” Kassabian recalls. “They’ve been together ever since that first kiss. They would have a kid. It would be a show about a mom getting back into the game. And the little catchphrase of, will they or won’t they for fans has now been turned into they worked out, but can they make it work?”

“I pitched the show set in Victoria, which is my hometown, born and raised,” Dodd recalls. “The producers put us on a Zoom call on a Sunday afternoon and we talked for about three hours about the show, about life, about how we like to work, all kinds of things.”

The result? The heart and humour that made the original series so much fun to watch remains intact, with a refresh of setting and supporting characters. Among those characters are Angie’s half-brother, Will Federgreen (David Kaye), who helps take care of the couple’s son when they’re working past his bedtime, Detective Violet Xiao (Olivia Cheng) of Vancouver Island PD’s Major Crimes Unit and Raine Atebe (Khamisa Wilsher), a confident computer whiz.

Sampson, Wilsher and Priestley

Kassabian notes that, as viewers met Shade’s family in the original series, it was important to learn more about Angie’s family. An antagonist and helpful team member—so integral to a procedural—meant the creation of Violet and Raine.

Dodd explains the move west sets up Angie and Shade as fish out of water, key to introducing supporting characters.

The west coast shift also offers the series an opportunity to follow Angie and Shade’s evolution as parents.

“Angie was always described as this feisty lone wolf who did things by herself,” Sampson says. “Now she’s really embracing this beautiful life that she’s created. In the same respect, Shade gets a second chance at parenthood. Whereas he wasn’t necessarily there during Jules’ formative years as much as he would’ve wanted to be, this is his second time around. There’s still that very heartfelt family element throughout the whole series, and then we throw in a bunch of ridiculousness on top of it to make it fun.”

Private Eyes West Coast airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Chatting with notable Canadians in stunning locales, Dave Brown returns for Season 3 of Game Changers, September 24 on AMI-tv and AMI+

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From a media release:

AMI, in partnership with FRANK Digital, is thrilled to announce the 24-episode third season of Game Changers, returning Thursday, September 24, at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI+. 

Each episode of Game Changers finds host Dave Brown in his element, visiting stunning locales while spending the day chatting with notable Canadians. From disability advocates to para and pro athletes, social media influencers to artists, the conversations are thought-provoking, informative and entertaining.

Guests joining Dave in Season 3 include social media influencer and Underdog Inc. co-star Caden Teneycke; Canadian Blind Hockey coach Scarlette Dorn; Indigenous playwright, filmmaker and educator Floyd Favel; three-time para judo Paralympian Priscilla Gagné; multidisciplinary artist Sharona Franklin; para bobsled world champion Lonnie Bissonnette; and fashion designer Izzy Camilleri.

In keeping with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians, Game Changers utilizes Integrated Described Video (IDV) to make them accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted.

“Game Changers introduces viewers to fascinating Canadians they may not have met otherwise,” says Cara Nye, Director, Content Development and Production at AMI. “Season 3 continues to reflect AMI’s commitment to telling authentic Canadian stories that entertain, inform and empower while connecting the viewers to new voices and experiences from across Canada.”

“Game Changers continues to be a place for meaningful conversation with people who want to make a positive impact in the realm of disability and inclusion,” host Dave Brown says. “It’s a great honour to explore the personal stories of guests in the context of the work they are doing to make the world a better place.”

Game Changers airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Stream episodes anytime, for free, on AMI+.

The Executive Producer of Game Changers is Chris McIvor. Producers are Chris McIvor and Libby Lea. The Director is Chris McIvor. For AMI, Em Williams is the Integrated Described Video Consultant; Jennifer Johnson is the Supervising Producer.

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Adapting, Featured

AMI original drama Adapting explores disability, adolescence and family dynamics with humour and heart

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From a media release:

AMI, in partnership with Big Time Decent’s Bread & Better Films, is proud to announce Season 1 of the scripted drama Adapting debuts Friday, September 11, at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on AMI-tv, AMI+ and YouTube.

Filmed in and around Vancouver and the B.C. coast and inspired by the lived experiences of Rachael and Garner Ransom, Adapting (6×30) brings a raw, unfiltered perspective to disability—one rarely seen on Canadian television.

New town. New life. Same problems. Navigating grief, identity and small-town chaos, Adapting is a sharp, irreverent family drama about a widowed father and his twin teenage daughters as they attempt to find love, acceptance and their place in a messy, unpredictable world.

After 16-year-old Lennon Anderson (Threnody Tsai, Percy Jackson and the Olympians) loses her mother, she loses it. When she pushes her wheelchair off the roof of her high school, she’s expelled, forcing her identical twin sister, Lola (Junnicia Lagoutin, The Imperfects), and their widowed father, Mel (Kurt Long, Liv and Maddie), to leave the city behind for a fresh start in their mom’s old town of Halfway Bay.

Lennon has cerebral palsy, but she’s determined not to become “the disabled new girl.” Instead, she sets herself an ambitious goal: experience every messy teenage milestone before life passes her by—friendship, first kisses, heartbreak… maybe even sex. If she has to adapt to a new town, she’s going to do it on her own terms, even if those terms are spectacularly self-destructive.

As Lennon charges headfirst into one disastrous decision after another, she finds herself caught between two very different boys: Joey (Kiefer O’Reilly, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers), the fiercely loyal friend who truly sees her, and Dylan (Brandon McEwan, Alter Boys), the charming rival she never expected to fall for. Torn between them, Lennon is forced to confront a question even more frightening than whether someone will love her: can she believe she’s worthy of being loved in the first place?

“Adapting is exactly the kind of story we want to tell—bold, character-driven and unapologetically human. It tackles disability, grief, first love and family with humour and honesty, while reminding us that everyone is adapting to something,” says Executive Producer Matthew Shewchuk.

“We are very proud to bring viewers a story that doesn’t treat disability as a plot twist, but as just one part of a much bigger, messier and truly universal coming-of-age story,” says Cara Nye, Director, Content Development and Production at AMI. “With the binge-worthy energy of Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, Adapting is the next great addition to the TV drama landscape. Rachael and Garner Ransom and the entire Big Time Decent team have given us something we all need more of: a story that’s honest, raw and most of all, deeply human.”

Adapting is directed by Kyle Rideout. Executive Producers are Matthew Shewchuk, René Brar, Jeffrey Kinnon, LA Smith, Juliana Wimbles and Eve Zhou. Co-Executive Producers are Rachael Ransom and Garner Ransom.

Adapting is written by LA Smith, Juliana Wimbles, Rachael Ransom and Garner Ransom.

Want to learn even more about Adapting? Check out exclusive content on AMI’s YouTube channel.

Adapting airs Fridays at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on AMI-tv, AMI+ and YouTube. 

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Featured, Yaga

Welcome to Whittock…the Crave original series Yaga premieres October 23

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From a media release:

Something wicked this way comes. Crave announced today that its eight-episode, half-hour drama, YAGA, a spellbinding mystery thriller which re-imagines the myth of Baba Yaga, premieres on Friday, October 23.

Following a captivating kickoff at San Diego Comic Con in July, momentum for YAGA continues to build. Before its highly anticipated debut, the series is set to have its world premiere on September 17 at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a panel at New York Comic Con on October 9, revealing exclusive content. The first two episodes drop on Oct. 23, followed by one episode on subsequent Fridays, until the two-episode finale on Nov. 27.

Additionally, in tandem with each episode of YAGA, Crave presents an original companion podcast to the series. Hosted by Canadian content creator and podcaster Carley Thorne, YAGA: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST, unpacks each episode, providing a deeper dive into key moments, theories, behind-the-scenes exclusives, and more. The podcast is available to stream on Crave and Crave’s Official YouTube account beginning Oct. 23, as well as on iHeart and all major podcast platforms.

YAGA is based on the hit play by Kat Sandler who also serves as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. It follows Rapp (Noah Reid), a private investigator who arrives in the small coastal town of Whittock, to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park (Hudson Williams). He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson (Clark Backo), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.

Additional cast includes Sheila McCarthy, Megan Follows, Ezra Franky, Patrick Gilmore, Katharine Isabelle, and Hiro Kanagawa, along with Emilija Baranac, Georgia Acken, Anisa Harris, and Sam Krochmal.

David Frazee and Rachel Talalay serve as co-directors. Mackenzie Donaldson, Andrew Miller, and Carrie-Anne Moss are executive producers, and Charles Cooper is producer.

YAGA is produced by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures, in association with Bell Media, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), the Rogers Series Fund, and the Bell Fund.

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