Yearly Archives: 2012

Saving Hope

Saving Hope season 2 episode order increased

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From a media release:

CTV Increases Order for Second Season of Hit Canadian Drama SAVING HOPE to 18 Episodes

  • SAVING HOPE was the most-watched Canadian drama of the 2011-12 broadcast year

­­­­­­­­­­CTV announced today it has upped the ante on its second season order for its hit Canadian drama series, SAVING HOPE, to even more episodes. The broadcaster has ordered an additional five hours from ICF Films/Entertainment One (eOne), bringing its second season commitment to 18 episodes in total. The most-watched drama series on Canadian television this summer, SAVING HOPE reigns as the most-watched Canadian drama of the 2011-12 broadcast year, with an impressive Season 1 average of 1.7 million viewers each week.

Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada’s most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, while working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. CTV series include the trailblazing, multi award-winning hit series FLASHPOINT and ratings success stories SAVING HOPE and THE LISTENER. One of three new scripted series ordered in 2012, CTV’s newest drama, MOTIVE, is currently in production, while the heart-warming, television holiday feature THE HORSES OF MCBRIDE is set to premiere in December. As well, Bell Media has also ordered pilots for two, half-hour comedy series, SATISFACTION and SPUN OUT, with both set to begin production shortly. In total, Bell Media has ordered 23 new original Canadian series in 2012, and put 31 scripted projects into development.

Bell Media’s Canadian specialty series include two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the critically acclaimed drama series THE L.A. COMPLEX, new game show comedy MATCH GAME, new documentary series ENGRAVED ON A NATION, pop culture series CELEBRITY STYLE STORY, and mythological/action series PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD. Specialty series currently in production are ORPHAN BLACK and PANIC BUTTON, joining orders for JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS and BITTEN, all for 2013.

In SAVING HOPE’s climatic Season 1 finale, Alex (Erica Durance, SMALLVILLE) was left at the altar, as an out-of-coma fiancé Charlie (Michael Shanks, STARGATE ATLANTIS) comes to grips with his new reality. In full recovery mode, Charlie presses on and undertakes physiotherapy to learn how to walk again. But after an encounter with a deceased victim in spirit form, Charlie questions his relationship with Alex. Meanwhile, Dr. Joel Goran (Daniel Gillies, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES) tells Dr. Dana Kinney (Wendy Crewson, Away From Her) he was offered her job as Chief of Surgery. Will Dana fight for her position or choose to leave Hope Zion Hospital for good?

SAVING HOPE also stars Huse Madhavji (CALL ME FITZ), Julia Taylor-Ross (ROOKIE BLUE), Kristopher Turner (THE LISTENER), and Benjamin Ayres (DAN FOR MAYOR).

Encore episodes of SAVING HOPE are currently airing on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two and Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Bravo. Viewers can also catch up on full episodes across CTV’s digital platforms on CTV.ca, the CTV App, the CTV Mobile channel, and through video on demand partners.

SAVING HOPE is produced by Ilana C Frank Films (ICF Films) with eOne, in association with CTV. The series is executive produced by Ilana Frank and David Wellington for ICF Films, John Morayniss (HELL ON WHEELS, HAVEN) for eOne and Lesley Harrison. Morwyn Brebner (ROOKIE BLUE) is Executive Producer and Showrunner. The series was created by Malcolm MacRury (CRASH AND BURN, REPUBLIC OF DOYLE) and Morwyn Brebner. David Wellington directed the pilot. For Bell Media, Trish Williams is Director, Drama, Independent Production; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production; Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks; Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports. All distribution rights are handled by eOne.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New tonight: Strip The City, Marketplace, The Fifth Estate, Match Game

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Strip the City, Discovery World – “Harbor City – Sydney”
 Sydney is home to a fifth Australia’s entire population and is trapped between the Blue Mountains and the ocean, sitting on the driest inhabited continent on Earth, and surrounding one the planet’s largest natural harbours. This episode uncovers what is inside Sydney’s buildings and beneath its streets that allow the city to function – from the concealed contours of the harbour that allow super-sized ships to sail into the heart of the city, to the underground caverns that store its water.

Marketplace, CBC – “The Dirt on Hotels, Part 2”
We test how well chains are maintaining their hotels. After revealing just how unsanitary Canadian hotels are, discover what the companies could be doing to clean up their act and protect their guests, and what you can do to protect yourself.

The Fifth Estate, CBC – “Left For Dead”
In Mark Kelley’s first episode with the fifth estate, one of the greatest survival stories never told. Two friends depart on the adventure of a lifetime—Ohio to Sweden, in a small plane. But that adventure would soon become a struggle between life and death. The engines quit, and the plane crashes into the icy waters of Canada’s North, just south of Baffin Island, on a cold, dark night. Rescue planes and a helicopter circle overhead, but find nothing, no trace of the two men clinging for life on drifting sea ice, deep in polar bear hunting grounds.

Match Game, Comedy
Join the party with special guests D. L. Hughley (D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS), Steve Smith (THE RED GREEN SHOW), Sabrina Jalees (COMEDY NOW!), and Laura Cilevitz (VIDEO ON TRIAL).

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Burger Wars, Taco Wars and Pizza Wars coming to CMT

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From a media release:

PYRAMID PRODUCTIONS GETS COOKING ON NEW CULINARY SMACKDOWN SERIES FOR CMT (CANADA)

Who has the best fast food in your town? Time to find out. Working with Calgary’s Pyramid Productions, CMT (Canada) has commissioned three new partner series — Burger Wars, Taco Wars and Pizza Wars. Slated to air on the network in 2013, the series touches down in Vancouver, Toronto, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago, Calgary and Las Vegas and features five Burger Wars episodes, five Taco Wars episodes and four Pizza Wars episodes.

In each episode, host Cris Nannarone, a veteran road warrior and standup comedian, scours restaurants, diners, food trucks and everything in between, to find the best burger, pizza or taco. It’s a quest to find the top three contenders who will ultimately go to battle. Nannarone learns their trade secrets and discovers if their dish has what it takes to win the war.

“It’s a dream job,” says Cris Nannarone. “I mean, think about it. I get to eat my way across the continent.”

Filming of the series starts in Los Angeles this December, where Cris will begin with a search for the best burger in Hollywood.

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Flashpoint, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New tonight: Flashpoint, The Liquidator, The Nature of Things, Doc Zone, Match Game


Flashpoint, CTV – “Lawmen”
Parker’s (Enrico Colantoni) son Dean (Jack Knight, A Heartland Christmas), and Ed’s (Hugh Dillon) son Clark (Tyler Stentiford, DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION) join Team One in a ride along. But, when a shootout at a drug den reveals a conspiracy among local cops to clean up the neighbourhood, the boys are exposed to the brutal realities of their father’s jobs, and to the true cost of being a police officer.

The Liquidator, OLN – “Has the Master Lost his Mojo?”
Jeff purchases a massive load of dubious merchandise—including pallets of foam Easter eggs and Halloween pumpkins. Meanwhile, a planned auction of high-end goods teeters on the brink of disaster.

The Nature of Things, CBC – “Planet Hunters”
For millennia humans studying the stars had no idea if there were any other planets in the universe, let alone ones similar enough to ours to sustain life. We may be very close to finding out – and few people seem aware of it.

Doc Zone, CBC – “Faking The Grade”
We all piously talk about the importance of honesty in life, but a new one-hour TV documentary, FAKING THE GRADE: The Shocking Truth About Classroom Cheating, airing on CBC Television Doc Zone Thursday, November 15 at 9 pm (9:30 NT), reveals that, when it comes to school, we’re increasingly a nation of cheaters. As various universities mark Academic Integrity Week, FAKING THE GRADE asks why and how this epidemic of cheating has happened? Is it the fault of pressure to get a job in a hyper-competitive market? Are “boomer” parents with relaxed moral compasses to blame? Or is it the trickle-down effect of a world full of headlines about people in sports, business, and politics – the Lance Armstrongs, Bernie Madoffs, Conrad Blacks, Garth Drabinskys and many, many others – enriching themselves by cheating? Is the lesson they offer the rest of us that cheating is acceptable – just don’t get caught!

Match Game, Comedy
Guest panellists Caroline Rhea (SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH), Scott Thompson (KIDS IN THE HALL), Paul Lemieux (MTV LIVE), and Emily Hampshire (Cosmopolis) keep the crowd laughing.

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Transporter, Uncategorized

Transporter: The Series premieres January 4 on HBO Canada

On Friday, January 4, HBO Canada presents the premiere of Transporter: The Series, the action-packed Canada/France co-production starring Chris Vance. The high-octane series follows the adventures of professional transporter Frank Martin, who can always be counted on to get the job done and deliver his package. Transporter: The Series will debut at 9 p.m. ET/MT with a special two-hour premiere, with subsequent episodes premiering Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada.

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