Yearly Archives: 2012

Dramas and Comedies, Vikings

Vikings announces additional cast

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From a media release:

 HISTORY and Shaw Media announced today additional casting for the new scripted series, VIKINGS, including Travis Fimmel (The Beast, Baytown Outlaws) as Ragnar, the first great Viking leader, a man of both history and myth; Gustaf Skarsgard (The Way Back) as Floki, a close friend of Ragnar’s who is an eccentric jokester yet an inventive, creative boat-builder and Clive Standen (Camelot, Robin Hood) as Rollo, Ragnar’s excessive, cruel cousin. The series also welcomes two high-profile Canadian actresses. Jessalyn Gilsig (Glee, Heroes, CSI: NY, Nip/Tuck, Friday Night Lights) has signed to play Siggy Earl Haraldson’s beautiful wife and Katheryn Winnick (Bones, Love and Other Drugs) will play  Lagertha, Ragnar’s first wife and famous shield maiden who often fights alongside him. 

Notable Canadian director Ken Girotti (Bomb Girls, Copper, Fairly Legal), has signed on to direct a number of episodes. He joins Johan Renck (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), who is set to direct episodes 1 – 3 of the series. 

They join previously announced Golden Globe® Award winner and Emmy® Award nominated actor Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment, Usual Suspects, Millers Crossing), who will star as Earl Haraldson, the most important local ruler in Ragnar’s district, and George Blagden (Les Miserables, Wrath of the Titans), who will play Athelstan, an Anglo-Saxon monk captured by Ragnar on his first raid on England. 

VIKINGS will be a series high on adventure, exploration, conflict, warfare and bloodshed – for these were extreme times – but, at its heart, it will also be a family saga. It follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, a historical figure, and the greatest hero of his age – and the gripping sagas of Ragnar’s band of Viking brothers and his family – as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. 

Ragnar Lothbrok (Fimmel) is based upon the real-life Viking leader who literally exploded out of Scandinavia and onto the world stage in the 8th Century. A young Norwegian farmer with a wife and family, Ragnar is deeply frustrated by the unadventurous policies of his local chieftain, Earl Haraldson (Byrne), who continues to send his Vikings raiders east every summer, to the Baltic states and Russia, whose populations are as materially poor as themselves.  Lagertha (Winnick) is the first wife of Ragnar’s and their marriage is a love-match. Ragnar was first attracted to Lagertha when she came to fight for a local Norwegian ruler against an invading Sweden. Floki (Skarsgard), based partly on the Norse god Loki, is an impish character and ship builder who designs and builds the prototype of the new generation of Viking ships which can sail across the open ocean but also up the shallowest of rivers. He is a design genius and he allows Ragnar to fulfill his dreams of sailing west and discovering new lands and new civilizations. Siggy (Gilsig) is Earl Haraldson’s beautiful wife and an enigmatic character. She performs her duties impeccably and with style, but she may not be completely loyal to her husband. Rollo (Standen) is Ragnar’s cousin and initially one of his closest friends, involved in his early raids. But soon becomes jealous of his fame and success.

Created and written by Michael Hirst – one of the premier historical story-tellers in the industry (Academy-Award winning film Elizabeth; and the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Tudors), Michael serves as Executive Producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo; The Tudors), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors; The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn (The Tudors; The Borgias) and Sheila Hockin (The Tudors; The Borgias). 

VIKINGS is an international Irish/Canadian co-production being co-produced by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions. VIKINGS is produced in association with Shaw Media, and the series will air on History Television in Canada. HISTORY will broadcast in the United States and Nancy Dubuc, Dirk Hoogstra, and Julian P. Hobbs will serve as the executives on behalf of the channel. MGM Television will bring VIKINGS to the global audience, serving as the international distributor outside of Ireland and Canada.

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Dramas and Comedies

The LA Complex returns to MuchMusic July 17

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From a media release:

Critically-Acclaimed Original Series THE L.A. COMPLEX Returns to MuchMusic for Season 2, July 17

MuchMusic’s red-hot, critically acclaimed original drama series THE L.A. COMPLEX returns with a thermometer-popping second season, Tuesday, July 17 at 9 p.m. ET following the smash-hit, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. Airing day and date with The CW, its U.S. partner, the 13-episode second season delivers the same intense, character-driven plots, complex characters, and sharp humour as its riveting debut season. Season 2 also introduces six brand new characters, including Alan Thicke as the demanding and hot-headed director/actor/producer, Donald Gallagher.  

Shot on location in Toronto and Los Angeles, THE L.A. COMPLEX is a no-holds-barred, relationship drama that follows the exploits of young hopefuls in search of stardom in Hollywood.  The series is produced by Emmy®-nominated Epitome Pictures (DEGRASSI) and executive produced, written, and directed by Martin Gero (HBO’s BORED TO DEATH, Young People F*cking).

Season 2 sees the return of fan-fave cast members Jonathan Patrick Moore (Neighbours, All Saints) as Connor; Stratford, Ontario native Joe Dinicol (MURDOCH MYSTERIES, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) as Nick; Andra Fuller (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Entourage) as Kaldrick; Torontonian Cassie Steele (DEGRASSI, RELIC HUNTER) as Abby; Vancouver’s Jewel Staite (FLASH FORWARD, STARGATE ATLANTIS) as Raquel, and British/Canadian Georgina Reilly (Murdoch Mysteries, Eddie, Republic of Doyle) as Sabrina.  New cast members joining in on Season 2’s action include:

  • Toronto’s Dayle McLeod (ARMS AND THE MAN, UNFUNNY BUSINESS, We’ll Always Have Paris)  as Beth, an overprotective sister looking out for her little brother as he enters the world of showbiz.
  • Krista Allen (Hawaii, Dirty Sexy Money, Two and a Half Men, Friends, Monk) as Jennifer, a stunning A-List actress who is finding the path into the dark pit of irrelevancy.
  • London, Ontario native Brett Dier (The Secret Circle, Flashpoint, Smallville) plays “good guy” Brandon, who has a flirty side that gets him into trouble with the ladies.
  • Megan Hutchings (The Listener, King, The Smart Women’s Survival Guide) as Laura, the beautiful, seemingly pious co-star who leads a double life.
  • Michael Levinson (Paper Heart, COLD WAR) as Simon, a 10-year-old following his acting dreams in L.A.
  • And Alan Thicke (Growing Pains, My Wife and Kids, The Bold and the Beautiful) as Donald, the executive producer and director of “Saying Grace”, who doesn’t hold back from lecturing his young actors whenever they don’t live up to his show’s high moral expectations. 

Arguably one of the best-reviewed Canadian dramas of the year, Season 1 of THE L.A. COMPLEX left viewers mouth agape as they witnessed their favourite characters hook-up, screw-up, and come undone. Spoiler Alert! In the first episode of Season 2, “Vacancy”, the high-octane drama picks up where Season 1 left off. Still reeling from the beating he gave Tariq, Kal sets out to make things right, only to find that Tariq’s gone into hiding. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the fire, Connor is eager to drown his sorrows and turns to Raquel for comfort. Raquel, however, faces life-changing news. Back at The Lux, Nick and Abby take their relationship to the next level.  

With MuchCloser, the exclusive MuchMusic social rewards and loyalty program, fans of THE L.A. COMPLEX can watch the all-new episodes while logged on to muchmusic.com where they can earn points and rewards by interacting with show content on the site- sharing, exploring, commenting and much more! Full episodes are also available on muchmusic.com after the premiere broadcast.

THE L.A. COMPLEX is Executive Produced by Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn of Epitome Pictures (DEGRASSI, INSTANT STAR) and Martin Gero. Directors are Martin Gero, Stefan Brogren, Bruce McDonald, and Peter Wellington. Writers are Martin Gero, Brendan Gall, Carl Binder, Lara Azzopardi, Kate Hewlett, and Karen Hill. For Bell Media, Trish Williams is Production Executive; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production; Neil Staite is Vice-President and General Manager, Music and Entertainment; Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels; Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production, and Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

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Rookie Blue, Saving Hope

New tonight: Rookie Blue, Saving Hope

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Rookie Blue, Global – “Girls Night Out”
On Traci’s first day as a detective, all hell breaks loose when a carload of girls from a drunken bachelorette party is involved in a fatal accident. When Traci’s “rookie” handling of the car crash appears to have compromised the investigation, she is pulled from the case. Meanwhile, Chris realizes he still has feelings for Gail, and while dealing with the effects of shooting a suspect, Dov turns towards a surprising and disturbing source of comfort – the sister of the boy he killed.

Saving Hope, CTV – “The Fight”
After finding out that Charlie’s (Michael Shanks) condition hasn’t improved, Alex (Erica Durance) is growing concerned about her fiancé’s chances of recovery. Her worries are exacerbated when she detects a crackling in Charlie’s chest. To keep her mind active, an already exhausted Alex takes an overnight shift in the ER. Hoping for a peaceful night, the ER instead turns into a hotbed of activity when a hockey superstar comes in with injured ribs from a street fight. Encore episode airing on Sunday, July 1 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Flashpoint

That’s a wrap on Flashpoint

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family:

  • That’s a wrap: final days on the Flashpoint set
    Closure is hard to come by on a TV series. For the folks behind Flashpoint, it arrived this week. I was on the set Monday in Toronto when the main cast members gathered for their final scene together. Can’t spill the details–the fifth and final, 12-episode season won’t begin on CTV until September–but suffice to say some brewskies get popped and toasts are made. Read more.
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Featured

TV, eh? Rewind: Check It Out!

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By Dexter Brown

We’ve set our time machine back to 1985 and switch on CTV, Howard Bannister and the gang is on. This week on Rewind, we check out Check It Out!

Watching supermarket sitcom Check It Out! (CTV 1985-1988) in 2012 is a wild mind trip to television’s past. The show is complete with the typical 80s sitcom antics right down to the decade’s signature massive hairdos. Unabashedly retro, Check It Out!  appears to be completely oblivious to the fact that it was setting itself up to look very dated very quickly.

At first glance, Check It Out!  may simply seem to be a vehicle for Get Smart’s Don Adams. This time instead of playing a spy, Adams takes the role of the store manager of a large supermarket chain. In a typical episode of Check It Out! you’ll get to see Adams’ character Howard Bannister interact with various fellow dim-witted  employees and some difficult patrons. Despite its ho-hum premise and the predictable writing (compared to today’s television), it lasted a solid three seasons on CTV and even made it onto the USA network and syndication in the States.

Personally, I found it a bit jarring seeing Adams staring in a little Canadian show like Check It Out! but it was the 80s; Bea Arthur, then star of the popular series The Golden Girls was even doing commercials for Shoppers Drug Mart back then. To have American stars show up so prominently in the Canadian homegrown scripted TV business seems to be a less common phenomenon now. It’s rare to see a big-name American celebrity staring or guest starring on Canadian TV. Exceptions to the rule include Felicity and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Amy Jo Johnson who now stars in CTV’s Flashpoint and Ed Asner of Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant fame who made a few guest appearances on Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The series shares some similarities to TBS’ 10 Items or Less which was canceled way back in 2009. 10 Items felt much like a remake of Check It Out! done in a similar style to NBC’s The Office and also added the improvisational style of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It too lasted three seasons on American cable. Neither 10 Items nor Check It Out! seemed to click with their audiences. My theory is that supermarkets aren’t the most exciting eventful places in the world and they often don’t produce the most exciting characters. But then again, CTV’s Corner Gas was set virtually in the middle of nowhere with some average middle-of-the-road characters and it turned out to be one of Canadian television’s greatest hits.

If you’d like to catch up with Check It Out! you’ll find it over on Comedy Gold.

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