WGC Nominee Michael MacLennan on Flashpoint’s “The Better Man”

MMacLennan

Leading up to the Writers Guild of Canada awards on April 23, TV, eh? will be posting a series of interviews with some of nominees. Michael MacLennan was nominated in the TV Drama category for the “The Better Man” episode of Flashpoint (one of four Flashpoint nominations in the category).

Can you describe the episode “The Better Man” and how it fit into the Flashpoint season?

The episode takes place on the night of a “rolling raid,” a city-wide drug bust that forces Team One to take down a kingpin with unexpected connections to an undercover cop. One thing that makes it special is that the mission forces the team to wrestle with their own secret, which ultimately results in this being the last mission of Wordy, one of the team’s beloved members.

What about this episode are you particularly proud of?

I really like how the episode structures two differing notions of what it is to be a “good cop,” how loyalty to a team or a mission can be compromised by personal agendas, however noble. And ultimately, how the different choices of Wordy and guest-star Naimeth result in markedly different fates.

What does this recognition mean to you?

To be recognized by one’s peers like this, based on the writing alone, it’s a wonderful thrill. This is my sixth nomination and it always sends my heart racing. This year I feel there are many more promising nominations than mine, so I’m looking forward to just seeing friends at the ceremony, and celebrating this wonderful time in Canadian television.

And finally (imagine my best Joan Rivers impression): what will you be wearing to the ceremony?

Wow, do I have to decide now? I haven’t even begun to short-list my stylist! Hm, in the spirit of fun, I might wear these patchwork pants I bought in Paris a few years back. That sounds horribly 80s but I think they’re pretty cool. Although what do I know — I spend half my life writing in sweatshirts and old stretched sweaters!

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Mr. Young season premiere “flies by like a well-planned vacation”

From Sarah Berman of the Vancouver Sun:

  • Mr. Young hits right teen notes
    Sand and palm trees fill a massive section of the Burnaby set, but it isn’t the only reason the live taping of YTV’s Mr. Young feels like a walk on the beach. Despite being Canada’s only multi-camera sitcom with a live audience, the spring-break themed episode flies by like a well-planned vacation. Read more.
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New tonight: Mr. D, Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Big Decision, Mr. Young

Mr. D, CBC – “Quiz Cup”
Lisa takes over the school’s Quiz Cup academic team, as Bobbi uncomfortably tries to guide her grade 5’s through their health unit. Robert loses his patience with Trudy over her constant practical jokes.

Little Mosque on the Prairie, CBC – “Haunted Mosque on the Prairie”
Trying to build more positive buzz for the new Mosque, Amaar inadvertently leads everyone to believe the building is haunted.

The Big Decision, CBC – “SWP Industries + The Ice House”
Jim Treliving is presented with two family-owned businesses, both on the verge of collapse – New Brunswick lumber producers SWP Industries, and Niagara-on-the-Lake ice wine producers The Ice House.

Mr. Young, YTV – Season premiere one-hour special “Mr. Spring Break”
Adam follows Echo to the exotic country of Sanduras in the hopes of spending time with her but keeps getting pulled away by his guardian, Mrs. Byrne. Meanwhile, Derby and Slab travel to Sanduras by hot air balloon, and Tater and Dang search for a legendary beast: the Sasquawk. Later, when Echo is kidnapped by the evil Cocoa King, Adam enlists help from Derby and Slab to save her while Tater and Ivy vie for the starring role on Sanduras’s number one soap opera…

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TV, Eh? Industry Update – TOU.TV, CRTC, CBSC/Toronto media, more

TOU.TV’s Hard gets cut off

It took until March 8, 2012 for Sun News Network to talk about CBC again – this time, a “victory,” as TOU.TV pulls Hard from its website. Hard is a French sitcom from Canal+ set in the porn industry, though Hard is more a racy HBO-esque sitcom with nudity and simulated sex, than a proper soft-core romp.

I realize the issue is around CBC using government funding to pay for explicit programming. At the same time…a French cable show, with racier-than-usual material? By this definition of porn, quite a few TV Funhouse segments, like “Jokamel” and “Porn for Kids” – are “porn.”

Yeah, I know I’m reaching, with references to a long-cancelled Robert Smigel program. I’m just saying.

Continue reading TV, Eh? Industry Update – TOU.TV, CRTC, CBSC/Toronto media, more

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