All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.

They’re Back: Baroness Von Sketch Show is Filming Season 5

From a media release:

Frantic Films today announced that principal photography has begun on Season 5 of the multiple award-winning CBC original sketch comedy series, Baroness von Sketch Show. Filming is currently underway in Toronto.

The fifth season will be helmed by award-winning directors Vivieno Caldinelli (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss by Passing Through the Gateway Chosen by the Holy Storsh) and Joyce Wong (Wexford Plaza, Running with Violet). Co-creators and stars Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen will also direct select sketches. Whalen also serves as Showrunner.

Since its debut, Baroness von Sketch Show has received 27 award nominations and 21 wins to date, being recognized by the Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Comedy Awards, Banff Rockie Awards, DCG Awards and ACTRA Awards.

Fast-paced and irreverent, Baroness von Sketch Show celebrates the absurd, mines the embarrassing and satirizes daily life. Shot entirely on-location, this single-camera comedy series takes a fresh look at navel-gazing, contemporary culture. From marriage equality and screen addiction, to Airbnbs and ultrasounds, this satirical sketch show captures the banalities and absurdities of the modern world.

Season 4 is currently airing Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (10 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service. The series also airs Wednesdays at 12 a.m. ET/PT on IFC in the U.S.

A CBC original series, Baroness von Sketch Show is produced by Frantic Films and consists of the talented and award-winning team of Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen. For Frantic, Jamie Brown serves as Executive Producer and Jeff Peeler is Supervising Producer. Sally Karam also serves as Supervising Producer and Executive Producer.

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Comments and queries for the week of November 15

We are reminded from time to time that Murdoch Mysteries is, first and foremost, a procedural, solving crimes, it’s just that we were given these two wonderful characters, thanks to the chemistry between the actors, who added an element of fun and romance and we have been expecting it ever since in every episode (it does happen in other shows!). Although Murdoch and his colleagues are very good at solving murders, the tandem William and Julia makes it so much more fascinating instead. Let’s face it procedurals, however clever, are still dull. The showrunners/writers understood that. I hope they have not lost their way. I too relish earlier episodes compared to what we are seeing now. I still think Watts, however quirky at first, is now an uninteresting character who is given far too much attention. That actor should find another gig! Henry fills that role much better especially with Ruth! —Noele

I liked the episode “Toronto the Bad,” and watched it with interest. Dynamic development of the plot with an unexpected ending, excellent acting. We first saw the work of Henry as a taxi driver. It is very touching to see him tired for the well-being of his beloved wife. Lots of fun, enjoyable scenes that I really love in Murdoch Mysteries. This is the mysterious disappearance of a pelican figurine from the house of Murdoch, who was nevertheless stolen by a bad neighbour. The surprise and fun was the route in the house of Julia and William due to a breakdown of the vacuum cleaner. And of course, William’s game of billiards and his expression in the finals! I wonder if Julia, whom she tells William about, will get a raise? I hope that she will not receive it and will return to investigations again. Many fans of the show agree that Julia and William do it very well. Looking forward to the next episodes! —Lilia

Must writers screw up Murdoch Mysteries constantly, or maybe, it’s time to hire new ones? Yes to adding comedy, but stick to solving murders. Yes to Julia and William working together, not writers creating personal problems again. Crabtree’s new relationship is good, until the writers destroy it . Watts is a Sherlock Holmes type crime solver, until the writer’s agenda takes over. The new Parker detective is a good addition, but will he around long? Sorry to be grumpy, but Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian TV treasure, to hopefully carry on for ever, eh? —Nolan

I’d love to hear a response from producers about the Watts situation considering so many are pointing out the inconsistency in this storyline. Considering the popularity of the show you’re seeing that people do pay attention to this kind of thing. —Pierce

OK here’s one. Watts, like many young men and women of the period (and even today), tried for years to suppress his natural tendencies to fit in with the norms and morals of the society he lived in. As such he even overcompensated in his attempts to find a woman he could live with and perhaps marry. But then given an alternative (a chance at a relationship with a man) he decided to be true to himself. Victorian literature (and history) is full of examples of this kind of character. I would be so bold that even today there are many who are suppressing their natural desires to try and fit in. —Peter Mitchell

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Pacific Screenwriting Program announces Robert Cooper as showrunner for the 2020 Scripted Series Lab

From a media release:

The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) is pleased to announce Writer/Producer/Director Robert Cooper as Showrunner for the 2020 Scripted Series Lab. Cooper will be a mentor to six up-and-coming BC-based screenwriters selected to participate in next year’s program starting in January 2020. With Cooper leading the story room, they will work together to develop his original series in the PSP’s flagship training program now in its second year. Combining real-world story room experience, mentorship, boot camps, workshops and information sessions, the program equips writers with the skills, experience and connections necessary to establish a sustainable career in the province’s dynamic screen industry. The Pacific Screenwriting Program is a collaboration between Netflix, CMPA, the Writer’s Guild of Canada and Creative BC.

Robert Cooper most recently created wrote and directed episodes of CBC’s Unspeakable, following Canada’s tainted blood scandal. A lifelong dream project, the mini-series recently won the Leo Award for best dramatic series. Previously, he served as showrunner of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for BBC America, Netflix and AMC Studios, and is probably best known for having been showrunner of the record-breaking Stargate television franchise for MGM. He co-created Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe and served as executive producer, writer, and director of multiple episodes of all three series and two DTV movies. Cooper has been nominated and won several awards for both writing and directing, including two Hugo nominations and a Canadian Writer’s Guild award for best dramatic screenplay. In 2009, he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award for contribution to the British Columbia television industry.

The Scripted Series Lab is a 15-week intensive training program providing support and career- advancement opportunities for active and aspiring screenwriters from across British Columbia, where they receive the necessary support to expand their portfolio and pursue opportunities in the evolving TV marketplace. Throughout the program, participants hone their craft, strengthen their collaboration and presentation skills, and obtain a deeper understanding of the global television industry and how to market themselves within it. As the Scripted Series Lab showrunner, Cooper will mentor the six selected participants within a real-world story room over 10 weeks, breaking stories and writing scripts for the original project he brings to the room and will subsequently be pitching to streamers and networks around the world.

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Dr. Keri: Prairie Vet returns December 13 to Animal Planet

From a media release:

Dr. Keri: Prairie Vet, the hit documentary series featuring the tough, but lovable hardworking vet on wheels Keri Hudson Reykdal, will return to Animal Planet for its third season on December 13th, 2019. The season 3 premiere, ‘The Doctor is in… And Out’, follows Dr. Keri as she figures out how to maintain a work/life balance. After weeks of working 24/7 and a full day on the road in her mobile vet clinic, Keri is finally looking forward to heading home when she gets an urgent call – her beloved dog Siri is seriously ill. It’s another all-nighter for Keri as she investigates the potential causes. Juggling her mobile vet clinic practice, the clinic in town and the frequent emergencies on the farm has left Keri completely exhausted. It’s time for a little work/life balance and a weekend’s camping with Calvin and her horse on the island is the perfect answer.

EP1 The Doctor is in … and Out – Dec 13
Dr. Keri needs a break and a weekend’s camping trip is just what the doctor ordered.

After weeks of working 24/7 and a full day on the road in the mobile vet clinic, Keri is finally looking forward to heading home when she gets an urgent call – her beloved dog Siri is seriously ill. It’s another all-nighter for Keri and Calvin as they investigate the potential causes. Juggling her mobile vet clinic practice, the clinic in town and the frequent emergencies on the farm has left Keri completely exhausted. It’s time for a little work/life balance and a weekend’s camping with Calvin and her horse on the island is the perfect answer.

Dr Keri: Prairie Vet is produced by Merit Motion Pictures in association with Animal Planet Canada, and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Manitoba Films & Video Production Tax Credit, the Canadian Film & Video Production Tax Credit and Rogers Telefund. For Merit Motion Pictures, Merit Jensen Carr is Executive Producer and Shereen Jerrett is Series Director and Showrunner.

Merit Motion Pictures is one of Canada’s leading producers of factual entertainment programming. Founded by executive producer and industry veteran Merit Jensen Carr, Merit Motion Pictures is known for producing multi-platform programs that amaze, inform and delight. Recent highlights include the feature documentaries Call of the Forest and Almost Almost Famous, as well as the television specials Turtle Beach and What Trees Talk About, produced for CBC’s The Nature of Things.

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Preview: Sable Island’s other inhabitants celebrated in Seals of Sable

Sable Island is a truly unique place. Situated off the coast of Nova Scotia, the small spit of land is home to feral horses that have grabbed headlines around the world. Not gathering as much attention? The grey seals that frequent the island too. That all changes on Friday night.

Airing at 9 p.m. under The Nature of Things banner, “Seals of Sable,” follows filmmakers Teresa MacInnes and Kent Nason of Sea to Sea Productions Inc., as they track the largest breeding colony of grey seals in the world. Every winter, tens of thousands of female seals arrive to give birth, and the duo is there with scientists and experts for it. Led by biologist Nell den Heyer, from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the group seeks answers to the many questions they have about grey seals. The only time the cigar-shaped animals come to shore is to rest, moult and give birth, so the three weeks they spend on Sable will be invaluable.

Cameras capture the moment of birth—labour can be a days-long affair—through the bonding and feeding of pups (each pup’s hungry call is unique). Along the way, scientists continue to mark and track individual seals, tracing populations and survival rates. Does a female seal’s personality give her pup and better-than-average chance at survival? It would seem so. The grey seal has seen a boom in its numbers in the last few decades despite commercial fishing; what are they eating? A little of that will hopefully be answered by attaching video cameras to seals named Emma, Kate and Fiona.

Through amazing camera work and the down-to-earth, accessible language The Nature of Things is known for, “Seals of Sable” is a fascinating peek into the lives of that island’s other residents.

“Seals of Sable” airs as part of The Nature of Things, Friday at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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