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.
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Summer at Accessible Media Inc. is heating up! AMI-tv announces exciting original series and documentaries

From a media release:

Summer at Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is hotter than ever! Today, AMI-tv unveiled new original and acquired television series and documentary programming to entertain and inform Canadians of all abilities in the coming weeks.

Additionally, AMI is excited to announce Season three of Mind Set Go begins filming soon, and Anaïd Productions is casting new participants. The series—featuring Canadians transforming their lives physically, emotionally and mentally with help from Paralympians—seeks individuals of all ages and abilities to share their life-changing journey. Those who are interested, and live in the Vancouver and Lower Mainland area, can send a recent photo and paragraph about themselves to casting@anaid.com. Casting closes May 25.

In keeping with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians, AMI’s original series and documentaries utilize Integrated Described Video (IDV) so they are accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted.

Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming summer programming include:

Sea School Marine Science Camp (Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
AMI This Week Bureau Reporter Grant Hardy joins a group of blind and partially sighted high school students as they travel to the remote village of Bamfield, B.C., to learn about the sea—and the world beneath its waves—at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.

Level Playing Field (Friday, May 31, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
Hosted by Greg Westlake, Level Playing Field showcases and celebrates the power of sport by introducing audiences to the athletes, community groups, healthcare professionals and grassroots innovators who demonstrate a desire to help drive positive social change through sport. In Episode 2 of this AMI original, viewers meet Keely Shaw, who had a promising future in hockey until a brain injury almost robbed her of everything. Keely openly discusses dealing with partial paralysis and an eating disorder on the road to becoming one of the Top 5 Para-cyclists in the world.

The Systemic Effect (Saturday, June 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern)
How important is the link between oral health and general overall well-being? Interviews with accomplished oral health care practitioners reveal that treating the neglected oral health care of elderly residents brings both challenges and positive results. The findings uncovered in The Systemic Effect can set Canada’s course towards better, more economical health care and longer, healthier lives. The Systemic Effect is produced by Thomega Entertainment Inc. in association with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Saskatchewan Oral Health Coalition.

Accidental Activist (Friday, June 21, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
Accidental Activist is an in-depth and captivating look at the life of Paul Vienneau, one of Halifax’s most compelling and effective disability advocates. The original documentary charts Paul’s journey from injury to recovery and disability rights activism. Through intimate interviews with Paul, his friends, family and fellow activists, the documentary paints an unflinching portrait of a complicated man who unintentionally discovered his true calling and has had a huge impact on his community.

Sound Insight (Friday, June 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
Sound Insight explores the impact sound has on the lives of people with disabilities. Host Alex Smyth, alongside Mark Zillman and Daniel Kish, describes the different ways hearing has shaped their lives. Zillman, a piano tuner who is blind, shows how his exceptional hearing helps him keep notes perfectly accurate. Kish, who had his eyes removed in childhood, uses echolocation to “see” his surroundings. And Alex, a hearing aid user, shares growing up with hearing loss through visits to his audiologist and family.

Double Tap TV (Wednesday, July 31, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern)
Double Tap Canada is joining a new platform! Building on the popular AMI-audio brand, Double Tap TV brings the same cutting-edge discussions on everything tech, with news, reviews and interviews—all with an eye on accessibility—to television. Join hosts Steven Scott and Marc Aflalo, alongside contributors Shaun Preece, Joeita Gupta and Jennie Bovard, as they help viewers better understand how technology can help in everyday life. Produced by Marc Aflalo Communications.

The Achieveables (Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
In this project from Render Digital, a group of adventurers with disabilities challenge stereotypes through feats of courage. The group will spend three days on the Kootenay River—known for its wild rapids, changing weather and stunning scenery—to tell a story of tenacity, community, pain and triumph in the face of obstacles.

All AMI-tv originals are available post-broadcast on demand at AMI.ca or the free AMI-tv App.

Image courtesy of Accessible Media Inc.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

The Scott Brothers help create forever homes in new HGTV Canada series

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From a media release:

Drew and Jonathan Scott are on a mission to turn families’ ordinary houses into their lifelong dream homes in the new series Property Brothers: Forever Home (7×60) premiering Monday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada. In their latest series, the brothers help families whose current property needs a complete makeover in order to make it their forever home. To unlock a home’s full potential, Drew and Jonathan will focus on overhauling several key spaces to suit the families’ needs and wishes.

In each episode, Drew will take the homeowners on a tour of nearby renovated homes to learn about the features they love and which ones they can live without. With this information and the homeowner’s budget in mind, Jonathan will bring the family’s design dreams to life using detailed 3D graphics. He will present the homeowners with two options that showcase different ways their house can be reimagined for different budgets. The stakes are high for everyone – for the couples, who must decide how their ideal home should look, and for Drew and Jonathan, who must deliver renovations that surpass the homeowners’ expectations.

Property Brothers: Forever Home is produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment in association with Corus Entertainment Inc., with Drew and Jonathan as executive producers.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada: Jenny and Alyssa (and two others) fight to stay in the competition

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Last week on MasterChef Canada, Chef Alvin Leung lived up his “Demon Chef” nickname by throwing a devilish Elimination Challenge at the remaining home cooks. By the time the flour had settled, Jenny and Alyssa were asked to remove their aprons.

But rather than just being shown the door, MasterChef Canada‘s producers threw them (and us) yet another twist: the two would battle it out to see who got to stay in the competition. This test isn’t new for MasterChef Canada, but it’s been done as a digital extra and the winner has just shown up on the television show. Having the test occur as an episode was much more effective, especially with Jenny and Alyssa.

Three men stand on a stage.And true to a season of great drama, Jenny and Alyssa weren’t competing alone: Rozin and Tony walked into the kitchen to fight for the lone apron too. I was of two minds about this. While I appreciate giving someone that has been cut a shot at returning, where do you draw the line at who is given it? Alyssa and Jenny had just been eliminated but having Tony and Rozin, dropped in past weeks, fight for a spot didn’t seem fair.

Regardless of my thoughts, “Knife Fight” was underway in a trio of Pressure Tests. After each, one home cook would be leaving. For good, I assumed. In Round 1, the chef’s knife was the star of the show and used to recreate a rice noodle salad with intricately cut matchstick vegetables. With just 15 minutes on the clock, Tony was convinced he had no chance. And though Chefs Michael, Claudio and Alvin agreed that julienning the veggies should come first, Alyssa opted to make her Asian dressing. Nicking herself was another step in the wrong direction for Alyssa and with five minutes left it didn’t look good, especially since she missed elements and her vegetables were tossed into the bowl. Sadly, MasterChef Canada said a final goodbye to Alyssa.

In Round 2, the filleting knife took centre stage, to be used to create Sole meunière, a French recipe using Dover sole, flour, brown butter, parsley and lemon. And, with just eight minutes to prepare it, it seemed impossible. Even with his impeccable knife skills, Rozin was having trouble with the sole. As for Jenny … the poor fish was being mangled. But Jenny nailed the sauce by allowing the butter to brown first; that gave the sauce a nutty flavour. Rozin neglected to do that, and Tony’s gaffe came when he added lemon juice to the pan instead of the plate. With no perfect results, Claudio, Alvin and Michael said so long to Jenny.

Five people stand in a line.For Round 3, Rozin and Tony put the boning knife to use to recreate a Frenched rack of lamb in 22 minutes. Tony cut himself early on, putting pressure on his already tight schedule. Rozin, meanwhile, sped through cutting the rib bones free of fat and membrane and it looked like he’d be getting that apron. When Tony cut himself a second time, he seemed destined to depart. But timing is the great equalizer, and Rozin neglected to pre-heat his pan; waiting for it to come to temperature allowed Tony to catch up. It was anyone’s game.

During the tasting, Chef Claudio pointed out that Tony’s lamb was underseasoned and Michael noted it was slightly underdone. As for Rozin’s, his meat was dead-on cook-wise, but an errant bone and under seasoning was noted by Claudio. In the end, it was Rozin who grabbed the apron and is back in the competition. Do I wish Jenny or Alyssa was in his place? Yes. But having Rozin in the mix again means some serious competition for the remaining home cooks.

Who do you think will win this season of MasterChef Canada? Let me know in the comments below.

MasterChef Canada airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Makeful’s Handmade Hotels explores luxury rentals

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Unless I’m travelling for work, I refuse to stay in a hotel. I much prefer Airbnb for the convenience, homeyness and prices to what hotel chains offer. And, after watching Handmade Hotels, Katie Herbert has opened my eyes when it comes to booking a hotel for a group.

Debuting Tuesday with back-to-back episodes at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful, Herbert takes viewers on a journey to see a trio of short-term rentals designed for larger groups. A renovation specialist who isn’t afraid to think outside the box in her day-to-day gig, Herbert knows a unique design when she sees it. And Handmade Hotels has plenty to offer when it comes both whimsy and wow factor.

After a bit of a history lesson—short-term rentals date back to boarding houses of the 19th century when workers and their families came to the city and needed somewhere to stay when they weren’t on the job—Herbert visits the first location, a home dating from 1880. After renovating it for her family, homeowner Abigale now offers it as a short-term property for up to nine guests. One of the unique and eye-catching items in the property is a clawfoot tub in the kitchen with a very cute story behind it. As Herbert says, that tub is just the type of item to garner attention when folks search online for somewhere to stay and makes for a great conversation piece.

Herbert’s next stop is a 6,000-foot place, The Darling Mansion, that can easily host 10. Among the highlights in Tanya’s former doctor’s home turned art spaces are antiques and visual curiosities, a room called “The Opium Den” with open shower, and “The Magic Carpet Ride,” boasting a bed suspended from the ceiling.

Upcoming instalments spotlight hidden rooms, eco-friendly homes, tiny homes and historic properties, all part of the short-term rental market.

Handmade Hotels is the latest original production from Blue Ant Media and it’s the perfect fit to a brand offering great homegrown shows like Blown Away, Great Canadian Cottages and Brojects. I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Handmade Hotels airs Tuesdays at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful.

Images courtesy of Blue Ant Media.

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Mary Kills People

Links: Mary Kills People, Season 3

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Mary Kills People’s final chapter allows for a fitting goodbye says Caroline Dhavernas
“This gave us the opportunity to write the story we wanted to write. We also got the chance to say goodbye to one another in the proper way.” Continue reading. 

From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:

Link: Mary Kills People star on the tearful ending to the end of life drama
“So it was very, very moving. I’m not just saying this — it was a really amazing cast and I feel very close to many of my castmates.” Continue reading.

From Marc-André Lemieux the Montreal Journal:

Link: Farewell, Dr. Mary
Caroline Dhavernas will miss Mary Kills People. And for good reason. With this series, which begins its third and final season Sunday on Global, the career of the actress has reached an important milestone. Continue reading.

From Peter White of Deadline:

Link: Channel 4 Picks Up Canadian Medical Thriller ‘Mary Kills People’ from eOne
Canadian drama Mary Kills People is heading to the UK after British broadcaster Channel 4acquired the thriller from eOne. The deal is a life of series agreement for the show, which originally launched on Global in Canada in 2017. Continue reading.

From Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star:

Link: Caroline Dhavernas talks about the end of Mary Kills People
With the third season kicking off of Mary Kills People, a show about endings meets its ending.

Similar to many stories on the show, having control and knowing the end was coming let the cast and crew send off the series in the way that they wanted, says star Caroline Dhavernas. Continue reading.

From Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen:

Link: The Mary Kills People EPs discuss creating a satisfying final season
“It’s a real privilege to get to write a season knowing that it’s the final season. It’s really a lovely thing. You make a list of things you want to explore, that you owe to these characters and your audience. Then you try to figure out the most elegant way to approach them.” Continue reading. 

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: Mary Kills People’s Caroline Dhavernas
“We’re helping people die with dignity in a death retreat this time, so it’s quite different. Dez and Mary will butt heads again this time, because this was his dream, not really Mary’s dream. I think that she is doing it because she needs to thank him for sticking around through everything that’s happened that’s so complicated and difficult, and he’s been very loyal to her.” Continue reading.

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