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.
Awards, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Killjoys

Thom Allison and Sharron Matthews named co-hosts of the upcoming CAFTCAD Awards

From a media release:

People are either born hosts or born guests (thank you, Max Beerbohm). Thom Allison and Sharron Matthews were most definitely born hosts which is why they will take to the stage at the Aga Khan Museum on Sunday, February 10th to head up the inaugural Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) Awards.

“If we are going to do an awards gala, then we are going to do it right. Thom and Sharron bring a triumphant spirit to this event and we are thrilled to have them on this very special night,” said Joanna Syrokomla, Chairman of the CAFTCAD Awards.

Two-time Dora nominee, Thom Allison, can be seen as ‘Pree’ in the hit series, Killjoys, on Space Channel/Syfy Network. Thom has appeared on Broadway in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and in the original Canadian companies of Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy and Rent. At the Stratford Festival, Thom has appeared in Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, Threepenny Opera, The King and I, Hello, Dolly and King Henry VIII, and Into the Woods. At the Shaw Festival, he received critical acclaim for his performance in Ragtime, as well as performing in Wonderful Town, A Little Night Music, Guys and Dollsand Follies: In Concert. Some other credits include The Drowsy Chaperone(Vancouver Playhouse, National Arts Centre, Citadel Theatre), OUTRAGEOUS(CanStage), Cabaret (Theatre Calgary), My Fair Lady (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Evita (Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Calgary), Elegies, A New Brain (Acting Up Stage) and Take Me Out (CanStage). Film/TV: Judge on CBC’s Over the Rainbow, Leaving Metropolis, I Me Wed, Road to Christmas, Kim’s Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries, Private Eyes, Your All-Time Classic Hit Parade. Directing: Seussical, Mary Poppins (YPT). His CD, “A Whole Lotta Sunlight” can be purchased on iTunes.

Award-winning actress, writer, singer, producer Sharron Matthews is one of the stars of the CBC’s hit TV drama Frankie Drake Mysteries, airing on OVATION and PBS in the United States and ALIBI in the UK. She has toured her highly acclaimed one-woman shows around the world from New York to London to Cape Town, has acted in movies with stars like Tina Fey (Mean Girls) and John Travolta (Hairspray: The Movie), written for newspapers and magazines across the globe, sung with Canadian icon Jann Arden, and performed on stages alongside comedy legends Mary Walsh and Andrea Martin. As if that wasn’t enough, Sharron is also the host of the CBC digital series, “The Mystery Of…”.

The CAFTCAD Awards will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

ABOUT CAFTCAD 
Formed in 2008, the Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) is an association of individuals interested in promoting costume design for film, television and media from both an artistic and technical perspective. Our goal is to enrich our community with a national organization that is inclusive of experience and talent. The Alliance provides an open forum for discussion, networking and knowledge sharing for our members through periodic seminars, workshops, exhibits and an online forum. We explore the areas of individual design approach, illustration, and advancements in film technologies. We celebrate the richness of historic and contemporary fashion and its relationship to our craft. Our vision is to increase awareness and the value of costume arts and design as a powerful element in the collaborative process of filmmaking; furthering international recognition of the creative talent we have in Canada.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Murdoch Mysteries carries on with an axe murderer

4 Comments

I think this season of Murdoch Mysteries has been just great. I know a few don’t agree with me and that’s OK. Some folks only want the “core four” to feature in every case and have everything wrapped up in a neat bow by the time the hour is up.

Me? I’m loving the deeper dives we’re getting into who Ruth, Watts, Higgins and Brackenreid in Season 12. With so many years under its belt, I truly feel like Murdoch Mysteries has become a well-rounded show boasting a wealth of riches when it comes to cast, crew and stories.

But back to the present, and Episode 11. Here’s what the CBC has released as an official storyline for “Annabella Cinderella,” written by Paul Aitken and directed by Sherren Lee.

Crabtree and John are transporting a convicted axe murderer to prison when she escapes to exact revenge on those who testified against her.

And here are more tidbits from me after watching a screener.

George and John team up
John Brackenreid has been vaulted onto centre stage now that his father has left Toronto. That’s good news for fans of he and actor Charles Vandervaart (for even more Charles, catch him Saturdays on Family Channel on Holly Hobbie). Personally, I love it when George and John are paired up. Not only is there usually a bit of comedy but I also view their dynamic as what William and George’s was back in the early days of Station No. 4.

Rachel Van Duzer guest stars
Rachel Van Duzer plays the woman at the centre of this episode. I’ll have to confirm this with the episode’s writer, but I feel like “Annabella Cinderella” is loosely based on Lizzie Borden‘s story. As for Van Duzer, she’s wonderful in this role, giving dimension to a villainous character. Her scenes with Vandervaart, in particular, will tug at your heart.

A television critic makes his Murdoch Mysteries return
Bill Brioux, a friend and veteran television critic (check out his website for Canadian and U.S. coverage), first appeared in a non-speaking role in Season 5’s “Murdoch of the Klondike.” His triumphant return is marked this Monday as “Ticketman” at the Pickering train station. I expect a Canadian Screen Award nomination soon.

William and Julia are in demand
The pair doesn’t get a lot of screen time on Monday, but they make up for it in a deliciously entertaining storyline involving police manuals and publishing.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Letterkenny

Link: “Letterkenny” is the surprisingly queer Canadian comedy you’ve been sleeping on

From Valerie Anne of AutoStraddle:

Link: “Letterkenny” is the surprisingly queer Canadian comedy you’ve been sleeping on
On paper, Letterkenny isn’t the kind of show I am normally into. So imagine my surprise when suddenly I found myself finished with all six seasons within a week, squealing about the unexpected amount of queer content that somehow never crossed my radar in the three years it’s been airing, and delighted to have found a new “happy place” show. Continue reading.

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Holly Hobbie

Link: Being Erica star Erin Karpluk is a mother of three in Family Channel’s Holly Hobbie

1 Comment

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: Being Erica star Erin Karpluk is a mother of three in Family Channel’s Holly Hobbie
For some Canadian TV viewers, Erin Karpluk will forever be known as the young woman coming to terms with herself with the help of an unconventional therapist in the comedy-drama Being Erica.

In the new Family Channel series Holly Hobbie (debuting Saturday at 11:30 a.m.) Karpluk is the one offering guidance as the mother of the lead character, 13-year-old Holly. Continue reading. 

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Industry News

Blue Ant Media grows originals slate with six new commissions for its roster of Canadian specialty channels

From a media release:

Blue Ant Media, an international content producer, distributor and channel operator, announced today six new original commissions as well as a raft of digital content to air on its platforms in Canada, including Cottage Life, T+E and Makeful. The announcement supports Blue Ant Media’s ongoing commitment to the creation of Canadian series, also showcased through the company’s last round of Canadian original commissions and recent acquisition of Saloon Media announced earlier this year.

For Cottage Life, production has started on a brand new, documentary series, The Bryk Cottage, in which designer and contractor Danielle Bryk rebuilds her family cottage from the ground up. The channel will also see a new season of Bondi Vet: Coast to Coast that introduces four never-before-seen Australian vets to viewers. Additionally, new digital content featuring Cottage Life fan favourites, The Brojects, will roll out on Cottage Life’s online platforms. Slated to premiere on T+E, See No Evil delves into murder mysteries with surveillance video and gritty recreations, and fan favourite series Paranormal Survivor will return for a fifth season. The Makeful channel will see two new original series including Coolest Places to Stay, a documentary series about the current trend of turning everyday homes into short-term rentals, as well as Landscape Artist of the Year, a Canadian format of the popular British fine art competition series.

Blue Ant Media’s original programming slate includes:

The Bryk Cottage (6×30’;HD) is a documentary series that follows designer and contractor Danielle Bryk as she takes viewers on the real-life rebuild of her family’s old dilapidated cottage into a stunning vacation home that the entire family can cherish for generations. In this new documentary series, Bryk and a team of local Georgian Bay contractors undertake to complete this ambitious project. The Bryk Cottage is produced by Saloon Media and distributed by Blue Ant International. Danielle Bryk will appear at the Spring Cottage Life Shows in Toronto and Ottawa in March 2019.

Bondi Vet: Coast to Coast (10×60’;HD) Fan favourite series Bondi Vet has been revamped and will introduce four new Australian vets from across the continent Down Under who offer a myriad of exciting animal stories, ranging from the exotic and wild to our favourite domestic creatures. Meet exotic animal expert Dr Peter Ricci, emergency specialist Dr Alex Hynes, private practice owner Dr Lewis Hunt and recent graduate Dr Danni Dusek as they continue Bondi Vet’s tradition of telling great stories about Australia’s unique population of pets, and the lengths that dedicated vets will go to care for them in their hour of need. This new commission is the product of a treaty co-production between Saloon Media in Canada and WFTN in Australia. Bondi Vet will be broadcast on Channel Nine in Australia and will premiere exclusively in Canada on the Cottage Life Channel in Spring 2019.

See No Evil, Season 5 (16×60’; HD) tells spine-chilling stories of murderers caught on tape. Using genuine CCTV and other secured surveillance footage from a variety of sources, each episode will seamlessly mix elements of real footage and gritty recreations to give viewers a shocking front-row seat to the darkest depths of our not-so-secret lives. See No Evil is co-produced with Saloon Media in Canada and Arrow Media in the UK. See No Evil will premiere on T+E in Canada in spring 2019 and on Discovery ID in the U.S.

Paranormal Survivor, Season 5 (10×60’; HD) is the latest season of the popular series about spirits that features survivors of harrowing supernatural experiences who share their hair-raising tales on screen. Produced by Our House Media, each episode will take a deep dive into the eerie encounters, depicted with a mix of real testimonials and dramatic re-creations. The series will air on T+E in Spring 2019 and is distributed by Blue Ant International.

Coolest Places to Stay (working title) (6×30’;HD) is an exciting new documentary series that explores the trend of regular people turning their homes into short-term rentals for travellers on the go. In each episode, self-taught house flipper and design enthusiast, Katie Herbert, explores unique spaces that centre around a common theme to discover interesting and unusual approaches to crafting the perfect respite for vacationers and locals alike. Coolest Places to Stay is produced by Architect Films and will air on Makeful during the channel’s freeview in April 2019. The series will be distributed by Blue Ant International.

Landscape Artist of the Year aims to uncover new artistic talent in a competition open to both professional and amateur artists in Canada. The original series, which is a fan favourite on Makeful, is coming to Canada and modelled after the UK format, which will see one talented competitor be crowned Canada’s Landscape Artist of the Year. The group of painters take on different landscape painting challenges, which showcase their unique artistic talents. Throughout the painting sessions, expert judges circulate among the artists, assessing their talents and skills and each week a winner will be chosen to progress to the semi-final. Time-lapse segments ensure viewers will not miss a moment in each artist’s thoughtful and creative progression from blank canvas to finished work. The UK format is distributed by Banijay Rights.

New DIY Online Content for Cottage Life

Coming Spring 2019, there will be a plethora of brand new original DIY-themed content for the Cottage Life website financed in support from the Canadian Media Fund. This includes 30 short form videos, 70 non-video content items and 15 episodes of a web series featuring the Brojects, Kevin and Andrew Buckles, produced by Farmhouse Productions, with some of the webisodes in partnership with Timber Mart.

Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international content producer, distributor and channel operator. From our production houses around the world, we create content for multiple genres including factual, factual entertainment, short-form digital series and kids programming. Our distribution business, Blue Ant International, offers a catalogue of 3,000+ hours of content, including the largest 4K natural history offering on the market. Blue Ant Media’s international channel business offers a portfolio of media brands such as Love Nature (International), ZooMoo Networks (International), Smithsonian Channel Canada, BBC Earth (Canada), Blue Ant Entertainment (International), Blue Ant Extreme (International) and HGTV (New Zealand). Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with operations in Los Angeles, Singapore, Auckland, Dunedin, London, Washington, Sydney, Beijing and Taipei.

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