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.
Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Do Higgins and Ruth marry in Murdoch Mysteries’ “My Big Fat Mimico Wedding”?

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Fans of Henry Higgins and Ruth Newsome, your day has arrived! At long last, Higgins is joining the storied Mimico Newsomes in Monday’s Murdoch Mysteries episode, aptly titled “My Big Fat Mimico Wedding.” At least, that’s the plan.

Written by Simon McNabb—who has penned some of the funniest scripts on Murdoch Mysteries—and directed by Gary Harvey, here’s what the CBC has revealed in their official synopsis:

When Murdoch, Ogden, Crabtree and Brackenreid attend Higgins’ and Ruth Newsome’s wedding, a guest repeatedly tries to kill the groom. 

And here are more morsels I can reveal after watching a screener.

Guess who is part of the ceremony?
You can’t have a Newsome storyline, especially a wedding involving one of them, without Rupert Newsome (Cyrus Lane). Lane, as usual, steals every scene he’s in from his co-stars. There are so many giggle-worthy moments that I lost track.

Will Higgins return to Station House No. 4?
It doesn’t appear so when the episode starts and Brackenreid is just fine with it.

George doesn’t attend the wedding solo
That’s all I’ll say about that … other than the journey he takes to get to that state is wonderful.

Speaking of wonderful…
Gary Harvey’s direction is just that. What he does with his large cast of main and supporting characters during key witness testimony is well-executed, fun and really adds to the storytelling.

This is not your typical episode of Murdoch Mysteries
And, because of that, it’s one of my favourites. I can’t wait for fans to see it. Please let me know what you think.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Canada’s Worst Driver buckles up and hits the road for Season 14, Oct. 29

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From a media release:

The country’s most dreadful drivers buckle up for a ride on the road to redemption in Season 14 of Discovery’s longest-running series CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 29. Led by returning host and Discovery mainstay Andrew Younghusband, the hit series features seven drivers – each nominated by a friend or family member – as they attempt to prove they possess the necessary skills to graduate from rehab and escape the unfortunate title of “Canada’s Worst Driver.” The all-new season premieres during the network’s nationwide free preview, available Oct. 4 – Nov. 1 through participating TV service providers across Canada.

Hauled off Canada’s highways from Victoria to Saint John, N.B., these reckless drivers head to the Driver Rehabilitation Centre in Dunnville, Ont. where they are stripped of their car keys and driver’s license. Each episode features the tried-and-tested challenges viewers have come to love, each designed to push the drivers to their limits and teach them crucial safe driving skills – all with an eye to eliminate driver distraction.

With the introduction of smartphones, online navigation, and self-driving vehicles, driving schools have refreshed their teaching methods, and the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is no exception. In a first for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, Season 14 sees Younghusband examine driving’s technological revolution and its influence on automotive trends and safety, focusing on everything from back-up cameras to cell phone usage behind the wheel.

Joining Younghusband once again this season are the show’s merciless team of driving experts including CP24’s Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; professional high-performance driving instructor Philippe Létourneau; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru.

Last season, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER drove major audiences across Canada to Discovery. Final data from Numeris for the 2017/18 broadcast year confirms that CANADA’S WORST DRIVER continues to be the most-watched entertainment specialty program during its 10 p.m. ET timeslot among total viewers and the key A25-54 and A18-49 demos. Additionally, the series ranked as a Top 5 series on Discovery among total viewers and A25-54 and A18-49.

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Ghost Wars, Motive

Link: What goes on in a TV writers’ room? Dennis Heaton answers our burning questions

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From Sabrina Furminger of YVR Screen Scene:

Link: What goes on in a TV writers’ room? Dennis Heaton answers our burning questions
“It’s got to be a place where everybody is able to talk about the stuff that you can’t talk about at a dinner party, and you know that that embarrassing story you’re going to tell about the worst date you ever had in your life that ended in you misunderstanding a social cue and making a complete ass out of yourself is not going to be shared publicly with everybody else. It’s got to be an extremely safe space.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Scott Moore to step down as president of Sportsnet, end of October

From a media release:

Scott Moore, President of Sportsnet & NHL Properties, has announced his decision to leave the company at the end of October.

During his eight-year tenure, Moore repositioned the sports and TV businesses to address the evolving media landscape and viewing habits.  He championed the acquisitions of The Score and Grand Slam of Curling; brokered the deal that brought the FX brand to Canada; launched North America’s first direct-to-consumer mainstream sports product with SN NOW; created Rogers Hometown Hockey; and played a key role in helping Rogers secure the blockbuster 12-year NHL deal.

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Sportsnet is well positioned for continued growth and success, with a strong team in place to carry the momentum forward.

The search is underway for Moore’s successor.  In the interim, Brace will oversee Sportsnet in addition to his current role.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries: Mary Pedersen breaks down “Operation: Murder”

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Murdoch Mysteries showrunner Peter Mitchell promised several Season 12 episodes would focus on other members of the series. He wasn’t kidding. Monday’s latest, “Operation: Murder,” saw Julia step into the spotlight as she investigated a series of deaths at the University of Toronto’s School of Medicine.

Meanwhile, George was smitten by a young Florence Nightingale Graham (Kathryn Alexandre) before she left town in favour of a career in New York City. As for William? Well, his latest creation seemed intent on gobbling him up. We spoke to the writer of “Operation: Murder,” Mary Pedersen, all about what went on inside and outside Station No. 4.

I had no idea Florence Nightingale Graham was Canadian. How did she come up in the Murdoch Mysteries research?
Mary Pedersen: Every season we like to feature real historical figures, so we’re always keeping an eye on what important Canadians were doing around our time, and what famous international people might have been in Toronto then. Elizabeth Arden was on that list, and since she had actually attended nursing school in Toronto, it happened to dovetail nicely with the idea of a mystery set at the hospital where Ogden is completing her training to be a surgeon.

Were there other facts about Florence/Elizabeth that didn’t make it into the episode?
MP: What I find really fascinating about her is that she was the daughter of immigrants in small-town Ontario, her mother died when she was in her teens, and she went to nursing school to help support her family. So for her to go to New York City and go on to build her own cosmetics empire—really one of the first such businesses, with her name on the products—strikes me as a story of such bravery and determination. I would love to have been able to get into more of that, but of course we’re dealing with just a small moment in her life, really before she knew what she would become. I hope we were able to depict a little bit of what was to come through George’s enthusiasm for her dreams. He has a special skill for giving talented women a nudge in the right direction and I love that about him.

Peter told me that other characters would get more screen time this season. That started tonight with Julia doing the investigating. How refreshing was it for you to write a mystery where William took more of a back seat?
MP: I’ll tell you, I loved it. I got a little cocky writing the first draft; I was telling everyone I could totally write a medical drama if I had to! That’s from years of being a devoted fan of ER and Grey’s Anatomy. Of course, you wouldn’t actually want me doing a tracheotomy! Luckily, I have friends and family in health care who coached me through the medical stuff, and we have a terrific consultant to make the medical stuff look and sound good. So that was fun, to bring us into a different world, get to know Julia’s new workplace and the people there, and make her the primary detective on the case. I’ve always appreciated that Murdoch Mysteries has that latitude to make room for the actors to do what they do best, to explore different worlds and tones, and we hope that quality will help keep things fresh in Season 12 and beyond!

Yet another woman enters George’s life ever so briefly. Will he ever find love?
MP: He really comes up against his essential problem in this episode, doesn’t he? He loves ambitious, complicated women. He’s such a special character and I think he deserves someone who’s one in a million like him. But if he finds his true match, will she accept that he’s ‘just’ a constable, and will she want the same life that he does?

I was so glad to see the incredible set for William and Julia’s house has stuck around for another episode. Is it as impressive in person as it is on-screen?
MP: It is. Bob Sher and the art department did such an amazing job on it, really making it feel like a home that expresses who Murdoch and Ogden are. It’s become my favourite set to visit, and it’s much cozier than the morgue, so there have been a few times this season when I’ve snuck down and put my feet up on one of those built-in sofas to read a script. And there have been a few more great scenes shot in the house already this year.

Next week Higgins and Ruth are scheduled to marry. [Preview picture above.] What can fans expect from the episode?
MP: The Newsome family episode has become really one of the highlights of every season for the writers, and you can imagine that with a wedding, the extended Newsome family coming to stay, Ruth determined to find George a girlfriend, and of course a murderer on the loose, that Murdoch, Brackenreid, Crabtree and Higgins will really have their hands full next week.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.

 

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