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.
Cavendish, Coroner, Diggstown, Featured, Northern Rescue, Street Legal, Unspeakable

Reaction: CBC’s slate of new programs for the 2018-19 broadcast season

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I spent a couple of days in Ottawa this week, which meant I missed attending CBC’s presentation for its 2018-19 broadcast season. You can check out the full announcement here, which includes a list of the shows returning to the schedule, programs that are moving and even better news for Kim’s Convenience fans. (Not so for 21 Thunder and Hello Goodbye; the former has been cancelled and the latter is on hiatus.)

In no particular order, here are my thoughts on (almost) everything that CBC revealed on Thursday morning.

— A lot of folks, myself included, were scratching their heads over the decision to bring back Street Legal for another go-round. What more could be said about those characters over 20 years later? That all changed once I saw Bruce Smith named as showrunner. He’s the guy behind two of my favourite TV series in recent memory, Cracked and 19-2. Both were gritty, realistic portrayals of life, so I expect the same from Street Legal as well as catching up on what Olivia Novak is up to. And I can’t wait to have Cynthia Dale back on my TV screen.

— CBC does family drama, really, really, well. Just look at the success of Heartland for crying out loud. I’m expecting big things from Northern Rescue and all it offers: tragedy, redemption, starting a new life in an unfamiliar place and Kathleen Robertson.

— I was unaware of Floyd Kane until this week, though he’s been involved in several projects I’ve watched or admired, including writing for Continuum and Backstage and producing That’s So Weird and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He’s a bona fide lawyer, so it makes sense he’d create a series about being one in Diggstown. I’m into this, especially after learning Diggstown marks the first original Canadian drama series to feature a black Canadian female in the lead role.

— I’m excited to see Back Alley Films—the folks behind the excellent Bellevue—working with the CBC on Coroner. Based on the best-selling book series by M.R. Hall and created for TV by Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope), it’s about former ER doctor Jenny Cooper who now investigates suspicious deaths.

— I’m over the moon that Kim’s Convenience, which just began production on Season 3, has been greenlit for Season 4. I’m equally jazzed that Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has been tagged to host Canada’s Smartest Person Junior.

— Banger Films are the folks behind must-see music documentaries like Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Super Duper Alice Cooper and Rock Icons. I’m intrigued and excited by From the Vaults, which takes a look at Canadian history and music by utilizing the CBC’s archives.

— High Arctic Haulers. Remote northern communities relying on ships to bring them supplies? Right in my wheelhouse.

— Baroness Von Sketch Show and Still Standing both moving to the fall on CBC is a curious move, as is bumping Kim’s Convenience to the winter. Regardless, it gives the CBC a solid night of comedy on Tuesdays all year long.

— Heartland is back, but for only 11 episodes. That’s a little concerning and I can’t help but wonder if this might be the last season for the long-running Canadian drama. I have no evidence to back this up—it may be because some castmembers want to do other things—it’s just a gut feeling.

— Murdoch Mysteries is currently listed at 18 episodes, which would indicate to me there will be no holiday special this year. Again, I have nothing to go on other than the number.

What are you most looking forward to or excited about from CBC’s announcement? Let me know in the comments below.

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Industry News

Link: Longtime Vancouver filmmaker Arvi Liimatainen, producer of Da Vinci’s Inquest and Bye Bye Blues, dies at age 68

From Craig Takeuchi of The Georgia Strait:

Link: Longtime Vancouver filmmaker Arvi Liimatainen, producer of Da Vinci’s Inquest and Bye Bye Blues, dies at age 68
B.C. and Alberta screen industries are mourning the loss of a longtime local filmmaker who worked on some of Western Canada’s most prominent films and TV series.

Finnish-born Arvi Liimatainen died from cancer in Vancouver on May 19 at the age of 68. Continue reading.

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Featured

Comments and queries for the week of May 25

Really annoyed that Kaegen is back. I hate when the shows do this! I feel like it’s a fake way of getting a certain demographic back on the scene. Yeah, sure he cooked his way back into the competition. It also always seems to be the contestants that I am happy to have seen leave! —Nicole

Such a disappointment to have Alvin go into the Red Team’s kitchen and start telling them to hurry up and offering advice as to put it in the pan NOW, etc., etc., etc. He should not have “aided” them in any way at all! —Julie

Reaction to Daily Planet‘s cancellation

One of the few shows that had some substance. Shame on you. No more stupid reality shows. —Steven

It is a disappointment to lose one of the few educational shows on TV these days. I would happily say goodbye to those mind-numbing reality shows that have taken over the networks. I don’t think it is life altering if some bride picks a particular dress, or if someone makes a better sword, or cooks a better meal. —Kathy

The reality is most of this information is available from YouTube channels which have become way more polished and professional in the past five years. It’s been at least four years since I watched Daily Planet and I was regular viewer back when Jay was the host. The No. 1 science host today in Canada is Linus Sebastian who has a series of YouTube channels. His focus is primarily on computers and tech devices but that overlaps with a lot of what Daily Planet was covering. —Ron

Reaction to InnerSpace‘s cancellation

I’m turning off Space Channel. —Ken

I guess it’s going to hit Fan Expo hard this fall. Why will they support that without the presence of the faces of Space, Teddy, Ajay, Morgan and the crew? —Sean

Innerspace has lost its appeal the last couple years, bashing older versions of movies, promoting movies that turned into rotten tomatoes; whatever happened to personal opinions, it has felt like a 30-minute commercial at times. They still had some good content, Teddy Wilson was always entertaining, of the three hosts him I’ll miss the most. I’m sure a new show will fill the void, maybe with Teddy Wilson hosting it? —Denis

If Bell Media were smart, they’d add Morgan Hoffman to Your Morning or eTalk on CTV as soon as humanly possible. She is my absolute fave. Fun, fashionable and a pleasure to watch onscreen. The InnerSpace crew did some great work, especially with their Orphan Black, post-episode specials, “After The Black” that were must-see for fans. Sad, sad news. —Kevin

 

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

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Industry News

National School of Humour offers advanced comedy scenario program with support from Netflix

From a media release:

The National School of Humour (NHS), with the support of Netflix, is launching a Screenwriting Development Program for both TV and film comedies, which will be divided into three programs: public lectures and master classes, advanced comedy screenwriting and mentorship project development. This partnership is part of Netflix’s commitment to supporting industry development in Canada, including the next generation of comedy writers.

For the past 30 years, the NHS has evolved its training programs to meet the pace of industry changes. The growth of content platforms has resulted in an increased and pressing demand for scriptwriters in comedy fiction.

At the dawn of its fourth decade, the NHS is particularly proud of this partnership which will broaden its mission by creating a unique incubator to bring out the originality of our creators in screenwriting comedy. In addition, this program will propel projects that take into account the challenges of new formats.

This program will facilitate learning for the entire community and individuals. Through its conferences and open master classes, this program will demystify the essential components of comedy scripting and provide individual creators with advanced training or professional mentoring for their TV series or movie project.

Founded in 1988, the National School of Humour passionately pursues its unique and original mission: to offer professional training to creators who wish to specialize in the field of humour as humbler (author performers) or authors. The NHS is a private, non-profit educational institution (NPO), recognized by the Minister of Education and Higher Education of Quebec and supported by the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Canadian Heritage and the Mécénat Placements Culture program of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. The influence of its graduates on all platforms (stage, TV, radio, cinema, web) throughout the French-speaking world is the most eloquent evidence of the relevance of the institution that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

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Ghost Wars

Link: Sharon Taylor’s new frontiers

From Sabrina Furminger of YVR Screen Scene:

Link: Sharon Taylor’s new frontiers
“I read the script and thought, ‘Okay, this must be a family business, because it’s normalized in the family to have your kid down there when you’re working on a dead body.’ The child, Marcus, doesn’t even bat an eye when his mom is like, ‘Pass me the blush.’ He’s right in there, helping her.” Continue reading.

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