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.
Ransom

Links: Ransom, Season 2

From Scott Campbell of the Renfrew Mercury:

Link: ‘Ransom’ a special show, says actor Brandon Jay McLaren
“It’s action-packed, there’s a cool international flavour. We take place in all these different cities. Most importantly, what’s cool about this show is we don’t use violence to solve our problems.” Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Interview: Ransom’s Nazneen Contractor
“The show has definitely helped me to better understand other people and to form some kind of agreement with them. And when I’m on the show I try not to negotiate with the people around me, but it has definitely helped me to become a better communicator.” Continue reading.

 

 

 

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Children's Programming, Holly Hobbie, Industry News

Holly Hobbie™ to be produced as live-action kids original series by Aircraft Pictures and American Greetings Entertainment

From a media release:

Aircraft Pictures (2018 Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award-nominated producers of the animated feature film “The Breadwinner”) in association with American Greetings Entertainment (creators and producers of “Buddy Thunderstruck” – the 2018 Emmy nominated stop-motion series) today announced they will be partnering to produce an all-new and contemporary scripted take on the venerable Holly Hobbie™ brand as a live-action kids series. “Holly Hobbie” will make its US debut in Fall 2018 exclusively on Hulu, followed by its debut in Canada on Family Channel.

In a first-of-its-kind co-commissioning structure, the series has also been pre-sold to leading US children’s cable outlet, Universal Kids, who will have the linear rights to the series after it streams on Hulu.

First introduced by American Greetings in 1967, Holly Hobbie is recognized worldwide as the bonneted “Blue Girl” in paintings and illustration, accumulating more than 50 years of fans and $1B in worldwide licensed product sales. This new 10 episode single-camera series, produced by showrunner Sarah Glinski (“Degrassi: Next Class”, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”), updates Holly as an aspirational, modern-day 13-year-old singer/songwriter. A dreamer and doer, Holly plans on saving the world someday but is happy to start in her own small town.

Beginning principal photography in May 2018, the new series is produced with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund. “Holly Hobbie” Producers are Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures (“The Breadwinner”, “Bruno & Boots: This Can’t Be Happening At Macdonald Hall”) with Karen Vermeulen, Ryan Wiesbrock and Sean Gorman of American Greetings Entertainment (“Tinpo”, “Buddy Thunderstruck” and “Care Bears”) and Matthew Wexler (“D.N.Ace”, “Paw Patrol”) of Wexworks Media serving as Executive Producers alongside Sarah Glinski. In addition to Glinski, the writing team includes Courtney Jane Walker (“Degrassi: The Next Class”, “Living in Your Car”) and Cole Bastedo (“The Next Step”, “Mr. Young”).

 

 

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Featured, Ransom

Preview: Ransom returns for Season 2 with an explosive storyline

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When we last left the Ransom team, Eric Beaumont’s (Luke Roberts) life was in shambles. His arch nemesis, Damien Delaine (Carlo Rota) had taken his daughter Evie (Jenessa Grant) hostage, leaving Eric unsure of what to do next.

Season 2 of Ransom, returning Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global, picks up with 13 new episodes right after that stunning cliffhanger, with Oliver (Brandon Jay McLaren), Maxine (Sarah Greene) and Zara (Nazneen Contractor) scrambling to help Eric out. Inspired by the professional experiences of real-life crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert and his partner, Marwan Mery, Ransom‘s storylines travel the globe as the squad helps multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Created by David Vainola and Frank Spotnitz, the Canadian-Hungarian co-production staffs homegrown writers in Alison Lea Bingeman, Sandra Chwialkowska, Lynne Kamm, Steve Cochrane, Kyle Hart, Avrum Jacobson, Tamara Moulin and Vince Shiao.

Here’s what we can tell you about Saturday’s return, “Three Wishes,” written by Frank Spotnitz and directed by James Genn.

Flashback
“Three Wishes” begins by going back almost two decades to show Eric’s origin story and introduce a key character in his life. It’s nice to see Eric at an earlier time and the charm that will make him so successful.

A trio of tasks
As hinted at in the episode title, Delaine forces Eric to complete three challenges in order to win Evie back. Each task forces Eric to make tough choices and make ethically questionable decisions. After seeing Eric in control of situations most of the time, it is interesting to see him in distress and, sometimes, freaking the heck out. A kidnapped daughter will do that to a man. There are a few clunky moments of dialogue to establish the parameters for the main storyline so viewers get just how dire the situation is (no cops, Delaine is dangerous, everyone is scared, keeping to protocol), and I’m not sure they’re necessary. Still, it’s a minor quibble for a genre that does over-explanation all the time.

Carlo Rota is the king
I’ve been a fan of Carlo Rota way back when he hosted The Great Canadian Food Show, through Traders, Queer as Folk and Little Mosque on the Prairie. He’s pitch perfect as Delaine, a man on a mission of revenge and swaggering around telling Eric what to do. You want to punch him in the face but you also understand why he’s going what he is. That’s the mark of great acting. Also, a nod to James Genn who does a bang-up job directing some key scenes between Eric and Delaine.

Ransom airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

 

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ReBoot: The Guardian Code

Links: ReBoot: The Guardian Code, Season 1

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From Drew Koch of Bustle:

Link: Will ‘ReBoot: The Guardian Code’ Return For Season 2 On Netflix? Fan Response Could Be Make Or Break
The Netflix version is a mix of both live-action and CGI animation, where as the original was exclusively CGI. In addition, instead of focusing on the characters in the virtual world of Mainframe, there is a focus on four, new high schoolers that find their way into that virtual world. Continue reading.

From Shamus Kelley of Den of the Geek:

Link: Reboot: The Guardian Code’s Tribute Episode is a Failure
Let’s talk about ReBoot: The Guardian Code. I had this big plan to write up a long essay about whether an audience can separate behind the scenes drama from a piece of art. After all, we as the audience aren’t supposed to know about any of that stuff. It was going to be awesome. I’d keep calling the show “Guardian Code” and then at the end say “Guardian Code” was perfectly average Canadian kids TV but it wasn’t ReBoot. Continue reading.

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Industry News

Link: The CBC’s president should focus on being different, not just bigger

From the Toronto Star Editorial Board:

Link: The CBC’s president should focus on being different, not just bigger
Every Canadian has two jobs, goes the old joke, their own and running the CBC. Catherine Tait, who has just been handed the task of actually leading CBC/Radio-Canada, will hardly lack for advice as she takes the helm of the country’s leading cultural institution. Continue reading. 

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