From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Lainie Knox
“Every job and set is different, but I feel my main role is that of a communicator. I’m always trying to make the best shot for those two people sitting at the monitors. It really is a ballet and when it works it is truly magic. I’ve been very blessed with great teams — people who care and have great temperaments. True professionals.” Continue reading.
From a media release:
Iconic Canadian actress, Megan Follows (REIGN) has been cast as Michelle Earp, Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) and Waverley’s (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) mysteriously absent mother. This reveal follows the shocking cliffhanger of Season 2, when fans discovered that Mama Earp is indeed alive.
“Megan Follows is one of Canada’s most beloved and versatile performers, and we are beyond thrilled to have her onboard for such an iconic role,†said showrunner Emily Andras. “Her ferocity and fearlessness will fit in fabulously with the rest of our phenomenal cast.â€
Follows is best known for her role as Anne Shirley in iconic Canadian mini-series ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and Queen Catherine de Medici in REIGN. Other notable credits include HEARTLAND, SECOND CHANCES, and STRONG MEDICINE.
Following an emotional and surprising Season 2 finale that saw Wynonna give birth to the next Earp heir, she’s now hell-bent on dispatching all remaining Revenants and other supernatural beings to end the cycle of violence between future heirs and Wyatt Earp’s demonic outlaws. Armed with Wyatt’s demon-killing six-shooter, Peacemaker, and her battle-seasoned team of demon hunters Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon, BEING HUMAN), Agent Xavier Dolls (Shamier Anderson, Race), Waverly Earp (Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Avengers: Age of Ultron), Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell, WORKIN’ MOMS), and Jeremy Chetri (Varun Saranga, WORKIN’ MOMS), Wynonna challenges fate, faces new foes, and makes life-altering sacrifices in order to break the curse once and for all.
WYNONNA EARP Season 3 is currently in production in Calgary and slated to return to Space in 2018.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Frankie Drake Mysteries’ Rebecca Liddiard on Mary’s growing confidence
“She has this puppy dog-like quality where she’s just willing to take anything, whereas by the end we see her taking matters into her own hands. For instance, she just decided to go to New York all by herself to pursue the case that Frankie didn’t even ask her to do. She just took it upon herself to do it. I think that fits with the bigger theme of independence and women doing what they think is right and best. You really get a nice sense of that with Mary.” Continue reading.Â
If you were watching the Super Bowl on NBC—or skipped watching the game altogether—you missed a trio of big announcements made during the game broadcast on CTV.
Bell Media revealed the return date of MasterChef Canada and the debut dates for cop drama The Detail and the animated version of Corner Gas called, simply, Corner Gas Animated.
MasterChef Canada
The fifth serving of MasterChef Canada kicks off on Tuesday, April 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT, with the return of stalwart judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile and Alvin Leung. Casting for Season 5 took place last summer followed by production on the top-secret 12 episodes. Edmonton’s Trevor Connie took home the Season 4 title, beating out Vancouver’s Thea VanHerwaarden in the finale.
The Detail
Cop drama The Detail (above) bows Sunday, March 25 at 9 p.m. ET/MT, on CTV. Starring Shenae Grimes, Wendy Crewson, Angela Griffin, Ben Bass, David Cubitt and Al Mukadam, the 10-episode project centres on three fiercely talented female homicide investigators who work tirelessly to solve crimes while navigating the complicated demands of their personal lives.
Produced by Ilana Frank (Burden of Truth), The Detail was developed by co-showrunner and co-executive producer Ley Lukins alongside Adam Pettle. Executive producers are Ilana Frank, John Morayniss, and Linda Pope, with co-executive producers Jocelyn Hamilton, Sonia Hosko and Gregory Smith. The writer’s room includes Naledi Jackson, Sarah Goodman, Graeme Stewart, Katrina Saville, Joe Pernice and Matt Doyle. Directors on The Detail include Gregory Smith, Jordan Canning, Kelly Makin, Sara St. Onge, Grant Harvey, John Fawcett and James Genn.
Corner Gas Animated
Finally, Corner Gas Animated debuts Monday, April 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on The Comedy Network. The 13 half-hour episodes will return to Dog River for more adventures with all of the original cast—Brent Butt, Fred Ewanuik, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Gabrielle Miller, Lorne Cardinal, Nancy Robertson and Corrine Koslo replacing the late Janet Wright—voicing the beloved characters.
“Fans of Corner Gas are going to see a similarity to the series and movie that they love,†co-executive producer Virginia Thompson told us back in December of 2016. “But we can expand the fantasy sequences and get into the characters’ heads and see what’s going on in there.†(Or, perhaps in the case of Hank, what isn’t going on in there.)
Which of the three Bell Media series will you be watching? Which are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments below. Keep track of Canadian TV debuts, returns and finales with our handy calendars.
Images courtesy of Bell Media.
From Vincent Schilling of Indian Country Media Network:
Link: A Conversation with Jennifer Podemski: ACTRA Toronto’s 2018 Award of Excellence Recipient
“It bothered me that over the first 10 years of my acting career I rarely, if ever, saw any native people working on the crew, or as producers and directors. It bugged me because all the work I was doing was native stuff. So I decided to become a producer. I was 25 when I opened Big Soul Productions with Laura Milliken. We dedicated every waking hour to building a production company rooted in authentic indigenous stories and perspectives while training a new generation of talent both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.” Continue reading.
