From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: Aaron Martin spills the secrets on Slasher: Guilty Party
“I actually have a lot of sympathy for Talvinder. Whenever I had other writers working on scripts, my marching orders were, ‘Talvinder is just a girl who gets in over her head.’†Continue reading.
From a media release:
This holiday season, Animal Planet invites viewers to cuddle up with some of the funniest, wildest, and most touching moments the animal kingdom has to offer during a special Free Preview from Friday, Dec. 1 through Thursday, Jan. 11.
The Animal Planet Free Preview delivers a slate of programming that’s purrrrrr-fect for the whole family, including the new original Canadian series DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET, airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 10. From pedigreed show dogs to prize mares, cows, cute and cuddly cats, and even angry bulls, the series follows the action-packed life of travelling vet Dr. Keri Hudson Reykdal, who’s on the road 24/7 to care for “all creatures big and small.†She’s dedicated her life to animals – treating them, training them, and riding them in horse derbies – with one of the busiest and most unusual mobile veterinary units to roam the northern prairie.
On Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, Animal Planet is giving the gift of cute with a full hour of super adorable holiday cuteness. SUPER CUTE YULE LOG is stocked full of fluffy puppies, cuddly kittens, and other baby animals all frolicking to seasonal tunes across a holiday set.
Animal Planet’s Free Preview is available through television service providers across Canada including: Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Eastlink, BellMTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron, and several CCSA partners including Access Communications, Westman Communications, Northwestel Inc., Tbaytel, Novus Entertainment, Wightman Telecom Ltd., and Mitchell Seaforth Cable TV.
Below is a listing of Animal Planet programming highlights during its Free Preview. All programming is subject to change.
NEW SERIES
DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET – Original Canadian Series
Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 10
She’s a hardworking vet on wheels! It’s calving season in rural Manitoba as the new original Canadian series begins, and Dr. Keri is on call 24/7. She’s running on no sleep, with an emergency C-Section, and a chocolate-chomping dog – all before lunchtime.
DR. KERI: PRAIRIE VET is produced by Merit Motion Pictures in association with Animal Planet and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Cable Network Fund, the Manitoba Films & Video Production Tax Credit, the Canadian Film & Video Production Tax Credit, and the financial investment of Manitoba Film & Music.
RETURNING SERIES
COLLAR OF DUTY – Season 2 – Original Canadian Series
New Season: Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Dec. 15
This 12-part original Canadian series captures incredible true stories of service and therapy animals that are transforming people’s lives. In each episode, Animal Planet visits individuals living with a service/therapy animal to learn about their relationship and witness how each person’s life has dramatically improved thanks to their special animal. From prisons to courtrooms to classrooms, the series reveals the many ways animals are making a major impact on the humans who need them most.
Well, last week’s episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries certainly ended in a memorable way. After assuming I’d see Frankie and Ernest Hemingway canoodling before long, it was Moses Page who she shared a liplock with. I applaud the writing room for throwing that twist in and am excited to see where that storyline goes from here.
As for this week, here’s the CBC’s official word on “Healing Hands,” written by Andrew Burrows-Trotman and directed by Sudz Sutherland:
When Trudy (Chantel Riley) gives shelter to a faith-healing preacher’s daughter, she and Frankie (Lauren Lee Smith) find themselves investigating Toronto’s jazz scene.
And here’s some more scoop after watching a screener.
Frankie and Trudy are equals in every way
It may say Drake Private Detectives on the door, but Trudy and Frankie are equal partners in this business. That means working together and a constant support system. Neither is more important than the other and we love it.
Karen Robinson returns
Yes, Karen Robinson is back on Monday as Mildred Clarke, critiquing Trudy’s driving and career choice. And just because she attends church with her mother doesn’t mean Trudy necessarily believes in a higher power. We’re getting some very interesting character backstory on Trudy so far, especially when she and Frankie get into the topic of faith.
Killjoys‘ Prince Amponsah guest-stars
Last seen in Season 3 of Canadian sci-fi hit Killjoys, Prince Amponsah drops by Frankie Drake to portray a wounded soldier who is healed at the hands of Elsie (guest star Greta Onieogou). Fellow Killjoys, Alias Grace and Murdoch Mysteries guest actor John Tench also appears as Lyle, a shady sort.
Robert Carli rules
Fans of Murdoch Mysteries already know Robert Carli is the man behind that incredible theme music as well as the weekly soundtrack. Well, Carli ups the ante with Frankie Drake‘s soundtrack, a wonderful homage to the 1920s jazz scene jam-packed with trumpet, percussion and, I’m pretty sure, some oboe too.
Frankie Drake Mysteries airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
Image courtesy of CBC.
From Hannah Sung of The Globe and Mail:
Link: Russell Peters talks political correctness and new TV show The Indian Detective
“It’s kind of a fantasy situation. I’m just a regular constable in Toronto and I go to India and I get treated special. And I live up to the potential that I always knew I had. Do you ever just think to yourself, ‘If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have been so smart,’ you know?” Continue reading.
From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:
Link: Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new TV series ‘The Indian Detective’
Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: “What would the average Joe do in this situation?”
Loved by audiences around the world as a successful stand-up comedy headliner, “The Indian Detective” — which premieres Thursday on CTV — casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai. Continue reading.
From Mark Daniel of the Toronto Sun:
Link: Russell Peters talks ‘The Indian Detective’ and why he’ll never host the Junos again
For his first leading role in a scripted TV series, Canadian funnyman Russell Peters knew he didn’t want to do a 30-minute sitcom.
The stand-up star, who came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-earning comedians last year, wanted to prove he can do more than just tickle your funnybone. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Bell Media Studios announced today that Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) has begun production on new original Canadian series, DISASTERS AT SEA (working title). Commissioned by Discovery Canada, the docudrama is made possible in part by international broadcast partners Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia), in the biggest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind for an EPI production.
DISASTERS AT SEA is a six-episode series about the most mysterious and unexpected marine disasters in recent history, recreated in each 60-minute episode through the visceral first-hand accounts of seamen and women on their worst day, and for some, their finest hour. In each of the stories featured, there are heroes who exerted herculean efforts to save their colleagues, the environment, and valuable property. International rights of DISASTERS AT SEA are managed exclusively by Exploration Distribution Inc. (EDI).
More about DISASTERS AT SEA:
Proving and disproving theories of catastrophic real-life events, DISASTERS AT SEA goes beyond the traditional documentary approach to explore six separate disasters at sea throughout the season. Often-conflicting reports leave the cause of the sinking unknown and mysterious, and DISASTERS AT SEA unravels these mysteries through a second set of key characters: the dedicated marine investigators whose job it was to separate fact from fiction, fill in the unknown, and identify cause and effect as they uncover the shocking chain of events, often with nothing more than tiny leads. The conclusions are dramatic, unexpected, and profound.
Designed to pull viewers off the sidelines and immerse them in the action, archival footage is combined with carefully imagined and evocative dramatic re-enactments that provide an engaging mix of factual and modern storytelling. To achieve this, the series includes CGI and special effects, bringing to life the wide shots of the ship in rough waters, and recreations to dramatically convey the catastrophic events.
Grounded in fact, each episode unfolds as a mystery, providing a suspenseful journey into the little known world of life at sea, and a tribute to the working men and women who sacrificed their lives for it all.
DISASTERS AT SEA (working title) is produced by Bell Media’s EPI in association with Discovery, and in conjunction with Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia). Series Producer is Alix MacDonald. Executive Producers are Marianne Kushmaniuk and Kelly McKeown, who is also Director of Production for EPI.
