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.
Blood and Water, Kim's Convenience, Second Jen

Link: Asian Canadian female stars tackle identity and invisibility on Canadian TV

From Craig Takeuchi of The Georgia Strait:

Link: Asian-Canadian female stars tackle identity and invisibility on Canadian TV
An auspicious event has occurred in Canadian TV: a virtual Asian Canadian Joy Luck Club has formed.

At the metaphorical mahjong table, in the seat of the South Wind is Blood and Water’s Steph Song, who plays gutsy Vancouver detective Jo Bradley. The ambitious cop headed up a case involving a powerful real-estate billionaire and his family in the first eight episodes of the multilingual OMNI Television crime drama. She delves even further into the investigation—as well as her own family history and her cancer treatment—in the next eight episodes, which start on November 13. Continue reading.

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Bachelorette Canada, Featured, Mohawk Girls

Comments and queries for the week of October 28

Loving those Mohawk Girls

I’ve really liked this show from the beginning. The characters all seem real and relatable and the writing is actually fairly good at times with several truly funny moments, which is saying a lot because there are so many unfunny comedies on TV right now. There are a few rough spots in the writing and acting but I think that’s just because they are giving less experienced writers/actors a chance to learn/grow which is a good thing. —Alicia

Hating Bachelor Drew

I could not stand Drew and the possibility of him being on The Bachelor Canada would repel me from watching the show. How could you possibly even contemplate such a thought? He is self-centred, egotistical and a real douche. Since Day 1, when he was introduced and kept winking at the camera I have had a hate-on for the guy. Who does he think he is, he is such a jerk. If Mike (firefighter, paramedic) does not get chosen by Jasmine I think he would make a great Bachelor Canada. —Irene

The only way ratings will go down is NOT due to Drew’s departure…it will be because she let Thomas go….Drew is so full of himself!!!! —H

Who would want to see any more shows with this fake person on it? I cannot even believe that offer would be made to a person who acts like him, particularly his obnoxious performance when he was eliminated. Nobody wants to watch THE DREW show, except maybe DREW. Just an all around bad human being. At least the show will warn people off him and not allow the fake salesman into their lives. —Bev

 

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

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Second Jen

Links: Second Jen

From Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Second Jen: A Laverne & Shirley for the digital age
Twentysomethings Joy and Wan are the creators, writers and stars of Second Jen, an original City sitcom about two sparky second-generation Asian-Canadian millennial women coming of age in an era so economically challenging that Laverne and Shirley would be crying in their beers instead of merrily goofing off at the bottling plant. Continue reading. 

From The Suburban:

Second Jen series focuses on the Asian-Canadian experience
“It’s a story about 20-something women-of-colour, created by 20-something women-of-colour – which is unique in and of itself. The best comedy comes from writing from your own experience, and there are so many things that young women and people of colour uniquely experience.” Continue reading.

From Arti Patel of The Huffington Post Canada:

New Canadian series Second Jen isn’t just an “Asian show”
A new Canadian comedy series wants to make one thing clear: it isn’t just an “Asian show.”

“Second Jen” is about two second-generation millennial women growing up with immigrant families.

Starring 26-year-old Chinese-Canadian actress Samantha Wan and Filipino-Canadian actress Amanda Joy, the show is reflective not only of their own experiences, but of many Canadians who grew up in Asian households. Continue reading. 

From Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press:

Amusing autumn ahead
Sharp, funny, slightly cheeky and smartly in tune with this country’s diverse demographic mix, Second Jen has been touted in some quarters as groundbreaking because it features two young Asian-Canadians in its lead roles. Continue reading.

From Fannie Sunshine of the North York Mirror:

Shot and set in Toronto, Second Jen airs Thursdays on City
Like most young people, the path to adulthood might begin with finding an apartment with a friend, finding a job, and finding a significant other.

And if that’s not daunting enough, add in cultural and generational issues to boot. Continue reading.

 

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Second Jen

Link: Samantha Wan and Amanda Joy debut culturally diverse Canadian sitcom ‘Second Jen’

From Robert Ballantyne of PopJournalism:

Link: Samantha Wan and Amanda Joy debut culturally diverse Canadian sitcom ‘Second Jen’
Four years ago — before Samantha Wan and Amanda Joy had fully formed the idea that would become City’s new sitcom Second Jen — they took the stage at a Canadian pitch contest and tried to sell an autobiographical comedy series that would explore the stories of the second generation and their families.

The judges were really not interested in their pitch. Continue reading. 

 

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Second Jen

Link: Second Jen’s diversity is good, but its comedy is mediocre

1 Comment

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Second Jen’s diversity is good, but its comedy is mediocre
Second Jen (CITY-TV, 8:30 p.m.) is a new comedy and it falls into the mediocre category. Nice try, though. As in trying too hard to be nice. It’s a very slight comedy, and on the evidence of the first two episodes it’s a one-note idea that is beaten to a near-pulp of puerility through endless repetition of the same theme.

And in the matter of new Canadian TV, it is especially important to have trepidation when approaching a show that’s billed in advance as groundbreaking. Nobody has actually broken ground in Canadian TV for years. Continue reading.

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