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.
Bachelorette Canada, Featured

Comments and queries for the week of October 7

The Age of Abundant Consultation

The CRTC heard what consumers wanted; they simply ignored what consumers were saying. The CRTC proved once more that it walks in the shadow of the regulated industries. The “BIG BOYS” dictated the terms and conditions of their “surrender” to consumer demands for a skinny cable package. The CRTC dutifully responded by making these the terms and conditions of their package. It did not take long for consumers to realize that after all of the CRTC’s hype about choice, they had been had. Once more, the CRTC proved to the public that they are not a credible regulatory agency who will place the interest of consumers above those of the “BIG BOYS.” J.P. Blais is largely responsible for this outcome. —Eamon

Bachelorette Canada makes Muzique in Montreal

Chris was respectful and asked Jasmine if she wanted the hear the goods on Johnny (Drew). If she wanted to just keep on going blindly and make her own decisions she should not have said yes. Maybe I don’t think like the rest of them, but it took guts from a guy who never really had any one-on-one time with her to let her know not to be fooled by a rat who’s in it for the game or the win while Chris himself seems more to have her best interests at heart not wanting to see her heart crushed by a player. I lost respect for the bunch of them. —Lori

Can I buy The Nature of Things?

I would like to order this series on Pompeii. How can I do this? Thanks. —Laura

We’re not sure if you can purchase episodes of The Nature of Things, but you’ll be able to stream it at CBC.ca.

 

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

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

The Liquidator comes to an end on OLN

It’s the end of the road for The Liquidator on OLN. After 91 episodes and five seasons, series star Jeff Schwarz made the announcement via Facebook on Thursday.

“I want to be clear it’s been great filming The Liquidator and based on the success of the show and its ratings, I would have continued,” he wrote. “We hit 163 countries, and had top ratings in Canada, it’s been a pleasure being on OLN. The decision to not renew the show has really nothing to do with them, new regulations with programming is ONE of the main reasons the show is no longer being filmed.” The new regulations Schwarz mentions no doubt refers to the CRTC’s ruling regarding skinny basic and à la carte cable offerings, and suggests OLN won’t exist once consumers are given the power to buy only the channels they want to watch.

“I can assure you that we are working on more TV, and it should happen with any network we look forward in continuing filming,” Schwarz continued in his post. “We did a total of 91 episodes or five seasons with the help of Anaïd Productions. This on any standard was a huge achievement on any level! I want to personally thank all my fans with their support and encouragement and should an opportunity arise and it makes sense we will be back on TV.”

The Liquidator docu-drama series followed the Vancouver-based Schwarz—owner of Direct Liquidation—as he bought up discarded or unwanted merchandise and then sold out of his 30,000 square-foot warehouse. The series won a 2014 Leo Award for Best Screenwriting in a Lifestyle/Information Series and another in 2015 for Best Directing in a Lifestyle/Information Series.

Fans of The Liquidator have gone online and created a petition for folks to sign in a bid to get the series back on the air.

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Murdoch Mysteries

Link: Murdoch Mysteries: Why this CBC show is still so popular after a decade

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From Steve Gow of Metro:

Link: Murdoch Mysteries: Why this CBC show is still so popular after a decade
One of Canada’s greatest mysteries is the ongoing success of Murdoch Mysteries.

After all, the longtime CBC series has not only beat the odds by heading into its 10th season (starting October 10th, fittingly), but it’s still gaining in popularity nearly a decade after making its television debut. Continue reading.

 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Andrew Younghusband returns with Discovery’s Canada’s Worst Driver and Tougher Than It Looks?

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From a media release:

Notable host, creative producer, and writer, Andrew Younghusband is taking over primetime television Monday nights! Discovery, Canada’s most-watched entertainment specialty network, continues rolling out its biggest-ever fall lineup with the season premiere of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT followed by the network’s newest original Canadian series, TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 24.

Discovery introduces TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? starring Younghusband as he delves into the toughest jobs, attempts to tackle terrifying heights, extreme sports, small spaces, and strange hobbies. Shot in ultra-vivid 4K UHD, each 30-minute episode finds Younghusband on a mission to tackle wildly different experiences with minimal training, including working as a window cleaner on a dauntingly high skyscraper, wing walking on a bi-plane in mid-air, barefoot water skiing, setting world records, and even racing lawnmowers. Nothing is too scary – or obscure – for Younghusband to try … at least once.

But first, Younghusband is back at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre in Dunnville, Ont., for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER as eight disastrous Canadian drivers take on various challenges behind the wheel in Season 12. CANADA’S WORST DRIVER was Discovery’s most-watched series last season and ranked as the #1 Canadian series on entertainment specialty television among the key adult demos (A25-54 and A18-49). The series also saw a double-digit audience growth among the A25-54 (+15%) and A18-49 (+18%) demos, when compared to its previous season.

This year’s reckless and irresponsible drivers hail from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton, Ont., Kitchener, Ont., and beyond. Each nominated by a friend or family member, these truly terrible drivers are put through driving challenges in a controlled environment and evaluated by a panel of driving experts: CP24’s Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru.

A first for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER this season, Younghusband examines and compares Canadian driving laws with the customs and driving cultures of other countries, all while administering the series’ trademark tried-and-tested challenges designed to push this year’s driver participants to their limits. Week by week, one driver graduates from the training centre, and merges back on to the open road with their head held high.

The season finale sees the remaining three drivers face the last challenge before one finalist is ultimately named this year’s “Worst Driver”. Viewers can catch up on all previous season finales of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER online now at Discovery.ca. Previous seasons of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER are streaming now on Discovery GO and CraveTV™.

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Shoot the Messenger

Links: Shoot the Messenger

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

“[Creators Sudz Sutherland and Jennifer Holness]created all these different characters that force [Daisy] to have to behave differently [with each of them]. She has some deep-seated issues. She’s a survivor. She knows how to play people, especially in the work environment.” Continue reading.

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

CBC’s Shoot the Messenger is not grubby enough

It starts with sexy stuff. Young woman on top of a guy in bed. “You know we gotta stop this,” he says. “That’s what you said the last time,” she says with a smile, which is all she’s wearing.

Next thing, a phone call compels her to leave. She’s a reporter and it’s a source calling. On TV, this is always when sources call newspaper journalists. People who write TV shows have very vivid imaginations about the personal lives of newspaper writers. Anyway, off the young woman journalist goes, pronto. After all, the source says, “This is going to put you on the front page of the world, Miss Daisy.” Continue reading.

From Ellen Brait of The Globe and Mail:

Link: CBC’s Shoot the Messenger pulls drama straight from the headlines
A fast-moving, sexy, timely, action-packed thriller … set in a newsroom? It sounds a bit far-fetched, but Lucas Bryant, a star of the new CBC drama Shoot the Messenger, says that’s just what the series delivers. “It’s just good TV,” he says, “Period.” Continue reading. 

From Bill Harris of Postmedia Network:

Shoot the Messenger uses Rob Ford story as inspiration for CBC thriller
Just to be clear, Shoot the Messenger is not about the Rob Ford crack-video scandal.

However, if you even are vaguely familiar with that scandal, some of this is going to ring a bell. At least in terms of the complex relationships between reporters and their sources and the police and politicians. And how that all gets even muddier when blackmailers are involved. Continue reading.

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Shoot the Messenger is not about Rob Ford, say creators of the CBC series
A co-creator of the new CBC-TV crime drama “Shoot the Messenger” insists it’s not a story about Rob Ford.

But Sudz Sutherland does admit he was inspired by the saga of the late former Toronto mayor as he helped craft the series, which stars Elyse Levesque as a newspaper reporter caught up in a web of gangs, murder, sex, drugs and politics in Toronto. Continue reading.

From Sheri Shefa of The Canadian Jewish News:

Canadian actor happy to star in new CBC series
“Sam Charles is the attorney general of Ontario who is being groomed to be the next prime minister,” said Cohen, who is part of the cast of CBC’s eight-part series, Shoot the Messenger, which will begin airing on Oct. 10.

“He’s kind of a playboy, very smart. He’s a Rhodes scholar. I don’t want to say he was modelled on Justin Trudeau, but certainly he was one of the inspirations… He’s kind of, in some ways, a composite of Justin, [but] there are elements of Bill Clinton in there,” he said, adding that the show’s creators, Sudz Sutherland and Jennifer Holness, were also inspired by U.S. President Barack Obama. Continue reading. 

From Stew Slater of St. Mary’s Journal Argus:

New TV drama judged worthy of praise by St. Marys actor
With a cast filled with people of various ethnic backgrounds as well as several strong female characters — including a potential candidate for the Supreme Court of Canada played by St. Marys-based actor Brenda Bazinet — a new hour-long drama series is set to premiere on CBC Television on Monday, Oct. 10.

Shoot the Messenger, with an eight-episode main story arc exploring the aftermath when a young female journalist following a news tip happens upon a murder, was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton between August and November of 2015. Bazinet, who moved to St. Marys eight years ago after three decades living in Toronto, says she was proud to be involved in a production that consciously aimed to mirror the diverse ethnic kaleidoscope that the city has become. Continue reading.

From Ramin Ostad of the Edmonton Examiner:

Raising the Barr of Canadian TV
Ian Barr never used to want to write for television.

The Edmonton-based screenwriter has worked on multiple TV shows in his nearly 16-year career, including the widely acclaimed Tiny Plastic Men, and is a writer/producer of an upcoming 10-episode serial crime drama, Shoot the Messenger. Continue reading.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Shoot the Messenger: Not Your Standard Crime Drama
“We are partners, but I am a gal and I’ve been watching TV just like everybody else with male protagonists at the center of things. I’ve always been in favor of supporting women, women’s stories and to put women at the center of things. I have an awesome partner that actually believes that.” Continue reading. 
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