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.
Baroness von Sketch Show, Featured

Baroness von Sketch Show lands on CBC

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“We didn’t want to make a thing that would sit on a shelf. We wanted it on TV as soon as possible.” Carolyn Taylor certainly got her wish: after being greenlit last March by CBC, Baroness von Sketch Show is hitting the air, a rocket ride by Canadian TV production standards.

Debuting Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC, Baroness von Sketch Show stars Taylor and fellow sketch comic veterans Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen, who turn a lens on society and present a satirical take on life. Like City’s cancelled-too-soon Sunnyside, Baroness is shot on-location, though the settings are everyday spots like restaurants and office cubicles rather than the Third World War.

“We wanted the characters and situations to feel relatable,” Taylor explains during a break filming in an empty corner of CBC’s Toronto headquarters. “There is no laugh track and it has a single-camera vibe.” Taylor took her series pitch to Frantic Films over two years ago; after bringing on MacNeill, Browne and Whalen, a sizzle reel was shot and shopped around. Taylor always envisioned Baroness broadcast on CBC, saying the aesthetic fit best there. Production moved at a quick clip, with guerrilla-style filming across Toronto in locations like Woodbine Racetrack, Queen St. West, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Dundas St. and Scarborough. They’ve also had to make changes on the fly: a wedding chapel was converted into a massage parlour for one skit.

“It’s all been a bit of a blur,” Whalen recalls. “We had a great writers’ room with air and light and shelves and snacks. And then we’ve had wonderful, funny people that we admire come in and play with us. I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘Would you like to come and put on your space suit now?’ ‘Yes, I would like nothing more than to do that!'” She notes Jon Dore, Ennis Esmer, Craig Brown, Ann Pornel, Alex Tindal and Toby Burner among those guest-starring in sketches.

How did the quartet come up with the title of their show?

“A baroness is not even the lowest level of aristocracy,” Browne says. “You can actually buy it for yourself. There is a whole swath of women who might have been widows and it gave them a license to go a little kooky. It seemed to have a nice mix of self-entitlement and weirdness. It just felt right and it’s a nice contrast to the stupidity that occurs on the show.”

Baroness von Sketch Show airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Unlucky 13 for one MasterChef Canada home cook

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After weeks of anticipation, cooking and crashing and burning, it’s down to the final two home cooks, who will battle it out in MasterChef Canada‘s season finale next Sunday.

In one corner is Mary Berg, the spunky vegetarian who has an uncanny ability to prepare tasty meats; in the other is Jeremy Senaris, who not only makes great food but is able to replicate intricate recipes with stunning accuracy. The duo will go head-to-head, with one emerging $100,000 richer and with the Season 3 title.

Sadly, “Only the Best,” resulted in Matthew’s elimination after two mistakes in the Pressure Test sealed his fate. They were minor gaffes to be sure—a liquid tart centre and missed croutons—but at this point in the competition a small error makes a big difference.

There honestly isn’t much to say about Sunday’s penultimate episode other than I was mightily impressed with what all three were able to accomplish. The Mystery Box challenge, involving 13 ingredients from the first Mystery test of the season, was an exercise in creativity and time management, as the home cooks were tasked with providing 16 identical plates to 13 of the country’s most influential chefs and Claudio, Michael and Alvin. Once again, timing threatened to derail Mary, but she created the tastiest offering of fish and chips and won a spot in the finale.

Jeremy, meanwhile, ran out of gnocchi to serve, landing him alongside Matthew in the Pressure Test. Their challenge seemed insurmountable, to make three citrus-infused desserts in 90 minutes. If not for Matthew’s errors, he very well could have beaten Jeremy.

Who do you hope wins during next week’s season finale? Comment below.

MasterChef Canada‘s season finale airs Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Industry News

Link: Canadian TV is not dead, it boasts about being alive

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From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Canadian TV is not dead, it boasts about being alive
In the Canadian TV racket, everybody is No. 1 at something.

Either the broadcaster has more hits in the Top 10 or it reaches more women viewers or it has more specialty channels that reach twentysomethings or it has Don Cherry or it offers better coffee to TV critics. It’s a bewildering, boastful business, the Canadian commercial TV arena. What it needs, though, are hits, and mostly those are bought in Los Angeles and then trumpeted as must-see shows to advertisers back in Canada. This is done with fingers crossed and silent prayers behind the boasting. Continue reading.

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Industry News

Link: Pick-and-pay will be a shocker to some

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From Jim Slotek of Postmedia Network:

Pick-and-pay will be a shocker to some
But the real shock to the Canadian TV industry — and some viewers — will come with the second part of the CRTC’s new regs: The long-awaited “pick-and-pay” cable option that is to be available nationwide by December.

Many are predicting that pick-and-pay, every TV watcher’s wish-dream for decades, will usher in an era where it isn’t people’s favourite programs — but their favourite channels — that get cancelled for low ratings. Continue reading.

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Featured, Polls

Poll: Which new Canadian TV shows will you watch this season?

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Now that the Canadian Upfronts are wrapped, we’ve got a complete list of the new homegrown series set to debut during the 2016-17 television season. Some will be on the air this fall, while others will debut during midseason.

What we want to know is, which five have got you the most interested in checking out this season? If you’ve got more than five you’re planning to watch, put them in the comments at the bottom of the page. Can’t quite remember the synopses behind each? We’ve got you covered there too: a one-line description for each is listed below the poll.

Which five new Canadian TV shows are you planning to watch this coming season?

  • Mary Kills People, Global (15%, 84 Votes)
  • Kim's Convenience, CBC (15%, 82 Votes)
  • Russell Peters is the Indian Detective, CraveTV (8%, 45 Votes)
  • Cardinal, CTV (8%, 44 Votes)
  • Shoot the Messenger, CBC (7%, 37 Votes)
  • The Beaverton, The Comedy Network (6%, 34 Votes)
  • Pure, CBC (5%, 30 Votes)
  • Frontier, Discovery (5%, 29 Votes)
  • Travelers, Showcase (5%, 28 Votes)
  • Ransom, Global (4%, 21 Votes)
  • The Disappearance, CTV (3%, 19 Votes)
  • True North Calling, CBC (3%, 17 Votes)
  • Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story, City (3%, 17 Votes)
  • Real Housewives of Toronto, Slice (2%, 11 Votes)
  • Holmes and Holmes, HGTV Canada (2%, 11 Votes)
  • Workin’ Moms, CBC (2%, 11 Votes)
  • Second Jen, City (2%, 10 Votes)
  • Bryan, Inc., HGTV Canada (2%, 9 Votes)
  • This is High School, CBC (1%, 8 Votes)
  • Heavy Rescue: 401, Discovery (1%, 7 Votes)
  • Moving the McGillivrays, HGTV Canada (1%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 217

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Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story, City
Limited event drama telling the real-life story of underworld figure Vito Rizzuto.

Bryan, Inc., HGTV Canada
A behind-the-scenes peek at Bryan and Sarah Baeumler’s workdays at the office.

Cardinal, CTV
Based on the book Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt, a small-town cop chases a serial killer.

Frontier, Discovery
Historical drama telling the story of Canada’s growing fur trade.

Heavy Rescue: 401, Discovery
Highway Thru Hell spinoff about the police, firefighters and tow trucks who keep Ontario’s busiest highways safe.

Holmes and Holmes, HGTV Canada
Mike Sr. and Jr. renovate the latter’s bachelor bungalow into a two-storey home.

Kim’s Convenience, CBC
Television adaptation of Ins Choi, about a Korean-Canadian family who run a convenience store.

Mary Kills People, Global
An emergency room doctor helps the terminally ill end their lives.

Moving the McGillivrays, HGTV Canada
Cameras follow Scott and his family as they build and prepare to move into a new home.

Pure, CBC
A newly-elected Mennonite pastor finds himself drawn into the drug trade.

Ransom, Global
Hostage drama based on the life of negotiator Laurent Combalbert.

Real Housewives of Toronto, Slice
Reality cameras follow socialites around Canada’s biggest city.

Russell Peters is the Indian Detective, CraveTV
A Toronto cop of Indian heritage becomes embroiled in a local case when he visits his father in Mumbai.

Second Jen, City
A coming-of-age comedy about two second-generation Chinese and Filipino-Canadian millennials.

Shoot the Messenger, CBC
A young journalist is caught in a web of urban gangs, the political class and the police while working her first murder case.

The Beaverton, The Comedy Network
A spoof of TV news shows.

The Disappearance, CTV
A family is devastated when their son goes missing during a treasure hunt.

This is High School, CBC
Documentary series capturing the education system at a British Columbia high school.

Travelers, Showcase
Future humans go back in time to save the world from a horrible fate.

True North Calling, CBC
Documentary series following the lives of Canadians who call the North home.

Workin’ Moms, CBC
In this comedy, four urban moms juggle love, careers and parenthood.

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