From Cyla Panin of Buzzfeed:
12 Reasons Today’s Special was actually the most WTF show ever
It was an entertaining and educational show for ’80s and ’90s kids… BUT it was also totally crazy. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) today released the reach figures for Canadian science-fiction productions on the occasion of the spotlight on homegrown talent at MIPCOM, the world’s largest entertainment content market in Cannes (October 5-8, 2015). The data is based on research provided by Canadian audience measurement organization Numeris,
During the 2014-2015 broadcast year Canadian TV sci-fi series Orphan Black on CTV (4.3 million viewers*), Dark Matter on Space (3.7 million), Between on City Total and Killjoys on Space (both 3.2 million) each reached roughly 10% of the Canadian population. In addition, these shows performed above their respective channel averages in the very desirable 18-34 demographic.
During the 2014-2015 broadcast year Canadian sci-fi series also performed above their respective channel averages in the key 18-34 demographic.
|
Performance for 18-34 demographic |
|
|
Between (City Total) |
31%—significantly above channel average of 19% for this demographic |
|
Dark Matter (Space) |
28%—above the channel average of 23% for this demographic |
|
Killjoys (Space) |
25%—above the channel average of 23% for this demographic |
|
Orphan Black (CTV) |
32%—significantly above channel average of 19% for this demographic |
Canadian sci-fi at MIPCOM
On October 5, stars of Canadian science-fiction programs will walk the red carpet for the MIPCOM Opening Gala, namely Jesse Carere and Justin Kelly (Between) as well as Hannah John-Kamen and Aaron Ashmore (Killjoys). On October 6, Telefilm and the CMF will hold the industry conference The Allure of Escapism: Engaging Millennials. Producers of Between(David Cormican, Executive Vice-President, Business Development & Production and Partner, Don Carmody Television) and Killjoys (John Young, Managing Director, Temple Street Productions), as well as cast members of those two productions, will discuss the challenges related to writing and producing sci-fi TV series and what makes this genre so appealing for millennials.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Torri Higginson brings her own take to This Life
Canadian actress Torri Higginson may be best known for playing Dr. Elizabeth Weir for years on the science fiction series Stargate: Atlantis, but this fall she’ll tackle the role of single mother on CBC’s new family drama This Life. The 10-part series premieres Monday, October 5 at 9 p.m. and will see Higginson’s Natalie Lawson receive a terminal cancer diagnosis and spend the first season exploring how this affects her, her three teenage children and her close-knit family. Continue reading.
From Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette:
No looking back as Torri Higginson takes the lead in CBC drama This Life
Higginson certainly impresses in the lead-off episode of This Life, bringing remarkable force to the small screen from the very first scene when she learns the bad news from her doctor. But it’s essential to underline that like Nouvelle adresse, This Life is not just a dark, depressing exploration of a woman facing death. It’s also the story of her family – her three teen kids that she’s raising as a single mom and also her siblings and her parents. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Following Corus Entertainment’s announcement on expanding its distribution presence with original content at MIPCOM this year, the company has secured two premarket U.S. deals that include the sale of Cheer Stars (working title) to ABC Family and the U.S. broadcast rights of the renovation series Masters of Flip to Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Both series are part of a growing slate of properties for international distribution from Corus Entertainment, which includes both titles as well as the real estate series Buying the View.
Corus is building on its relationship with Disney | ABC Television Group on the Canadian original production of Cheer Stars (10 x 60). Produced by Good Human Productions, Cheer Stars follows members of reigning World Champion competitive cheerleading team, The Great White Sharks as they sweat, fight and sparkle their way through a make-or-break cheer season and strive to defend their world championship title. Set to premiere Summer 2016 in Canada on ABC Spark and in the U.S. on ABC Family, the creative collaboration between the two networks further aligns Corus’ portfolio of Women and Family brands with ABC Family, which has been ranked as the #1 network for Women 18 to 34 for the past three consecutive summers. Corus holds license agreements with Disney | ABC Television Group for ABC Spark as well as the newly launched Disney Channel in Canada.
Additionally, Corus has sold the first season of Masters of Flip (12 x 60) to Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. in the U.S., where it is slated to premiere in December 2015. The series, which is the #1 rated new reality series on Corus’ W Network in Canada, follows husband-and-wife house-flipping experts, Kortney and Dave Wilson (CMT Canada’s Meet the Wilsons, Kortney & Dave: By Request) as they breathe new life into old, rundown homes in the thrilling world of high stakes house flipping. Each one-hour episode opens with Kortney and Dave house-hunting for properties that have seen better days and gambling on which one to flip to make the most profit. With limited timelines and tight budgets, they take on the challenge of transforming each real estate disaster into a stunning family dream home. Masters of Flip was produced by Rhino Content and developed in association with W Network.
From a media release:
– 13 episodes now being shot on location in Vancouver –
– Series star Kristin Lehman directs an episode of the multi-CSA nominated series –
– Victor Zinck Jr. (THE 100), and Karen LeBlanc (CRACKED) set to guest star in recurring roles this season –
CTV announced today, in association with Foundation Features and Lark Productions, that production has begun on Season 4 of hit Canadian crime drama MOTIVE. A 2014 Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Dramatic Series, MOTIVE finished its third season with an average audience of 1.24 million viewers, landing the series among the Top 4 most-watched Canadian dramas last season. Shooting in and around Vancouver through February 2016, MOTIVE’s 13 new episodes will join CTV’s upcoming midseason lineup.
Joining Season 4 in recurring roles are Victor Zinck Jr. (THE 100) and Karen LeBlanc (CRACKED), who are both set to don detective badges as they become the newest additions to the series’ homicide team. Series star Kristin Lehman returns as Detective Angie Flynn, and takes on a new role this season: directing one of the series’ episodes. MOTIVE also stars Louis Ferreira (SGU STARGATE UNIVERSE) as Detective Oscar Vega, Brendan Penny (THE ASSISTANTS) as Detective Brian Lucas, and Lauren Holly (NCIS) as medical examiner, Dr. Betty Rogers.
With the climactic Season 3 finale of MOTIVE, viewers last saw Angie and Vega in the hospital hallway as Vega was wheeled into surgery to remove the tumor in his throat. Season 4 picks up three months later, and finds Angie and the rest of the homicide team feeling the pressure to bring a cop’s killer to justice as they adjust to Vega’s new role as their Staff Sergeant and the personality quirks of their new colleague, Detective Mitch Kennecki (Victor Zinck, Jr.). All past episodes of MOTIVE are streaming now on CraveTV™.
MOTIVE is produced by Foundation Features and Lark Productions in association with Bell Media. Executive Producers are Dennis Heaton (CALL ME FITZ, Fido), who also serves as the Season 4 Showrunner; series creator Daniel Cerone (DEXTER, THE BLACKLIST); Louise Clark (CORNER GAS, HIGH MOON); Rob Merilees (Stone of Destiny, Brain on Fire); Erin Haskett (THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER); Rob LaBelle (MENTAL); Lindsay Macadam (Brain on Fire); and Ben Brafman (PERSON OF INTEREST, DEFYING GRAVITY). The series is distributed internationally by NBC Universal International.
