From The Canadian Press:
Ukrainians clamour for Canadian TV content and hardware
“The Littlest Hobo,†“Anne of Green Gables,†maybe even “Flashpoint†could find a new lease on life in Ukraine as the country’s broadcasting council scrambles to fill TV screens with something other than Russian programming, says a senior Ukrainian official. Continue reading.
From Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail:
Why TV networks are dialling down divisions and sharing shows
Much’s audience has Snapchatted and Instagrammed and just plain wandered away lately, so this year its anxious corporate parent tried to win the channel some new friends by placing last Sunday night’s MMVAs on a cross-generational clutch of Bell’s TV properties: Not just Much, but also the main CTV network as well as CTV Two, MTV, MTV2 and M3. Continue reading.
Dark Matter just messed with my brain. After making a bunch of notes during Friday’s third episode, I basically had to throw everything I thought I knew out the window thanks to that final scene aboard the space station.
Yes, apparently, that was Jace Corso looking for the Raza and its crew members, causing me to sit forward and exclaim, ‘What the hell?!” This was, of course, moments after Five discovered the gun that killed the young man she found in the storage room earlier.
Written by Martin Gero, Episode 3 had the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, with a dead body found and the murderer among the folks trapped on the ship with no connection to the outside world. There were plenty of lingering camera shots at various team members, causing viewers to wonder which one was the culprit. It was easy to assume Three was the man responsible for killing the kid and even wiping their minds because he avoided the Android’s lie detector test until One literally put a gun to his head.
I’m still holding out hope the Android is somehow controlling everything on the Raza; every time Five came close to outing who had done the mind wipe something went wrong with the ship. I can’t help but feel the Android is controlling the situation no matter how innocent her face appears to be. (Remember Ash from Alien??) My assumption the faulty sensor was fake wasn’t true, but the gamma radiation scare certainly could have been.
Did Five program the Android? Is Three really single-minded, or is he an evil genius? Does One really have feelings for Two, or did he kiss her to gain her trust?
That’s the thing with Dark Matter. Just when I think I know what’s going to happen, a curve ball is thrown to make me reassess my assumptions.
In my opinion, that’s the mark of a great TV show.
Notes and quotes
Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
Compared to last week’s debut, Friday’s second episode of Killjoys was a bit of a step back. Not in action or excitement, mind you—there was plenty of both—but time was taken to build and establish relationships on two major fronts.
“The Sugar Point Run,” written by Jeremy Boxen, forced Dutch and D’avin to team up when Lucy was shot down in hostile territory on Westerley. While Johnny stayed behind to fix the damaged ship, those two set off to track down Simon (Michael Therriault), who was being delivered to his sister, Ryo (Irene Poole), in exchange for the Mayor’s daughter, whom she’d captured. But Ryo wasn’t interested in reuniting with Simon because she missed him. She wanted the round memory chip he’d hidden in his guts; it held the launch codes to a missile she’d stolen and aimed at The Company’s headquarters in Old Town.
As expected, D’avin impressed Dutch with his hand-to-hand fighting and deadly accuracy with weapons (he was a soldier, after all) so much so she offered him a Killjoys gig provided he passed the test. I’m guessing he passes the test; the show is called Killjoys and not Two Killjoys and a Flunkie. Did anyone else catch that little narrowing of the eyes from Johnny when Dutch offered his bro the job? Who else thinks the Brothers Jacobis may be battling for her affections before the season is done?
Of course, Johnny has a lady of his own, sort of. It was clear from this episode that he and Lucy have a pretty intense bond, one usually reserved for people. The fact Johnny knows Lucy’s most intimate parts and software hints at a long-term relationship between them and a loyalty that has bridged the gap between spaceship and homo sapiens.
Notes and quotes
Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.
South of the border love for Murdoch Mysteries
I am a Bostonian and I currently live in the L.A. area and I find most of our syndicated television dramas/comedies to be “cookie-cutter” programs. When a new and fresh program idea comes along that garners my interest and gains popularity, it eventually gets so diluted (cast/writing changes) and repeated to death it quickly loses its appeal.
It is SO REFRESHING to have found this gem known as Murdoch Mysteries/The Artful Detective. The core cast are all brilliant in their portrayals of their diverse characters. The continuity of storylines and the character development is a tribute to the writing teams. This TV series has been like opening a very good book and being drawn to the characters, chapter by chapter and always anticipating what will happen next. (Yes, I do realize the basis of this TV show is Ms. Jennings book series—which I am now hoping to read this summer.)
THANK YOU, CANADA and the men and women involved in its total production—quality programming at its best. I also have to thank my sister in Boston. When she told me of the premise (a Toronto detective from the turn the century who solves murders that involve the basic “whodunit” woven with historical characters), I took the bait. BEEN HOOKED ever since. I very much look forward to the next chapter in Season 9. —Corrinna
Murdoch Mysteries star celebrates small-town Canada with laughter
Nice! Love Murdoch Mysteries. It’s my buffer for the rough action that never ends on Game of Thrones. Jonny Harris has a dry sense of humour that I can relate to being a Mainer-Portland, Maine that is. Best wishes to him for success with this endeavor!—Lenora
Is Canada ready for another late-night talk show?
Strombo’s The Hour/Tonight was the closest (and best) we’ve ever come to a viable late-night model. Re-invented the format, top-notch host with smart interview style, top-notch guests (leaning heavily on BIG stars with some windows for Canadian up and comers) and a bold and flashy style. It was the perfect storm that I don’t think can be easily replicated. Someone will want to do it cheap, have low-rent guests, hire a host who thinks they’re better at it than they will be and the writing will be sub-par. And it has to find an audience. But maybe I’m wrong … a reboot of Thicke of the Night? I hear Alan’s schedule is wide open. —Jon
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.
