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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Big Brother Canada

All-new supersized season of Big Brother Canada premieres March 4

From a media release:

Canada’s most iconic social TV experiment is upping the ante as Global announces a supersized eighth season of Big Brother Canada kicking off with an epic two-night premiere Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT and Thursday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the dramatic fallout on Sunday, March 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. With series host Arisa Cox and a new cast of unsuspecting houseguests, the series returns three nights a week with all-new episodes Wednesdays (7 p.m. ET/PT), Thursdays (8 p.m. ET/PT), and Sundays (8 p.m. ET/PT), in addition to free live feeds from inside the house at BigBrotherCanada.ca. Last season, Big Brother Canada averaged 1.2 million viewers (Ind. 2+) per episode, making it the highest-rated season to date. So just how supersized is this season? Fans will find out during the season premiere on March 4!

Building on the deluxe season ahead, and for the first-time ever, ET Canada is producing a jam-packed, one-hour Big Brother Canada Season 8 special premiering Sunday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Big Brother Canada’s Supersized Season 8 Preview with ET Canada will feature sit-down interviews with this season’s cast, an exclusive tour of the new BBCAN house with host Arisa Cox, retrospectives on past seasons, and the biggest look-ahead with the official reveal of the show’s Season 8 theme.

Now entering its eighth season, Big Brother Canada hand-picks a group of strangers from across the country, sequesters them from the outside world, and places them inside a house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones to capture their every move. Competing for a grand cash prize, each week the houseguests battle in a series of challenges that give them power or punishment, voting each other out until the fate of the final two is decided by a jury of fellow houseguests.

Big Brother Canada offers one of the most content-driven experiences for TV lovers, and Global has made past seasons available on both GlobalTV.com and the Global TV App. Coinciding with the season premiere, BigBrotherCanada.ca serves fans free live feeds, hit and miss moments from the show, houseguest interviews, live show votes, and more, beginning early March.

Commissioned by Corus Entertainment, Season 8 of Big Brother Canada is produced by Insight Productions Ltd. in association with Corus Entertainment and Endemol Shine. Executive Producers are John Brunton and Erin Brock.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Kortney and Dave pay it forward in Making it Home

9 Comments

I can’t help but like Kortney and Dave Wilson. They’re fun, don’t take things too seriously and they know their stuff. It’s served them well through shows like Masters of Flip and Music City Fix.

Now the duo is back with a brand-new program. Debuting Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on HGTV Canada, the exceptionally long-titled Making it Home with Kortney & Dave finds the pair in the Greater Toronto Area, helping families upgrade while keeping within tight budgets. It’s all about paying it forward and these two are ready to do it.

In the debut, Kortney and Dave are tasked with helping Michael and Elizabeth work on their home, which just happens to be Michael’s childhood house. That means plenty of 80s styles that have to go out the window in favour of an open, bright concept. Add in a mother-in-law, kids and oft-visiting in-laws … the house needs some major space re-jigging. And, with just over $100,000 budget, Kortney and Dave can’t do a full-on makeover.

In no time at all sledgehammers are swinging, dust is puffing about and the seven-week renovations are underway. The results are, as usual, stunning. But they’re also entirely within reach for a typical homeowner. In Making it Home, Dave and Kortney are eschewing the extravagance for the practical, the outlandish for the informative. And it’s just as entertaining as anything other series they’ve done.

Making it Home with Kortney & Dave airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Preview: Murdoch Mysteries, “Fox Hunt”

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Before I get into this week’s preview of Murdoch Mysteries‘ newest episode, I want to say a couple of quick thank yous.

First, thank you to CBC for inviting me to an incredible fan event celebrating 200 episodes. It’s always fun to be able to catch up with the people involved in making the show and it was an honour to sit with props master Craig Grant, costume designer Joanna Syrokomla and writers Mary Pedersen and Noelle Girard during the cast Q&A and screening.

Secondly, thank you to the Murdoch fans who made me feel like a rock star. Writing about this show we all love is a pleasure, and you telling me in person that you enjoy what I write and appreciate my thoughts on the show is something I don’t take lightly.

Now, on to this week’s episode! Here’s what the CBC has revealed about “Fox Hunt,” written by Simon McNabb and directed by Craig David Wallace:

When a fox hunter is killed, Murdoch suspects a group opposed to the sport.

And here are a few tidbits I gleaned from watching a screener.

The Mimico Newsomes have arrived
You can’t have an uppity social event without Rupert and Ruth! As usual, Cyrus Lane and Siobhan Murphy engage in some major scenery-chewing. I caught myself smiling every time they were on-screen, especially when Rupert revealed his post-Henry-Ruth nuptials adventures. Simon McNabb’s script is pitch-perfect for these two; can Rupert and Ruth please have their own spinoff or at least digital series?

Margaret appears
I was thrilled to see Margaret appear within the first seconds of “Fox Hunt.” And, if you listen closely, you hear Margaret discuss the story behind the dress she’s wearing.

Horses and Huckabees
It’s wonderful to see Thomas, William and others astride their equine co-stars. Meanwhile, Julia has a mystery at home involving the Murdoch’s next-door neighbours.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Featured

Comments and queries for the week of January 17

5 Comments

Episode 200 of Murdoch Mysteries was great, with an entertaining story and acting. Depiction of the historical figures was clever. It was fun to see George’s imagination appreciated by no less a genius than Albert Einstein. Sally Pendrick was a terrific choice for the arch villain. The Murdoch regulars were at their best. —Mary

“So Liam takes on the house as a project and keeps renovating for her and doing acts of service for her and kindness.”

So Coroner‘s Liam is Jenny’s Eldon? :-) (Murphy Brown reference)

Seriously, I often wonder, Why on earth would one character find another character attractive? There’s nothing there for someone to find them attractive. Perhaps, it’s the fact that the writers only need a simply drawn foil for the main character.

But on this show, I can see why the two of them got together and the actors and writers do a really great job at making the relationship real. These kind of small scenes they create keeps me tuning in each week. —John

Oh hellooooo I’ve seen that lead actor in a couple of other Canadian series and he is a cutie!!! Looking forward to Transplant. Didn’t know John Hannah was gonna be in it too … interesting. —Sarah

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

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Fortunate Son

Link: Kacey Rohl discusses Fortunate Son’s mother/daughter conflict

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Kacey Rohl discusses Fortunate Son’s mother/daughter conflict
“The political nature of the show was very attractive to me. It’s set in 1968, but a lot of what we’re dealing with really echoes to now. I like the idea of people sitting down at 9 p.m. to watch a TV show but then thinking about it for a bit.” Continue reading. 

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