Crave orders second season of smash-hit original comedy series, Shoresy

January 17, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Lace ‘em up! As revealed today by TSN’s Jay Onrait and SportsCentre, Crave has ordered a second season of the hit original comedy SHORESY. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, the six-episode, half-hour series follows the foul-mouthed, chirp-serving, mother-loving, fan favourite character, Shoresy (Keeso), and the embattled Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs as they continue their quest to never lose again. Production is set to begin in Sudbury this spring.

A hit with both fans and critics alike, SHORESY was the most-watched Canadian series debut in Crave history, and received rave reviews from The New York Times who regarded the series, “as wild and filthy as its predecessor, absolutely bubbling over with indecency, and outrageousness in all of the best ways;” and The Globe and Mail who said “at last, a real hockey show about real hockey.” A bonafide hit on both sides of the border, Hulu will once again be the exclusive streaming home of SHORESY in the U.S., alongside its wildly popular forerunner, LETTERKENNY.

Returning to the SHORESY lineup is Tasya Teles (THE 100) as Nat; Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat (Prey) as Sanguinet; Blair Lamora (Paranormal Nightshift) as Ziigwan; and Keilani Rose (FLIMSY) as Miigwan. From, Blainville, QC, rapper Jonathan-Ismael Diaby stars as Dolo; and former Montréal Canadien, author, and actor Terry Ryan stars as Hitch. Ryan McDonell (THE CROSSING) stars as Michaels, Max Bouffard (LETTERKENNY) is JJ Frankie JJ, and former Kahnawake Condor and MMA fighter Andrew “The Canon” Antsanen returns as Goody. Legendary all-time tough guy Jon “Nasty” Mirasty, former ‘Canes centre Brandon Nolan, and three time Stanley Cup winner, Jordan Nolan star as Jim, Jim, and Jim, respectively, with Listowel’s Keegan Long as Liam, and North Bay’s Bourke Cazabon as Cory.

Developed by Bell Media for Crave, SHORESY is produced by New Metric Media, in partnership with Play Fun Games in association with Bell Media, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Bell Fund, with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and Ontario Creates. The series is distributed by WildBrain, New Metric Media is the exclusive sales agent. Jared Keeso is executive producer, writer, star, and creator. Jacob Tierney is executive producer and director. Kaniehtiio Horn is producer. Mark Montefiore and Kara Haflidson are Executive Producers for New Metric Media.

Wong & Winchester

Links: Wong & Winchester, Season 1

January 13, 2023 Greg David

From Christian Collington of The Canadian Press:

Link: ‘Wong & Winchester’ leads hope viewers will root for the scrappy duo in Citytv comedy
Grace Lynn Kung says Wong & Winchester is the show she always dreamt of doing. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Grace Lynn Kung and Sofia Banzhaf talk Wong & Winchester
One of the new homegrown Canadian shows of 2023 is Citytv’s Wong & Winchester, a six-episode procedural that’s a little bit Private Eyes and a little bit Pretty Hard Cases. Continue reading.

Slasher

Hollywood Suite slices into spring with the Canadian premiere of Slasher: Ripper

January 13, 2023 Greg David 2 Comments

From a media release:

Hollywood Suite is ready to slice and dice into spring with the exclusive Canadian premiere of the fifth season of horror anthology series Slasher, with back-to-back episodes on April 6. The highly anticipated new season of Slasher: Ripper starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), will roll out new episodes airing Thursdays at 9pm ET on Hollywood Suite. Episodes will be available exclusively on Hollywood Suite On Demand following their premiere.

“Basil Garvey is the most evil character I’ve ever played… and I loved him! Can’t wait for Canada to see Slasher: Ripper in April!” said Eric McCormack.

“We are thrilled to be the exclusive Canadian home of the Slasher franchise,” said Sharon Stevens, Vice President, Programming at Hollywood Suite. “Horror fans won’t be disappointed, with Slasher: Ripper delivering all the terrifying scares and gore they’ve come to expect from the anthology, along with a chilling new setting.”

“It’s fantastic that the Slasher franchise has found such a strong fanbase here in Canada,” added Christina Jennings, Chairman & President, Shaftesbury. “We were delighted to be working with the brilliant Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter again this season, along with the newest member of the Slasher family, the talented Eric McCormack.”

The new season takes the Slasher franchise back in time to the late 19th century with Eric McCormack as Basil Garvey, a charismatic tycoon whose success is only rivaled by his ruthlessness, as he oversees a city on the cusp of a new century, and a social upheaval that will see its streets run red with blood. There’s a killer on the loose, but instead of targeting the poor and downtrodden like Jack the Ripper, The Widow is meting out justice against the rich and powerful. The only person standing in the way of this killer is the newly promoted detective, Kenneth Rijkers, whose ironclad belief in justice may wind up being yet another victim of The Widow.

Produced by Shaftesbury, the new season of Slasher is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Thomas P. Vitale, Aaron Martin, Ian Carpenter and Adam Macdonald.

Canadian Slasher fans can currently stream Slasher: Flesh & Blood, which was released last fall and stars horror icon David Cronenberg, exclusively on Hollywood Suite On Demand.

The Spencer Sisters

CTV original series The Spencer Sisters premieres Feb. 10 on CTV

January 13, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

A mother-and-daughter duo become budding crime investigators in the new CTV Original drama THE SPENCER SISTERS, airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning February 10. Created by award-winning executive producer Alan McCullough (PRIVATE EYES, ROOKIE BLUE) and co-showrun with Jenn Engels (SORT OF), the female-led series is a light-hearted, one-hour procedural that follows mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Lea Thompson, Back To The Future, CAROLINE IN THE CITY) and her daughter Darby Spencer (Stacey Farber, VIRGIN RIVER, SCHITT’S CREEK) who are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in the fictional town of Alder Bluffs, Ont. Filmed in Winnipeg, the first season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.

In THE SPENCER SISTERS, after a string of bad luck, Toronto police officer Darby Spencer (Farber) quits her job and is forced to return home to her estranged mother, internationally renowned mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Thompson). After the duo are thrust into solving a crime together, Darby discovers a side to Victoria she never knew, and ultimately takes the plunge into the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming her partner in a private detective agency. Despite their opposing personalities, generational differences and complicated history, they discover they may have more in common than they thought. Each episode brings a new case to solve, and while the tightly-wound Darby and the carefree Victoria may never quite see eye to eye, they discover that maybe – just maybe – they need each other more than they realize.

Joining the cast in supporting roles are Thomas Antony Olajide (Learn To Swim) as Darby’s high school best friend and Alder Bluffs cop Zane Graham; Edward Ruttle (ARCTIC AIR) as Darby’s high school flame Doctor Lucas Collins; Husein Madhavji (SAVING HOPE) as Victoria’s “IT Consultant” (a.k.a. hacker) Alastair Dhumal; Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves (SORT OF) as Victoria’s feisty literary agent Sarita Stark; Rodrigo Massa (EL DRAGÓN: RETURN OF A WARRIOR) as Zane’s (Olajide) husband Antonio Pereira, who operates a Brazilian bistro in Alder Bluffs; Kaitlyn Leeb (SPINNING OUT) as Lindsay Yip – a hotshot lawyer who is Lucas’ fiancée; and Adam Hurtig (Cult of Chucky) as the lead detective of the Alder Bluff’s police force.

Season 1 also features guest appearances by Paul Popowich (MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN), Andrew Bushell (HUDSON & REX), Cindy Sampson (PRIVATE EYES), Seán Cullen (MURDOCH MYSTERIES), Matt Wells (Crown and Anchor), Alex Ozerov (CARDINAL), Jennifer Hui (STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS), Nancy Sorel (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE), Mercedes Morris (AMERICAN GODS), Julius Cho (CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING), Mika Amonsen (EZRA), Daniel Kash (The Man From Toronto), Paul Essiembre (THE PORTER), Tova Epp (TITANS), Zarrin Darnell-Martin (GINNY & GEORGIA), and Hazel Venzon (BURDEN OF TRUTH).

On the series premiere of THE SPENCER SISTERS, “The Scholar’s Snafu” (Friday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app), after her life in the city falls apart, former cop Darby Spencer (Farber) is forced to return to her childhood home and her estranged, best-selling mystery novelist mother Victoria Spencer (Thompson). But when Darby’s friend Kaia (guest star Jennifer Hui, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS) is wrongfully accused of plagiarism, Darby and Victoria must put aside their differences and investigate, uncovering a wide-ranging scandal. A special preview of the debut episode airs Sunday, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7p.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, immediately following the conclusion of the NFL Conference Championship.

Exclusive videos are available throughout the season on @CTV’s social channels and on CTV.ca and the CTV app, providing viewers with an extension of the series with bonus digital content that includes behind-the-scenes videos and more.

A CTV Original series, THE SPENCER SISTERS is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Buffalo Gal Pictures. The series is created by Alan McCullough and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels .

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Documentary Doug and the Slugs & Me is a filmmaker’s love letter to her childhood

January 13, 2023 Greg David

Growing up in the 1980s, I heard a lot of Doug and the Slugs music.

The group’s music videos for tunes like “Too Bad,” “Making It Work,” “Tomcat Prowl” and “Day by Day” were MuchMusic staples. Heck, I have “Day by Day” as part of my most-played songs on my iPhone. But, aside from knowing they were from Vancouver and created some wild videos, Doug and the Slugs has been a bit of a mystery to me.

Until now.

Debuting Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC, Doug and the Slugs & Me follows filmmaker Teresa Alfeld as she explores the story of Doug Bennett. And while he led one of the most iconic 80s bands in Canada, Alfeld only knew him—during her childhood—as the cool dad of her best friend next door in East Vancouver.

Unlike most music documentaries that simply trace the birth and growth of a band, Doug and the Slugs & Me adds Alfeld’s personal journey, including chats with her mother, to round out Bennett and the band’s story. That, along with interviews with the Slugs, Bob Geldof (who worked with Bennett before Doug and the Slugs formed), Bif Naked, Steven Page, Ron Sexsmith, Michael Williams, Denise Donlon (who was the band’s publicist!) and Terry David Mulligan—and treasured home video—paint a wonderfully moving picture not only of Bennett but capture a slice of Canadiana well worth checking out.

Doug and the Slugs & Me airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of Hans Sipma.