Links: Three Pines

December 4, 2022 Greg David

From Murtz Jaffer of the Toronto Star:

Link: For Alfred Molina, playing Armand Gamache in ‘Three Pines’ is a privilege
Alfred Molina is used to playing just about every kind of character imaginable over an impressive 44-year career, but his latest project presented a different type of challenge. Continue reading.

From Johanna Schneller of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Three Pines, based on Louise Penny’s wildly successful novels, arrives on screen
Three Pines, the new Prime Video series premiering Dec. 2, began as ought-to-be-Canadian and ended up yes-Canadian-enough. Continue reading.

From Elisabetta Bianchini of Yahoo:

Link: ‘Three Pines’: Alfred Molina’s most affecting work comes in Canadian drama focused on Indigenous stories
Alfred Molina may be best known for his work in films like Spider-Man 2 and Boogie Nights, but it’s a new Canadian-based Prime Video series from Amazon Studios, Three Pines (premiering Dec. 2), adapted from Louise Penny’s best-selling books, that may be his most affecting piece of work yet, co-starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Continue reading.

From Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert.com:

Link: Alfred Molina Grounds Smart Mystery Series on Prime Video
The latest in the genre is a pleasant little surprise at the end of 2022, a very solid procedural that hands the inspector’s notebook to the great Alfred Molina, who steps into the role of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, a character made famous in a series of prevalent novels by Canadian Louise Penny. Continue reading.

From Michael Hogan of The Telegraph:

Link: Three Pines, review: humdrum Canadian crime drama is thawed by Molina’s kindly sleuth
Radiating intelligence and looking soulfully out at the world from beneath those beetling brows, Molina was born to play a shrewd-but-kindly sleuth. Continue reading.

From Rosemary Counter of Vanity Fair:

Link: This Time, Louise Penny Thinks She Got It Right
But nobody loves the character more than Penny herself, as Chief Inspector Gamache is based on her late husband. No wonder, then, that she wasn’t quick or keen to give up (some) creative control of the character to Left Bank, producer of The Crown. Continue reading.

From Derek Lawrence of Vanity Fair:

Link: Alfred Molina Thinks He May Have Found the Best Role of His Career
“I fell in love with the books. I think what mainly drew me was the complexity of the character, how multi-layered he was, and how very different he was from a lot of detectives that we see on TV.” Continue reading.

From Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette:

Link: Three Pines adapts Louise Penny’s bestselling detective novels
It will be interesting to see if Québécois viewers will take issue with the fact that a British actor was chosen to play Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in the Amazon Prime adaptation of Quebec author Louise Penny’s bestselling detective novels. Continue reading.

From Michael Pickard of Drama Quarterly:

Link: Deer in the spotlight
Now, for her latest project, Deer has joined the directing roster of Three Pines, a Prime Video series based on Louise Penny’s novels about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Filmed in Montreal and Quebec, the show stars Alfred Molina as Gamache, who is called upon to investigate a spate of murders in the seemingly idyllic village of Three Pines, where he must uncover long-buried secrets and face up to a few ghosts from his own past. Continue reading.

Essex County, Featured, Pretty Hard Cases, Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, Still Standing, Workin' Moms

CBC announces winter 2023 slate

November 30, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Today at the industry event CBC Live at Massey Hall, CBC previewed its winter programming and made a series of announcements focused on reaching new audiences in Canada with more relevant and engaging news and entertainment on all platforms, including the launch of free streaming channel CBC NEWS EXPLORE. CBC’s winter storytelling includes over 40 original series, podcasts, specials and documentaries from Canadian creators, producers and storytellers across all genres, reflecting more people, perspectives and lived experiences across the country.

NEW PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCED TODAY

CBC NEWS EXPLORE

PUSH (8×30, Fenix Film & Television and Small Army Entertainment)
Starring Benveet “Bean” Gill, PUSH is a new original unscripted series that takes audiences into the inner world of the “Wheelie Peeps,” an unlikely group of friends and wheelchair users, bonded by their shared experience of navigating life on wheels. They are self-proclaimed rednecks, former exotic dancers, mothers, concert pianists and more. Whether it’s growing a family, fighting social stigma, or jumping back into the dating pool, this determined group of friends is working together to prove that even though their mobility may be limited, their lives and dreams are most certainly not.

“This show is what I needed when I was first paralyzed,” said Gill. “To see that having a disability doesn’t define you. We’re regular people, striving like everyone else to live our kickass lives to the fullest. But Push is not simply a show about lives. It’s about really seeing and hearing us as people, just as we are.”

PUSH premieres Friday, February 24 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem. Shot in summer and fall 2022 in Edmonton, Alberta, PUSH is executive produced by Sean De Vries and produced by Kaitlan Stewart, with consulting producer Gill.

CBC KIDS

New original live-action preschool series MITTENS AND PANTS, featuring best friends Mittens the kitten and Pants the puppy as they embark on adventures in the all-animal town of Kibble Corners, launches Monday, February 6 on CBC Gem and Monday, February 13 on CBC TV. Episodes of new preschool animated series GISELE’S MASHUP ADVENTURES launch Wednesday, February 1 on CBC Gem and Monday, February 6 on CBC TV, inspired by the creative ideas of children ages six to nine from across Canada which are turned into hilarious adventures for animated versions of each child and host Gisele.

CBC SPORTS

CBC SPORTS will continue to keep Canadians connected to the world of high-performance sport through its weekend broadcasts CBC SPORTS PRESENTS, hosted by Scott Russell and Andi Petrillo and available on CBC TV and CBC Gem, as well as live streams of key competitions on cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app. Upcoming events include: FIS World Alpine Ski Championships (February 8 – 19), FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championships (February 19 – March 4) and FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (February 23 – 26).

CBC’s winter broadcast and streaming schedule launches Monday, January 2 on CBC TV and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

*All following times local with the exception of Newfoundland, please add half an hour to all times.

MONDAYS:

7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA with host Gerry Dee continues Mondays to Thursdays, kicking off the new year with celebrity episodes on January 2 and 3, featuring the PRETTY HARD CASES detectives vs. the legal team from DIGGSTOWN, and the BOLLYWED Singh family vs. the sporty CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE group. For more information on the “Celebrity Special” episodes, click here.

8 PM – MURDOCH MYSTERIES Season 16 continues January 2.

9 PM – The new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, starring David Tennant, debuts January 2. Adapted from the popular French-language series, time travel drama PLAN B premieres February 27.

10 PM – THE NATIONAL CBC News’ flagship program with Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault continues Sunday to Friday each week.

TUESDAYS:

8 PM – THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES 30th anniversary season continues January 3.

8:30 PM – The most-watched original Canadian comedy during its first season,* SON OF A CRITCH returns for Season 2 on January 3.

9 PM – WORKIN’ MOMS returns for its seventh and final season on January 3, as the women explore lasting friendships, ambitious careers, raising families, and growing up.

9:30 PM – Season 4 of comedy CATASTROPHE, written by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, debuts January 3. Season 1 of CASUAL, starring Michaela Watkins and Tommy Dewey as a sister and brother who coach each other through the crazy world of dating while raising her teenage daughter, premieres February 14.

WEDNESDAYS:

8 PM – STILL STANDING lands Season 8 on January 4, starring host Jonny Harris as he visits a new set of towns across Canada from Ucluelet and Gibsons, B.C. to Wabush, Newfoundland, and everywhere in between.

8:30 PM – RUN THE BURBS Season 2 premieres January 4, with new cast member Sharjil Rasool and an array of guest stars including Dakota Ray Hebert, The Great Canadian Baking Show’s Ann Pornel, and multi-award-winning comic and actor Gavin Crawford.

9 PM – PRETTY HARD CASES returns for Season 3 on January 4, with a miserably demoted Samantha Wazowski (Meredith MacNeill) and a deeply undercover Kelly Duff (Adrienne C. Moore) reuniting to win their way back into the OCE after eight long months apart. Award-winning actor Wendy Crewson joins the cast as the new and exacting Unit Commander. The WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL, featuring some of the most dynamic performers on today’s comedy circuit, brings the laughs beginning March 15.

THURSDAYS:

8 PM – BOLLYWED debuts January 12, introducing Canada to the Singh family, who have been operating Chandan Fashion in Toronto’s Little India for the last 37 years. New competition reality format CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE turns the nation into a cross-country obstacle course on February 16, featuring Canadians mentored by superstar coaches Donovan Bailey, Waneek Horn-Miller, Clara Hughes, Gilmore Junio, Jen Kish and Luke Willson.

9 PM – CBC News’ award-winning investigative series THE FIFTH ESTATE continues January 5. British drama-thriller TRIGGER POINT debuts February 16. THE JUST FOR LAUGHS GALAS headlined by Ronnie Chieng, Hannah Gadsby and Marc Maron begin March 30.

FRIDAYS:

8 PM – Canada’s award-winning consumer watchdog MARKETPLACE continues its 50th anniversary season on January 6.

8:30 PM – ABC/CBC co-production STUFF THE BRITISH STOLE, based on award-winning journalist Marc Fennell’s chart-topping podcast, debuts January 6. New original factual series PUSH, exploring the lives of a group of friends “the Wheelie Peeps” in Edmonton, begins February 24.

9 PM – THE NATURE OF THINGS Season 62 premieres on January 6 for David Suzuki’s final season with fascinating science and nature documentaries each week. The season launches with Last of the Right Whales, telling the story of the magnificent North Atlantic Right Whale and the passionate people trying to save this intelligent and social animal from extinction.

SUNDAYS:

7 PM – Season 16 of HEARTLAND continues on January 8. BEST IN MINIATURE, hosted by Aba Amuquandoh, returns for Season 2 on February 19.

8 PM – CBC Docs will spotlight compelling feature-length documentaries, from Canada and around the world, beginning January 8 with the following Canadian originals:

THE CASE AGAINST COSBY (directed by Karen Wookey, 2022) premieres January 8

DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME (directed by Teresa Alfeld, 2022) premieres January 15

OFFSIDE: THE HAROLD BALLARD STORY (directed by Jason Priestley, 2022) premieres January 22

UNLOVED: HURONIA’S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN (directed by Barri Cohen, 2022) premieres January 29

DEAR JACKIE (director Henri Pardo, 2022) premieres February 5

9 PM – Limited series ESSEX COUNTY, based on Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel, premieres March 19.

Featured, Podcast

TV, Eh? Podcast Episode 256: Holiday memories

November 27, 2022 Greg David 1 Comment

Welcome back to another bi-weekly (ish) chat about the latest news in Canadian TV!

With the holidays coming up, and very little TV news to talk about, the podcast is taking a break until January. But before we do that, we’re celebrating the upcoming holiday season by talking about holiday programming. It doesn’t have to be Canadian, necessarily, just the things that have become a staple of our seasonal viewing.

This podcast brought to you by Waitrose Mulled Wine and egg nog.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Industry News

marblemedia and Fae Pictures partner to develop an original political drama, Salt

November 23, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

marblemedia and Fae Pictures are excited to announce they are in development on an original, primetime political family drama series Salt, from creator Abdul Malik (NBC’s Transplant, Peace by Chocolate). marblemedia acquired the project earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Series Accelerator program.

Salt follows a young man, Mohammad “Mo” Akram, raised by a wealthy Muslim family reeling from a scandal that’s decimated America’s working class. Seeking to make amends for his father’s sins, Mo takes a job as a ‘salt’ and must infiltrate and covertly unionize an opulent international hotel chain in Chicago from the inside, making vulnerable the workers he is seeking to protect and threatening his politically-influential family.

A “salt” is defined as a labour union tactic involving the act of getting a job at a specific workplace with the intent of organizing a union. The person employed to do so is called a “salt”. This series will both entertain and expose the resurgent labour movement currently sweeping America. Today’s modern-day labour awakening will be on full display with this underlying IP as this original series will offer authenticity in a fictional world shaped by Malik’s personal insights working within the labour movement for a decade, within the worlds of salting, organizing, and storytelling.

Recently selected for Playback Magazine’s 10 to Watch, 29-year-old prolific screenwriter Abdul Malik spent a decade on the front lines of labour and environmental movements as a documentarian while he studied film. That led to co-writing the feature film, Peace By Chocolate, which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. He is now garnering attention as a screenwriter recently having written on NBC’s Transplant; as well as two feature films, Streams Flow from a River and Queen Tut.

“A series like this is really close to my heart. It aims to do nothing less than articulate the thrilling world of labour unions, a world I know intimately while speaking to the urgent issues and incredible uplift we’ve seen working-class people achieve over the last few years by fighting for their rights. The series explores power in all its forms, and knows the moral complexities of its world in a way that makes for rapt television,” shared Abdul Malik, series creator.

“We are thrilled to add Salt to marblemedia’s ever-expanding content slate. After meeting Abdul, hearing his story and reading his voice, we knew this was a project we needed to be a part of. The series is aligned with our mandate to share stories that are rooted in authentic voices that are bold, inspiring and have a positive impact. We are proud to develop IP about topics that provoke conversation and galvanize change, while captivating audiences who covet smart, propulsive entertainment”, says Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy, VP Scripted at marblemedia. Adding, “We are looking to attract top producing partners, international talent and a showrunner who will align with Abdul’s creative vision.”

“On our mission to decolonize Hollywood, Salt comes in as a series that shatters our expectations of a political drama featuring an affluent and influential Muslim family against the backdrop of the struggles of America’s working class,” says Shant Joshi, president of Fae Pictures.

Salt is co-produced by marblemedia and Fae Pictures. Malik is repped by META Talent Agency.

Industry News

Saloon Media acquires rights to Shaun Hamill’s debut novel A Cosmology of Monsters

November 22, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media production company, announced today it has acquired the rights to Shaun Hamill’s highly-reviewed, debut novel, A Cosmology of Monsters. The scripted and factual producer will adapt the book into an ongoing one-hour dramatic series (8×60), expanding the company’s growth into scripted development.

A Cosmology of Monsters follows the Turner family as they operate an immersive haunted house experience. While struggling to keep their business afloat, dealing with the challenges of adolescence, and fighting to keep their family united, the Turners begin to realize there is something more sinister at their door … real monsters.

Named one of the best books of 2019 by Esquire, The Nerd Daily and The New York Public Library, Shaun Hamill’s horror debut received critical acclaim with Stephen King’s endorsement: “If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it.”

Serving as Creator and Executive Producer on the series is Caitlin D. Fryers (Wynonna Earp, Endlings, Private Eyes). Fryers is best known for writing on all four seasons of SYFY’s fan favourite Wynonna Earp. She was the first Canadian to win the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Scriptwriting from the International Emmys. Nominated for two Writers Guild of Canada Awards, Fryers has written for SYFY, Lifetime, Global, CBC, Hulu and Hallmark. Fryers is represented by Meridian Artists. Also serving as Executive Producer are Melissa Williamson and Michael Kot of Saloon Media and author, Shaun Hamill.

Shaun Hamill received his BA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington and his MFA in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His debut novel, A Cosmology of Monsters, was published in 2019 and his second novel, The Dissonance is forthcoming from Pantheon books. Hamill is represented by Echo Lake on behalf of Kent Wolf of Neon Literary.

Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company, is a leading producer of scripted and unscripted content. Based in Toronto, Canada, Saloon Media has an international track record for delivering successful, award-winning programs.