TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 479
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Featured, Frankie Drake Mysteries

Frankie Drake Mysteries explores faith in Episode 4

Well, last week’s episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries certainly ended in a memorable way. After assuming I’d see Frankie and Ernest Hemingway canoodling before long, it was Moses Page who she shared a liplock with. I applaud the writing room for throwing that twist in and am excited to see where that storyline goes from here.

As for this week, here’s the CBC’s official word on “Healing Hands,” written by Andrew Burrows-Trotman and directed by Sudz Sutherland:

When Trudy (Chantel Riley) gives shelter to a faith-healing preacher’s daughter, she and Frankie (Lauren Lee Smith) find themselves investigating Toronto’s jazz scene.

And here’s some more scoop after watching a screener.

Frankie and Trudy are equals in every way
It may say Drake Private Detectives on the door, but Trudy and Frankie are equal partners in this business. That means working together and a constant support system. Neither is more important than the other and we love it.

Karen Robinson returns
Yes, Karen Robinson is back on Monday as Mildred Clarke, critiquing Trudy’s driving and career choice. And just because she attends church with her mother doesn’t mean Trudy necessarily believes in a higher power. We’re getting some very interesting character backstory on Trudy so far, especially when she and Frankie get into the topic of faith.

Killjoys‘ Prince Amponsah guest-stars
Last seen in Season 3 of Canadian sci-fi hit Killjoys, Prince Amponsah drops by Frankie Drake to portray a wounded soldier who is healed at the hands of Elsie (guest star Greta Onieogou). Fellow Killjoys, Alias Grace and Murdoch Mysteries guest actor John Tench also appears as Lyle, a shady sort.

Robert Carli rules
Fans of Murdoch Mysteries already know Robert Carli is the man behind that incredible theme music as well as the weekly soundtrack. Well, Carli ups the ante with Frankie Drake‘s soundtrack, a wonderful homage to the 1920s jazz scene jam-packed with trumpet, percussion and, I’m pretty sure, some oboe too.

Frankie Drake Mysteries airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

 

 

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The Indian Detective

Links: The Indian Detective

From Hannah Sung of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Russell Peters talks political correctness and new TV show The Indian Detective
“It’s kind of a fantasy situation. I’m just a regular constable in Toronto and I go to India and I get treated special. And I live up to the potential that I always knew I had. Do you ever just think to yourself, ‘If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have been so smart,’ you know?” Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:

Link: Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new TV series ‘The Indian Detective’
Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: “What would the average Joe do in this situation?”

Loved by audiences around the world as a successful stand-up comedy headliner, “The Indian Detective” — which premieres Thursday on CTV — casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai. Continue reading.

From Mark Daniel of the Toronto Sun:

Link: Russell Peters talks ‘The Indian Detective’ and why he’ll never host the Junos again
For his first leading role in a scripted TV series, Canadian funnyman Russell Peters knew he didn’t want to do a 30-minute sitcom.

The stand-up star, who came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-earning comedians last year, wanted to prove he can do more than just tickle your funnybone. Continue reading.

 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Bell Media Studios confirms international orders for new original Canadian docudrama series Disasters at Sea

From a media release:

Bell Media Studios announced today that Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) has begun production on new original Canadian series, DISASTERS AT SEA (working title). Commissioned by Discovery Canada, the docudrama is made possible in part by international broadcast partners Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia), in the biggest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind for an EPI production.

DISASTERS AT SEA is a six-episode series about the most mysterious and unexpected marine disasters in recent history, recreated in each 60-minute episode through the visceral first-hand accounts of seamen and women on their worst day, and for some, their finest hour. In each of the stories featured, there are heroes who exerted herculean efforts to save their colleagues, the environment, and valuable property. International rights of DISASTERS AT SEA are managed exclusively by Exploration Distribution Inc. (EDI).

More about DISASTERS AT SEA:

Proving and disproving theories of catastrophic real-life events, DISASTERS AT SEA goes beyond the traditional documentary approach to explore six separate disasters at sea throughout the season. Often-conflicting reports leave the cause of the sinking unknown and mysterious, and DISASTERS AT SEA unravels these mysteries through a second set of key characters: the dedicated marine investigators whose job it was to separate fact from fiction, fill in the unknown, and identify cause and effect as they uncover the shocking chain of events, often with nothing more than tiny leads. The conclusions are dramatic, unexpected, and profound.

Designed to pull viewers off the sidelines and immerse them in the action, archival footage is combined with carefully imagined and evocative dramatic re-enactments that provide an engaging mix of factual and modern storytelling. To achieve this, the series includes CGI and special effects, bringing to life the wide shots of the ship in rough waters, and recreations to dramatically convey the catastrophic events.

Grounded in fact, each episode unfolds as a mystery, providing a suspenseful journey into the little known world of life at sea, and a tribute to the working men and women who sacrificed their lives for it all.

DISASTERS AT SEA (working title) is produced by Bell Media’s EPI in association with Discovery, and in conjunction with Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia). Series Producer is Alix MacDonald. Executive Producers are Marianne Kushmaniuk and Kelly McKeown, who is also Director of Production for EPI.

 

 

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Industry News

Bell Media welcomes esteemed business journalist Amanda Lang

From a media release:

Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News, announced today that award-winning Canadian business journalist Amanda Lang is set to rejoin Business News Network (BNN) in January 2018. In addition to her role on the network, Lang will also contribute to a number of Bell Media properties including CTV News and iHeartRadio.

Lang has been covering business news in North America for 20 years. She started her journalism career at The Globe and Mail and then the National Post. As New York correspondent, she was a key part of the team that launched BNN’s predecessor, ROBTV, in 1999. She then moved over to the channel’s partner, CNN, as a reporter and anchor.

Lang returned to BNN/ROBTV in 2002 as anchor of the network’s flagship morning show before creating and hosting SQUEEZEPLAY, a nightly issues-driven debate show with Kevin O’Leary. In 2009, Lang left BNN to join the CBC as its senior business correspondent. Most recently she worked as an anchor for Bloomberg Television Canada.

Lang studied architecture at the University of Manitoba before becoming a journalist. Her best-selling book, The Power of Why, (HarperCollins, October 2012) explores the connection between curiosity and success. Her second book, The Beauty of Discomfort, was published earlier this year.

 

 

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Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls: Pocahottie

This week on Mohawk Girls, we really begin to dig in, but we have a long way to go before the series wraps. I figure in order to have satisfactory closure a few things need to happen:

  1. Caitlin (Heather White) has to come to some type of reckoning with Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) OR Butterhead needs to experience some kind of epiphany. Either way, something there has to give.
  2. Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) needs to  come to understand how best to cope with her anger.
  3. Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) needs to decide which is more important, her own happiness or her responsibility to the band.
  4. And finally, Anna needs to find her place in Kahnawa:ke.

That all said, let’s take a quick look back on what happened this week on Mohawk Girls.

Caitlin (Heather White) is a two-timer! She can’t quite bring herself to break things off with Luscious Leon (Dwain Murphy), even though she is definitely back with Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother). She just couldn’t  bring herself to end things. And after Butterhead lashed out at her, Caitlin ran back to Leon’s arms.

Anna (Maika Harper) discovered, quite by happenstance, a Mohawk Culture class for young girls. So donning her guileless ‘Hat Girl’  ways, she asked if she could join in.  The classes focused on peace, love, respect and courage which left Anna questioning her role particularly with respect to her boyfriend Midas (Tanner Novlan) and bar buddy Iostha (Ally Pratt). But after another evening at the bar, Iostha had Anna on side to oust the Mohawk traitors, including Bailey.

Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) reached a milestone in her therapy.  She’s allowed to return home for short visits, so long as there was a support system in place. Since her parents were still not speaking to her, that responsibility naturally fell to Caitlin. But all of this talk of self-love piqued Caitlin’s interest. Still stung from Butterhead’s verbal attack, Caitlin’s gears were turning. Maybe, just maybe, this self-love stuff will fortify her relationship with Butterhead? Or at the very least help her cope with her fear of breaking up with Leon? At any rate, the two buddy up to work through the workbook. Next step? Zoe needed to face her fear of her community. Where best to do that in Kahnawa:ke? The coffee shop. However, Ohserase (Shawn Youngchief) also happened to be there. That proved too much too soon for Zoe and she ran, tail between her legs.

We also saw a sexy little side story develop with Zoe, because after all, what would Mohawk Girls be without a bit of sexy Zoe? Sparks started to fly last week with fellow patient Phillip (Max E. Williams), also a self-proclaimed sex addict with a proclivity for knife play. That thrill and the danger cut a little too close for Zoe and she was definitely tempted. But will this temptation prove too much for Zoe’s recovery?

And while all of this self-discovery/healing on the part of Caitlin, Zoe and Anna was taking place, Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) was preparing to meet James’s (Jeffrey Wetsch) family; his father Charles (Vlasta Vrana) and none other than head writer Cynthia Knight as James’ sister Charlotte! Wanting to put her best foot forward, and armour herself, Bailey dove into Auntie Velma’s closet for something suitable to wear. However, upon meeting James’s family, Bailey completely lost her cool. Conversation quickly turned to a debate on whether or not cultural appropriation is equivalent to cultural appreciation upon her discovery of Charles’ Indigenous art collection. Operation “meet the family” became operation “fail.”

So where are we now? Anna has sided with Iostha as they plan to oust Bailey for dating James, James and Bailey appear to be on shaky ground following Bailey’s outburst, Caitlin still has not broken up with Leon and Zoe is lusting after Phillip. Seems we still have a lot of balls up in the air!

What do you think is next for our fab four? Let me know in the comments below.

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on APTN.

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