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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

You Gotta Eat Here! cancelled by Food Network Canada

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The food-tasting food trip is over. You Gotta Eat Here!, hosted by John Catucci, has been cancelled by Food Network Canada after five seasons on the air.

“We are extremely proud of the volumes of strong Canadian original content we have delivered to audiences over the years,” Lisa Godfrey, vice-president of original content for Corus Entertainment, said in a statement. “After resonating with legions of fans, You Gotta Eat Here! has reached its natural end and has not been renewed for another season. The success this series had is a true testament to our exceptionally talented production partners, Lone Eagle Entertainment, and Corus applauds the cast, creators, producers, and writers for their dedication to this Canadian original. We remain firmly committed to developing standout original Canadian content and look forward to sharing more information about upcoming renewals and new series soon.”

Related: Listen to Anthony Marco interview John Catucci

Produced by Lone Eagle Entertainment, You Gotta Eat Here! featured comedian Catucci as he travelled across Canada—and to the odd city outside of this country—tasting food, getting his hands dirty making it and spotlighting the big and small-scale restaurants, eateries and watering holes folks should be trying out. Catucci, who never purported to be a chef (but has been churning out what looks like pretty delicious-looking high-end stuff on his Instagram page), was an inquisitive, funny and enjoyable host who clearly loved his job. It clearly resonated with fans and critics: the series debuted in 2012 and won Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lifestyle or Talk Program or Series in 2014 and 2017.

You Gotta Eat Here! is the latest series to be cancelled by Corus leading into the 2017-18 broadcast season. It joins HGTV Canada’s Timber Kings, Leave It to Bryan and Income Property as projects not moving forward with new episodes.

Repeats of You Gotta Eat Here! continue to be broadcast on Food Network Canada. How do you feel about the show being cancelled? Let me know in the comments section below.

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Children's Programming

New preschool comedy Opie’s Home debuts June 20 on TVO

From a media release:

When you’re 4 and a half and three quarters, there are no friends like the ones next door.  There is no playground like your backyard, and no one quite like your family.  There’s no place like home.

Opie’s Home, premiering on TVO on June 20, 2017, is a new preschool comedy series about life, family and the wonderful place we call home.  The series invites viewers to follow the adventures of 4yo Opie as the viewers and Opie both head home from school for the summer.

From resisting bedtime, to making a special meal for Mommy and Daddy or getting into his first argument with his best friend, Opie’s Home celebrates the important relationships, milestones and day-to-day interactions that mark what it means to be a preschooler, full of all the funny moments and life lessons that preschoolers and parents can relate to. The series brings the lessons from the classroom home into Opie’s world.

Opie’s Home is a spin-off of the award-winning series, Hi Opie!, which follows Opie as he ventures to kindergarten for the first time.

Cast includes award-winning puppeteer Jordan Lockhart as Opie, Aisha Alfa as Mom, Jim Annan as Dad, and Oscar-nominated actor Graham Greene as Opie’s much loved next door neighbour Mr. Kabashio.

A TVOKids Original, Opie’s Home was created and produced by Toronto-based marblemedia in association with TVO Kids and The Jim Henson Company.  The series will premiere later this fall across Canada on Knowledge Kids and City TV Saskatchewan.

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Murdoch Mysteries

Production begins on Season 11 of Murdoch Mysteries

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From a media release:

Number-one Canadian drama Murdoch Mysteries has begun production on Season 11. After celebrating the long-running series’ 150th episode in the season 10 finale, filming is now underway on 18 new one-hour episodes. The most-watched Canadian scripted television series in Canada with an average of 1.3 million viewers per week* on CBC, the ever-popular homegrown hit series will continue to delve into murder, mystery, and Canadian history in a powerhouse eleventh season. The series will film on location in Ontario until December 2017 and premiere on CBC this fall, followed by international rollout in early 2018.

The twist-filled season 10 finale saw the futures of Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and the heroes of Station House No. 4 in jeopardy amidst a corruption investigation gone awry. Season 11 will pick up with the aftermath of the finale’s events that left the lives of Murdoch’s beloved Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) and Constables George Crabtree (Jonny Harris), Henry Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch), and Slugger Jackson (Kristian Bruun) at stake and their fates unknown. Can Murdoch rely on Rebecca James (Mouna Traoré) or Detective Watts (Daniel Maslany) to help crack the case? Will Brackenreid make it out alive and home to his wife Margaret (Arwen Humphreys)? Season 11 storylines will feature a number of Canadian and international historical figures including physician William Osler and Helen Keller, the return of artist Tom Thomson, President Theodore Roosevelt, and Alexander Graham Bell and feature a roster of new guest stars including Tamzin Outhwaite (Eastenders, New Tricks), Colin Mochrie (Whose Line is it Anyway?), and Elise Bauman (Carmilla, Below Her Mouth), as well as returning guest stars including Peter Keleghan (Workin’ Moms) and David Hewlett (Incorporated, Stargate: Atlantis).

“We’re proud to continue bringing the adventures of Detective Murdoch to viewers at home and around the world week after week. Coming off of a formidable tenth season during which we celebrated big award wins, 150 episodes and the expansion of the brand into new realms including an escape room game in Toronto, we are now looking ahead to a thrilling season 11 and beyond,” said Christina Jennings, Executive Producer, Murdoch Mysteries / Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury.

Season 11 episodes will be directed by showrunner Peter Mitchell, Megan Follows, Leslie Hope, Gary Harvey, Sherren Lee, Eleanor Lindo, Laurie Lynd, Don McCutcheon, and Alison Reid. Mitchell also writes episodes this season, along with Paul Aitken, Graham Clegg, Noelle Girard, Natalia Guled, Simon McNabb, Mary Pedersen, Robert Rotenberg, Lori Spring, Dan Trotta, and Maureen Jennings, author of the Detective Murdoch series of novels

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Hope: A poltergeist wreaks havoc in Hope Zion

Last week’s episode of Saving Hope was one heck of a ride, from the drama in the operating room to the incredibly sweet moment when Alex and Dougie celebrated Martha’s life before sending her ashes off into the lake.

This Thursday’s new episode “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” written by Ley Lukins, is equally engaging. Here’s what CTV has officially revealed:

Following a car accident involving three brothers, in which only one survives, Dr. Charlie Harris is faced with two spirits who beg him to do everything he can save their brother’s life. As Charlie and the team operate, he’s haunted by a mischievous ghost (Steve Arbuckle), who is determined to move on from the spirit world. Meanwhile, Dr. Sydney Katz and Dr. Shahir Hamza treat Trudy Stein (Teresa Pavlinek), a 40-year-old free spirit who impregnated herself and arrives at Hope Zion after suffering a fall. Meanwhile, Dr. Zach Miller and Dr. Maggie Lin deal with a mysterious man who comes into the E.R. covered in blood that is not his, and he doesn’t know how it got there.

And here’s a little more we can divulge after watching a screener.

Charlie and Alex
Alex may have given Charlie short shrift during the first half of this season, but he was there when she needed him when Martha passed away. The pair held hands during the lake-side memorial … but are they back together? As Facebook would say, it’s complicated.

Shahir and Jonathan seek an adoption
It turns out to be more of a challenge than either of them had considered and, unfortunately, puts pressure on the relationship.

Teresa Pavlinek guest stars
I’ve loved this very funny lady since I first saw her starring on The Jane Show, so I was thrilled to see her on Saving Hope. Her character, Trudy, is memorable for a couple of reasons, but most of all due to her connection with Sydney.

Spirit Blake returns …
… and seriously freaks Charlie—and me, and Alex—out.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Featured, Podcast, Schitt's Creek, Wynonna Earp

TV Eh B Cs podcast 67 — The Tim Rozon Entree

Tim Rozon’s first major role was playing heartthrob, Tommy Quincy, opposite Alexz Johnson and Laura Vandervoort for four seasons on the teen drama series Instant Star for TeenNick and CTV. Other leading roles include two seasons playing Mutt Schitt on CBC’s runaway comedy Schitt’s Creek.

Tim has made guest appearances on many of the hit shows made in Canada over the last decade, including: Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, Heartland, Lost Girl and 19-2. In addition to acting, Tim produced the documentary feature Shuckers, about the world of oysters and those who shuck them.

When not acting, Tim plays the role of restaurateur in Montreal at his hit restaurants Garde Manger and Le Bremner opposite star chef Chuck Hughes.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

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Image courtesy of Bell Media.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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