TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 602
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

Photo gallery: CBC’s Alias Grace

A full summer of programming is still ahead of us—hello Killjoys, Wynonna Earp, Dark Matter and Orphan Black—but CBC has got us excited for the fall.

The network announced earlier today that Alias Grace debuts Monday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. on CBC. Based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel and inspired by true events, the six episodes are written and produced by Sarah Polley and directed by Mary Harron. The miniseries tells the story of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), an Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Upper Canada who—along with James McDermott (Kerr Logan), a stable hand—is accused and convicted of the infamous 1843 murders of her employer, wealthy farmer Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross), and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin).

Here’s a sneak peek gallery of some of the key cast. Are you as excited about Alias Grace as we are? Let us know in the comments below!

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Alias Grace debuts Monday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Link: It’s time to start watching Mary Kills People

From Jordan Crucchiola of Vulture.com:

Link: It’s time to start watching Mary Kills People
While she wouldn’t call herself a murderer, Mary is certainly a serial assisted-killer under the eyes of the law, and the consensual executions that happen in each episode serve as a story engine (like the nonconsensual ones in Dexter). Law enforcement comes to view her as “the angel of death,” and while her motives are mostly virtuous, Mary is also compelled by a darker desire to help people end their lives. Continue reading. 

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CBC announces Alias Grace world premiere date; plus sneak peek

From a media release:

CBC today announced the world premiere of ALIAS GRACE (6 x 60) on Monday, September 25 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC. A first look at the highly anticipated miniseries from Halfire Entertainment is now available at cbc.ca/aliasgrace. ALIAS GRACE will stream globally outside of Canada on Netflix in fall 2017 following the CBC premiere.

Based on the award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood and inspired by true events, ALIAS GRACE is written and produced by Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz, Away from Her) and directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol). The six-hour miniseries tells the story of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a young, poor Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Upper Canada who — along with stable hand James McDermott (Kerr Logan) — finds herself accused and convicted of the infamous 1843 murders of her employer, wealthy farmer Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross), and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin).

ALIAS GRACE stars Sarah Gadon (Indignation, 11.22.63); Edward Holcroft (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Wolf Hall); Anna Paquin (True Blood, Bellevue); Paul Gross (Hyena Road, Due South); Rebecca Liddiard (Houdini & Doyle); Kerr Logan (Game of Thrones, London Irish); Zachary Levi (Chuck, Tangled); and David Cronenberg.

A CBC and Netflix original production, ALIAS GRACE is produced by Halfire Entertainment and written by Sarah Polley. The executive producers are Sarah Polley, Mary Harron and Noreen Halpern. Producing alongside Polley is D.J. Carson.

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Chopped Canada cancelled by Food Network Canada

Chopped Canada has been chopped. After four seasons, a first-ever teen tournament and handful of specials, Food Network Canada’s spinoff of the Chopped franchise is no more.

“After four extraordinary seasons, Chopped Canada has been cancelled,” the show’s producers, EOne, announced via Facebook on Wednesday night. “To all of our competitors and the culinary community across Canada, THANK YOU for supporting us through 96 episodes of nail-biting culinary competition.

“We loved sharing your stories, helping you realize your dreams, and most of all we loved watching you cook!” the post continued. “To our viewers, THANKS for watching, sharing, and caring each and every week. Your loyalty and passion for the show was heartfelt. We had a great run and as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Keep on cookin’ Canada! Love + Respect from the Chopped Canada Team!”

Launched in 2014 with Dean McDermott as its host, Chopped Canada featured four homegrown chefs opening baskets of mystery items they had to use while making appetizers, mains and desserts. After being judged by celebrity chefs, the competitors were pared down until one winner per episode was named and given $10,000. McDermott left Chopped Canada after two seasons and was replaced by Brad Smith. The program boasted a whos-who of culinary experts as judges, including Susur Lee, Michael Smith, Massimo Capra, Lynn Crawford, Eden Grinshpan, Mark McEwan, Anne Yarymowich, Vikram Vij, Antonio Park, Roger Mooking, Chuck Hughes and John Higgins.

A teen tournament and specials pitting junior cooks, grandmothers, firefighters and the program’s own judges against one another were the focus of recent specials.

Chopped Canada received a 2015 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Picture Editing in a Reality/Competition Program or Series.

Are you upset that Chopped Canada has been cancelled? Let me know in the comments below.

Related: Which Canadian TV shows have been renewed or cancelled for the 2017-18 broadcast season?

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Viceland to explore fringe science with Director X’s Mister Tachyon

From a media release:

VICE Studio Canada and Rogers Media today announced the start of production on Mister Tachyon, an original, 10-part documentary series for VICELAND, created by renowned Toronto-born director, Director X. The series is currently filming across Canada, with additional broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

The series follows fictional character Mister Tachyon, born invisible due to his scientist father’s experiments. In a quest to reverse his invisibility, Mister Tachyon studies the fringes of science searching for a cure. From examining whether the earth’s magnetic field is secretly shaping our lives, to explorations around the power of thoughts to change the biology of people, Mister Tachyon tackles a range of questions by conducting real experiments with real people to determine if there’s any truth to the strangest and most controversial topics in science today.

One of the most prolific music video directors working today, Director X has created innovative, career-defining videos for such artists as Drake (including the massive “Hotline Bling,” “Started from the Bottom,” and the award-winning “Worst Behavior”), Rihanna (namely her 2016 smash-hit “Work” ), Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys, Aaliyah, Nelly Furtado, and Sean Paul. Last year marked Director X’s feature directorial debut with Across the Line, a drama about a young black hockey player navigating racial divides in small-town Nova Scotia. Mister Tachyon will be Director X’s first original television series.

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