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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Cardinal

CTV and Super Écran Light up the North as Production Begins in Sudbury, Ont. on the New Serialized Drama CARDINAL

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From a media release:

CTV and Super Écran, alongside producers Sienna Films and Entertainment One (eOne), announced today that production has begun on CARDINAL, the networks new serialized, six-part, one-hour drama featuring Golden Globe® nominee Billy Campbell (THE KILLING) and the multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse (REVENGE) as series leads. Directed by the award-winning Montréal native Daniel Grou aka Podz (19-2, MINUIT LE SOIR) the cinematic murder mystery begins shooting in Sudbury, Ont., today. The series will also shoot in North Bay, Ont., Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in northern Ontario, and Toronto. CARDINAL is a gripping, character driven drama set to premiere as part of CTV and Super Écran’s 2016/17 schedule.

Also announced today are additional cast members including Deborah Hay (The Anniversary) as Catherine Cardinal, John Cardinal’s wife; Alanna Bale (PRIME RADICALS) as Kelly Cardinal, Cardinal’s precocious and independent teenage daughter; Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls) as Jerry Commanda, a police contemporary and friend of Cardinal; David Richmond Peck (ORPHAN BLACK) as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Gail Maurice (STREET TIME) as Dorothy Pine, mother of young murder victim Katie Pine; Kristen Thomson (Away from Her) as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal’s commanding officer; and Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant) and Allie MacDonald (YOUNG DRUNK PUNK) as Eric Fraser  and Edie Soames, a young couple.

CARDINAL is adapted from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries series, a series of six bestselling crime novels written by Ontario native and award-winning author Giles Blunt. The series begins with the discovery of Katie Pine, a missing 13-year-old whose body is discovered in the shaft-head of an abandoned mine. CARDINAL follows detectives John Cardinal (Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Vanasse) as they attempt to uncover the mystery of what happened to the young girl. But as the case grows in scope and horror, a dark secret from Cardinal’s history threatens to derail the investigation.

CARDINAL is produced by Sienna Films and eOne in association with Bell Media’s CTV, with the financial participation of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, the Canada Media Fund and the Cogeco Program Development Fund, and with the assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Super Écran has commissioned the series for French-language Canadian broadcast. eOne will distribute the series worldwide.

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Featured, Hard Rock Medical

Hard Rock Medical moves to North Bay for Season 3

Hard Rock Medical is back, and with a new backdrop. Season 3 was officially announced on Thursday via press conference from Canadore College’s Studio 1 in North Bay, Ont., where filming will take place. The first two seasons of the medical drama were shot in Sudbury, Ont., but an educational partnership with the support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) meant a shift in cities.

“I am here to announce an NOHFC investment of $825,000 to TVO and its production partners for their production of Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical,” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and chair of the NOHFC. “We’re really excited about it, and that will support the production of nine half-hour episodes.”

“I feel honoured that so many institutions are squarely behind Hard Rock Medical,” said co-creator/director Derek Diorio. “Thank you to the city of North Bay, that has been so welcoming to our production. Without all of you here, there is no Hard Rock Medical.” Diorio explained over 50 per cent of Season 3 will be shot at Canadore College. Seventy-five students from the Digital Cinema Program, Television Program and Theatre Arts Program, are currently working on pre-production and will be an integral part of the six-week shoot. A local warehouse and medical centre location will also be used for filming. Post-production will take place at Canadore as well.

“I want to thank Derek,” George Burton, President and CEO of Candore College said. “You have provided an incredible opportunity for learning to our students, which means so much to them. I want to thank everyone on Hard Rock Medical for being such wonderful role models to our students. You bring a level of professionalism to our campus which will hold them in good stead long after graduation.”

All local crew and musicians will be used and over 30 local actors will have lead roles this season, including North Bay native Jamie Spilchuk, who plays Cameron Cahill on the series. Hard Rock Medical follows a group of medical students training in Northern Ontario and is loosely based on the curriculum of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Shooting begins next week and continues until the middle of March.

Co-created by Smith Antonio Corindia and Diorio, Hard Rock Medical stars Patrick McKenna, Angela Asher, Danielle Bourgon, Rachelle Casseus, Tamara Duarte, Kyra Harper, Christian Laurin, Andrea Menard and Stephane Paquette.

Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical will be broadcast on TVO and APTN.

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Bachelorette Canada

W Network Wants You to Help us Cast One of Our 20 Bachelors for The Bachelorette Canada

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s W Network announced today the Canada’s Crush contest for the first ever season of The Bachelorette Canada. Beginning February 11 through to February 25, fans can cast their votes for one of three potential bachelors at wnetwork.com/CanadasCrush. The winner will be announced on March 7 and will join the additional 19 bachelors as they vie for a rose in The Bachelorette Canada,premiering this fall on W Network.

The three Canada’s Crush bachelors are: Andrew, 29, General Contractor, from Ottawa, Ontario; Eddie, 32, Oilfield Logistics Coordinator, from Saint John, New Brunswick; and Lachlan, 26, Phys. Ed Teacher, from Exeter, Ontario. Beginning February 11, bios and videos of the three hopeful bachelors will be available at wnetwork.com/CanadasCrush.

A carpenter by trade, Andrew is definitely a hands-on kind of guy. Whether it’s in front of the camera as a model for major brands (including Nike) or on TV (as a handyman on W Network’s Homewreckers), Andrew is always confident and self-assured. Hardworking, driven and loyal, Andrew’s outlook on life and love was shaped at eight years old, when his father left the family. Their rocky, on-again-off-again relationship has taught him to take love and commitment very seriously. He wants a partner who will stand by his side for the long haul, because when he commits to that special someone it will be forever.

All of his life, Eddie has worked hard and played harder. Starting out as a labourer in the lucrative (but highly competitive) oil patch, he divided his time between grueling stints on the rigs and serious party time on the ski slopes and beaches with his friends and family. Today, Eddie’s unwavering work ethic and positive attitude have paid off in a big way, landing him a spot at head office (where he is by far the youngest – and most handsome! – face around). But his ride to the top came at a price, leaving him little time to build lasting relationships and find true love.

When people see drop-dead gorgeous Lachlan, they automatically assume he’s a “player”. What they don’t know is that growing up he suffered from Ugly Duckling Syndrome – complete with acne, glasses and a bad haircut. With guidance from his parents (his mom is a reverend for the United Church of Canada and his dad works for a non-profit organization), Lachlan was instilled with traditional family values. He takes offense to the “player” label, especially considering that respect and honesty are the two things he brings to the table in any relationship.

In the Canadian version of this smash-hit reality series, Canada’s most eligible bachelorette is in search of the man of her dreams – and hopefully her groom-to-be. The Canadian Bachelorette will search for love as 20 men do whatever it takes to win her heart. The male suitors compete for the Bachelorette’s affection via individual and group dates involving local and far-flung romantic encounters and adventures. As the Bachelorette narrows the field and the number of men dwindles, romance and tensions will rise. Ultimately, she will choose the one man with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life.

 The Bachelorette Canada is produced by Good Human Productions Inc. From Good Human Productions, Claire Freeland serves as Executive Producer and Keely Booth is Showrunner. For Corus Entertainment, John MacDonald is the Executive Vice President of Television and Head of Women’s and Family Television and Maria Farano is Director of Original Programming for Women’s and Family Television. The series is based on the U.S. format created by Mike Fleiss and produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Sales of the format are handled by Warner Bros. International Television Production.

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Bitten, Featured

Bitten’s Laura Vandervoort says goodbye to the fans … for now

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Laura Vandervoort refuses to concede this is the final goodbye for Elena Michaels and Bitten. Yes, Season 3—returning Friday—is the last run of 10 episodes on Space. But whether it’s because she senses an impending announcement on the horizon (perhaps playing a werewolf for three seasons has heightened her sense of smell) or is encouraged by the continuing wave of #howl4more on Twitter, the Toronto native refuses to throw in the towel.

“Anything can happen,” Vandervoort says over the phone. “We never want to say goodbye. I still want to leave the door open, because you never know.”

If this truly is the end, Bitten is going out on a high note. Right from the get-go with Episode 1, “Family, Of Sorts,” the werewolf pack is off and running with blood, action and one heck of a mind-eff by the storyline’s closing moments. New character Sasha Antonov (John Ralston) and his children Alexei (Alex Ozerov) and Katia (Sofia Banzhaf) have a lot to do with that, a trio of human and wolves who deliver an emotional curveball that leaves Elena stunned.

Equally stunning? Jeremy Danvers’ (Greg Bryk) plan to hunt down all mutts and present them with a choice: join his growing super-pack or be killed. That, Vandervoort explains, rubs everyone in her group the wrong way, especially Elena. The former Smallville and V actress—who will recur on CBS’ Supergirl—says this season is all about family both in front of and behind the cameras. The cast has never been stronger as a group, while their small-screen alter egos are struggling to remain united under Jeremy’s rule.

“Elena hates this new Jeremy,” she says. “She sees that he is becoming more like his father and, because of that, it causes tension between Elena and Clay [Greyston Holt] because Jeremy is very much Clay’s father and to go to Clay and complain about how Jeremy is handling the pack mentality causes trouble for everyone.”

This season represents a major departure from the book series created by Kelley Armstrong. Showrunner/executive producer Daegan Fryklind and her writing team have built a dramatic, visually stunning world for these humans, witches and werewolves to frolic in, a melding of what Armstrong conceived and what the actors bring to the table. Vandervoort teases fans may think they know what’s coming, but not this time around.

Yes, she refuses to say an all-out goodbye to Elena and Bitten, but Vandervoort does have a message for the loyal fans who have tuned in for the weekly adventures.

“Thank you so much for your loyalty and continued encouragement every season,” she says. “Thanks for staying in contact with us at conventions and set visits and on social media. We wouldn’t be able to do what we love without you guys watching, and you know the hard work that we put into it.”

Bitten airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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Bitten

Link: Bitten showrunner previews Season 3 tension in the pack

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Bitten showrunner previews Season 3 tension in the pack
“At the start of Season 3 we pick up seven months down the road from Season 2, and Jeremy has reflected on the loss of the previous two seasons. Over the course of the last two years of his life he’s lost Pete . He’s lost Antonio. He just lost Logan (Michael Xavier). So he decides to make some dramatic changes to how he’s running this pack and has decided to eliminate the concept of mutt. So now any werewolf in North America is going to become pack or they are going to die. So he’s laying down a pretty heavy law, and he’s rising above the father figure that he was, and becoming more of a general for The Pack in making this heavy decision.” Continue reading.

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