Did you know Murdoch Mysteries is CBC’s top Canadian entertainment program? Since its CBC premiere in fall 2012, over 13.5 million Canadians have tuned in — that’s about 40 percent of the population, or 2 in 5 Canadians.
In honour of the show’s Season 9 premiere tonight, and thanks to Shaftesbury and CBC fact gatherers, here’s the lowdown on Canada’s favourite artful detective:
9 seasons
134 episodes
177 murders solved
Sold to 110 countries
736 days of shooting
More than 8800 hours of filming
135 unique locations
1 screeching in
8500 production jobs triggered in Ontario
25 historical figures
32 inventions and counting…
90 guest stars including 1 prime minister and 1 Star Trek captain
2332 sideburns
1002 ties
184 corsets
1 proposal halted
1 proposal denied
1 proposal accepted
2.5 weddings
3 coroners
3 career changes for Ogden
10,346 complaints from Higgins
756,348 karate kicks
1 steamship
1 new millennium
2 trips to the future
1 future British prime minister
1 nudist camp
1 bottle of absinthe
1 James Gillies
2 disruptive Garlands
1 game of dominoes
2 nights on an island with an axe murderer
1 dose of ginseng in Brackenreid’s dinner
0 Martians
0 werewolves
0 vampires
0 Egyptian curses
0 Venusians
0 ghosts
0 revenants
0 zombies, Haitian or otherwise
0 lake monsters, which Crabtree said all along
0 mole men???
0 leprechauns (yet…)
1 Artful Detective
Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Review: This Life has heart, humour … and no yelling
It’s hard to convey the tone of This Life in a quick recommendation to friends. I’ve resorted to: “It’s about a single mother with cancer, but it’s good.” And: “It’s like Parenthood without all the yelling.” It’s poignant and funny and warm, and the ensemble cast have their own storylines apart from the central fact that the central character explores what she wants from life after she’s been given a death sentence.
Based on the Radio-Canada series Nouvelle Adresse, This Life premieres tonight as CBC’s best new ratings hope this fall. It feels like a show that belongs on the public broadcaster while also feeling like a subtle move toward their cable-esque hopes. Less sharp right turn than a Strange Empire, more a curve toward complexity.
The pilot starts with single mother and newspaper columnist Natalie Lawson (Torri Higginson) finding out her cancer is back, and terminal. She’s reluctant to tell her children Caleb (James Wotherspoon), Emma (Stephanie Janusauskas) and Romy (Julia Scarlett Dan) and parents (Janet-Laine Green and Peter MacNeill). Younger sister Maggie (Lauren Lee Smith) is an unreliable confidante, spilling the news to siblings Matthew (Rick Roberts) and Oliver (Kristopher Turner) who rally around Natalie. Neighbour Danielle (Rachael Crawford) and Romy’s principal and Natalie’s new love interest Andrew (Shawn Doyle) round out the regular cast.
Developed by Michael MacLennan, the series is helmed by showrunner Joseph Kay who shows tremendous confidence in moving slowly through time and plot to linger on character. Natalie’s diagnosis slowly becomes known to some of her extended family, and the ripple effects on their lives is seen in poignant details, mostly the expressive faces of a wonderful cast.
I didn’t know of Higginson before seeing the first four episodes of the series, but she brings a warmth and natural ease to a difficult role. Natural is a word that kept popping into my mind, from the acting to the way the show is lit, and yet there’s a stylishness to the direction as well — a well-shot image at the end of the pilot is both beautiful and meaningful, for example.
Sometimes the diagnosis seems almost an afterthought to the characters in the expanding soap stories of the extended cast, and I’d find myself wondering if the reactions were too small, but then we’re hit with the quiet devastation unfolding, often beneath the surface.
Even Natalie’s story isn’t all about cancer. She’s a woman who becomes dimly aware before the prognosis that her life might not be the one she meant to lead, her identity and her writing wrapped around her children, her sister Maggie wondering if Natalie has lost herself.
Maggie herself is experimenting with sex and with being a more responsible adult, one of which tends to get in the way of the other.  The character sometimes feels like the familiar lost woman-child trope, the show teetering on judging her for her and allowing herself to own her sexuality, but Smith plays her with an awkward charm and awareness that feels fresh.
11-year-old Julia Scarlett Dan is fantastic, playing the troubled youngest child with an unaffected maturity, and there are wonderful performances from the seasoned professionals as well.
English audiences won’t likely be spoiled by foreknowledge of the French version — 19-2 in a similar position hasn’t seemed to suffer from spoilers – but it will be interesting to see if Kay and his writing team follow the same path as the original.
In a puzzling oddity of scheduling, the English and French versions appear to share a timeslot, meaning the devoted francophone audience may not have the opportunity to watch the remake live even out of curiosity.
If they did, they might find it equally puzzling that an unabashedly Montreal-set series, with French-language signs prominently displayed, is otherwise lacking evidence of French-speaking people . But the setting adds a unique visual element even if not all the cultural elements make it onscreen.
Quibble aside, This Life is a wonderfully chaotic family drama that will draw you in, quietly but firmly.
This Life airs Mondays at 9 on CBC.
Review: Heartland’s beary scary situation
There was a bear in the woods—and an elephant in the room—when Heartland returned for its first episode of Season 9. “Brave New World,” written by Heather Conkie and directed by Bruce McDonald, was a big change from the Season 8 finale. In those final moments, Ty and Amy finally tied the knot in front of family and friends.
This Sunday certainly found the wedded couple stronger than ever relationship-wise, but Lou and Peter are falling apart. Things looked too good to be true when the pair were sharing a coffee as they watched Georgie ride Trouble and Phoenix Roman-style; by episode end Lou had filled out a separation agreement. The document was secreted away by Georgie—putting off the inevitable for the time being—but the couple isn’t coming back from this precipice. Kudos to Michelle Morgan for portraying the pain Lou’s feeling and for the fierce mama bear instinct she’s got when it comes to her kids. Peter may think everything will be hunky-dory, but Lou knows that’s not true.
Speaking of bears, I’m glad Sunday’s furry co-star didn’t stick around for long. The fatalist in me pictured the beast going on a rampage at Heartland; that didn’t happen, but the injured horse did help Georgie and Amy understand what happens when you let something free. Not only did Bear direct them to an abandoned horse suffering from rain rot, but showed the girls (and viewers) what friendship, support and trust will bring when you show a little faith.
With such a heavy main story, it was nice to have lighter moments when Jack showed up to kick Tim’s butt into gear on the loft renovations. Tim was indeed in over his head with the school, Casey and life in general; good on Jack for calling him out and then taking control of the situation. With him in charge, Ty and Amy may be moved in by Christmas.
What did you think of Sunday’s return? Do you think Lou and Peter will get back together?
Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.
Added bonus: Sunday’s closing music, “Carry On,” was performed by Fortunate Ones
Interview: Torri Higginson embraces life in CBC’s This Life
Don’t tell This Life‘s producers, but Torri Higginson would have worked on the show for free. The Burlington, Ont., born actress loved the humanity of Natalie Lawson, a single mom who discovers the cancer she beat has returned to take her life, so much she would have bypassed a cheque to participate.
Adapted  from Radio Canada’s Nouvelle Adresse by Joseph Kay (Bomb Girls), This Life—debuting Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC—not only deals with how the dire prognosis affects Natalie, but her family too. Sister Maggie (Lauren Lee Smith) and brothers Oliver (Kristopher Turner) and Matthew (Rick Roberts) all struggle to cope, as do Natalie’s children Emma (Stephanie Janusauskas), Caleb (James Wotherspoon) and Romy (Julia Scarlett Dan).
Far from being a pity party, This Life boasts many light-hearted and laugh out loud moments, something we discussed with Higginson days before Monday’s debut.
Had you seen Nouvelle Adresse before or after you were cast as Natalie Lawson?
Torri Higginson: I was actually down in the States when I did the audition and immediately went online to get a sense of the tone. But, because I was out of the country, I was geo-blocked. I watched a two-minute trailer, and it was in French and I don’t speak French very well. I was moved to tears and loved the tone of it. If I don’t understand a language I’ll often watch something with the sound turned off so that I get to read the body language and see the acting more clearly, and I was blown away. I did the audition and was cast and I’m really glad I didn’t watch it because it’s very hard to separate and not be intimidated or second-guessing your instincts.
And, also, we’re doing a very different show. Joseph has been working very closely with Richard Blaimert, who created the original, and has been anglicizing it. I really look forward to watching their show, but I’m going to have to wait until we’re done ours.
I love the humanity of it. We don’t talk about death in our culture enough and I think it’s tragic that we don’t.
You said you were down in the U.S. at the time of your audition. What was it about this role and show that grabbed your attention
I have two answers to that, and my first, more artistic one is this. I loved the writing. I love the humanity of it. We don’t talk about death in our culture enough and I think it’s tragic that we don’t. Most religions, in their purest forms, were created to help us live in the moment but they haven’t. They make us live in fear. Until you truly accept the finiteness of life, it really is when you start living and really being in the present and understanding gratitude on a deep level. I read this script and thought, ‘How fabulous that we’re going to do a show that opens up that dialogue,’ and I hope that it does.
And the less artistic side is, we never make choices! [Laughs.] You’re offered something and you say, ‘Yes, thank you, I’ll take it!’ A lot of times you take things because you’re insecure about work and this year every single job this year—and this being the pinnacle—I would have done for free. Don’t tell the producers! [Laughs.]
This Life could have gone the pity party route but I’m not getting the sense from the first several episodes that it will. There is a surprising light-heartedness and humour. Does that continue?
Yes, it does and I’m glad you got that. I think some people are frightened about the subject because we don’t want to talk about it. Natalie is holding onto normal and wants that to last for as long as possible. And you want to laugh. You have to have that light and dark. The writing is wonderful and that’s because of Joseph and Rachel Langer. It’s funny and it’s human and we’re hoping that comes across.
You have a lot of moments when you’re by yourself as Natalie, absorbing what her doctor has told her. Was it hard to get into that headspace without people to play off of?
I did a one-woman play once and vowed I’d never do it again because I love to interact with people, having that energy. I find what she’s going through touches me very deeply. What’s hard isn’t accessing it. What’s hard it letting it go when you’re not there.
It seems as though Natalie is the rock among her siblings. Is that true?
I think so, yeah. Everybody ends up having a lot of plates spinning and some of that is upon hearing that someone they love is going to die. Some of them are a result of life choices they’ve made. I didn’t realize until about three episodes in that this is a soap opera and everybody has got these crazy story arcs. But yeah, she does seem to be the most grounded of the bunch.
Natalie’s kids have a lot going on as well; now we add Mom’s cancer has returned to the mix.
I love how they cast the kids. I think all three are wonderful. They way they have written Romy is the most honest of all the characters on the show. She is so wonderful and grounded … the character is 13 but the actress, Julia Scarlett Dan, is only 11. This girl is so present and so beautiful. Stephanie Janusauskas is a wonderful young actress from Montreal who is very strong, and Emma is going through a ton as well. And then Caleb, who is played by James Wotherspoon, is sort of new to acting. Caleb is sort of the man of the house and I think there is a weight to him that he expresses very wonderfully.
How much time passes within these 10 episodes?
Only about a month. I said to Joseph, ‘Keep that up and we can go 12 seasons!’ That would be awesome.
This Life airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
Stellar Keeping Canada Alive brings depth and breadth to medical reality genre
There’s a reason most medical shows focus on emergency departments or surgeons — or both. That’s where the drama is in a hospital, and the hospital is where the drama is in health care. But it’s not representative of how the health care system works — or how it doesn’t.
Keeping Canada Alive is an ambitious CBC series premiering tonight that attempts to show the breadth and depth of health care across the country. Sixty camera crews filmed in hospitals, rehab centres, community health centres, individuals’ homes and more on one day in May this year, and the footage has been assembled into six episodes plus web-based extras.
Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland — grandson of Tommy Douglas, the father of Medicare — the show doesn’t skimp on emergency medicine. But in the first two episodes it also highlights the heartbreaking moments of a couple at home dealing with Alzheimer’s, the grit of a young man with a broken neck in rehab, a family doctor run off her feet and worrying she might miss a diagnosis in a vulnerable patient.
There are life-saving moments such as the risky surgery of a baby having a hole in his heart repaired, life-affirming moments such as the gratitude and acceptance of a beautiful girl whose scars can be reduced but not eliminated.
There are cool moments like Rosie the Robot — technology allowing a remote community to have access to a physician hundreds of kilometres away.
There are also heartbreaking moments, such as the woman caring for her husband with Alzheimer’s who scoffs at the word “caregiver” applied to her, saying she’s a wife simply doing what a spouse does.
The series does come with a pair of rose-coloured glasses. Not only are the outcomes largely positive, but the couple dealing with Alzheimer’s seem happy with the supports available in the community, and a story about a hospice for terminally ill children showcases instead their temporary care for children with severe disabilities whose parents need respite.
These stories are valid, and poignant in their own ways, but don’t represent those who struggle to find the support they need in the face of overwhelming health issues. The shadow of a health care system struggling to meet complex needs is there, however. Is a doctor peering at a severely ill patient through a screen from hundreds of kilometres away a true substitute for a flesh and blood physician, for example?
The series is not interested in answering those kinds of questions, but instead in telling a patchwork of intimate human stories to convey an overall impression of a vast, incredible and at times frustrating health care system. It’s enough: this is compelling, thoughtful television.
Those looking for a searing look at what’s wrong with the system should look to the news. Keeping Canada Alive presents us with a day in the life of health care, and so far it’s a relatively sunny day.
