Occasional co-host Rachel joins Anthony and Diane for a three-person panel to talk about the new winter season and the fun fact that the US channel Syfy has more Cancon than Canadian networks. What does it all mean? Zombies probably have something to do with it.
Episode 117: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed.
Your hosts
- Rachel Langer can be found at A Series of Small Breaks and on Twitter here.
- Anthony Marco can be found at anthonymarco.com, and on Twitter here and here.
- Diane Wild can be found here at TV, eh? and on Twitter here and here.
By Diane Wild of TV, eh?
TV, eh? doesn’t usually post about Canadian shows airing outside this country — it’s beyond the mandate and manpower of the site, besides winding up being a meaningless list. There’s a difference between CBS picking up Flashpoint for primetime versus Intelligence airing on an obscure channel in the US in syndication on Saturday nights, for example.
But Syfy programming an entire night around the Canadian imports Continuum, Lost Girl and Being Human goes beyond the usual foreign acquisition news. An American channel is doing what no Canadian network has the will or guts to do: airing a full night of Canadian scripted drama.
That’s bad enough, but the real shame of the Canadian television industry is that no Canadian broadcast network apart from CBC has three homegrown scripted shows on their schedule, period. Unless I’m missing some information, no Canadian network at all, broadcast or cable, has three scripted Canadian shows.
This winter, Global has Bomb Girls. CTV will have Motive. That’s it. Both networks are putting some serious marketing muscle behind those original shows, a strategy that paid off for the high-rated Bomb Girls’ first season, and if Motive tanks behind its Super Bowl premiere, CTV can’t be accused of hiding their one scripted drama behind a bushel.
Citytv has already moved the Seed premiere (to February 4) and hasn’t provided a premiere date for Package Deal, but it’s too soon to tell if they’ll do right by those shows promotionally and schedually (no it’s not a word) speaking.
Besides Bomb Girls, which has proven itself a winner, we can’t judge these shows on quality yet. But I’m not talking quality, I’m talking quantity — quantity that doesn’t include Littlest Hobo reruns or airing the same show across multiple channels. I’m talking networks who are barely, if at all, fulfilling their CanCon requirements. I’m talking networks who wouldn’t survive without the ability to substitute their commercials into a US network’s programs, who are screwed if they lose the protection of simultaneous substitution, or when the business model of television changes — as it already is — so that owning and selling content matters more.
The positive spin on the Syfy news is that it’s proof Canada is pumping out quality science fiction shows. The negative is that even Space, the equivalent Canadian channel, is only airing two new scripted series spread over their schedule now, Primeval: New World and Being Human … and in a bonus slap in the face to CanCon pride, refers in media releases to their Muse-produced version as Being Human (US) to distinguish it from the UK original.
Arctic Air, CBC – “Wildfire”
Bobby and Krista attempt to rescue a group of stranded tourists from a raging forest fire, but they need help from the rest of the Arctic Air crew if they’re going to make it out alive.
Bomb Girls, Global – “Roses Red”
Kate tries to talk her way out of a delicate situation with her father. Meanwhile, Marco confronts Bob about Lorna, and Gladys’s Valentine’s Day gets a boost when she gets a surprise visit from a soldier.
Candice Tells All, W Network
Viewers tag along as Candice – armed with her trademark sense of humour and a double latte – meets with her army of talented suppliers, sources unique furnishings and handles unexpected renovation challenges along the way. As one of North America’s top designers, Candice dishes her best trade secrets while juggling clients, multiple job sites and a personal life. From inspiration, to execution, to completion – this half-hour series offers an entertaining glimpse into Candice’s world and her design process, revealing the secrets of timeless design principles and where she finds her inspiration.
Match Game, Comedy
Tonight’s guest stars include Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer), Robin Dunne (SANCTUARY), Steve Patterson (DAN FOR MAYOR), and Emma Hunter (THE L.A. COMPLEX).
From Glen Schaefer of The Province:
- Location key ingredient for Arctic Air
About once a month during filming, the cast and crew of the B.C.-based action-adventure series Arctic Air headed north to Yellowknife for several days of exterior filming. The location work — in a production schedule that ran from July to December — was both a reality check and a bonding experience for the cast and crew, says actor Pascale Hutton. Read more.
From a media release:
CBC’S DRAGONS’ DEN 2013 AUDITION TOUR HITS THE ROAD!
- Auditions kick-off in Toronto beginning January 19, 2013
Beginning in January 2013, DRAGONS’ DEN producers will hit the road for an audition tour, with more than 40 stops in various Canadian cities. Entrepreneurs have another opportunity to enter the den with the hope of landing financial backing for their business ventures.
The open audition tour will kick off in Toronto at the CBC Broadcasting Centre atrium (25 John Street) on January 19. Audition dates and locations are listed below. Tour dates will continue to be updated on the website at www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions.
No experience is necessary and participants of all ages are encouraged to audition. After highly-rated ‘All-Student’ specials in previous seasons, DRAGONS’ DEN continues to seek young entrepreneurs who think they have what it takes to seal a deal with the country’s most renowned business tycoons.
All interested entrepreneurs should be prepared to pitch their business in less than five minutes. If they can convince DRAGONS’ DEN producers they are ready for their fifteen minutes of fame, they could be invited to brave the Dragons face-to face when the upcoming season is filmed in Toronto. Candidates are asked to apply online and bring a completed application form to the audition.
Audition dates are as follows:
- January 19 – Toronto ON (1 of 2)
- January 24 – Windsor ON
- January 25 – Prince George BC, Sarnia ON
- January 26 – London ON, Montreal QC (1 of 2), Vancouver BC (1 of 2)
- January 30 – Nanaimo BC, Oshawa ON, Regina SK
- January 31 – Niagara Falls ON, Salt Spring Island BC
- February 1 – Saskatoon SK
- February 2 – Calgary AB (1 of 2), Victoria BC, Winnipeg MN
- February 6 – Barrie ON, Timmins ON, Whitehorse YK
- February 7 – Burlington ON, Sudbury ON, Surrey BC
- February 9 – Ottawa ON, Penticton BC, Thunder Bay ON
- February 13 – Collingwood ON, Saint John NB
- February 15 – Charlottetown PEI, Quebec City QC
- February 16 – Edmonton AB, Halifax NS, Montreal QC (2 of 2)
- February 21 – Peterborough ON, Waterloo ON
- February 22 – Medicine Hat AB
- February 23 – Calgary AB (2 of 2), Hamilton ON, St John’s NFLD
- February 27 – Yellowknife NWT
- March 1 – Abbotsford BC
- March 2 – Toronto (2 of 2), Vancouver (2 of 2)
From Scott Stinson of the National Post:
- The head cases of Cracked
This exchange, from the premiere episode of Cracked, nicely sums up the nut of the new CBC drama: a police procedural about a fictional Toronto police unit — Psych Crimes and Crises — that pairs detectives with psychiatrists, the series has a natural tension between the cops and non-cops. In the opener, Detective Aidan Black (David Sutcliffe, Gilmore Girls) thinks the Rosedale murder might simply be a botched robbery. His partner, Dr. Daniella Ridley (Stefanie von Pfetten, NCIS), wonders if the killer has sensory or memory issues related to light. Thus the light bulb. And the crack about unicorns. Read more.
