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Brad Oswald

Brad Oswald

Perspectives editor

After three decades spent writing stories, columns and opinion pieces about television, comedy and other pop-culture topics in the paper’s entertainment section, Brad Oswald shifted his focus to the deep-thoughts portion of the Free Press’s daily operation. He was appointed to the position of Perspectives Editor in April 2017.

Brad joined the Free Press in 1987, shortly after graduating from Red River College’s Creative Communications program. A lifelong resident of Winnipeg, he also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba.

In addition to the abiding interest in popular culture that informed his columns and reviews in the Free Press’s Arts & Life pages for many years, Brad has also maintained a keen interest in politics, news and public affairs, which guided his efforts when he began to contribute editorials to the Free Press‘s opinion pages in 2016.

He considers it a great honour – and an even bigger responsibility – to take on the task of shaping the daily mix of opinion and analysis, following in the footsteps of such esteemed editors as John W. Dafoe, John Dafoe, Gerald Flood and Shannon Sampert.

He’s thrilled to embrace the challenge of maintaining the Free Press’s tradition of providing its readers with insightful, well-informed and thought-provoking commentary as it continues to expand its reach across multiple content platforms.

Considering the hard time she gave him about the inordinate amount of TV he watched as a kid, Brad believes his mother would probably think his latest assignment is a pretty good move.

Recent articles by Brad Oswald

Holiday TV guide is our gift that keeps on giving...something to see

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Holiday TV guide is our gift that keeps on giving...something to see

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Nov. 30, 2018

Hello, festive flipping friends ... remember me? Well, I just happened to be wandering past the ol’ entertainment section here at the Free Press, and Arts & Life editor Alan Small shot me one of those “Hey, didn’t you used to work over here and weren’t you the guy who used to do the Christmas-TV calendar every year?” looks.

You know the look I’m talking about — the one that’s about halfway to a holiday smile, but with a hint of nervous anticipation that maybe you’re going to deliver on one of the smiler’s Christmas wishes. It’s the season of giving, so I knew just what I had to do.

Setting aside the deep thoughts of the Perspectives pages for a couple of hours, I have returned to my TV-watching roots to prepare the annual clip-and-save Christmas TV calendar, a helpful and fridge-magnet-friendly guide to holiday classics and new seasonal favourites in this year’s channel-flipping schedule.

As always, please remember that because we compile this list weeks in advance of the big day, it’s best to check up-to-date listings to confirm air dates and times. Merry December viewing to all!

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Friday, Nov. 30, 2018

Frosty the Snowman (CBS Entertainment)

CBC-TV’s half-baked election decision

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CBC-TV’s half-baked election decision

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

Wednesday is election day in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, and candidates have made their final pitches to voters. It’s now up to the public to decide who will govern at the municipal level in this province. People will, no doubt, be very interested in the outcome of various races in hotly contested wards or the plebiscite on the future of the Portage and Main intersection.

Meanwhile, over on CBC Television, it’s Chocolate Week!

That’s right, Chocolate Week. On The Great Canadian Baking Show. At 8 p.m., when the polls close on election night.

As was the case Monday in Ontario, when results-seeking viewers who flipped over to CBC-TV’s primetime block in search of election coverage were greeted instead by three intriguing whodunits — Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries and The Mystery of the Disappearing Commitment to a Public-Broadcasting Mandate — TV-watchers in Manitoba looking for live primetime coverage of Winnipeg’s civic election will only find what they’re looking for on privately owned CTV Winnipeg, which will air a two-hour municipal election special from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The CBC building on Portage in Winnipeg on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.
Winnipeg Free Press 2018.

Carol Burnett reflective but relevant at 85

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Carol Burnett reflective but relevant at 85

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2018

It has been more than four decades since Carol Burnett last ended her legendary TV variety show by tugging her left ear and crooning a few lines of a sentimental tune.

Yet in concert halls all over North America, fans of all ages still show up by the thousands for a chance to have some time together, have a laugh and maybe even sing a song.

“It’s just a conversation with the audience,” says Burnett, 85, during a lively telephone interview from her California home. “I don’t do standup or anything like that; it’s like we’re out to dinner and we’re having a conversation — they ask a few questions and I give a few answers.

“I don’t like to know what the questions are going to be. I never did, even on my (TV) show, way back, because I wanted to be honest. People raise their hands and I just call on them at random. I never know what they’re going to say or ask; as I’ve said before, it keeps the old grey matter ticking.”

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Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2018

As was the case with her television series, which ran from 1967 to 1978 on CBS, Carol Burnett's live, audience-interactive evening is about laughter and reflection, not about being topical or edgy. (Tyler Golden / Netflix)

Principle over profit: decision to cancel Roseanne a Hollywood feat

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Principle over profit: decision to cancel Roseanne a Hollywood feat

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, May. 29, 2018

As statements go, it was brief and to the point, a most economical use of carefully chosen words:

"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."

The declaration, from ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey, was startling for both its directness and the speed with which it was issued. And what it said, in no uncertain terms, is that in 2018, there are lines that even the most bankable of stars cannot cross. Roseanne Barr, the driving force behind the revival of the 1980s/'90s sitcom that became ABC's biggest new-series hit in 2017-18, crossed that line.

Barr, no stranger to controversy throughout her career, posted (and then quickly deleted) a vile and racist tweet early Tuesday that essentially compared a former Obama administration senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, to a primate. Jarrett is African American.

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Tuesday, May. 29, 2018

ADAM ROSE / ABC
In this image released by ABC, Roseanne Barr, left, and John Goodman appear in a scene from the season finale of "Roseanne," airing Tuesday, May 22.

TV loses a visionary showrunner

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TV loses a visionary showrunner

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 3, 2018

Despite the respectful, nostalgic nods that are occasionally afforded to television’s long-ago, black-and-white past, there is simply no disputing that we — the binge-watching, Netflix-and-chilling, various-device-viewing generation — are living in TV’s golden age.

Not only is more content being created now than ever before, but the best of what is available to viewers of conventional broadcast TV, cable networks and streaming services is being produced at a level of quality that continually pushes boundaries, raises standards and challenges viewers on an almost-weekly basis to reconsider what qualifies as great.

And it’s worth noting, in this week when television lost one of its most noteworthy and powerful creative forces, just how significant Steven Bochco was in the modern evolution of the medium.

Simply put, Bochco, who died Sunday at age 74 after a lengthy battle with leukemia, helped set the stage for the current wave of scripted-TV excellence, particularly in the drama-series realm. Whatever it is that you consider to be the small screen’s best, from Game of Thrones to Breaking Bad to House of Cards to This Is Us, the roots of its success can be found in Bochco’s primetime productions of the 1980s and ’90s.

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Tuesday, Apr. 3, 2018

HANDOUT
Dennis Franz (left) with David Caruso in NYPD Blue.

Former late-night host brings new series to Netflix

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Former late-night host brings new series to Netflix

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018

When he left, he said he was glad to be gone; that he had nothing left to say on late-night television.

Two-and-a-half years later, it’s clear David Letterman still has a few things on his mind. And that TV remains the forum in which he feels best suited to say them.

Letterman, 70, returns to the small screen — and, for that matter, any other device on which you consume streaming content — this week with the debut of the new Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. The six-part, 60-minute series finds the still-bearded, but business-suit-attired Dave sitting down for extended conversations with subjects whom the host thinks sufficiently interesting to be worthy of an extended chat.

It’s obvious now, as this new effort unfolds at a decidedly measured pace (a new instalment will be made available on Netflix each month), that it wasn’t television in general that Letterman had grown tired of, after 30-plus years behind a talk-show desk; rather, it was the formatted nature of his past endeavours, the repetition, the daily grind and the requirement, because of the cross-promotional nature of the genre, to suffer through the endless stream of conversations with showbiz types with not all that much to say beyond pre-packaged quips about a latest movie or TV show.

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Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018

Netflix photo
Former U.S. President, Barack Obama, left, is the first guest on the new Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, which was released Friday.

When life imitates art, who gets a pass?

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When life imitates art, who gets a pass?

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017

So, here’s a serious question about a funny TV show:

In the current social and political environment, in which bullies, abusers and assailants are being held to account and shown their too-long-endured toxic behaviour is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated, is it still OK to laugh at Veep?

Humour, of course, is a decidedly subjective thing — what’s hilarious to one person can be ho-hum or, perhaps, hurtful to another. But by the most deliberate of measurements — the peer-voted assessment of the television industry itself — the HBO series has been recognized as TV’s funniest show for pretty much the past half-decade.

Veep has taken home the Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series for the past three years, and was nominated in that category three other times before that. Series star Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series an unprecedented six consecutive times.

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Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017

Justin M. Lubin/HBO
Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer in the HBO series Veep.

A month's worth of holiday TV programming to get you in the festive spirit

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A month's worth of holiday TV programming to get you in the festive spirit

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017

Well, a very festive hello to all! It’s your old TV-watching pal Brad here, making a brief holiday-season drop-in on the entertainment pages in order to A) take a short break from the deep-thoughts work that occupies most of my time on the Perspectives pages these days, and B) check in on my friends in the Arts & Life section as they embark on the inevitably frenzied festive season.

And while I’m here, I simply couldn’t resist the urge to throw together another of our annual ever-so-useful clip-and-save guides to seasonal TV programming — a few new titles, a handful of old chestnuts, and the usual assortment of essential-viewing holiday-TV favourites. Here’s hoping your must-see selections are somewhere to be found on this year’s decidedly nice list — and remember, since we’re working well in advance here, be sure to check the local listings to confirm dates and times.

Happy festive-season flipping!

 

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Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017

CBS
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is the longest-running holiday special in television history. CBS shows it on Dec. 9.

Final four face off in Canadian TV contest

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Final four face off in Canadian TV contest

Brad OswalD  5 minute read Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017

As most sports fans know, the biggest and baddest of the bracket-driven competitions is the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness.

But there’s another bracket brawl brewing these days, and it’s aimed at determining the greatest-ever Canadian television thing. For the sake of the discussion that follows, and with a respectful nod to bracketology’s apparent affinity for alliteration (the progressive stages of the NCAA’s “Madness” march are nicknamed the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight and the Final Four), let’s call the Canuck-TV countdown “November Nuttiness.”

The bracket gimmick was unleashed online earlier this month by self-described journalist/ranker of stuff Justin McElroy, a Vancouver-based CBC staffer, under the heading “Canada’s Most Memorable (English) TV Thing.” On his website (As most sports fans know, the biggest and baddest of the bracket-driven competitions is the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness.

But there’s another bracket brawl brewing these days, and it’s aimed at determining the greatest-ever Canadian television thing. For the sake of the discussion that follows, and with a respectful nod to bracketology’s apparent affinity for alliteration (the progressive stages of the NCAA’s “Madness” march are nicknamed the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight and the Final Four), let’s call the Canuck-TV countdown “November Nuttiness.”

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Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017

CREDIT: HO-Epitome Pictures Inc. / The Canadian Press
Wheels (Neil Hope), Joey (Pat Mastroianni) and Snake (Stefan Brogren) in a publicity still from the original Degrassi series.

TV documentary explores ‘catfishing’ scandal

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TV documentary explores ‘catfishing’ scandal

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017

It is, without question, one of the most unusual and puzzling cases in recent Manitoba judicial history.

A high-profile pro-basketball star, an ambitious teenage internet-age celebrity and a lonely but startlingly resourceful young woman from an isolated Manitoba community became the key players in an elaborate “catfishing” scheme that nearly ruined a couple of lives and landed its unlikely mastermind behind bars.

CBC Docs POV takes an in-depth look at the case in the new locally produced film Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier, which has its TV première Sunday at 9 p.m on CBC.

The documentary, written and directed by Lisa Jackson and Shane Belcourt, and co-produced by Winnipeg-based Jeff Peeler of Frantic Films and Chris McIvor of FRANK Digital, delves deep into the tangled history and misguided motivations that led Chartier, a reclusive 28-year-old who lived in her mother’s home on the Chemawawin First Nation in Easterville, to become the author of a complex, deeply mischievous and occasionally nasty scheme involving invented identities and relationships that were stage-managed from afar.

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Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017

Frantic Films and FRANK Digital
Shelly Chartier sits for an interview with film-makers.

Humour from grief

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Humour from grief

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017

It has often been said that comedy equals tragedy plus time.

Patton Oswalt applies the bare-minimum mathematics of this equation in his new standup special Patton Oswalt: Annihilation, which arrived on Netflix earlier this week.

By mining a recent personal tragedy that is clearly still very raw, the veteran comedian has created an extended passage of new material with on-the-edge daring and starkly honest brilliance that is something to behold.

The baseline measure of standup-comedy success is, of course, whether people laugh at it. And they most certainly do during this hour-long performance, which was filmed last June at the Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago, but the laughs do not always come easily.

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Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017

Elizabeth Morris / Netflix
The laughs are honest and occasionally uncomfortable in Patton Oswalt’s first special since the death of his wife, Michelle McNamara.

Hall kept his word by constantly giving back

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Hall kept his word by constantly giving back

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017

Monty Hall will be remembered by most North Americans as the guy who gave stuff away — sometimes big, exciting, expensive stuff, and sometimes disappointing, worthless, comically silly junk. It all depended on the recipients' willingness to take a chance, risk it all and make a deal, combined with plain old dumb luck.

In his hometown of Winnipeg, however, the co-creator and longtime host of one of television's most enduring game shows — Let's Make a Deal — will also be remembered as a guy who spent his life fulfilling a promise to give back.

Hall, who was 96, died Saturday of heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills. He had lived in southern California for more than half a century, but he held fast to his North End roots. It was in the iconic Winnipeg neighbourhood that Hall — who was born Monte Halparin on Aug. 25, 1921 — was the recipient of a life-changing kindness that would eventually fuel his tireless dedication to philanthropy.

As the oft-told story goes, as a young man Hall had dreams of attending the University of Manitoba to become a doctor, but his family lacked the means to send him there. While working at menial jobs in an effort to raise enough money for tuition, he was noticed by a man who took pity on him and offered to pay for his schooling.

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Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg-born Let's Make a Deal game show host and philanthropist Monty Hall died Saturday at age 96.

Compelling characters drive this missing-child drama

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Compelling characters drive this missing-child drama

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 30, 2017

CTV’s The Disappearance isn’t a horror story, but the premise that drives the six-part drama is as horrifying as they come.

The Canadian-made limited series, which premières Sunday at 8 p.m. on CTV, tells the harrowing story of an already-fractured family dealing with the disappearance — and presumed abduction — of a 10-year-old boy.

As such, it’s one of those TV-watching choices the viewer knows will be difficult from the outset; for the show’s producers, the challenge lies in crafting a story that is sufficiently compelling to keep people watching despite the necessary unease.

The Disappearance, which was shot in and around Montreal last year, does a credible job of locking viewers in by offering up a core group of characters whose various strained interactions and individual inner conflicts are allowed to develop at a steady tension-building pace.

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Saturday, Sep. 30, 2017

Bell Media
Henry Sullivan (Peter Coyote, left) and his children, Catherine and Luke (Joanne Kelly, Aden Young), attend a vigil for Luke’s missing son Anthony in the première of The Disappearance.

Reaching for Canadian connection at the Emmys

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Reaching for Canadian connection at the Emmys

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 22, 2017

Amid all the acceptance-speech dissection and red-carpet fashion reaction that followed last Sunday’s broadcast of the 69th Emmy Awards, there was another post-show postscript that felt, at once, as forced as the oft-repeated “What are you wearing?” query and as quaint as an old Hinterland Who’s Who video.

I’m referring, of course, to the inevitable north-of-the-border tradition that might best be described as “Let’s find something — anything — that connects Canada to this awards show.” It happens on Emmy night, just as it does after the Oscars, Tonys, Grammys, Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, ESPYs, Teen Choice Awards, VMAs, CMAs, and any other showbizzy spectacle that involves famous people handing trophies to other famous people.

After this year’s Emmy’s, Canada’s entertainment “news” programs were quick to fall all over themselves describing how Canada had just had a big Emmy night.

The Handmaid’s Tale, a TV-drama adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s like-titled 1985 novel, took home eight awards, including the Emmys for best drama series, best actress and best writing.

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Friday, Sep. 22, 2017

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
The Handmaid’s Tale won eight Emmy Awards, but the Canadian flag-waving for the show’s success is lame.

Veep ends as one of television’s great laughs

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Veep ends as one of television’s great laughs

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 9, 2017

Reports this week that Veep’s seventh season will be its last will no doubt be hard for serious fans of TV-sitcom silliness to swallow.

The HBO series, winner of the past two best-comedy Emmys (along with five consecutive best-actress/comedy statues for star Julia Louis-Dreyfus), will air its final 10-episode run in 2018 and in so doing will cement its place among television’s best ever in the sitcom realm.

The news of Veep’s exit is sure to inspire a bit of comedy-inclined reminiscence and reflection — it certainly did for me, as I pondered just where to place this premium-cable gem in my personal list of funniest shows in TV history.

I haven’t quite sorted it out, but I did come up with a quick list of my all-time favourite TV comedies, which I’m happy to share in the interest of generating discussion and/or starting arguments.

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Saturday, Sep. 9, 2017

Bell Media
Award-winning HBO comedy Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will end in 2018. After seven seasons of silliness, the show has earned its place among television’s best comedies.

CRTC introduces guidelines for TV providers

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CRTC introduces guidelines for TV providers

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 2, 2017

Ever been so mad at your cable- or satellite-TV provider that you caught yourself yelling at the television set?

Most likely, the outburst was driven by pure, pent-up small-screen frustration, coupled with the fact you didn’t know what or who else to shout at. Your family members had, no doubt, heard your complaints before, and it seemed pointless to scream into the canned-music-filled on-hold void that awaited if you decided to voice your displeasure to the provider’s customer-service line.

Well, shout aimlessly no more. Effective this week, the federal broadcast regulator has decreed that your complaints must be heard.

On Friday, the Television Service Provider Code came into effect, affording new levels of protection and a more effective dispute-resolution process to Canadians who are frequently fed up with the way cable and satellite TV is delivered in Canada. The code, established by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in response to its long-running Let’s Talk TV public-consultation process, lays out several new initiatives aimed at ensuring consumers are given a somewhat fairer shake by purveyors of at-home screen entertainment.

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Saturday, Sep. 2, 2017

Philip Brooker / Miami Herald
The Television Service Provider Code sets standards to ensure written agreements and offers for television subscribers are clear.

Behind all of Jerry Lewis’s mugging and shouting was one of Hollywood’s key innovators

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Behind all of Jerry Lewis’s mugging and shouting was one of Hollywood’s key innovators

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017

There’s probably an entire generation whose reaction to the passing of Jerry Lewis was something along the lines of “Oh, the guy from the telethons died.”

And there’s likely at least another generation beyond that one that paid no attention because it had simply never even heard of the guy.

But Lewis, who died Sunday at the age of 91, had a career in show business that is very much worth remembering. Mostly relegated to footnote mentions and French-culture punchlines during the past couple of decades, Jerry Lewis was one of the entertainment industry’s most influential and powerful stars in the 1940s and ‘50s.

After combining their middling nightclub acts in 1946 — one was a comedian doing a threadbare routine in which he mugged and flailed while lip-synching to records, the other a moderately successful crooner — Lewis and Dean Martin combined madcap humour with music became an almost-overnight sensation. Within a couple of years, they were the highest-paid entertainers in the world, even before they expanded their empire by becoming movie and TV stars.

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Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017

Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP
Entertainer Jerry Lewis celebrates his 90th birthday on April 8, 2016. He became one of Hollywood’s most influential stars of the 1940s and ‘50s after teaming up with Dean Martin.

Netflix puts its money where its medium is

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Netflix puts its money where its medium is

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017

Earlier this month, the attention of the TV world was on Los Angeles as U.S. broadcast networks, cable outlets and several digital-content providers spent nearly three weeks showcasing their programming at the semi-annual Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour.

It is, for people who cover the medium, a vast and valuable clearing house of information, a chance for media outlets from all over North America to gather TV-related insights and interviews that will drive their coverage of television programming and trends for the next six months.

The most significant TV-related revelations of the summer, however, did not take place at the TV press tour.

Netflix, which has appeared at the L.A. gathering in the past but did not take part in this summer’s TCA event, opted instead to solidify its status as the small screen’s 900-pound gorilla by issuing a trio of major programming announcements, each of which shook the very foundations of the television business.

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Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017

David Letterman (Evan Agostini / The Associated Press files)

The National’s quartet ends an era

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The National’s quartet ends an era

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017

It takes a village, they say, to raise a child.

If recent news in Canadian TV is any indication, it now also takes one to read a newscast.

CBC made its much-anticipated announcement about Peter Mansbridge’s replacement this week, and the new anchor of the public broadcaster’s flagship news program will be... Ian Hanomansing, whom most considered to be a leading contender for the job.

Oh, and Adrienne Arsenault, who was also considered to be in the running.

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Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017

CBC
CBC has announced a quartet of new hosts for The National (from left): Andrew Chang, Rosemary Barton, Adrienne Arsenault and Ian Hanomansing.

Amazon seeing even more stars

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Amazon seeing even more stars

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 22, 2017

A lot has been written and said in the past few years about how good television is, and how the small screen is the place to go for actors yearning to work on top-notch material.

While Hollywood’s movie studios churn out mindless sequels to superhero movies and CGI-driven next chapters of mutating-toy brand extensions, TV is turning great, substantial scripts into the very best in screen entertainment.

Television is so good these days, in fact, that FX network president John Landgraf recently declared the medium has reached a point of “peak TV,” meaning there’s now so much great content spread across the various platforms bundled under the label of “television” that it’s impossible for viewers to watch all of it. What Landgraf is saying, in other words, is that there’s too much good TV for TV’s own good.

All of that makes a pretty good case for this being what some observers have taken to calling TV’s “platinum age,” but if you’re looking for definitive proof that television is THE venue for quality entertainment, consider this newsflash from earlier this week: Julia Roberts is doing a TV series.

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Saturday, Jul. 22, 2017

Richard Shotwell / Invision
Julia Roberts is one of many actors making the jump to television, having signed on for Amazon’s newest show, Homecoming.

Scared silly

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Scared silly

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 15, 2017

It’s a long stretch from youthful fish-slap-dancing comedy to gut-wrenching geriatric horror, but Michael Palin has made the journey without so much as a stumble.

The founding member of perhaps the most important comedy troupe ever, Monty Python, has travelled many roads and routes in the years since the Brit-based sixsome (Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam) turned TV comedy on its ear in the early 1970s and then redefined big-screen silliness in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

In addition to writing and acting in a variety of TV and movie projects (Ripping Yarns, A Private Function, Brazil, A Fish Called Wanda, You’ve Got Mail) and participating in a variety of Python-related reunions and collaborations, Palin has authored nearly two dozen books in several different genres (fiction, travel, children’s, memoirs) and produced and narrated eight TV series that documented his travels around the world, from pole to pole, along Hemingway’s trail and through numerous out-of-the-way destinations.

Despite all that diversity and longevity, however, 74-year-old Palin finds himself in a place he hasn’t visited before, and in a role few of his fans would have expected him to attempt — playing a lonely and perhaps slightly dangerous octogenarian in the Brit-import thriller Remember Me, which premières Sunday at 10 p.m. on PBS.

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Saturday, Jul. 15, 2017

SUPPLIED
Michael Palin stars in the Brit-import thriller Remember Me, which airs Sunday on PBS.

Tour de snooze fest

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Tour de snooze fest

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 8, 2017

Anytime an actor is asked why he or she took a particular TV or movie role, the answer is always some variant of “I fell in love with the material” or “When I started reading the script, I couldn’t put it down.”

Which is to suggest, of course, that quality matters.

But as the HBO mock sports documentary Tour de Pharmacy proves, sometimes the quality that matters is nothing more than the opportunity to make some quick cash while having mindless, stupid fun.

And in this case, the fun available to a sizable roster of stars in featured or cameo roles is as dopey — in every sense of the word — as it gets.

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Saturday, Jul. 8, 2017

Bell Media photo
Daveed Diggs, Orlando Bloom, Andy Samberg, John Cena and Freddie Hightower star in the HBO mock sports documentary Tour de Pharmacy.

CTV documentary takes a snapshot of a Canadian moment in time

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CTV documentary takes a snapshot of a Canadian moment in time

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 24, 2017

If there were one word to describe the sesquicentennial-celebratory CTV documentary Canada in a Day, it would definitely have to be...

Aw, shucks. No doubt about it:

Canadian.

This two-hour TV event, which airs Sunday at 7 p.m. on CTV (and, for that matter, CTV Two and also streams online at CTV GO), adopts a widely used and infallibly effective format — compiling video clips submitted by the public to create a snapshot-in-time portrait of a place or situation, employed to great effect by feature-film director Ridley Scott on the acclaimed film Life in a Day — to create a coast-to-coast-to-coast portrait of Canada that is at once broadly expansive and intimately personal.

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Saturday, Jun. 24, 2017

CTV PHOTOS

TV networks are beefing up news content

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TV networks are beefing up news content

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 10, 2017

The big news in TV land this week was... news.

During Canadian television’s version of the annual upfront ad-sales presentations, when new-season schedules are unveiled at flashy events and each network’s executives try to convince TV-commercial buyers that theirs is the best place to spend precious advertising dollars, two Canadian broadcasters — City and CTV — announced big plans for expanded local TV news coverage.

City, which in 2006 completely abandoned the local-news concept in several markets — including Winnipeg — announced that it will extend its CityNews brand, which is currently seen in and around Toronto, into Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal. City’s stations in Winnipeg and Montreal will launch CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight (at 11 p.m.) on Sept. 4, while the remaining markets will welcome their local versions of those shows early in 2018.

CTV, meanwhile, used its upfront-sales pitch to announce the expansion of its local news programming in several markets, including Winnipeg, with the addition of an early supper-hour show, CTV News at Five, which will precede the traditional CTV News at Six newscast.

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Saturday, Jun. 10, 2017

The big news in TV land this week was... news.

During Canadian television’s version of the annual upfront ad-sales presentations, when new-season schedules are unveiled at flashy events and each network’s executives try to convince TV-commercial buyers that theirs is the best place to spend precious advertising dollars, two Canadian broadcasters — City and CTV — announced big plans for expanded local TV news coverage.

City, which in 2006 completely abandoned the local-news concept in several markets — including Winnipeg — announced that it will extend its CityNews brand, which is currently seen in and around Toronto, into Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal. City’s stations in Winnipeg and Montreal will launch CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight (at 11 p.m.) on Sept. 4, while the remaining markets will welcome their local versions of those shows early in 2018.

CTV, meanwhile, used its upfront-sales pitch to announce the expansion of its local news programming in several markets, including Winnipeg, with the addition of an early supper-hour show, CTV News at Five, which will precede the traditional CTV News at Six newscast.

Baptism by fire: Megyn Kelly's new show debuts Sunday with Putin as guest

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Baptism by fire: Megyn Kelly's new show debuts Sunday with Putin as guest

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 3, 2017

If the desire was to put all the chips on the table for an all-or-nothing bet on the very first spin of the wheel, Megyn Kelly seems to have succeeded.

The former Fox News host has her major-network primetime debut this weekend, with the 6 p.m. première of Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, opposite CBS’s venerable 60 Minutes newsmagazine. And by featuring a one-on-one interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on her first show, Kelly has pretty much turned her heavily hyped arrival on U.S. broadcast television into an all-in proposition.

Deliver a substantive, revealing conversation with the controversial Russian leader, and Sunday Night’s reputation could be set. Make a mess of the encounter, however, and it’s likely that many viewers will grab the remote, change the channel and never return. In terms of quality-brand reinforcement, a failure by Kelly could turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to 60 Minutes.

NBC’s news division is banking heavily on Kelly’s potential as a major ratings draw. She comes to the network with considerable name recognition and a reputation for controversy, thanks in large part to her public feud with then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump during the final months of her 12-year tenure at Fox News.

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Saturday, Jun. 3, 2017

Brian Doben / NBC News
Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly premières this weekend on NBC. The former Fox News personality’s first interview subject is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Network lineups for fall 2017 eschew originality in favour of resurrections and spinoffs

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Network lineups for fall 2017 eschew originality in favour of resurrections and spinoffs

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, May. 27, 2017

Some things old, fewer things new, most things borrowed, many things blew.

That’s the rhyming matrimonial-ripoff description that could be applied to most TV schedules, and the prime-time lineups unveiled this month at the U.S. networks’ annual upfront ad-sales presentations in New York do nothing to dispel the notion that caution almost always trumps creativity when the big broadcast-network money is on the line.

(In fairness, it’s a bit premature to apply the last part of the poetic-licence prediction; we won’t know which of 2017-18’s new shows “blow” until a few weeks into the new TV season.)

That said, however, it doesn’t take much more than a cursory glance at the schedules unveiled by ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW network to recognize that the major commercial broadcast outlets are more inclined to pull an old idea out of the archives, rework a familiar format or rehire a dependable TV star than push the envelope with new and daring people and ideas.

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Saturday, May. 27, 2017

Heidi Gutman / NBCUniversal
Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Sean Hayes return to prime time in a revived Will & Grace this fall on NBC.

For a TV revival, how soon is too soon?

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For a TV revival, how soon is too soon?

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, May. 13, 2017

News that ABC is hard at work on a revival of American Idol brings a simple but significant question to mind:

Who in the world actually needs a revival of American Idol?

Except, perhaps, for the folks in the accounting department at ABC. And let’s face it — if they’re counting on a rebooted Idol being anything like the cash-spewing ratings juggernaut it was during its heyday over on Fox, they’re in for a disappointment of Muppets-revival-sized proportions.

Television is a business in which new ideas are a rarity. Mostly out of fear for their jobs, TV programming executives tend to favour the familiar, the derivative and the successfully-done-before when they assess the many “new” show pitches that come their way before each prime-time season. So when someone approaches one of them with the idea of bringing back a show that was successful in an earlier incarnation, it goes without saying that the pitch gets top-of-the-pile consideration.

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Saturday, May. 13, 2017

Ray Mickshaw / FOX Files
Ryan Seacrest (left) announces that Kelly Clarkson is the first American Idol winner in September 2002 alongside runner-up Justin Guarini and co-host Brian Dunkleman.

Satirists riding high with Trump, but can they rely on his longevity?

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Satirists riding high with Trump, but can they rely on his longevity?

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 29, 2017

Whether the first 100 days of the Donald Trump presidency have been good for Americans, or for politics, or for the world in general is the subject of heated and completely polarized debate.

Some believe Trump is absolutely phenomenal at doing a tremendous job of making America great again. Others — and these folks, presumably, would account for Trump’s historically low approval ratings after 100 days in office — would be more inclined to adopt such Trump-favoured descriptives as “complete disaster,” “the worst deal ever,” or simply his Twitter-outburst standby, “SAD.”

There are few folks who occupy the middle ground when it comes to America’s made-by-TV POTUS. But whether you love Trump or hate him, there’s no disputing this: the 45th president of the United States has been very, very good for television comedy.

Thanks to his long history as a self-caricaturing reality-TV star, his complete lack of a filter when it comes to written or spoken comments, his bizarre and forever monologue-friendly hairstyle and his easily mimicked physical appearance and demeanour, Trump has been pure gold for comedy writers since the moment he declared his intention to begin the unlikeliest of runs at the Republican presidential nomination.

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Saturday, Apr. 29, 2017

BELL MEDIA
Anthony Atamanuik stars in The President Show, a whimsical what-if series that imagines a world in which Donald Trump bypasses the ‘crooked media’ by hosting his own talk show from the Oval Office.

CBS’s Good Fight gambit works out for Canadian fans

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CBS’s Good Fight gambit works out for Canadian fans

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 22, 2017

In addition to being a very good spinoff of an excellent primetime TV drama, The Good Fight has also turned out to be a pretty great deal for Canadian viewers.

The riveting and occasionally ribald spinoff of CBS’s acclaimed drama The Good Wife, which airs its first-season finale this Sunday at midnight on W network, is available to viewers on this side of the Canada-U.S. border as a weekly series on a readily accessible specialty-cable channel. Stateside, the series première of The Good Fight aired on conventional TV on CBS, but subsequent episodes have only been available to U.S. viewers who subscribe (for US$5.99 per month) to the network’s CBS All Access on-demand service.

It’s an interesting strategic choice for CBS — on one hand, it’s surely important to have a top-notch scripted property as an anchor tenant as it seeks to draw traffic to its relatively new Netflix-style streaming service; on the other hand, using a high-quality show such as The Good Fight as a lure to get viewers to sample CBS All Access pretty much guarantees that only a miniscule audience will ever see it.

The Good Fight maintains the smartly scripted style that made The Good Wife both a ratings winner and an awards-season contender throughout its seven-season run. But because it exists (in the U.S.) only as a digital-platform property, the new spinoff isn’t bound by the language and content restrictions that make broadcast-network dramas so much tamer than their made-for-cable cousins.

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Saturday, Apr. 22, 2017

Patrick Harbron / CBS
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart and Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quin in The Good Fight, a CBS-produced spinoff of the acclaimed drama The Good Wife.

Veep's impossible new mission: create a comedy zanier than America's kooky political system

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Veep's impossible new mission: create a comedy zanier than America's kooky political system

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017

Satire, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as “The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”

Which, of course, begs a question: how does one create political satire in an era in which real-life politics has become so exaggerated, ironic, ridiculous, stupid and vicious that scripted topical humour seems superfluous?

That’s the challenge facing HBO’s Veep as it enters its sixth season with a set of new episodes that was in the process of being created when the American political process took a sharp right turn into The Twilight Zone. With the election of Donald Trump as the United States’ 45th president, art, life, reality television and sketch and situation comedy collided in a way that left all the familiar rules of made-for-TV humour in a tangled, confused mess.

Throughout its first five Emmy-winning seasons, the genius of Veep’s comedy resided mostly in its outrageousness — as a premium-cable commodity, it was not bound by the content restrictions that constrain traditional broadcast-network sitcoms, meaning Veep could be as daring and irreverent and profane as it pleased.

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Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017

Tony Hale and Julia Louis-Dreyfus star in the Season 6 première of Veep

The Peacock producer who came from the ‘Peg

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The Peacock producer who came from the ‘Peg

Brad Oswald 7 minute read Saturday, Apr. 8, 2017

These days, most folks who hear the phrase This Is Us think of television’s hottest new major-network prime-time drama.

But the guy responsible for the marketing and promotional campaign that launched NBC’s most successful new series in years has another thought when he hears “This is us.”

For Dean McFlicker, the “Us” also means “us Winnipeggers.”

Despite having lived most of his life in the United States, McFlicker — who was recently elevated to the position of senior vice-president and creative director of live events and promotional programming at NBC Entertainment — maintains a firm and enthusiastic grip on his Manitoba roots.

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Saturday, Apr. 8, 2017

Ron Batzdorff / NBC
Sterling K. Brown (left) plays Randall, Chrissy Metz as Kate and Justin Hartley as Kevin in This Is Us. The show is NBC's most successful new series in years.

New telling of Anne starts with dynamic lead

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New telling of Anne starts with dynamic lead

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Mar. 18, 2017

There’s a moment, very early on, when it seems that the producers of the latest TV adaptation of Anne of Green Gables might have stretched too far in their effort to create an updated Anne that distances itself from all the versions that precede it.

The series opens with a sweeping aerial shot that zooms in on a rider on horseback, engaged in a mad dash through the ebb-tide surf along a windswept coastline. There’s a sense of great urgency to the moment, and then, suddenly, at the one-minute mark, the opening notes of the Tragically Hip’s Ahead By a Century impose themselves over the moving picture.

It’s a wonderful song with haunting lyrics that hold particular resonance for Canadians these days, but its presence here is discombobulating, the decidedly anachronistic placement of a 20th-century song in a period-piece 19th-century tale. It leaves the viewer wondering if what follows will be an overreaching attempt to somehow modernize Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved tale — which, few would argue, is both unnecessary and ill-considered.

The musical moment passes, however, and what follows is a newly adapted-for-TV retelling of the Green Gables saga that is unique, respectful, insightful, challenging and contemporary, but still somehow traditional, and very, very wonderful.

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Saturday, Mar. 18, 2017

SUPPLIED
Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty) and Matthew Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson) share a moment on their journey to Green Gables in the new CBC series Anne.

CBC doc shines spotlight on safety workers, volunteers

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CBC doc shines spotlight on safety workers, volunteers

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Mar. 16, 2017

Do you feel safe? And when you do, who or what makes you feel that way?

It’s a very personal pair of questions, but they’re examined from a coast-to-coast national perspective in the new CBC documentary series Keeping Canada Safe, which premières tonight at 9 p.m. The eight-part series, based on an internationally produced format created by ITV, offers a snapshot-in-time look at the efforts of people whose jobs involve keeping Canadians safe and free from harm.

Filmed over a 48-hour period last September, employing 60 camera crews spread across 34 different locales, Keeping Canada Safe examines a wide range of public-protection efforts, ranging from police work and firefighting to airport security, CSIS intelligence gathering and grassroots volunteer operations.

It’s the last category that brings Winnipeg into focus during Keeping Canada Safe’s first episode. After a couple of opening segments involving Calgary’s police-helicopter crew and Kensington, P.E.I.’s less-than-overwhelmed police chief, one of the show’s camera crews joins volunteers at a North End youth centre as the Bear Clan patrol readies for another night of hard legwork in one of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.

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Thursday, Mar. 16, 2017

CBC
Bear Clan patrol volunteers canvas a neighbourhood for information in Keeping Canada Safe.

Fascinating look at life of country legend Patsy Cline

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Fascinating look at life of country legend Patsy Cline

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Mar. 11, 2017

Sometimes, you just know it’s going to be good.

That’s certainly the case with PBS’s American Masters, a series that for more than three decades has delivered consistently excellent performing-arts biographies to viewers of the U.S. public broadcaster. Regardless of the subject or field of artistic endeavour that is its focus, American Masters creates profiles that are thorough, compelling and emotionally engaging.

This weekend’s documentary examination of the life and career of Patsy Cline does not disappoint. It’s an excellent hour-long film that celebrates the achievements of a country-music legend who defied long odds, broke barriers, challenged gender stereotypes and achieved unprecedented success in a too-short career.

American Masters: Patsy Cline, which airs today at 5:30 p.m. on PBS’s North Dakota affiliate, Prairie Public TV, tells the story of a decidedly working-class heroine who became a female star in a male-dominated field simply because she refused to let anything stop her.

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Saturday, Mar. 11, 2017

Submitted
Pioneering country singer Patsy Cline is profiled in a new installment of PBS's American Masters

Rink experience at home

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Rink experience at home

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017

‘You had to be there.”

It’s a phrase you no doubt have heard from friends and fellow fans throughout your lifetime, in reference to a special night or a special moment that occurred at a big game, a concert or some other public event that you didn’t attend but, in hindsight, really wish you had.

Hockey fans will get a handful of chances this year to experience you-are-there game action without leaving the comfort of their own sofas, as Rogers Media and Sportsnet become the latest broadcast entities to tinker with the addition of virtual reality to their NHL coverage.

Sportsnet, in co-operation with event sponsor Molson, are launching an immersive NHL experience called 360 Virtual Reality, which will allow viewers who equip themselves with some fairly simple technology to share in a VR experience during broadcasts of six upcoming NHL games.

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Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017

Trevor Hagan / Canadian Press Files
A March 11 game between the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames will be broadcast on Rogers' 360 VR experience.

Slow-boil mystery shows some promise

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Slow-boil mystery shows some promise

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017

Another small town. Another rogue detective. Another missing kid.

These are dangerous days on television’s Canadian-cop-show landscape.

But “dangerous” doesn’t necessarily equate with “bad,” because there’s absolutely nothing negative about the arrival of several new homegrown dramas — police-themed or otherwise — on the airwaves at the same time.

CTV recently unveiled Cardinal, a simmering new six-part thriller based on a novel by Canadian author Giles Blunt; this week, CBC enters the crime-drama fray with Bellevue, a complex eight-part series that stars Winnipeg-born actress Anna Paquin (True Blood), Downton Abbey alumnus Allen Leech and veteran Canadian performer Shawn Doyle (Fargo, House of Cards).

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Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017

Jan Thijs / CBC
Detective Annie Ryder (Anna Paquin) investigates the disappearance of a transgender teen in the new CBC drama Bellevue.

Do you cheat on your beloved.... on Netflix?

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Do you cheat on your beloved.... on Netflix?

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017

Yes, of course, today’s the day for flowers and bonbons and delivered-by-the-dozen floral declarations of love.

But beyond all the predictable Hallmark-hued heralding of eternal devotion, here’s a slightly darker Valentine’s Day question: Do you “cheat” on your beloved?

Netflix thinks you might — at least, when it comes to a new digital-age definition of infidelity that involves surreptitious solo streaming of shows you promised your significant other you were only going to watch together. This phenomenon, known as “Netflix cheating,” is apparently on the rise.

The popular streaming-content service conducted a global poll of its subscribers, and the numbers suggest it’s likely that you, your partner, or someone you know has done some naughty nuzzling with Narcos, broken a Breaking Bad bond, quietly canoodled with The Crown, stealth-streamed The Santa Clarita Diet or had an illicit one-nighter with One Day at a Time while a spouse was asleep, at work or out of town.

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Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017

Frank Ockenfels/AMC
Being bad with Breaking Bad: the AMC drama ranks among the Top 10 temptations for Netflix ‘cheaters’.

For the stars of CTV's Cardinal, the elements play a key role

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For the stars of CTV's Cardinal, the elements play a key role

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017

Winter has its own personality.

As any self-respecting Winnipegger can tell you, the temperatures of cold-weather months don’t just dictate how we dress. They insinuate themselves into our very being, affecting the way we think, the way we talk and even the ways in which we react to others’ behaviour.

Which is why the stars of the new CTV series Cardinal believe the season and setting in which the murder-mystery takes place are as important as any of the characters in the drama.

“For me, it’s like wearing the clothing of the character. It’s the same thing, in a way,” says actor Billy Campbell, who stars as Det. John Cardinal in the new series, which was shot in and around Sudbury, Ont. “I think being outside, in the Canadian Shield, was physically immersive and psychologically immersive, as well. I guess we could have done it in front of a green screen in a soundstage somewhere, but we wouldn’t have felt any connection (to the story).”

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Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017

SUPPLIED
'The weather became very much a part of how these characters live their lives,' says Cardinal star Karine Vanasse.

24 reboot is stupidly enjoyable

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24 reboot is stupidly enjoyable

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017

Hear that familiar beep-beep-beeping of a digital clock?

That’s the sound of pure, unadulterated nonsense.

It’s fast-paced, pulse-pounding, edge-of-the-seat-entertaining nonsense, but it’s nonsense, all the same.

Fox has revived one of its most successful dramas ever in the form of 24: Legacy, and whatever else is said about this preposterous but immediately addictive new spin on a reliable old format, it must be stated right up front that this reboot is entirely and faithfully true to the 24 blueprint, style and attitude.

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Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017

RAY MICKSHAW / FOX
Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins stars in 24: Legacy, which premières Sunday after the Super Bowl.

It's not to everyone's taste, but Netflix series tempts us to binge… and purge

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It's not to everyone's taste, but Netflix series tempts us to binge… and purge

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017

Like sushi and steak tartare, the new Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet is very raw and most definitely not for everyone.

It’s an acquired-taste kind of comedy; those who like this sort of thing will probably flat-out love it, and those who don’t will almost certainly find it repulsive.

Santa Clarita Diet, which arrives on Netflix in a 10-episode bundle on Friday, Feb. 3, is a situation comedy whose humour is derived from a very, very messy situation. The absurd and unflinchingly deadpan story focuses on husband-and-wife suburban-California realtors Sheila and Joel Hammond (played by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant), whose life seems pretty mundane right up until the day Sheila becomes violently ill during the showing of a for-sale property.

It’s the first of many scenes in which Santa Clarita Diet cranks the ick factor up to maximum gross-out force.

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Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017

Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant get a raw deal in Santa Clarita Diet.

Amazon Prime's new takes on old ideas hold up surprisingly well

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Amazon Prime's new takes on old ideas hold up surprisingly well

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017

There’s been a shift in the streaming-content current since our last edition of Life Is But a Stream — Shomi is gone, but a new provider of original programming, Amazon Prime, has entered the Canadian market.

Amazon, of course, is mostly known as an online shopping destination, but the recent worldwide expansion of its Amazon Prime service ($79 per year — after 30-day free trial — for free two-day shipping of online purchases) has also made its roster of original shows available to a global audience.

A few of Amazon Prime’s top titles, including Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle, were previously available on Shomi, but others in the shopping service’s stable are making their Canadian streaming-service debut.

With that in mind, here’s our latest binge-worthy bundle of fun:

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Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017

Not the Archie of your childhood

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Not the Archie of your childhood

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017

Here’s the first thing you need to know, particularly if you’re part of the over-40 crowd:

Riverdale is not a live-action version of the Archie comics you read when you were a kid. In fact, other than a few familiar names and trademark physical-appearance elements it employs, this ambitious new CW Network drama has almost nothing to do with the wacky antics of the oddly timeless teen gang featured in the pages of comic books and pocket-sized Double Digests for three-quarters of a century.

Riverdale, which premières Thursday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. on the CW, is anything but wacky. It’s dark, sexy, slightly dangerous and current in its awareness of pop-culture attitudes and events, and given its core storyline element — a grisly, unsolved murder — it’s safe to say that the endless but eternally innocent Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle that drove the comics’ narrative will never be more than a secondary storyline as Riverdale continues to unfold.

Based on the mood established in its first couple of episodes, it’s fair to imagine that this version of small-town Riverdale lies somewhere on the twisted road that runs between Dawson’s Creek and Twin Peaks. It’s a place filled with poorly kept secrets and deeply conflicted characters, and the prevailing sentiment among its inhabitants seems to be dread.

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Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017

Katie Yu /The CW
From left: KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart star as Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Betty in the new CW Network series Riverdale.

Mary Tyler Moore’s passing feels more personal than the rest

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Mary Tyler Moore’s passing feels more personal than the rest

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017

This one feels oddly personal.

The past year has been a sombre parade of celebrity deaths, beginning with last January's passing of musicians David Bowie and Glenn Frey and continuing through the late winter and early spring with the deaths of comedian/actor Garry Shandling, record producer Sir George Martin, actress Patty Duke and pop-music icon Prince; summer brought sad farewells to legendary sportsmen Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe, writer/producer Garry Marshall and actor Gene Wilder, and before 2016 could come to its woeful end we also lost golf pioneer Arnold Palmer, poet/musician Leonard Cohen, actor Alan Thicke, singer George Michael and the mother/daughter tandem of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

All of them were, in their own way, beloved, and the passing of each was followed by tributes and, for some, a few tears. But for several reasons, Wednesday's passing of TV icon Mary Tyler Moore feels like it hits a little bit closer to home.

Moore, who died at age 80, was one of television's most adored, enduring and important figures. She rose to stardom, as co-star of The Dick Van Dyke Show, in 1961, which is right around the time I started watching TV. So as someone who loved television as a kid and somehow grew up to spend most of my adult life watching it for a living, it's fair to say Moore has been a pop-culture presence throughout my entire lifetime.

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Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times Files
Mary Tyler Moore accepting her Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement award in 2012.

Two made-in-Canada television dramas debut Wednesday

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Two made-in-Canada television dramas debut Wednesday

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017

It’s an unusual day on the Canadian TV landscape.

This country’s private broadcasters populate their primetime lineups mostly with imported U.S.-network titles, so it’s always a noteworthy event when a new homegrown series is added to the schedule.

Tonight, however, brings the premières of two new domestic productions in the same night — Global’s sure-to-be-controversial medical thriller Mary Kills People and CTV’s distinctly Canadian cop drama Cardinal.

The “Mary” in the title of Global’s new offering (which debuts tonight at 8 p.m.) is Dr. Mary Harris, portrayed by Canadian actor Caroline Dhavernas. She’s a talented emergency-room physician and an overworked single mom, who also finds time in her jam-packed schedule to moonlight as an “angel of death” who helps people with terminal illnesses end their lives on their own terms.

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Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017

Global
In the new drama Mary Kills People, Caroline Dhavernas plays the titular character, a doctor who performs medically assisted suicides.

Funny time to be Canadian

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Funny time to be Canadian

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017

These are heady days for the Canadian television industry.

And, perhaps more significantly, these are funny days for the homegrown-TV biz.

The 2016-17 prime-time campaign finds Canada’s TV networks riding an unprecedented wave of success in the situation-comedy realm, a genre that has been a staple of the medium since its invention but had, in this country, somehow remained a mostly unsolvable puzzle for the better part of half a century.

Up until the past couple of TV seasons, one could tally up the total of truly remarkable Canadian sitcoms on the fingers required to flip someone the bird and then make the fist that might be required to defend the action.

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Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017

THE CANADIAN PRESS
Dylan Playfair (right) and Andrew Herr star as hockey players Jonesy and Reilly in the CraveTV comedy Letterkenny.

Challenging HBO documentary paints a harrowing picture of the two pre-teen suspects in the Slenderman case

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Challenging HBO documentary paints a harrowing picture of the two pre-teen suspects in the Slenderman case

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017

It’s a very scary make-believe story. And it’s the primary motivation for an even scarier real-life event.

The HBO documentary Beware the Slenderman is a harrowing film that examines how belief in the real-world existence of an online bogeyman inspired two 12-year-old girls to plan and nearly succeed in the murder of their best friend.

Beware the Slenderman, which airs Monday, Jan. 23 on HBO Canada (check listings for time), is another in the current crop of true-crime documentaries, this time taking place in rural Wisconsin. The film — which was produced and directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky — focuses on the May 2014 attempted murder of 12-year-old Payton Leutner by her same-aged friends Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier.

The trio had just enjoyed a seemingly innocent birthday-party sleepover at Geyser’s home; after breakfast, they headed out to nearby woods to play hide and seek; what the Leutner didn’t know was that the other girls were about to carry out a long-discussed plan to kill her in an effort to appease — and perhaps win the approval of — a shadowy Internet creation known as The Slenderman, whom the pair had come to believe is real.

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Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017

HBO
Twelve year old Anissa Weier is photographed by police after being arrested for the attempted murder of her young friend. The case is examined in the HBO documentary Beware the Slenderman.

Story goes AWOL in military action drama

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Story goes AWOL in military action drama

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017

It hardly matters how much firepower you’ve got if you keep completely missing the target.

The new History TV scripted series Six is all loaded up with weaponry, good intentions and testosterone, but its ham-handed attempt to turn military special-ops heroics into compelling TV drama ranks as one of this prime-time season’s complete misfires.

Six, which premières today at 9 p.m. n History, purports to be inspired by the real-life exploits of the U.S. Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six. It’s a modern-day military adventure that aims to advance the network’s position as a creator of original content but is destined to fail in its attempt to capitalize on the History’s recent success with scripted period dramas such as Vikings and Hatfields & McCoys.

Six opens with the titular special-ops team on a mission in Afghanistan, arriving just in time to save an outnumbered squad of U.S. soldiers pinned down in a firefight it was otherwise destined to lose. The scene is clearly intended to establish the Team Six members as the baddest of the American military’s badasses, but what’s really on display is the modest (read: inadequate) budget available to the series’ producers to create the battle scenes that will be crucial to its credibility. In this case, what’s on screen looks and feels very much like something shot on a Hollywood backlot.

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Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017

Walton Goggins stars as former U.S. Navy SEAL Richard (Rip) Taggart in the new History TV series Six.

Intrigue surrounding young leaders propels new shows

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Intrigue surrounding young leaders propels new shows

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017

Too young. Too inexperienced. Too innocent.

And, because of all that… easy to manipulate?

That’s the mistaken set of assumptions that drives both of this weekend’s high-profile TV-series premières, and in each case, the unfortunate souls looking to exploit innocence and inexperience for their own power-hungry gains soon find — in these very watchable dramas, at least — youth must be served.

 

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Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017

A teen queen (Jenna Coleman).

A Canadian story

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A Canadian story

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017

What makes a Canadian a Canadian? And what makes an immigrant an immigrant? And while it’s possible, and very common, to be both, is there an emotional process that makes a person feel more like one than the other?

For Canadian actor Peter Keleghan, these are vexing questions — not because he’s unsure about where his heart’s loyalty lies, but because he’s spent a lifetime trying to understand why his parents think and feel the way they do.

Keleghan, one of this country’s most recognizable and constantly employed actors with credits that range from The Newsroom, The Red Green Show and Made in Canada to Murdoch Mysteries and Workin’ Moms, steps out of the scripted-TV realm this week to engage in a documentary exploration of his family’s roots and motivations.

Once an Immigrant, which airs Thursday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m on CBC’s Firsthand, follows the Quebec-born performer as he seeks a deeper understanding of his parents’ very different immigrant experiences in order to more fully appreciate the way they view the country they call home.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017

CBC
Peter Keleghan at the site of the Battle of Boyne.

Comedian finds voicing jokes works better than on-paper punchlines

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Comedian finds voicing jokes works better than on-paper punchlines

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017

It’s one of those milestones that prompts a performer to reflect, reassess and, in Steve Patterson’s case, relax.

“This year, 2017, will be my 20th year in standup, so what I’m doing is both updating and back-dating my act,” says the host of CBC’s enduringly popular The Debaters and the recently launched series The Smartass-ociates, on the public broadcaster’s digital comedy platform, who will perform at the Park Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

“I’ve decided that I’m doing both new stuff and some best-of stuff that I haven’t done in a while,” he explains. “I’m not going to shy away from doing things that people really liked before, and just updating them a little bit.

“I’ve been so afraid, on other tours, of ever doing things I’ve done before, sort of assuming that everyone who’s coming has seen everything I’ve ever done before — which, of course, is a preposterous thing to think.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017

Maternal matters lead to sitcom success

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Maternal matters lead to sitcom success

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017

It takes less than a minute for the new CBC series Workin’ Moms to establish — in no uncertain terms — the go-for-it attitude it intends to bring to the situation-comedy format.

Three women, part of a weekly Mommy & Me parenting class, are discussing the ways in which childbirth has affected their bodies, most specifically their breasts. The conversation is quite revealing, to the point that the class’s leader feels compelled to ask the trio to be a bit less, shall we say, forthcoming with their rather unfettered assessment of things.

It’s a wonderful comedic beat, but what makes it brilliant is it isn’t simply a one-off gag; instead, it’s an attention-seizing moment that opens the door to a frank and funny discussion of some real maternal issues. And throughout the four episodes provided by CBC for preview, Workin’ Moms demonstrates a deft ability to deliver punchlines while at the same time confronting the realities of 21st-century motherhood.

Created by and starring Catherine Reitman — the Los Angeles-born daughter of Canadian comedy icon Ivan Reitman — Workin’ Moms (which premières Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC) represents something of a rarity for the public broadcaster, as it’s the second slam-dunk sitcom success (along with Kim’s Convenience) to arrive on the CBC in a single TV season. Add the equally impressive debut of City’s Second Jen into the mix, and you’ve got the Canadian-TV equivalent of roping three unicorns with a single lasso toss.

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Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017

Submitted
Jessalyn Wanlim, Dani Kind, Catherine Reitman and Juno Rinaldi play smart young mothers who share their issues in the new CBC comedy, Workin' Moms.

Buggy-driving smugglers? It’s so far-fetched, it could be true

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Buggy-driving smugglers? It’s so far-fetched, it could be true

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017

It’s a crime thriller, a murder-mystery and a high-stakes cop show, but it’s seems unlikely there will be many tire-screeching car chases in the new CBC drama Pure.

The series, which premières Monday at 9 p.m., takes place mostly in an Old Colony Mennonite community in rural Ontario, where pickup trucks and horse-drawn buggies enjoy shared status as the preferred methods of four-wheeled conveyance.

By conventional crime-drama standards, Pure is a series with a deliberate sense of pace. But slowness of the storytelling in no way diminishes the power of what seems poised to become an addictive yarn.

Pure takes place in the out-of-the-way community of Antioch, Ont., where a young Mennonite named Noah Funk (played by Ryan Robbins) is surprised to learn he is a candidate for the about-to-be announced position of pastor. It’s not a job he has sought or really even considered, and he’s well aware that — in this community, at least — it’s a role that carries a high level of risk.

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Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017

CBC
Community member Abel (Gord Rand) and newly appointed pastor Noah (Ryan Robbins).

Fisher-Reynolds doc pulls at the heartstrings

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Fisher-Reynolds doc pulls at the heartstrings

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017

Had events not unfolded as they did late last month, Bright Lights would likely have been celebrated, and then perhaps quickly dismissed, as a captivating documentary about a couple of grand old Hollywood dames.

But the fact its subjects, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher — mother and daughter, best friends and iconic figures in two different generations of show-business royalty — died within a day of each other last week adds a hard-to-quantify level of poignancy and emotional punch to this HBO documentary presentation.

The film was originally scheduled to air in March, but HBO understandably adjusted its schedule in response to the sudden and decidedly sad timeliness Bright Lights had assumed. The documentary, co-directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, airs today on HBO Canada at 9 p.m. CT, and if you have any interest at all in popular culture and/or showbiz history, you really should watch.

Bright Lights spends a lot of time with Reynolds and Fisher at home, in the side-by-side Beverly Hills houses dubbed “The Compound” by their family. Fisher cooks a soufflé, then carries it over to Reynolds’ place and the two sit together on stools and eat it in the company of their beloved dogs. Their banter is both adorable and revealing; despite a lifetime of differences and frequent disputes, they have arrived at a place in their lives where the predominant emotion is shared adoration.

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Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds share a moment onstage together. The pair’s unique mother/daughter relationship is profiled in the HBO documentary Bright Lights.

Choosing the best shows of the year hard even for pro channel surfer

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Choosing the best shows of the year hard even for pro channel surfer

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016

Cowboy robotics, and dramas with time twists

Twice as much O.J., and new-age Exorcists

Docs about music, Sam Bee’s Frontal fling,

These were a few of my fave TV things......

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Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016

PRASHANT GUPTA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
‘If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.’ Actor Courtney B. Vance portrays defence attorney Johnnie Cochran in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Bye-bye, boobies

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Bye-bye, boobies

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016

Chantel Marostica’s latest return to Winnipeg is something of a farewell tour.

Not for all of her, however. Just her breasts.

The popular formerly local comedian, who now calls Toronto home, is back in Manitoba for the holidays, and her busy week of festive merriment and mirthful performances includes a fundraiser for a life-changing procedure she has decided to undertake.

The hashtag-driven name of the Dec. 27 show — #TellEmBoobsBye — pretty much sums it up.

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Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016

SUPPLIED
Comedian Chantel Marostica is returning to Winnipeg for shows on Dec. 22 and 23.

New CTV drama focuses on a family's struggle to cope with tragedy

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New CTV drama focuses on a family's struggle to cope with tragedy

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016

MONTREAL — At age 75, actor Peter Coyote has a simple test he applies when considering scripts that have been sent to him:

“If I’m not surprised in the first 10 pages, I throw it away,” he says. “It’s really that simple. Ten pages is 10, maybe 15 minutes of film; if there’s not something fresh or surprising or really alive about it, I’m not interested.”

The Disappearance, a limited-series drama being produced for CTV this fall, is one of those rare scripts that survived Coyote’s 10-page throwaway test. And as a result, the veteran actor/writer has spent most of this autumn in Montreal, working on this six-part drama that is scheduled to air early in 2017 as part of CTV’s mid-season schedule.

The Disappearance is a dark, emotionally charged drama that focuses on a family’s struggle to cope with an unthinkable tragedy when a 10-year-old boy goes missing during a birthday-party treasure hunt; Coyote plays the family patriarch, a retired judge who has been estranged from his son and his wife but is drawn back into their lives when the horrible event forces them to turn to each other for support and comfort.

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Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016

BERTRAND CALMEAU
Aden Young and Camille Sullivan share a pensive moment in a scene from The Disappearance.

Amazon just another voice in the jungle

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Amazon just another voice in the jungle

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016

The Winnipeg Art Gallery wants its decades-in-the-making Inuit Art Centre to be an Inukshuk: a place to communicate and take shelter from the bitter winds of a miserable history.

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Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016

The Winnipeg Art Gallery wants its decades-in-the-making Inuit Art Centre to be an Inukshuk: a place to communicate and take shelter from the bitter winds of a miserable history.

Earth fails to shake over pick and pay

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Earth fails to shake over pick and pay

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

The era of pick-and-pay TV is officially upon us, and...

Meh. Whatever.

The second phase of the federal broadcast regulator’s effort to make cable-TV service more affordable and attractive to Canadians came fully into force on Thursday, and to say it’s a shift that will cause absolutely no ground to shake is something of an understatement.

As a result of its extensive Let’s Talk TV hearings, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission launched an ambitious effort to require this country’s TV service providers to give their customers more choice when it comes to how they access TV channels and how much they pay to do so.

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Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

GENE PAGE / AMC
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in season 7 of "The Walking Dead."

Small-screen advent calendar keeps on giving

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Small-screen advent calendar keeps on giving

Brad Oswald  2 minute read Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

Well... that’s a relief.

Up until a few days ago, there was reason to believe the phrase “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” might not apply to this festive season. But finally — and, one must concede, inevitably — the white stuff has arrived in Winnipeg, giving our northern Prairie town an appropriately and satisfyingly snow-blanketed look.

The festive-season feeling has also returned to our indoor lives, from the arrival of the mystery-arm-stoked Holiday Fireplace in the cable-TV lineup to the appearance of a seemingly endless list of season titles in the December television listings. Which means, of course, it’s time for our annual clip-and-save-and-magnetize-to-the-fridge Christmas TV calendar, which offers a day-by-day look at some of the festive small-screen fun that awaits viewers between now and Santa’s big night.

Given the staggering volume of holiday programming these days (hello, W and Lifetime movie lineups), it’s impossible to list every title. So think of this as a best-of guide that will, hopefully, show you where to find your favourites and perhaps introduce you to a few new titles for your seasonal much-watch list. As always, please check the latest listings to confirm airtimes.

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Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

The 1964 Rankin/Bass classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer airs Dec. 13 on CBC

Prime time's alive with the sound of musicals

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Prime time's alive with the sound of musicals

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016

With the early-December arrival of Hairspray Live! to NBC, it’s pretty safe to say musicals, particularly of the live variety, on prime-time network television have officially become “a thing.”

Hairspray Live!, which airs Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. on NBC and City, marks the Peacock Network’s fourth foray into the live-musical format in recent years, with previous airings of The Sound of Music, Peter Pan and The Wiz having turned in favourable ratings over the last couple of years. Fox has also jumped aggressively into the musical arena, first with Grease and more recently with The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which was not a live presentation).

ABC has also signalled its intention to join the fray, scheduling an as-yet-unidentified live event a network executive said will be in keeping with the network’s Disney ownership.

So why has the musical — a genre mostly associated with live theatres, decades-past movies and a decidedly older-skewing audience demographic — suddenly become a go-to form of event programming for major TV networks?

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Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016

ADAM ROSE / FOX FILES
FOX's Glee cleared the way for many of today's TV musicals.

‘The perfect illegal drug’

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‘The perfect illegal drug’

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016

Knowledge is power, even in situations where the prevailing sentiment is a feeling of powerlessness.

That's why this week's instalment of CBC's Firsthand documentary series is a useful exercise — at a time when public unease and alarm is growing daily with each new revelation about fentanyl's impact on Canadian cities, any information that increases understanding of the drug and its deadly effects is welcome.

The new documentary Unstoppable: The Fentanyl Epidemic, which airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC, offers a grim but instructive look, examining the issue from perspectives of law-enforcement officers trying to stop its spread, front-line health-care workers dealing with its immediate effects, drug producers responsible for its rapid spread and family members of fentanyl victims.

The film, written and directed by former W5 correspondent and field producer Robert Osborne, focuses mainly on the rapid spread of fentanyl and associated opioids in a number of British Columbia communities, but the facts and opinions provided by Unstoppable mirror what has happened in Manitoba in recent months.

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Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016

The new documentary Unstoppable: The Fentanyl Epidemic airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC's Firsthand

Lessons from Trump’s TV career

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Lessons from Trump’s TV career

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

It’s a long way from Mr. The Apprentice to Mr. President...

Or is it?

Barring any unforeseen judicial/constitutional challenges, recounts or audits, imaginative pre-emptive impeachment proceedings or other as-yet-undefined interruptions, Donald Trump will take the oath of office to become the United States’ 45th president in January. It’s an achievement few would have thought possible, or even imagined as the most flimsily whimsical of notions, back in January 2004 when Trump arrived in NBC’s prime-time lineup as the central figure in a mid-season reality/competition show that would become one of the American network’s biggest hits.

(In fairness, it should be stated here that the writers of another prime-time show, The Simpsons, jokingly predicted a Trump presidency back in a 2000 episode titled Bart to the Future — but it’s also worth noting that this mischievous moment of cartoon prescience cited Trump as the commander in chief who bankrupted the country before gifted Simpson offspring Lisa took over as the U.S.’s “first straight female president,” so one hopes the prediction doesn’t turn out to be too accurate).

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Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

NBC Universal / The Associated Press Files
Donald Trump parlayed his perceived business acumen into fame as the host of The Apprentice.

Tim Gray is doing comedy old-school

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Tim Gray is doing comedy old-school

Brad Oswald  6 minute read Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

In the age of online content distribution, multi-platform digital delivery and limitless lists of YouTube videos, it seems like a quaint notion:

An “album recording.”

But for Winnipeg comedian Tim Gray, creating such an old-school rendering of his standup set list feels like the right thing to do.

“Part of the charm of a comedy album is that it’s an audio experience,” says Gray, an eight-year veteran of the city’s standup scene and also a member of the hugely popular H.U.N.K.S. sketch troupe. “I’m not hiring a bunch of camera crews, and I’m not going to put something up on YouTube; I want something that’s strictly an audio experience.

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Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

SUPPLIED
Tim Gray will tape his comedy album tonight at Park Theatre.

The Girls are back in town

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The Girls are back in town

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016

‘Where you lead, I will follow, any-anywhere that you tell me to…’

 

That’s the siren-song sentiment of the original Gilmore Girls theme song, and it’s clearly what Netflix is hoping the show’s fan base will be feeling as the streaming service revives the quirky-but-beloved WB/CW-network series for a four-pack of movie-length episodes that will bring the story of mother/daughter BFFs Lorelai and Rory Gilmore to the conclusion the show’s creator always intended.

Which, of course, prompts a simple question: is it worth the trip? By relaunching the franchise with a binge-ready assembly of four 90-minute instalments, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is asking a lot from its fans, in terms of both time and emotional investment. And while it’s fair to say devotees will be pleased by much of what of what series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is offering in terms of final farewell-to-Stars-Hollow closure, it’s equally appropriate to suggest there are several passages in this extended Gilmore goodbye that amount to an overindulgent, sideways-meandering mess.

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Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel star in the four-part Netflix series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Canadian cop drama goes out with a bang

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Canadian cop drama goes out with a bang

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016

MONTREAL — It’s 10-24 for 19-2.

In the radio shorthand commonly employed by police departments, 10-24 stands for assignment complete, and for the cast and crew of the Canadian-made cop drama 19-2, all that was left this month was to shoot the final scenes of the show’s fourth and final season, do one last round of press interviews and wait for the series’ closing set of eight episodes to air next year.

And for a fortunate few in the group, wrapping up production also included jetting to New York this weekend to see whether 19-2 can add one last major award to its list of accomplishments.

 

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Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016

Adrian Holmes and Jared Keeso star in the Bravo TV drama 19-2, which wraps production on its fourth and final season this month in Montreal

Organ donation doc strikes powerful chord

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Organ donation doc strikes powerful chord

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016

It’s a decision no one ever wants to be forced to make.

But the wrenching experience of losing a loved one can deliver hope — and a second chance at life — to someone else.

And if the subject of organ and tissue donation is something you haven’t considered and, perhaps, would rather not think about, the new documentary Vital Bonds is something you should see.

The film, directed by Niobe Thompson (The Perfect Runner, Tipping Point: Age of the Oil Sands), has its TV première tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC’s The Nature of Things.

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Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016

Parents Jason and Judy Bergen look in on their infant daughter, Harlow, who required a heart transplant at just two weeks old.

Actor's earnest memoir proves to be a life worth reading

Reviewed by Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Actor's earnest memoir proves to be a life worth reading

Reviewed by Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

If you’re looking for proof that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts, cast your glance no farther than Bryan Cranston.

There isn’t anything particularly mathematical about the telling, but a recitation of the parts that have made up the acclaimed actor’s life certainly produces one whole of a good story.

In his new autobiography, A Life in Parts, Cranston — whose top-level TV stardom didn’t fully arrive until after his 50th birthday, and his casting as Walter White in the FX-network drama Breaking Bad — reflects on a life that has travelled many roads, both literally and figuratively, and included a collection of “parts” so diverse and mismatched that his eventual success in showbiz seems like a minor miracle.

The product of a broken marriage between two tragically flawed parents — his father was a failed actor and small-time huckster and his mother was an embittered alcoholic — Cranston and his two siblings essentially raised themselves while living much of their childhood with their grandparents. Early on, Cranston had his eye on a career in law enforcement, but a junior-college acting class sent his mind spinning in another direction — one that eventually led him through Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle and smack-dab into the epicentre of Walter White’s insane, multiple-Emmy-winning world.

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Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

Amy Sussman / The Associated Press
Bryan Cranston’s status as a top-tier TV star didn’t come until after his 50th birthday, when he took up the role of Walter White in the FX-network drama Breaking Bad.

NatGeo launches Mars miniseries

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NatGeo launches Mars miniseries

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

It’s a bit of a stretch to suggest it goes where no TV show has gone before, but there’s no question that National Geographic Channel’s six-part event series Mars goes boldly toward wherever it’s heading.

The ambitious and heavily promoted project — which premières Monday at 8 p.m. on NatGeo — puts a new twist on the oft-employed genre description “docu-drama” by employing both of the storytelling techniques suggested by the term, but keeping them separate, rather than blurring the lines between the two.

Most often, docu-dramas layer fictional storylines over historical facts to build mostly made-up stories that are — at least in their creators’ minds — more compelling than a retelling of straight history could ever be.

Mars, on the other hand, keeps the “docu-” and the “drama” apart, flipping back and forth between narrative platforms to create a fast-paced and occasionally thrilling hybrid that seeks to educate without ever scrimping on the entertainment value.

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Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

ROBERT VIGLASKY / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Ben Cotton as Ben Sawyer, mission commander on the Mars-bound spacecraft Daedalus.

Masterful documentary series explores watershed moments in modern music history

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Masterful documentary series explores watershed moments in modern music history

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016

This much is beyond questioning: Sir George Martin was a visionary.

The record producer who took the Beatles under his wing and, in the process, transformed the way music is presented and consumed in popular culture had an understanding of art and technology that extended far beyond the recording studio.

It’s fitting, then, that the last project on which Martin was working before his death last March, at age 90, was an exhaustively researched documentary series that explores the evolution and influence of recorded music in contemporary society.

The eight-part PBS series, Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music, premières Monday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. and airs — not quite nightly, on something of an irregular schedule — until Wednesday, Nov. 23. And if you’re a music fan, or simply someone with a curiousity about pop-culture history, you’d be well advised to set your PVR on “series record” for this one.

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Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016

PBS
Soundbreaking was the last project produced by Sir George Martin, who died last March at age 90. Inset, Sly Stone is one recording-studio innovator featured in the doc.

Frontier drama tries hard but feels tame

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Frontier drama tries hard but feels tame

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

There’s this thing about wild-frontier dramas in the age of specialty-cable TV and streaming-service content:

To be noticed and embraced by ever-more-discerning viewers, they have to be really, really wild.

Canadian TV’s Discovery channel gives it a pretty good try with its first foray into homegrown original-scripted programming, but the ambitious fur-trade-era drama Frontier falls slightly short of the standard set by the genre’s best in recent years.

Frontier, which premières Sunday at 8 p.m. on Discovery, is a sweeping historical drama set against the wilderness struggles and greed-fuelled political double-dealing of the 1700s fur trade. The series sets a very high bar for itself, employing a massive cast and filming in multiple locations — both urban and rural — while seeking to spin an intricate web of interconnected stories.

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Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

SUPPLIED
A bloody Declan Harp (Jason Momoa, right) threatens Michael Smyth (Landon Liboiron) in Discovery Canada’s Frontier.

Netflix series may fill Downton Abbey-shaped hole in viewers' hearts

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Netflix series may fill Downton Abbey-shaped hole in viewers' hearts

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

There’s plenty of pomp, no small amount of circumstance and, on top of all that, a very watchable and consistently entertaining regal tale in The Crown.

Viewers in search of a properly compelling across-the-pond class drama after the departure of Downton Abbey will be redirecting their TV tuners to Netflix this week, where the new 10-part series The Crown offers the opportunity for a rousing bit of British-accented binge watching.

The Crown, which arrives to Netflix on Friday is a scripted drama that chronicles Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne and early reign. Arriving as it does on the heels of this year’s celebration of the monarch’s 90th birthday, the series serves as a fitting tribute to the determination and devotion to duty that have defined the Queen’s (almost) 65 years as ruler.

Claire Foy (PBS’s Wolf Hall) delivers a riveting performance in the series’ central role, portraying Elizabeth as a young woman who would much rather have lived a life of relative anonymity as a second-level “ordinary English countrywoman” but found herself thrust into the regal succession line after her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson and left the throne to her father, who became King George VI.

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Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

NETFLIX
Claire Foy portrays Elizabeth as reluctant to ascend to the throne.

As Rogers' streaming service prepares to shut down, we suggest a couple of last-chance shows

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As Rogers' streaming service prepares to shut down, we suggest a couple of last-chance shows

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016

It’s transition time in Canada’s streaming-content business, with one of its once-promising services (Shomi) entering its final month before fading to black, and the other (Crave TV) scrambling to remain (or, some might argue, become) relevant in a sector dominated by the home entertainment realm’s fastest-growing player, Netflix.

Shomi, which was unable to assemble enough must-see titles to create a buzz that translated into a sizable subscriber base, will cease operations on Nov. 30. Bell Media-owned Crave TV, whose much-stronger roster includes exclusive Canadian access to HBO and Showtime titles, recently announced it will add the new seasons of such popular titles as Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex and the upcoming Twin Peaks revival to the streaming menu the same day they première on the Movie Central pay-TV service.

In response to the announcement of Shomi’s shutdown, Bell Canada president and CEO declared Crave TV is “meeting our expectations, continues to grow, and Canadians continue to subscribe,” while at the same time declining to release subscription numbers for the service.

With that in mind, this edition of Life is But a Stream — our semi-regular feature highlighting binge-worthy titles on the streaming services — will have a bit of a different tone, serving up the usual “You might like this” tips for Netflix and Crave TV users but offering more of a “Watch ’em while you can” approach for those (and clearly, there weren’t many) who have spent time with Shomi’s soon-to-be-deleted roster.

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Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016

Stellan Skarsgard stars as Detective Inspector John River, who suffers an on-the-job trauma and finds himself stuck in a psychological neverland between the living and the dead in Netflix’s River.

Canadian comedy gets another boost from Citytv's sharp sitcom

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Canadian comedy gets another boost from Citytv's sharp sitcom

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Every now and then, the arrival of a new TV series prompts a very specific reaction:

“Well, this makes sense.”

Second Jen, the new Canadian-made comedy that debuts tonight at 7:30 p.m. on City, is one of those shows.

Sharp, funny, slightly cheeky and smartly in tune with this country’s diverse demographic mix, Second Jen has been touted in some quarters as groundbreaking because it features two young Asian-Canadians in its lead roles.

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Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

CITYTV
Munro Chambers, Samantha Wan, Amanda Joy and Al Mukadam star in the new Citytv comedy Second Jen

Same formula still works for new season of Mohawk Girls

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Same formula still works for new season of Mohawk Girls

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016

Four years later, romantic entanglements and cultural complications continue to confound.

Not a lot has changed for the core quartet of lovelorn young women at the centre of Mohawk Girls, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

By maintaining a status-quo approach to its silly, sexy and sometimes heart-wrenching storylines, the APTN series — which begins its fourth season Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. — has preserved the quirky charm and intelligent disposition that made it an out-of-the-gate winner when it debuted in 2014 (its first and second seasons aired in a single 13-episode block, and Season 3 followed last year).

The new season, which consists of eight episodes, finds each of the titular girls dealing with familiar but slightly more complicated issues.

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Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016

SUPPLIED
Brittany LeBorgne, Jenny Pudavick, Maika Harper and Heather White star in APTN’s Mohawk Girls

Singer Gord Downie's final project gives voice to a Canadian tragedy

Brad Oswald   4 minute read Preview

Singer Gord Downie's final project gives voice to a Canadian tragedy

Brad Oswald   4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016

There’s a lot to be said for making a dignified exit.

And there’s much more to be said — and admired, and applauded — about a farewell filled with passion and purpose and poetic beauty and a desire to make a difference.

Gord Downie accomplishes all of that, and more, with the CBC special The Secret Path, which airs Sunday at 9 p.m., and is the companion piece to a like-titled graphic novel and album release.

The animated special, which will air commercial-free, tells the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died half a century ago while trying to walk home to Ogoki Post in northwestern Ontario after fleeing the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora.

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Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016

CBC
The Secret Path, written and directed by Gord Downie, tells the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died 50 years ago while trying to walk 400 kilometres to his northwestern Ontario home after fleeing a residential school in Kenora.

Comedian Glen Foster returning to the clubs

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Comedian Glen Foster returning to the clubs

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016

Glen Foster is looking to attract a grown-up audience to a standup-comedy show.

And get this: It’s on a school night.

Foster, who has toured and performed for nearly two decades under the moniker “That Canadian Guy,” is stopping in Winnipeg this week for a unique Sunday-night show at Rumor’s Comedy Club (7:45 p.m.; tickets $20 at Rumor’s) that he’s hoping will appeal to fans who remember his regular twice-yearly stops there during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“I was doing a lot of corporate shows for a number of years, and while it’s great to do corporate gigs, they do take you out of the public eye,” Foster says in a recent telephone interview from Toronto. “And since corporate (bookings) have really taken a kicking over the last couple of years, I find that I’m like many guys, both in Canada and the U.S., who are now working to get back into the clubs. There are just so many comics out there these days, so it’s a battle.”

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Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016

THE GAZETTE/Allen McInnis
Glen Foster performs at the Theatre St. Denis during the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal Friday July 18/08.

Rocky Horror remake continues musical TV's time warp

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Rocky Horror remake continues musical TV's time warp

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Friday, Oct. 14, 2016

They say you can't go back again. And maybe that's true.

But can you do the Time Warp again?

Fox is betting heavily that you'll want to — and that its remake of the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show will inspire a whole new generation of campy-movie fans to spend an evening jumping to the left and pelvic thrusting to the otherwordly soundtrack.

The new version, which carries the doubled-up full title The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, airs Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. on Fox and Citytv. Among the remake's unique charms is the fact its producers have cast a transgender actress, Laverne Cox, in the role of the sexually ambiguous and musically outrageous Dr. Frank-N-Furter (originally played by Tim Curry, who appears as the show's resident criminologist/narrator).

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Friday, Oct. 14, 2016

Steve Wilkie / FOX
Transgender actress Laverne Cox (centre) stands out from her co-stars Ryan McCartan (left) and Victoria Justice (right) and shows she's a bona fide triple threat as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Fox adaptation of Rocky Horror.

Documentary exposes struggles of family dealing with mental illness

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Documentary exposes struggles of family dealing with mental illness

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016

One of the most difficult things about mental illness is that almost nobody wants to talk about it.

Winnipegger Quinn Greene wants to talk about it.

Greene, whom many locals might recognize as a member of the popular sketch-comedy troupe H.U.N.K.S., shares an anything-but-funny story in the new documentary Being Greene, which has its television première Thursday, Oct. 13, on CBC’s Firsthand documentary series.

The hour-long film, produced by Winnipeg-based Numan Films and written and directed by Jeff Newman, offers a frank and unflinching exploration of the deep-rooted mental illness that has plagued Greene’s family for at least a couple of generations. The focus is mostly on the rising comedy star and his brother Kane, who suffers from acute anxiety and deep depression, but it also delves into a family history that includes two estranged parents who each deal with their own mental and emotional challenges.

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Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016

ALLEN FRASER / NUMAN FILMS
From left, Dave, Quinn, Roxie and Kane Greene's lives have all been affected by mental illness.

CBC drama mixes crime, politics and media culture

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CBC drama mixes crime, politics and media culture

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016

The new CBC drama Shoot the Messenger is about crime, politics and media culture. And Ari Cohen thinks it’s a crime that TV-industry politics are destined to make far fewer shows like this part of Canada’s pop-culture landscape.

The Winnipeg-born actor, one of two local products in Shoot the Messenger’s ensemble cast, says a recent decision by the federal broadcast regulator to diminish the amount of Canadian talent required to classify a series as Canadian content will damage the domestic television industry at a time when TV production elsewhere is at an unprecedented creative peak.

“I think the decision by the (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) is nothing short of catastrophic and absolutely mind-boggling,” Cohen says of the decision to change the Canadian-talent criteria required for producers to be able to access funding from independent production funds.

“As a body, (the CRTC’s) sole purpose is supposed to be the promotion of Canadian creators, so to come out with a ruling that severely diminishes that is absolutely mystifying.

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Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Former Winnipeggers Ari Cohen and Hannah Anderson in the new CBC drama Shoot the Messenger.

Carrie Bradshaw's Manolo Blahniks are tough to fill; two new comedies take a kick at the can

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Carrie Bradshaw's Manolo Blahniks are tough to fill; two new comedies take a kick at the can

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Friday, Oct. 7, 2016

A decade-and-a-half ago, Sarah Jessica Parker was one of TV’s most beloved and buzz-worthy figures, thanks to the popularity of the groundbreaking HBO comedy Sex and the City.

Playing lovelorn but mostly hopeful newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw, Parker became the poster girl for cockeyed post-feminist optimism and the inspiration for a generation of girlfriends determined to live and love on their own terms, while always having each other’s backs.

It’s fair to say Parker’s popularity was, in large measure, directly linked to the fact people really loved the fictional character she played and, to a certain extent, either wished or believed they were just like her.

Eighteen years after Sex and the City turned premium pay-TV on its ear, Parker returns to HBO in another series that’s marketed as a comedy. And this time, she’s asking viewers to love her all over again as she portrays a character who’s quite hard to like.

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Friday, Oct. 7, 2016

HBO
Thomas Haden Church and Sarah Jessica Parker star in HBO’s new dark comedy Divorce.

New technology allows scientists to glean answers about life in ancient Pompeii

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New technology allows scientists to glean answers about life in ancient Pompeii

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016

There are ghost towns, and there are ghost towns.

And then there’s Pompeii.

CBC’s The Nature of Things opens its 56th season with a visit to the ancient Roman city, which was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 that buried Pompeii under a mountain of volcanic ash.

It’s a journey that has been a long time coming for series host David Suzuki, who first visited Pompeii 43 years ago on his honeymoon and has been fascinated by its story ever since. But this trip turns out to be much more than a tourist-oriented walking tour through the excavated ruins; instead, what Suzuki and TNOT present is a detailed and fascinating examination of how emerging technology is being used to bring Pompeii’s history back to life.

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Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016

Nicola Minotti / Handel Productions
The Nature of Things explores how learning more about the ancient ruins of Pompeii is relevant to modern life.

Kim's Convenience a rare sitcom success for CBC

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Kim's Convenience a rare sitcom success for CBC

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016

Full disclosure: I was completely prepared for Kim’s Convenience to be terrible.

After all, the CBC’s record — and for that matter, the record of the entire Canadian TV industry — has been rather spotty when it comes to situation comedies. The public broadcaster has a long history of excellence when it comes to satirical comedy (Air Farce, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Rick Mercer Report), sketch comedy (CODCO, The Kids in the Hall, Baroness Von Sketch Show) and unconventional TV humour (Still Standing, anything by Ken Finkleman), but when it comes to the traditional sitcom genre, well, that’s one that the CBC hasn’t often been able to get right.

If you dig deep enough into history, you’ll find King of Kensington, which ran for five years (1975-80) and could legitimately be regarded as a success. But since then, the giggle-inducing pickings have been slim. The late ’80s and early ’90s brought us such quickly forgotten titles as Mosquito Lake, In Opposition and Material World, and the CBC’s sparse 21st-century selection of sitcoms has produced mixed results — among its most notable titles, Schitt’s Creek has scored genuine laughs while Little Mosque on the Prairie met all the requirements of a diverse and culturally sensitive family comedy except that really important one that involves being funny.

Kim’s Convenience, which begins Oct. 11 with back-to-back episodes, seemed like a cause for concern. But as it turns out, this bright, fresh, fully entertaining series is about as far from terrible as television programming gets. It really is a very funny show.

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Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016

The cast of the new CBC comedy Kim’s Convenience (from left) Simu Liu, Jean Yoon, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Andrea Bang are both charming and razor-sharp amusing.

Modest man here to work, not bask in media glow

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Modest man here to work, not bask in media glow

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 3, 2016

The thing I remember most about interviewing Jimmy Carter in July 1993 is it was a conversation he would rather not have been having.

It isn’t that the former U.S. president was impatient or abrupt; rather, Carter was gracious and polite, and open and friendly and kind throughout the brief lunch-break chat we had on the site of the first Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project to take place in this city. But it was clear he viewed such interviews as a necessary distraction from the work he was really here to do.

As part of the Free Press’s coverage of the ’93 Jimmy Carter Work Project, I was assigned to one of the home-construction crews for the week and filed daily reports about the Habitat build. The former president and I met for our interview during the Wednesday lunch break.

“If I had my first preference, I would get into a house and do nothing but work side by side with my wife and a few other volunteers from Monday morning right through to Friday night,” he said as we spoke, for about 15 minutes, in the shade of a modest elm tree behind one of the houses on the Habitat building site.

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Monday, Oct. 3, 2016

WENDELL PHILLIPS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter in Winnipeg for Habitat for Humanity
in 1993.

Documentary series follows trials and tribulations of Kamloops secondary school students and staff

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Documentary series follows trials and tribulations of Kamloops secondary school students and staff

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016

O.M.G.

School. Is. Hard.

In the age of smartphones, social media and cyberbullying, the educational experience of Canadian teens is more complicated and challenging than ever before.

And those intricate difficulties are fully on display in the new CBC docu-series This is High School, which premières Sunday at 8 p.m.

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Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016

SUPPLIED
Attached pic for CBC series This Is High School shows vice principal Blake Buemann searching the locker of troublesome Grade 8 student Dusan.

One-man show a journey through the life and mind of Bruce McCulloch

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One-man show a journey through the life and mind of Bruce McCulloch

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 29, 2016

For many who sampled it during its Canadian-TV run (first on Citytv, and then CBC), Young Drunk Punk is a TV sitcom. To its creator and star, however, Young Drunk Punk is a state of mind.

“Young Drunk Punk is a concept that, for me, embodies all my weird points of view,” says Bruce McCulloch, the writer, producer and actor responsible for launching YDP across various entertainment-media platforms. “The TV show is about a very specific slice of my life in 1980; the stage show is a partly about my formative years — growing up disenfranchised and wanting to beat up my dad in Alberta — and partly about this guy in this weird house in Hollywood who’s trying to raise children. There’s a lot that I do onstage that is very different from the TV series.”

McCulloch — who, of course, is best known to Canadians as a founding member of sketch comedy group the Kids in the Hall — is bringing the live-on-stage version of Young Drunk Punk to Winnipeg for a single performance on Monday, Oct. 3 at the Park Theatre (tickets are $25 at ticketfly.com).

Accompanied by musician and lifelong friend Brian Connelly, McCulloch will present a 90-minute show that combines standup, storytelling and songs to create a portrait of a unique drunk-punk-to-pyjama-clad-dad journey through life.

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Thursday, Sep. 29, 2016

NADER KHOURI
Bruce Mcculloch at Outside Lands with the Sketchfest in San Francisco in 2013.

HBO's intricate western/fantasy likely TV's next big thing

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HBO's intricate western/fantasy likely TV's next big thing

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016

In this age of “peak television,” in which the number of hours of exceptional programming far exceeds the number of hours available to view them, there’s a question often asked about the premium cable network responsible for much of the best of the best:

What will the next great HBO series be?

The latest answer might be found Sundays, with the première of the ambitious and immediately addictive western/fantasy drama Westworld (Oct. 2, HBO Canada; check listings for time). Beautifully crafted, intricately plotted and flawlessly performed, this reimagining of the like-titled 1973 Michael Crichton feature film is sure to grab and hold viewers in search of a new and challenging show in which they can become immersed.

The “world” suggested in the title is an elaborate (and, according to descriptions within the first episode, extremely expensive) virtual-reality experience that allows paying “guests” to visit an authentic Old West environment in which a huge cast of artificially intelligent and fully lifelike “hosts” play out a complex narrative that can be twisted, through plot-direction choices and occasional subtle improvisation, into almost any direction and outcome the customer chooses.

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Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016

HBO
Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) meets up with Teddy (James Marsden) one of the characters part of the virtual reality storyline in the new HBO series Westworld.

Shomi failed content contest

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Shomi failed content contest

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016

What Shomi’s demise comes down to, simply, is not being able to deliver on the implied promise in a cutely crafted corporate identifier.

The content-streaming service jointly owned by media giants Rogers and Shaw is being shut at the end of November. A brief statement released Monday by Shomi’s top executive thanked those Canadians who embraced the service during its brief run, but cited a “fast-changing business climate and online-video marketplace” for making the streaming-service effort “more challenging to operate than we expected.”

In a follow-up release, David Asch, Shomi’s vice-president and general manager, said the service had attracted nearly 900,000 subscribers, adding the figure “would likely make Shomi a Top 10 service in North America.” What it clearly didn’t make Shomi, however, is a business that is considered financially viable by its owners.

Which brings us back to the unfortunate irony of the service’s name: Shomi. As in “Show me the content,” or “Show me the programs I want to watch, when I want to watch them,” or “Show me that your option is an equal or better investment of my streaming-service dollars than Netflix, or than Canada’s other cable-giant-owned alternative, CraveTV.”

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Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016

JENNIFER CLASEN/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Transparent, staring Judith Light and two-time Emmy Award-winner Jeffrey Tambor, is Shomi's sole legitimate calling-card title.

A frenzied, apocalyptic journey

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A frenzied, apocalyptic journey

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2016

There’s only one thing wrong with the new sci-fi series Aftermath: its title.

“Aftermath,” after all, suggests a story whose focus is what happens after some unspecific cataclysmic event. But this new Canadian-made drama, which premières Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Space, doesn’t wait until “after” anything.

Instead, its opening episode follows a family’s struggle to stay united and alive while they’re smack-dab in the middle of the end of the world as we know it.

And that, as it turns out, makes for a much better story than the post-apocalyptic one implied by the title. Aftermath careens through its first hour at a pace that could only be described as (to borrow a phrase from the great outdoor humourist Patrick F. McManus) full-bore linear panic. At the centre of the story are Joshua and Karen Copeland (James Tupper, Anne Heche), whose mostly idyllic life on a rural homestead in the U.S. Northwest is threatened by what appears to be a rogue weather event.

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Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2016

EIKE SCHROTER / AFTERMATH ULC / SYFY
From left: James Tupper, Julia Sarah Stone, Levi Meaden and Anne Heche are members of the Copeland family who are trying to make their way to a government-established safe zone in the new sci-fi thriller Aftermath.

Seven actors lead a new wave of characters appearing on your TV this fall

Brad Oswald  1 minute read Preview

Seven actors lead a new wave of characters appearing on your TV this fall

Brad Oswald  1 minute read Saturday, Sep. 24, 2016

Ever been at a big, fancy party where you hardly know a soul, and it’s so crowded and chaotic that it’s almost impossible to meet and get to know anyone?

Well, the fall TV schedule is a lot like that, crammed as it is with new shows, returning titles, familiar faces and never-seen-before stars. Introductions are required if we’re going to have any chance whatsoever of remembering who’s whom, and in what. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the new faces that will be in the spotlight as the new primetime season unfolds:

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @BradOswald

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Saturday, Sep. 24, 2016

ALFONSO HERRERA (The Exorcist, Fridays at 8 p.m., Fox/CTV) — The Mexican-born actor/singer’s first U.S.-television role is dark and difficult, playing a priest who’s clearly out of his depth as he tries to help a family deal with what seems to be a demonic presence in their home. In the early going, Herrera is fully up to the challenge, delivering a strong performance opposite series star Geena Davis.

Remake of horror classic possesses spirit of the original

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Remake of horror classic possesses spirit of the original

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 22, 2016

Doing a TV remake of a successful feature film is always a dicey proposition. But doing a small-screen version of a movie that stands as the best ever in its genre? Well, some might think that’s just crazy.

Which is why there’s no small amount of skepticism attached to the arrival of Fox’s TV series version of The Exorcist, a project “inspired by” the 1973 William Friedkin-directed film that is regarded by many as the greatest horror movie ever made.

Why, the skeptics and purists and, let’s face it, older audience members will ask, would you even bother? The only thing a TV spinoff of The Exorcist can possibly do is disappoint.

But here’s the thing: it has been more than four decades since Friedkin’s adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s spooky novel was released, which means there are several generations of potential viewers who might never have seen — or, perhaps, even heard of — the film version of The Exorcist. And for them, the only meaningful measuring stick for this new TV series will be whether it’s genuinely and joltingly scary.

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Thursday, Sep. 22, 2016

Ben Daniels plays Father Marcus Brennan in The Exorcist.

Pitch perfect

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Pitch perfect

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2016

In this most antagonistic of autumns, our American neighbours are grappling with a big issue: is the United States ready for a female president?

In the realm of prime-time TV drama, another gender-barrier question — obviously, given its fictional nature, of a much less pressing nature — is about to be broached: can a woman step onto the big-league pitcher’s mound and throw strikes?

There probably isn’t a more heavily hyped new entry — thanks in large part to its endless promotion during Fox’s coverage of baseball and football games — in the fall TV season than Pitch, the new Fox drama that follows a female baseball star’s quest to be the first of her gender to crack a Major League Baseball roster.

Ambitious in its conception and polished in its presentation, this new series (which premières Thursday at 8 p.m. on Fox and Global) opens with a promising first episode that brings plenty of narrative heat but also tosses a couple of effective changeups to keep viewers guessing.

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Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2016

FOX
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kylie Bunbury star in the new Fox series Pitch, which focuses on the first female Major League Baseball pitcher.

Predictions could be a house of cards

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Predictions could be a house of cards

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 17, 2016

Let me just start by saying this: there’s really only one way this thing can go from here.

In years past, the annual flail-a-thon known as Oswald’s Fearless Emmy Predictions has been a festival of failed feelings, a bad-bet bonanza, a parade of poor prime-time prognostications and an educated exercise in extended entertainment errata, all bundled into one.

But then, last year... wham! Nailed it.

Instead of the usual array of figurative swings, followed by an almost equal number of metaphorical misses, the 2015 Emmy-picks page produced a staggering four-for-six success rate (in baseball terms, a first-ballot Hall of Fame batting average), and the only two incorrect predictions were footnoted by the winners being mentioned as “should win” even though they didn’t get the “will win” nod.

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Saturday, Sep. 17, 2016

Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a well-positioned POTUS at this year's Emmys

Friday’s lineup a tale of two remakes

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Friday’s lineup a tale of two remakes

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Friday, Sep. 16, 2016

There isn’t a lot of “new” in Friday’s fall lineup, but what there is represents a tale of two remakes — one a revival of a TV series from the past whose out-there action-adventure antics inspired pop-culture jokes, a running SNL gag and even a big-screen parody, and the other is a small-screen reinterpretation of the 1970s movie that basically set the template for modern horror cinema. You might be a bit freaked out by which turns out to be a better idea. 

MacGyverCBS/Global — Sept. 23, 7 p.m.

Starring: Lucas Till, George Eads, Sandrine Holt, Justin Hires and Tristin Mays

Premise: A reboot of the popular 1980s-’90s action drama about a secret agent with a knack for improvisational gadget-based problem-solving.

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Friday, Sep. 16, 2016

CBS
The new tech-savy MacGyver, Lucas Till (right), will be joined by Sandrine Holt (left) and George Eads to try and jimmy up a way to turn the retread into something worth watching.

Thursday's TV lineup has more potential hits than strikes

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Thursday's TV lineup has more potential hits than strikes

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 15, 2016

In the TV biz, it’s all about the pitch meeting — the crucial few minutes in which show creators try to convince a roomful of network/studio executives theirs is a show worth making. The pitch for Pitch must have been simple, concise and as straight-down-the-middle as a well-thrown fastball: “First female big-league pitcher.” Not a spinoff, not a remake, not a re-imagining; just an original idea with a very appealing young star. If you’re looking for an out-of-the-park hit in this year’s new-show roster, it probably lives on Thursday night.

 

NOTORIOUSABC/CTV/Sept. 22/8 p.m.

Starring: Piper Perabo, Daniel Sunjata, Sepideh Moafi, Kate Jennings Grant, Ryan Guzman and Kevin Zegers

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Thursday, Sep. 15, 2016

Tommy Garcia / FOX
Kylie Bunbury plays the first female MLB hurler in Pitch.

Wednesday has a few gems and one dud

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Wednesday has a few gems and one dud

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2016

Ah, the remake — it’s always the subject of debate and “What were they thinking?” questions when TV brings another scaled-down version of a big-screen favourite into primetime. And this fall, much of that discussion will be focused on Fox’s revival of Lethal Weapon as a TV drama.

The betting here is that it won’t be a lengthy debate, and that viewers’ attention will soon turn to the new Wednesday titles that are actually worthwhile conversation-starters.

Lethal WeaponFox/Citytv — Sept. 21, 7 p.m.

Starring: Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford, Kevin Rahm, Jordana Brewster and Keesha Sharp

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Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2016

Damon Wayans, left, and Clayne Crawford in 'Lethal Weapon.'

Tuesday shows plenty of promise

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Tuesday shows plenty of promise

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 13, 2016

There are many ways a new series can succeed and Tuesday’s lineup demonstrates three: by simply being a good show; by being a good show scheduled between two hugely successful shows; or by being a good show that appeals to fans of a similar, recently departed show.

Any way you look at it, there’s a lot to like about this night’s collection of newcomers.

BullWhen & Where: CBS/Global — Sept. 20, 8 p.m.

Starring: Michael Weatherly, Freddy Rodriguez, Geneva Carr, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Annabelle Attanasio and Chris Jackson

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Tuesday, Sep. 13, 2016

CBS
A scene from CBS's Bull.

TV's Monday mix middling

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TV's Monday mix middling

Brad Oswald 7 minute read Monday, Sep. 12, 2016

Monday’s six-pack of new shows includes a heavenly comedy, a time-warped drama, a couple of brand-new sitcoms that are already past their best-before dates, a format-faithful legal drama and a homegrown thriller that’s a bit too overdone to be believed. All in all, a very mixed bag of TV offerings:

KEVIN CAN WAIT

Where and when: CBS/Global - Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Starring: Kevin James, Erinn Hayes, Taylor Spreitler, Mary-Charles Jones and James DiGiacomo

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Monday, Sep. 12, 2016

Kevin James and Erinn Hayes in 'Kevin Can Wait.'

Sunday's TV animated and investigated

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Sunday's TV animated and investigated

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 12, 2016

And so it begins — with the silliness of a sword-swinging cartoon conquerer trying to make it in the suburban human world, and the uncomfortable re-examination of a real-life case that has already been the subject of extended tabloid-style exploitation.

The new television season is upon us, which means it’s time for our annual Fall TV Preview, a weeklong examination of everything that’s new and intriguing (or worth completely ignoring) in the 2016-17 prime-time lineup.

The preview starts today, with capsule previews of the weekend’s new programs (newsflash: once again, there’s nothing new to report on Saturdays) and a rundown of when all your returning favourites will arrive.

And from Monday through Friday, we’ll take a day-by-day look at all the major networks’ new shows, in an effort to help you cut through the clutter and pick a few new must-watch titles to add to what’s surely an overcrowded TV-viewing menu.

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Monday, Sep. 12, 2016

Fox
Animation mixes with live action in Fox’s Son of Zorn. Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) talks with Edie (played by Cheryl Hines)

Louie C.K fans should fall for new comedy he co-created

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Louie C.K fans should fall for new comedy he co-created

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 8, 2016

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And if it ain’t around anymore, replace it with something that works just as well.

FX Network had a very good thing going, comedically, with Louie, the brilliantly nuanced and deeply insightful sitcom created by Louis C.K. But Louie isn’t in the FX lineup at the moment, and there’s no telling when — or even if, depending on its star’s creative impulses — it will return.

So when FX needed another comedy to take its place, it wisely chose to stick with a winning formula, choosing a new series that has Louis C.K. as co-creator, executive producer and occasional writer and director, and frequent Louie co-star Pamela Adlon as its lead actor and principal creative force.

The end result of this don’t-fix-the-unbroke collaboration is Better Things (which premières Thursday, Sept. 8, at 9 p.m. on FX Canada), a smart, emotionally grounded and generally lovely new comedy that has Adlon playing Sam Fox, a moderately employed L.A. actor who’s struggling to maintain her sanity while playing single parent to a trio of headstrong and day-in-day-out challenging daughters.

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Thursday, Sep. 8, 2016

Colleen Hayes / FX
Pamela Adlon plays Sam Fox, a struggling actress and single mom to three girls.

Mansbridge’s exit bookends an era already over

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Mansbridge’s exit bookends an era already over

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 7, 2016

The most-asked question, in the wake of Peter Mansbridge's announcement Tuesday that he will leave The National next year, concerns who will replace the anchor/chief correspondent of CBC's flagship nightly newscast.

Several names — led by Wendy Mesley, Ian Hanomansing and former CBC Winnipeg anchor Diana Swain — were immediately placed at the top of the list.

But the more pertinent question about Mansbridge's replacement is this: does it really matter?

Mansbridge, who will have served three decades as the public broadcaster's news-department figurehead by the time he steps away next year — an exit timed, in what feels like a bit too much of grab at an extra-special place in history, to coincide with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation — is the last of a breed whose importance and relevance in popular culture and public discourse have been on a steady and inexorable decline for a couple of decades.

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Wednesday, Sep. 7, 2016

Chris Young / The Canadian Press FILES
CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge is stepping down from 'The National' in 2017.

Cram in some back-to-school binge-watching before the bell

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Cram in some back-to-school binge-watching before the bell

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 3, 2016

The nights are getting longer. The mornings are decidedly cooler. Summer’s on the wane, and traditional primetime TV’s new season is a couple of weeks from being unleashed.

But there’s still time, as the kids head back to class and weekends are occupied with less lake-focused activities, for a little bit of well-measured binge-watching before the television schedule is overwhelmed with the major networks’ annual onslaught of new dramas and comedies.

With that in mind, here’s a special back-to-school edition of Life Is But a Stream, our semi-regular feature aimed at highlighting some of the binge-worthy offerings available on Canada’s main content-streaming services. The titles below range from serious drama to loopy comedy, but they all have a school-ish element to help set the tone:

 

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Saturday, Sep. 3, 2016

The nights are getting longer. The mornings are decidedly cooler. Summer’s on the wane, and traditional primetime TV’s new season is a couple of weeks from being unleashed.

But there’s still time, as the kids head back to class and weekends are occupied with less lake-focused activities, for a little bit of well-measured binge-watching before the television schedule is overwhelmed with the major networks’ annual onslaught of new dramas and comedies.

With that in mind, here’s a special back-to-school edition of Life Is But a Stream, our semi-regular feature aimed at highlighting some of the binge-worthy offerings available on Canada’s main content-streaming services. The titles below range from serious drama to loopy comedy, but they all have a school-ish element to help set the tone:

 

Steinbach-born YouTube sensation Alayna Fender woos viewers

Brad Oswald  7 minute read Preview

Steinbach-born YouTube sensation Alayna Fender woos viewers

Brad Oswald  7 minute read Thursday, Sep. 1, 2016

For several generations, screen entertainment had two kinds of stars — movie stars, whose larger-than-life efforts on the silver screen produced larger-than-believable paycheques and notoriety, and TV stars, who became rich and famous (and, in showbiz terms, respected) on a decidedly smaller scale.

Sometimes, a star would ascend from one level to the next, burning brighter in the pop-culture consciousness. Occasionally, a major star would transition from big screen down to small, either to dabble temporarily in a well-scripted TV project or, perhaps, more permanently after fading box-office appeal made movie work harder to find.

In recent years, the increase in high-quality television writing has made movement between the two different levels of stardom much more common.

But for those decades, in the pre-digital world, those were the only levels of stardom to which screen actors could aspire. These days, there’s a very viable third option: online stardom.

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Thursday, Sep. 1, 2016

YOUTUBE
On her YouTube channel, Alayna Fender shares stories about her anxiety, her sexuality and her love of cats.

Morning show leaves half of us in the dark

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Morning show leaves half of us in the dark

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016

Question: When is a flagship national TV show not a flagship national TV show?

Answer: When it’s presented in a way that discourages half the nation from watching it.

That’s the odd situation created by last week’s launch of CTV’s heavily hyped new a.m. program, Your Morning, which arrived with much fanfare on the network’s stations in eastern Canada but was relegated to second-tier afterthought status in western markets whose CTV affiliates carry the locally produced CTV Morning Live program instead.

In Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and all points east, the première of Your Morning — a light and breezy, Today-style show featuring co-hosts Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, news anchors Melissa Grelo and Lindsey Deluce and meteorologist Kelsey McEwen — was treated as a very big deal, an obvious attempt to create a major Canadian morning-TV presence in the wake of the recent and somewhat controversial cancellation of Canada AM.

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Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016

CTV / The Canadian Press
The studio team for CTV’s Your Morning includes (from left) meteorologist Kelsey McEwen, hosts Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, news anchor Lindsey Deluce and late morning anchor Melissa Grelo.

Oddblock comedy fest's second year a standup success

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Oddblock comedy fest's second year a standup success

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016

The weather was perfect. The sidewalks were alive with activity. The venues were (mostly) full. The laughs were loud and plentiful.

The second annual Oddblock Comedy Festival wrapped up a jammed weekend of shows with a pair of Sunday night performances at the Park Theatre, and it’s clear from the buzz created along South Osborne Street during its four-night run that the event has secured its late-August place in Winnipeg’s summer-long festival season.

“We’re thrilled with the way it turned out,” said local comedian John B. Duff, co-founder of Oddblock along with Park Theatre owner Erick Casselman and talent booker Kevin Mozdzen. “We had some venue changes this year (new show sites BMC Market, GameKnight Games and Riverview Community Centre replaced first-year locations Luxalune, Monticchio Ristorante and Deseo Bistro), and now that those shows are done, I can say that the new venues worked better.”

Preliminary attendance figures show attendance at more than 1,900 for the second-year festival, compared with about 1,200 for the inaugural event. Eleven of Oddblock’s 27 shows were either sold out or within a few seats of capacity. A volunteer force of 35 helped keep this year’s festival running smoothly.

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Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016

ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Chris Cubas performs at The Park Theatre for the 2016 Oddblock Block Party Comedy Festival on August 25, 2016. The festival runs until Sunday and will see over 50 performers at 29 shows in 6 different locations.

A call from Zach Galifianakis gets comedian on TV, back on stage

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

A call from Zach Galifianakis gets comedian on TV, back on stage

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016

Martha Kelly is a different kind of comedy performer, which probably explains why she’s spent much of the last few years living in a different kind of comedy place.

Kelly, a veteran of nearly two decades on the standup circuit who became more widely known last year after her stellar turn as a hapless insurance adjuster and reluctant friend to Zach Galifianakis’s failing-clown character in the offbeat FX comedy Baskets, has opted to make her home far outside the U.S. showbiz capitals of New York and Los Angeles, in Austin, Texas, a city mostly known for music.

“I’ve lived here a few different times, and I have a lot of friends here,” Kelly says during a telephone interview from her home in the Texas state capital. “For comics, there’s a really great scene here right now — you can get lots of stage time in front of real audiences and work on new material. It’s a great place to work on comedy. I think the reason it’s so great is that there’s a bunch of young, newer comedians who are really funny and have started their own shows and have really built an audience for comedy, and everyone kind of benefits from that.”

Austin’s growing reputation as a centre for up-and-coming “alternative” comedy mirrors its emergence as a music hotbed in the early 1970s after Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings packed up their outlaw attitudes and headed out of Nashville and toward Texas.

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Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016

BASKETS "DJ Twins" Episode 106 (Airs Thursday, February 23, 10:00 pm/ep) -- Pictured: Martha Kelly as Martha. CR: Ben Cohen/FX

Despite off-the-wall premise, new series feels overly familiar

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Despite off-the-wall premise, new series feels overly familiar

Brad Oswald  3 minute read Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016

Sometimes, weird TV can be really great TV.

From The Twilight Zone to Twin Peaks (the first half-season, at least), from Northern Exposure to Due South, and from Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Boston Legal to Lost and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, television history has been filled with scripted shows that found their own unique brand of success by venturing far outside normal narrative territory.

Other times, however, weird TV is just weird TV.

The latter applies in the case of Four in the Morning, an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to tell strange stories, in even stranger ways, about the bizarre and occasionally beyond-reality things that happen to a group of friends during the latest of their late-night hangout hours.

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Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016

CBC
From left, Michelle Mylett, Mazin Elsadig, Daniel Maslany and Lola Tash in Four in the Morning.

Comedian Todd Glass likes knowing where the haters are hiding

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Comedian Todd Glass likes knowing where the haters are hiding

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016

It’s a pretty simple principle: stupidity exposed is better than stupidity concealed.

It also happens to be one of the driving forces behind Todd Glass’s comedy, as well as the filter through which the Philadelphia-born, L.A.-based performer views a world that often seems overwhelmed by information, polarized opinion, readily accessible hatred and politically incorrect idiocy.

“I kind of equate Donald Trump with Twitter, and I think they’re both good because they’re exposing all these people for what they really are,” Glass says in a telephone interview during a recent stop at his neighbourhood gym in Los Angeles. “Maybe it’s good that these people finally have a leader who will speak and make them feel heard — I think everybody should be going, ‘Wow — this is what’s really out there!’

“I mean, a lot of people are prejudiced, but they’re smart enough to keep it a secret from the rest of the world. Among their friends, there’s a lot of hate festering, but they keep it to themselves. But now (thanks to Trump and Twitter), we know who they are.…

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Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016

The odd kids on the block

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The odd kids on the block

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016

All it took was one show, and John B. Duff knew.

When the first performance of last August’s inaugural Oddblock Comedy Festival took the stage, Duff and fellow festival founders Erick Casselman and Kevin Mozdzen breathed a huge sigh of relief, joined in the laughter, and shared in the knowledge that Oddblock was here to stay.

“I’m not surprised at all that we’re doing a second one,” Duff says of this year’s event, which runs Aug. 25 to 28 in a cluster of venues on or near the South Osborne Street strip. “Of course, before the very first show, there were some jitters, and we wondered if this was going to tank horribly. Ticket sales were pretty good but not stellar before that first show, but then once the ball was rolling and we saw how all the hard work we’d done was coming to fruition, we knew it was viable and we knew that we’d be doing it again.

“Before (last year’s fest) was even finished, Erick (Park Theatre owner Casselman) was giving us the thumbs-up to start planning for Year 2.”

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Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Oddblock Comedy Festival’s Kevin Mozdzen (left) and John B. Duff point the way to the Park Theatre, the South Osborne Street venue and festival nerve centre.

TV picks of the week

Brad Oswald  1 minute read Preview

TV picks of the week

Brad Oswald  1 minute read Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

SuperstoreFriday, Aug. 19 at 9:30 p.m., NBC

The Cloud 9 staff go for gold as they celebrate the Summer Olympics in this appropriately themed season première. Thanks to the special promotion, Amy (America Ferrera) gets the opportunity to meet some of her childhood heroes, who turn out to be a little too inspirational.

Rio 2016 Summer Olympics: Closing CeremoniesSunday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m., CBC/7 p.m.NBC

Now that the medals have been won, the athletes and coaches celebrate their accomplishments in a lavish ceremony that pays tribute to all of the competitors. CBC and NBC present coverage of this special event, which includes the extinguishing of the flame.

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Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

Superstore

One-man comedy mission

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

One-man comedy mission

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

Many standup comedians are praised for being inventive. Nemr basically invented standup comedy in the region of the world he calls home.

Inspired by the comedians he saw on TV during a few brief, but formative, childhood years in the United States, Nemr — a native of Lebanon whose full name is Nemr Abou Nassar — decided about a decade ago humour might be a useful tool for easing cultural tensions in his often war-torn Middle Eastern homeland.

Before he took the stage for his first professional gig in Beirut, standup was non-existent as an entertainment form in Lebanon. Ten years later, Nemr is one of the globe’s biggest comedy successes, playing to sold-out audiences throughout the Middle East and releasing seven full-length comedy specials along the way.

He has now set his sights on conquering the rest of the comedy world, working his way around North America, hoping to win over audiences one city and one club at a time. The latest stop is Winnipeg, and Rumor’s Comedy Club, for a five-night stand that runs Aug. 23 to 27 (tickets range from $15 to $30, available at Rumor’s).

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Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

Maria Abou Nassar photo
Nemr was born in Lebanon, but lived in San Diego as a child. At left, Comedian Nemr Abou Nassar on the cover of Middle East Rolling Stone.

The eyes of the world are on Rio

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The eyes of the world are on Rio

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016

This one’s a bit of a no-brainer.

If the purpose of this sort-of-regular crossover between the Free Press’s Life & Arts and Sports departments is to discuss the way sports are covered on TV, there’s only one possible topic for this instalment: the Summer Olympics.

Despite all the controversies associated with Brazil’s preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, as well as the numerous predictions pollution, corruption, doping scandals, construction shortfalls and crime were going to turn this latest version of the international sporting event into an unmitigated disaster, the Games have gone on. And as they reliably have been for every broadcaster that has shelled out millions and/or billions for the rights to carry them in the past few decades, the Olympics have once again been a ratings winner during the first week of competition.

The numbers are solid: south of the border, NBC’s prime-time Olympics coverage Wednesday drew more than 26-million viewers; the second-place U.S. network for the evening was CBS, which attracted 3.7 million with its combination of reality TV (Big Brother), scripted-series reruns (Criminal Minds) and summer fill-in drama (American Gothic). ABC’s lineup of sitcom reruns had two-million viewers, and Fox’s MasterChef doubleheader had less than 1.8 million.

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Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016

RYAN REMIORZ / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada's Rosie MacLennan, from King City, Ont., celebrates after winning the gold medal in the trampoline.

Bell at Interstellar Rodeo with a taste of tech to come after it marries MTS

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Bell at Interstellar Rodeo with a taste of tech to come after it marries MTS

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Friday, Aug. 12, 2016

If you decide you need a break from the actual reality of Interstellar Rodeo's music, wine and food, MTS and Bell have a virtual-reality alternative they'd like you to try. If the entertainment onstage starts to feel a bit too live-and-in-person for your tastes, Bell and MTS will gladly show you something cool on TV. And if the laid-back pace of Interstellar's all-day lineup seems too slow, MTS and Bell will gladly kick your Rodeo experience online and into hyperspeed.

The Manitoba telecommunications company and the national media conglomerate that's about to acquire it are setting up shop at The Forks this weekend, in the form of an innovative tech-display installation called the Bell MTS Box, to offer Interstellar Rodeo-goers a glimpse of the enhanced television, Internet and virtual-reality technology that will be available to Manitobans once the Bell-MTS deal closes.

The Bell MTS Box, which is a surplus shipping container that has been transformed into a high-tech demo space, will be located right beside the ScotiaBank Stage throughout Interstellar Rodeo weekend. Among the soon-to-be-launched broadband-entertainment options on display is Bell's Fibe TV service, which — once a fibre-optic upgrade of local cable-TV infrastructure is complete (a process that Bell officials say took about two years in similarly sized Quebec City) — will allow subscribers to custom-build a wireless home-entertainment system that will allow easy, interconnected access to TV and streaming-service content on multiple devices.

Working off of a single hard-wired home hub, the Bell service will give customers access to programming guides and more than 450 live and on-demand channels on devices ranging in size from large-scale television sets to computers, tablets, smartphones and even Apple watches. In addition, the Fibe TV service will offer greater viewing flexibility by allowing subscribers to "throw" in-progress programs from one device to another, and to re-start and watch TV shows up to 30 hours after their live broadcast began.

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Friday, Aug. 12, 2016

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Free Press writer Brad Oswald checks out Bell's virtual-reality station on display at the Shaw stage for the weekend.

Netflix rap series mashes up too many genres, but it's got a good beat

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Netflix rap series mashes up too many genres, but it's got a good beat

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016

It’s fitting that a TV series exploring the early evolution of rap — a musical form that grew out of a youth-driven combination of other styles — should itself be a mash-up of multiple cinematic styles.

The Get Down, a wildly ambitious but only partially successful drama that has its Netflix release on Friday, Aug. 12, is at various times in its initial six-episode run a historical exploration, a classic love-triangle yarn, a gangster movie, a musical comedy and even a martial-arts epic.

That it does none of these things exceptionally well is a bit of a disappointment, but the sum total of this stylistic experimentation is likely entertaining enough to inspire some summer-weekend binge-watching.

The Get Down is set in 1977, during New York City’s most desperate era of crime, corruption, poverty, urban decay and civil unrest. It’s the height of the disco craze, but in the darkest corners of the Big Apple’s most downtrodden borough — the Bronx — young people are rejecting the flash and sequins and mirror balls, and finding their voices in a new musical genre that showcases repetitive beats and rapid-fire poetry.

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Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016

NETFLIX
Mamoudou Athie (left) and Shameik Moore in The Get Down.

Doc follows Canadian synchronized swim team on hopeful road to Rio

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Doc follows Canadian synchronized swim team on hopeful road to Rio

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016

It’s a fascinating Olympic story that, sadly, won’t have its conclusion on the medal podium in Rio de Janeiro.

The new documentary Perfect offers viewers an inside look at a Canadian team’s quest to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Rio, following the athletes as they endure months of gruelling training and pre-Olympic qualification events only to fall short of the singular goal that has driven their efforts for the past four years.

That the sport in the film’s focus is synchronized swimming — an aquatic discipline whose more glittery aspects have often been mocked while its pure athletic difficulty has been ignored — does not diminish the effectiveness of the story.

If anything, it makes the competitors’ dedication to their sport all the more admirable.

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Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016

SUPPLIED

Like AC for your brain

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Like AC for your brain

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, Jul. 30, 2016

It’s the August long weekend — the unofficial midpoint of an always-too-short summer, which means it’s time to grab onto all the sunshine and heat we can before the hard meteorological truth of our unfortunate geographical reality forces us inside for another eight months of blanket-warmed binge-watching.

So maybe — and nobody would blame you if this is the case — television is the last thing on your mind. But even during our fleetingly flurry-less four-month break from winter, there will be times when it’s too hot, too wet, too cool, too muggy or too buggy to be outside. And that’s where our semi-regular feature Life Is But a Stream comes in, with another six-pack of binge-worthy titles that can be found on this country’s streaming-content services.

Here’s what’s worth watching when you’re not wearing sunglasses:

 

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Saturday, Jul. 30, 2016

CLIFF LIPSON / Showtime
Mary-Louise Parker’s wide-eyed, innocent portrayal of Nancy Botwin made the first few seasons of Weeds memorable.

Hip have logged a lot of road time since their first visit to Winnipeg 28 years ago

Brad Oswald  6 minute read Preview

Hip have logged a lot of road time since their first visit to Winnipeg 28 years ago

Brad Oswald  6 minute read Friday, Jul. 29, 2016

This much is certain: the Tragically Hip’s farewell to Winnipeg will be more significant, more memorable and more enthusiastically embraced than its initial “Hello” to this city nearly 30 years ago.

In the spring of 1988, I was still in the first year of my career at the Winnipeg Free Press. My job in the entertainment department was to cover the music beat, and on the morning of March 17 I had an interview scheduled with the lead singer of a new Canadian band that was touring the country in support of its introductory seven-song EP.

But when I met 24-year-old Gord Downie in the coffee shop of the Osborne Village Inn, the conversation wasn’t about the record or the local shows they were playing that week.

Instead, we talked about the shows they weren’t playing and the ones the band was scrambling to find to fill their suddenly wide-open schedule.

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Friday, Jul. 29, 2016

JACK SIMPSON PHOTO

A long-haired Gord Downie plays with The Tragically Hip at the Spectrum Cabaret in October 1989.

Would we lie to you?

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Would we lie to you?

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Jul. 28, 2016

When you’re facing danger, you need information. And who’s better at providing information than experts?

That’s where the new online CBC Comedy series The Whole Truths comes in — right in the middle of the most treacherous, perilous, frightening collection of threats our planet has ever known, where the insights and advice of actual “knowledge experts” might just save your life.

Front and centre in the digital-platform series (which can be streamed at www.cbc.ca/beta/comedy) is library-scented intellectual Truck Weldon, played by Winnipeg-born writer/performer Scott Montgomery. With the help of fellow experts Gordon Fipp (Jim Annan) and Bruce Lapierre (Kurt Smeaton), Weldon offers whole-truth information that might just prevent you from meeting a grisly end at the hands (or paws, or jaws, or crushing weight or otherworldly menace or razor-tipped thrust or incessant march) of such dangers as wolves, swords, ghosts, books, time, dogs, sleep or South America.

If it sounds odd and more than a bit absurd, well, that’s the point of The Whole Truths, according to Montgomery. The eight-episode collection of digital mini-sodes — each of which is three to four minutes in length — is intended to mine laughs from the grey area that exists in contemporary pop culture between actual facts and loudly expressed (but not necessarily useful) opinion.

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Thursday, Jul. 28, 2016

CBC
From left, Scott Montgomery as Truck Weldon, Jim Annan as Gordon Fipp and Kurt Smeaton as Bruce Lapierre.

TV movie takes liberties with Pickton case

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

TV movie takes liberties with Pickton case

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 23, 2016

What makes a true story true? And how far from the facts is it appropriate for a TV movie to deviate?

These are front-of-mind questions when viewing the CBC-TV movie Unclaimed, which is based — rather loosely, if the disclaimer that precedes the two-hour drama is to be believed — on the investigation that led to the arrest and trial of B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton.

Most times, scripted projects of this sort come with an onscreen indication they’re “based on a true story” or “inspired by actual events” or some variation thereof. In the case of Unclaimed, which airs Saturday at 9 p.m. on CBC, the disclaimer is more elaborate and seems intended to put as much distance as possible between the movie’s producers and the actual facts of the Pickton case:

“The Pickton crimes have been detailed in court and inquiries. Out of respect for the victims, families and investigators, we do not pretend to portray the complex reality. Stories and identities are changed, while preserving lessons that should never be forgotten.”

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Saturday, Jul. 23, 2016

CBC
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as Nikki Taylor.

Mickelson-Stenson showdown a stunner

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Mickelson-Stenson showdown a stunner

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 23, 2016

Golf on TV.

If you felt your eyes rolling back in your head, even just a little bit, when you read those words, it might be best to move on to something else here in the sports pages. This week’s Screen Shots column is, indeed, about golf on TV, and how — for more reasons than you might think — last week’s final-round coverage of the Open Championship was pretty much as good as it gets.

In fact, there will be reasonable arguments to be made, a few months from now, for putting NBC’s Sunday coverage from Royal Troon onto lists of the year’s top five televised-sports events.

The first reason it was so great is simple and obvious: Phil Mickelson vs. Henrik Stenson in a brilliant, hole-for-hole, shot-for-shot, steely nerved showdown that showcased golf played at its very highest level. On some Sundays, having only two players in contention during a marathon, full-round broadcast might make for a lot of dead air, but Stenson and Mickelson produced good shots and great drama on every hole.

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Saturday, Jul. 23, 2016

Golf on TV.

If you felt your eyes rolling back in your head, even just a little bit, when you read those words, it might be best to move on to something else here in the sports pages. This week’s Screen Shots column is, indeed, about golf on TV, and how — for more reasons than you might think — last week’s final-round coverage of the Open Championship was pretty much as good as it gets.

In fact, there will be reasonable arguments to be made, a few months from now, for putting NBC’s Sunday coverage from Royal Troon onto lists of the year’s top five televised-sports events.

The first reason it was so great is simple and obvious: Phil Mickelson vs. Henrik Stenson in a brilliant, hole-for-hole, shot-for-shot, steely nerved showdown that showcased golf played at its very highest level. On some Sundays, having only two players in contention during a marathon, full-round broadcast might make for a lot of dead air, but Stenson and Mickelson produced good shots and great drama on every hole.

Enterprise crew split up to good effect in Star Trek reboot

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Enterprise crew split up to good effect in Star Trek reboot

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Jul. 22, 2016

It’d be wildly inaccurate to say Star Trek Beyond boldly goes where no Trek feature has gone before.

It doesn’t. But its destination — a familiar intersection where the simple charms of the original TV series meet the spectacular action and special effects that are required elements in every big-budget summer blockbuster — will surely leave Star Trek fans feeling the franchise is exactly where it needs to be at this stage of its rebooted existence.

Star Trek Beyond is a fitting 50th-birthday tribute to Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and the rest of the Enterprise crew, taking them (and Trek fans everywhere) on perhaps the ship’s most dangerous mission ever, while at the same time allowing these beloved characters to spend some quality time together as they try to save the galaxy.

Star Trek Beyond opens with a delightful tone-setting sight gag — Capt. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) battling an angry adversary who turns out to be slightly less imposing than originally thought — and a bit of an existential crisis, with both Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) in deep-thought mode as they reconsider their respective futures as the Enterprise hits the midpoint of its current five-year mission.

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Friday, Jul. 22, 2016

Paramount Pictures
Sofia Boutella (left) plays Jaylah and Simon Pegg plays Scotty in Star Trek Beyond.

New Star Trek film makes partners out of characters who don't play well together

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

New Star Trek film makes partners out of characters who don't play well together

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Jul. 21, 2016

It’s often said, particularly in relation to magnets and interpersonal mingling, that opposites attract.

That isn’t exactly true in the case of Star Trek Beyond, but the writers of the third instalment of the storied sci-fi franchise’s ongoing big-screen reboot have created a story that pushes opposites — in this context, characters who have very little in common and might not actually like each other very much — together and then forces them to figure out a way to co-exist while at the same time racing to save the galaxy from destruction.

Simon Pegg, who portrays Montgomery (Scotty) Scott onscreen, co-wrote Star Trek Beyond with Doug Jung (Confidence, Big Love), and the high-stakes adventure they created for the film includes a massive catastrophe that forces the crew off the Starship Enterprise and splits its most beloved characters off into unexpected pairings — Kirk and Chekov, Spock and McCoy, Sulu and Uhura, Scotty and a kick-ass alien female — that must battle their way across a remote planet’s hostile landcape in order to reunite, rescue their captive crewmates from the clutches of a particularly hateful villain who intends to (literally) suck the life out of them and find a way to stop him from unleashing an unthinkable evil on unsuspecting worlds.

“It was very important to Doug and me, as well as (director) Justin Lin, to try to create a hybrid of an episode of the original (TV) series and a spectacular cinematic event,” Pegg said recently during a Paramount Pictures-sponsored junket in Los Angeles, attended by the Free Press.

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Thursday, Jul. 21, 2016

PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Anton Yelchin (left) with Chris Pine as Capt. Kirk in Star Trek Beyond.

New Netflix offering captures eerie '80s thriller vibe where kids take the lead

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New Netflix offering captures eerie '80s thriller vibe where kids take the lead

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jul. 14, 2016

It’s a TV show set in the 1980s and, in a very appealing way, feels very much like it could have been made in the ‘80s, too.

The new Netflix series Stranger Things is both a throwback to a more innocent time and a respectful, delightful homage to the simpler kind of spooky/scary entertainment that drew ‘80s moviegoers to the multiplexes in droves.

Mashing up elements and attitudes from such ‘80s classics as E.T. the Extraterrestrial, The Goonies and Stand By Me, this eight-part thriller (which arrives on Netflix on Friday, July 17) is an instantly addictive tale in which a handful of preteen pals are a small town’s best hope for solving a very grown-up mystery.

Set in the backwoodsy little hamlet of Hawkins, Ind., Stranger Things opens with a decidedly ‘80s scene involving four young friends — Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schapp) immersed in a rousing game of Dungeons and Dragons.

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Thursday, Jul. 14, 2016

NETFLIX
David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper.

New HBO series a gripping crime-and-punishment tale

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

New HBO series a gripping crime-and-punishment tale

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, Jul. 9, 2016

Bad judgment. Bad timing. Bad luck.

Each of these things can quickly turn a pretty good day into a very bad day. And on those rare occasions when they all happen at once, it’s an instant recipe for the worst day of one’s life.

In the new HBO series The Night Of, an average New York college student from an ordinary immigrant family hits the fateful-trifecta jackpot, and the horrendous payoff it brings him makes for one of the best dramas the U.S. premium-cable network has produced in several years.

The Night Of, which premières Sunday on HBO Canada (check listings for time), is actually a this-side-of-the-pond re-imagining of a successful BBC series called Criminal Justice, but executive producers Steve Zaillian (who directed seven of the eight episodes) and Richard Price (who wrote — or co-wrote — all eight instalments) have taken that Brit story and transformed it into a crime-and-punishment yarn that oozes New York attitude out of every scene and syllable.

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Saturday, Jul. 9, 2016

HBO
John Turturro plays low-rent lawyer John Stone in The Night Of, which debuts Sunday night on HBO Canada.

Hockey in July fails to score on TV

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Hockey in July fails to score on TV

Brad Oswald 6 minute read Friday, Jul. 8, 2016

Thursday night's Blue Bombers game was a barnburner — an exciting, action-packed live sporting event filled with big plays and capped by a thrilling, nail-biter ending that brought great relief and a glimmer of hope to local fans.

And paired with the second half of that night's CFL doubleheader, it created six hours of live programming that were exactly what cable-sports programming should be. Fast. Fun. Fabulous football.

But enough with the happy talk. Let's chat for a few moments about what sports-network programming shouldn't be — as in dull, static, talky, uneventful, seemingly interminable and pretty much pointless.

Coverage of the opening of the National Hockey League's free-agency period — dubbed "Free Agent Frenzy" by TSN, with not even a whiff of sarcasm — provided yet another demonstration of why it's a lousy idea for sports networks to try to turn the back-room business dealings conducted by agents, accountants, general managers and owners into hours-long "event" programming.

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Friday, Jul. 8, 2016

CANADIAN PRESS FILES
TSN's 'Frenzy' was largely pre-empted by the earlier completion of blockbuster deals by two Canadian teams, including the Habs' trade of P.K. Subban.

Inspiring, entertaining, educational

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Inspiring, entertaining, educational

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jul. 7, 2016

When it comes to managing kids’ screen time, there are a lot worse things parents can do than getting their youngsters interested in what’s on Discovery Channel.

Like all specialty networks, Discovery does have its share of reality-TV clutter (hello, Naked and Afraid, Canada’s Worst Driver and Bitchin’ Rides) that deviates from the channel’s original science/nature mission and, from a family-viewing perspective, is generally best avoided, but when Discovery focuses on what it does best, it’s still capable of inspiring and entertaining while it educates.

The new nature-focused effort Hello World! doesn’t rank among Discovery’s truly epic series, such as Life, Planet Earth and Walking With Dinosaurs, but thanks to some impressive filmmaking and the involvement of several high-profile music-industry stars, this six-part look at animal life should be an easy sell for parents trying to entice youngsters into a shared TV-watching experience.

Hello World!, which premières Sunday, July 10, at 7 p.m. on Discovery, employs the music of Usher, Christina Aguilera, Ellie Goulding, Steven Tyler, Joan Jett and Dave Matthews as its soundtrack, with each artist contributing a theme-appropriate song to the episode that he/she narrates. Aguilera’s instalment, titled Don’t Mess with Mama, was provided for preview; if its tone and content are indicative of the entire series run, it’s probably fair to say Hello World! leans more toward kid-friendly cute than real-world ruthlessness in its depiction of animals in their natural surroundings.

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Thursday, Jul. 7, 2016

DISCOVERY
Impressive filmmaking and the involvement of pop stars should make Hello World! and its look at animal life an easy sell for parents trying to entice youngsters into a shared TV-watching experience.

Rom-com series gives polyamory a chance

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Rom-com series gives polyamory a chance

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 6, 2016

From the title alone, it’s obvious this isn’t a standard-issue romantic comedy:

You Me Her.

This new made-for-cable sitcom, which premières Sunday on HBO Canada (check listings for time), puts a rather unexpected spin on the conventional TV rom-com and, in so doing, challenges a few of the commonly held assumptions about what love and marriage — in the scripted-TV context — are all about.

You Me Her is an odd amalgam of cross-border elements — produced by Toronto-based Entertainment One and shot in Vancouver, with Canadians in two of its three lead roles, the series is nonetheless set in Portland, Ore., and feels like a show produced with the export market as its top priority.

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Wednesday, Jul. 6, 2016

HBO CANADA
From left, Greg Poehler, Rachel Blanchard and Priscilla Faia star in HBO Canada's You Me Her.

Head into the living room

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Head into the living room

Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 2, 2016

During the winter, it’s mostly the cold that drives our desire to Netflix-and-chilly our way through the months that lead, ever so eventually, toward spring’s slow-opening screen door.

In summertime, it’s only the occasional nuisance that drives us indoors and toward that comfy, sheltered spot in front of the TV set — you know, rainstorms and floods, wildfires and smoky, smothering haze, plagues of blood-sucking insects... hey, wait a minute — that pretty much describes every day of our summer so far.

Which, I suppose, makes this the perfect time for another instalment of Life Is But a Stream, the semi-regular feature in which we offer up a few noteworthy titles from the streaming-content services (Netflix, Shomi, Crave TV) that are worth a few hours of marathon viewing during those portions of the day (read: all of them?) when we’re trying to avoid being dampened, drowned, choked, buzzed or bitten.

Here, in no particular order, are six worthy additions to your indoor-recreation schedule:

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Saturday, Jul. 2, 2016

Rami Malek as Elliot in Mr. Robot.

Documentary explores First World War devastation of Newfoundland

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Documentary explores First World War devastation of Newfoundland

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Jun. 30, 2016

July 1 is a pretty big day — Canada Day — for folks in these parts.

But for many Newfoundlanders, celebrating Canada’s nationhood is an afterthought. For them, July 1 will always be Remembrance Day.

The reasons for this differing interpretation of what makes the first day of July important are explored in rich, colourful, and emotionally wrenching detail in the new documentary Newfoundland at Armageddon, which has its TV première Thursday, June 30, at 8 p.m. on CBC.

The film, directed and co-written (with Newfoundlander Michael Crummey) by Brian McKenna, employs a multidisciplinary approach — documentary, dramatization and interviews — to create a broad-focused assessment of Newfoundland’s involvement in the First World War and the devastating impact participation in “the war to end all wars” would have on the island nation’s future.

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Thursday, Jun. 30, 2016

CBC
Newfoundland at Armageddon delves into the doomed assault by British colonists during the Battle of the Somme during the First World War.

‘Not everybody thinks like a Canadian’

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‘Not everybody thinks like a Canadian’

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Jun. 25, 2016

Much of the appeal of any reality-competition TV series lies in the suspense, surprises, and who-gets-eliminated-next secrecy — so, of course, Jon Montgomery isn’t sharing many details of the new season of The Amazing Race Canada.

But the Manitoba-born host of the popular CTV series — which returns for its fourth season Tuesday at 9 p.m. — did offer this one little teaser about the Race’s out-of-the-blocks opener:

“We are starting Season 4 in Yellowknife, and the beginning of the season has a stunt that is going to blow all the other stunts we’ve done out of the water. It will be a new measure for craziness in terms of the challenges the racers are presented with.”

And that’s saying something, because during its first three seasons, The Amazing Race Canada has given its two-person teams of contestants all they could handle when it comes to the physical, mental, and psychological challenges faced while racing back and forth and up and down through Canada and, occasionally, to far-flung international destinations.

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Saturday, Jun. 25, 2016

CTV
Amazing Race Canada host Jon Montgomery.

By George, Rogers fanned on the shot!

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By George, Rogers fanned on the shot!

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Friday, Jun. 24, 2016

I know what you're thinking: "What's this guy from the Arts and Life section doing in over here in the sports pages?"

Then again, if you're a hardcore fan, it's entirely possible that your thoughts are more along the line of, "What? The Free Press has an Arts and Life section? I only read the sports. And who is this guy, anyway?"

"This guy" is the TV guy. Most days, you'll find my name and mugshot alongside columns on the entertainment pages, where I spend the majority of my time writing about television. Yes, I get paid to watch TV. Yes, it's a very good gig.

And since television is the medium through which we access nearly all of the sports we watch and follow, we thought it would be interesting — and, perhaps, even a bit of fun — to do a bit of a newspaper-sectional crossover and create a column that focuses on the intersection of TV and sports.

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Friday, Jun. 24, 2016

CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Just demoted, but relaxed-looking Ron MacLean (left) with deer-in-the-headlights Strombo at the unveiling of Rogers' TV hockey team in 2014.

Out of tune

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Out of tune

Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Jun. 23, 2016

It’s one of the unshakable truths about rock ‘n’ roll music — it might be flashy and loud and outrageous, but if it doesn’t feel authentic, nobody’s going to buy it.

The same might be said about depictions of the rock world in movies and TV shows — and it’s the too-frequent intrusion of false narrative notes and flat-out phoney moments that keeps the heavily hyped, made-for-cable series Roadies from being as great as its stylish preview trailer led viewers to hope it might be.

Roadies, which was created for U.S. cable’s Showtime network by music journalist-turned-filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire), is an inviting premise set in a behind-the-scenes world that has long been the subject of music fans’ curiosity: the realm of the vagabond crews of technicians, tradespeople and minimum-wage labourers who travel from town to town, setting up and tearing down the massive and elaborate concert stages of the world’s greatest touring acts.

Roadies, simply put, had the potential to be epic. What’s presented in the series’ first three episodes, however, suggests it’ll never rise above the level of pretty good TV.

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Thursday, Jun. 23, 2016

KATIE YU / SHOWTIME
Imogen Poots as Kelly Ann

It’s all too easy

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

It’s all too easy

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2016

If it’s true summertime TV shows tend to be lightweight, disposable, easily watchable and just-as-easily forgettable off-season diversions, CBS’s American Gothic might be the perfect summer-television concoction.

This rather formulaic murder mystery, which premières Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBS and Global, makes an earnest effort at being creepy and compelling, but despite across-the-board decent efforts from its large ensemble cast, it never quite lifts itself beyond the level of sombre, stuffy, and overreachingly clumsy.

The premise is fairly simple: a well-to-do Boston family is in the midst of dealing with an ordinary tragedy when a chance, unrelated event reveals information that might link one of them to a long-unsolved string of murders.

The patriarch, Mitchell Hawthorne (Jamey Sheridan), built his fortune in the construction industry, and it’s clear from the outset he has worked hard to shield his offspring from the messier aspects of an always-dirty business. Daughter Alison (Juliet Rylance) is a successful city councillor in the midst of an aggressive run at the mayor’s chair, so it’s she, more than any of her three siblings, who is intensely protective of the family name.

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Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2016

Christos Kalohoridis / CBS Broadcasting
Sticking to her knitting: American Gothic actress Virginia Madsen plays Madeline, visiting her ailing husband Mitchell, played by Jamey Sheridan.

TV documentary follows PM's visit to beleaguered First Nations

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

TV documentary follows PM's visit to beleaguered First Nations

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

A lot of eyebrows — and perhaps a few angry voices — were raised earlier this spring when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a historic visit to the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation and local media were barred from covering the event.

The exclusion — which included two Winnipeg-based TV news crews being escorted off the reserve when they tried to gain access to the PM’s April 28 visit — is not discussed in the documentary Cut-Off, which airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on Viceland Canada, a speciality channel focused on reality, lifestyle and documentary programming aimed at millennial viewers.

But the segment’s host, Toronto-based actor/dancer/choreographer Sarain Carson-Fox, says the decision to block other media from covering Trudeau’s one-day stop was made by Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky alone.

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Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

SUPPLIED
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Shoal Lake 40 First Nation Chief Erwin Redsky as part of a co-ordinated visit to the community filmed by the Viceland Canada show Cut-Off.

Local cook sharpening his knives for MasterChef Canada finale

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Local cook sharpening his knives for MasterChef Canada finale

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

He can most definitely stand the heat. That’s why he’s still in the kitchen.

Jeremy Senaris will be in the thick of the steamed-up, flame-grilled, boiled-over, oven-roasted, hot-plated action Sunday as the third season of MasterChef Canada comes to a close, and if things hit just the right temperature, the building-plan examiner from Winnipeg might bring home the north-of-the-border version of the MasterChef crown.

“I’m a bit surprised that I got this far,” Senaris said during a telephone interview this week. “I thought making it to the top five was a possibililty, but I’m really thrilled to be in the final two.”

Senaris and Toronto insurance broker Mary Berg survived last week’s penultimate kitchen challenge to become the final two home cooks vying for this season’s $100,000 top prize. Even before the finale airs, Senaris is happy to declare his MasterChef experience a hugely rewarding success.

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Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

SUPPLIED
Winnipeg's Jeremy Senaris (left) with MasterChef Canada judge Claudio Aprile.

Film documents complicated path of painful residential-school experience into work of art

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Film documents complicated path of painful residential-school experience into work of art

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

When it’s presented well, art can seem effortless, ethereal and even a bit magical.

What’s seldom seen is the sweat, effort and worry that makes it seem so spontaneously easy.

The new documentary Truth, Dance and Reconciliation offers a fascinating look at the artistic process, affording TV viewers an insiders’ vantage point of the creation of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s most challenging original production.

The film, which airs Sunday at 4 p.m. on CBC, follows the creation of the RWB’s Going Home Star, a ballet inspired by the stories of Canada’s residential school survivors. Because it’s a complex and highly sensitive subject, the process of transforming the pursuit of truth and reconciliation into a work of living, breathing, moving work of art required a large and diverse collaboration that brought members of the company together with aboriginal performers, representatives of the indigenous community and individuals with first-hand recollections of the residential-school experience.

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Saturday, Jun. 18, 2016

Truth, Dance and Reconciliation.

Comedian's bawdy jokes true to her unique voice

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Comedian's bawdy jokes true to her unique voice

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Jun. 16, 2016

Florence Spence is ready.

But here’s the question: Are you?

The local comedian readily admits her material often tends toward the raw and raunchy, but is quick to add that her standup is an honest reflection of who she is — a 30-something indigenous single mom and grandmother who is continuing to find her voice onstage and is eager to explore truth through comedy.

“This is what feels natural to me right now,” says Spence, one of the featured performers at Empow(HER)ment #3, an all-female comedy showcase that takes place Friday, June 17, at 9 p.m. at the Park Theatre. “I am trying to work on some things that might be a bit more family-friendly, but at this stage, this is me, growing (as a comic).

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Thursday, Jun. 16, 2016

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Local comedian Florence Spence, who’s taking part in the Empow(HER)ment show on June 17 at The Park Theatre.

Toronto troupe's CBC series makes instant impression

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Toronto troupe's CBC series makes instant impression

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2016

Performing sketch comedy is a bit like stepping up to the plate at a baseball diamond — you can’t expect to knock it out of the park every time, but it’s absolutely essential to maintain a positive batting average if you want to make it in the big leagues.

And by that standard, the new CBC summer series Baroness von Sketch Show appears to be earning its roster spot. The first two instalments of its six-episode run are fast, smart and consistently funny, boasting a hits-to-misses percentage that inspires favourable comparisons to some of TV’s sketch-comedy Hall of Famers.

Baroness von Sketch Show, produced by Winnipeg-based Frantic Films and written and performed by Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen, premières Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC with an opening episode that crams a dizzying dozen-plus sketches and sight gags into its out-of-the-gates 22 minutes.

Some of the bits take only a few seconds to deliver a single joke; others run several minutes and deal with more complex comedic ideas. The format tends toward old-school sketch, hitting the laugh and then moving on to a completely new idea rather than delving into running themes or recurring jokes in the way Citytv’s short-lived Sunnyside or The Kids in the Hall’s Death Comes to Town have done.

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Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2016

Meredith MacNeill (left) and Carolyn Taylor struggle with a stubborn debit-card machine.

Outstanding doc overcomes O.J. overload

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Outstanding doc overcomes O.J. overload

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 10, 2016

There are probably a lot of people whose reaction to promo spots for this weekend’s première of O.J.: Made in America was something along the lines of, “Enough already with the O.J. Simpson stuff.”

After all, it has only been a few weeks since FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson finished its 10-episode run. And as excellent as that scripted series was, it demanded a large chunk of viewers’ time as it delved deep into the behind-the-scenes machinations and ego clashes of the infamous Simpson murder trial.

But if you count yourself among the “Enough already” crowd and are inclined to take a pass on O.J.: Made in America (which premières tonight at 8 p.m on ABC and CTV), you should know skipping this five-part ESPN-produced series will mean missing one of the best documentary projects ever shown on mainstream network television.

It is, to phrase it directly, stunningly good TV.

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Friday, Jun. 10, 2016

SUPPLIED
O.J. Simpson in his college football days at USC.

Series doesn’t add any flavour to familiar recipe

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Series doesn’t add any flavour to familiar recipe

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jun. 2, 2016

In TV production, as in cooking, having all the right ingredients isn’t enough.

How they’re measured and how they’re mixed together are equally important. If the proportions and preparation techniques aren’t handled properly, the final product can be much less appetizing than it should have been.

That’s the short-form restaurant review of Feed the Beast, an ambitious but underachieving new AMC drama about a couple of New York pals taking one last shot at fulfilling their long-shared dream of opening an upscale eatery in the Bronx.

The series, which premières Sunday, June 5, at 9 p.m. on AMC before settling into its regular time slot Tuesdays at 9 p.m., has a number of appealing elements and potentially promising storyline possibilities, but is ultimately undone by its tendency to favour the obvious and overused over the subtle and unexpected.

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Thursday, Jun. 2, 2016

Frank Ockenfels / AMC
David Schwimmer as would-be sommelier Tommy Moran in the new AMC series Feed the Beast.

Been there, seen that

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Been there, seen that

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Saturday, May. 28, 2016

For decades, it was the most anticipated and exciting week of the TV year.

Now, not so much.

These days, the U.S. networks’ annual sales presentations create more of a business-as-usual feeling, in a business in which the conventional broadcasters have been forced to take a back seat to the buzz, critical acclaim and awards-show hauls of cable, specialty-network and streaming-service programs.

The recently completed “upfronts” still produced some staggering financial numbers, with as much as US$9 billion in advertising expenditures being committed to U.S. commercial networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and, to a lesser extent, the CW — based on the 2016-17 prime-time schedules unveiled over four days at a series of presentations in downtown Manhattan.

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Saturday, May. 28, 2016

ABC
Anyone remember Erika Christensen and Ed Westwick in Wicked City? ABC distinguished the rookie crime drama as the first cancellation of the fall last November after three episodes.

We've got a half-dozen streaming shows you need to see… and the outdoors is overrated anyway

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

We've got a half-dozen streaming shows you need to see… and the outdoors is overrated anyway

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, May. 28, 2016

With the “official” prime-time season officially behind us for another year, it’s time for TV watchers in this often frosty part of the world to turn off the ol’ boob tube, take a deep breath and head outside into the too-brief summer sunshine.

Or, at least, it would be, if this were 2006.

But we’re living in the age of Netflix, Shomi and Crave TV and year-round streaming content, so there’s really no reason for anyone to make that hazardous-to-your-health stroll out into the sunburn-risk zone, is there? Seriously, fellow couch spuds, we’ve got a whole lot of catching up to do, and the fall TV season is only a few weeks away.

In this new monthly feature — to which we’ve attached the too-cute-for-words title Life Is But a Stream — we’re going take a quick look at some of the noteworthy titles available on the aforementioned streaming-content services, and offer up a few suggestions of shows that might be worthy of a few marathon viewings as the summer months zip past.

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Saturday, May. 28, 2016

PAUL SCHIRALDI / NETFLIX
Taylor Schilling (left) and Uzo Aduba in Orange Is the New Black.

Good chemistry between leads gives by-the-book caper drama added spark

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Good chemistry between leads gives by-the-book caper drama added spark

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, May. 26, 2016

Charm can only carry you so far.

But sometimes, that limited distance might turn out to be just enough to give you a running start.

The new Global TV drama Private Eyes arrives in prime time with a boatload of good-humoured charm, a pair of well-matched stars and an unapologetically Canadian attitude, all of which add up to a first episode that’s very easy to like.

After the series première, however, it’ll be substance, rather than style, that determines how far the show can go.

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Thursday, May. 26, 2016

Global
Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson in Private Eyes.

Have faith in Preacher

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Have faith in Preacher

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, May. 19, 2016

With the likes of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead already on its roster, it isn’t as if AMC has to do much to cultivate true believers in its original-content efforts.

But its latest drama series, Preacher, is certain to attract an entirely new and deeply faithful Sunday-night following.

Preacher is an ambitious, action-packed and addictively creepy and gruesome comic-book adaptation that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as AMC’s most successful prime-time series.

Based on the like-titled ’90s comic-book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher is a show that challenges viewers with a story that operates on several levels at the same time, mixing deadly earnest drama with wild, sci-fi/supernatural weirdness and occasional outbursts of blunt-force violent action.

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Thursday, May. 19, 2016

Matthias Clamer / AMC
From left, Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare.

Exploring Scientific Mysteries for Dummies

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Exploring Scientific Mysteries for Dummies

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Tuesday, May. 17, 2016

Big questions require big answers. But it doesn’t take a super-brain such as the one inside Stephen Hawking’s head to produce them.

The renowned theoretical physicist enlists the aid of rather ordinary people to explore some of science’s most perplexing mysteries in the new six-part PBS series Genius by Stephen Hawking, which premières with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

“Anyone can think like a genius,” Hawking declares in the opening segment of the first instalment, which focuses on the elusive subject of time travel and asks a team of three curious volunteers to work through a series of challenges that will demonstrate whether time travel is really possible or just a notion more suited to sci-fi speculation.

And what makes Genius by Stephen Hawking worth watching is that the exercises carried out by the volunteers succeed in allowing them — and, therefore, us — to wrap their heads very easily around some daunting scientific principles.

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Tuesday, May. 17, 2016

SUPPLIED
‘Anyone can think like a genius,’ Stephen Hawking says in the first instalment of his series on PBS.

Ashamed? Why? Everyone watches terrible TV

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Ashamed? Why? Everyone watches terrible TV

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, May. 13, 2016

Oh, brother. Big Brother?

Really? Yes, really.

In the aftermath of last weekend’s TV column about guilty viewing pleasures — which included a request for submissions from readers — it seems a lot of you had a whole bunch of TV-watching secrets to get off your chest. And, as it turns out, a lot of those secrets have something to do with Big Brother.

The long-running reality-competition show — in all its various international mutations, including Global’s successful Big Brother Canada spinoff — received more mentions than any other program in the dozens upon dozens of titles that were submitted via email by readers clearly eager to finally shed the burden of keeping those furtive TV favourites concealed.

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Friday, May. 13, 2016

GLOBAL
Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step towards rehabilitation: Big Brother Canada is on a lot of readers’ submitted confessions.

Canadian comedy's second season finds nuance in mid-life struggles

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Canadian comedy's second season finds nuance in mid-life struggles

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, May. 12, 2016

As we age, change becomes difficult to contemplate and even harder to achieve.

Sometimes, the only kind of change we can entertain is that which is forced upon us.

For Davina Jackson, the central character in the HBO series Sensitive Skin (played by Kim Cattrall), change is as uncomfortable as it is unavoidable. And as this clever Canadian comedy returns for a second season (Sunday, May 15, HBO Canada; check listings for time), change is also the most necessary element of her life.

Read
Thursday, May. 12, 2016

HBO
Kim Cattrall as Davina in Sensitive Skin; the city of Toronto is like a secondary character in the series.

Margulies masterfully maintained mystery

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

Margulies masterfully maintained mystery

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, May. 7, 2016

At first glance, it seems we are right back where we started.

But really, we are anything but. On every level that really matters, TV’s The Good Wife is a series that has evolved and advanced, moving its characters and storylines ever forward through seven seasons and continually challenging the stereotyped notion its slightly mischievous title conveys. If it’s at all possible, the celebrated CBS drama has come full circle without returning to Square 1.

As The Good Wife comes to a close Sunday (8 p.m., CBS and Global), with an episode simply and appropriately titled End, it’s true the show’s central character, Alicia Florrick (played with Emmy-winning efficiency by Julianna Margulies), is once again standing beside and behind husband Peter (Chris Noth) as he faces imprisonment for political misdeeds and scandalous lapses in judgment.

But who she is, and how she has reacted to Peter’s most recent fall from grace, is very different from the heartbroken and startlingly betrayed woman we saw when the series première aired on Sept. 22, 2009. For proof, look no further than the scene in last week’s penultimate episode, in which rival/colleague Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox, wrapping up a brilliant recurring-character arc) informed Alicia that the star witness against Peter in his most recent legal wrangle was lying, motivated by fury over Peter dumping her after a years-long affair.

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Saturday, May. 7, 2016

From left, Alan Cumming as Eli Gold, Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, Chris Noth as Peter Florrick and Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart.

Viewing pleasures that are more guilty than gilded

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Viewing pleasures that are more guilty than gilded

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Friday, May. 6, 2016

OK, TV fans — it’s fess-up time.

What are you watching on television that you don’t really want anybody to know you’re watching on television?

 That’s right, today’s topic is guilty TV pleasures, those shows that earn no critical acclaim, deserve no credit for adding to TV’s current level of programming excellence, and do little to enhance the intellect or emotional well-being of the TV audience, and yet somehow you just can’t help watching them.

When the great philosopher Homer (in this case, Simpson) said, “Television gives so much, and asks so little,” these are the kinds of shows he must have been describing.

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Friday, May. 6, 2016

ALICE KEENEY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White is on a lot of viewers’ guilty pleasures menu.

How the MTS-BCE deal will impact local TV viewers still unclear

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

How the MTS-BCE deal will impact local TV viewers still unclear

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, May. 2, 2016

It's a huge, complicated deal for the telecommunications industry, but exactly what the pending acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services by industry giant BCE Inc. will mean for local television viewers who subscribe to MTS TV remains something of an out-of-focus picture.

The full impact of the deal, both in the larger industry context and in terms of how it will affect individual cable subscribers, won't be known until late this year or early in 2017, after all the necessary regulatory approvals have been granted and MTS's shareholders have formally endorsed the transaction.

Early Monday afternoon, MTS chief customer officer Heather Tulk was unable to say whether MTS TV will be rebranded, or how the deal might eventually affect pricing and channel-roster availability for customers currently subscribing to MTS TV services.

"The first step is to get all the necessary regulatory approvals for the transaction, and then, of course, shareholders will have to vote on the plan," said Tulk. "There are a lot of steps down the road; as we get through some of those steps, there may be some information available prior to closing, but most of it will really be closer to the actual closing date or after."

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Monday, May. 2, 2016

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The MTS Building at 333 Main Street.

The game is (predictably) afoot

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

The game is (predictably) afoot

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 30, 2016

Maybe some mysteries just aren’t meant to be solved.

Take, for instance, this prime-time puzzler: who would think it a good idea to take two genuinely intriguing real-life historical figures — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini — and fictionalize them into roles as reluctant partners in a far-fetched, buddy-cop TV concept that is only fleetingly intriguing and nowhere near genuine?

Welcome to the TV schedule, Houdini & Doyle. Enjoy every moment of what’s likely to be a rather short stay.

This lightweight new crime-solving drama, a Canadian/British/American co-production, has its North American première Monday at 8 p.m. on Global and Fox. It stars Stephen Mangan (Episodes) and Michael Weston (House) as the titular sleuthing tandem who in this highly imaginative version of circa-1901 London are something between casual acquaintances and ready-to-feud high-society rivals.

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Saturday, Apr. 30, 2016

JOSEPH SCANLON / FOX
Stephen Mangan, Rebecca Liddiard and Michael Weston (right).

American Masters doc reveals Janis Joplin's struggle for acceptance

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Preview

American Masters doc reveals Janis Joplin's struggle for acceptance

By Brad Oswald  4 minute read Thursday, Apr. 28, 2016

There’s a sequence in the music-biography documentary Janis: Little Girl Blue in which ‘60s rock icon Janis Joplin is shown returning to her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, to attend a high school reunion.

Joplin, at the time one of the biggest pop stars in the world, acts anything but triumphant as she answers questions from a media throng that has gathered to hear her thoughts. Instead, what the Q&A session shows is a painfully insecure young woman who, despite the fame and adulation her stellar music career has brought, is still deeply bruised at having not been being invited by a boy to attend her senior prom.

It’s a starkly revealing moment, indicative of the personal struggle that defined Joplin’s adult life and, no doubt, fuelled the on-again/off-again drug addiction that would ultimately lead to her death.

Janis: Little Girl Blue, which was directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg, is another in a long line of stellar biographical projects presented by PBS under its American Masters banner. The film is richly detailed, filled with memorable concert clips and interviews with family members, former bandmates and close friends.

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Thursday, Apr. 28, 2016

MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES

Game of Thrones season première sets stage for mayhem to come

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Game of Thrones season première sets stage for mayhem to come

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 26, 2016

WARNING: THE COLUMN BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE GAME OF THRONES SEASON PREMIÉRE. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DVR-DELAYED RISK.

It’s not as if anyone who watches Game of Thrones really needed reminding, but the epic HBO drama’s sixth-season première certainly reinforced the notion that one must always be aware things are not as they seem.

The hour-long season opener, which was preceded by a lengthy and detailed “Previously on...” recap, delivered a few minor surprises and emphatically bloody demises but mostly went very efficiently about the business of setting the stage for the mayhem that will inevitably follow in the weeks and episodes to come,

Of course, the BIG question from last season’s finale was dealt with, as the opening moments of the instalment titled The Red Woman returned viewers to a hovering-in-space view of a betrayed and bleeding Jon Snow lying in the snow, breathing what must very logically — based on the ruthlessness of the attack — be his last.

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Tuesday, Apr. 26, 2016

HBO
Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre, the Red Woman of the season-opening episode’s title, undergoes a shocking transformation.

Game of Thrones season 6 premiere sets stage for mayhem

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Game of Thrones season 6 premiere sets stage for mayhem

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 25, 2016

WARNING: COLUMN BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE GAME OF THRONES SEASON PREMIERE. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DVR-DELAYED RISK.It’s not as if anyone who watches Game of Thrones really needed reminding, but the epic HBO drama’s sixth-season premiere certainly reinforced the notion that one must always be aware that things are not as they seem.

The hour-long season opener, which was preceded by a lengthy and detailed “Previously on...” recap, delivered a few minor surprises and emphatically bloody demises but mostly went very efficiently about the business of setting the stage for the mayhem that will inevitably follow in the weeks and episodes to come,

Of course, the BIG question from Season 5’s finale was dealt with, as the opening moments of the installment titled The Red Woman returned viewers to a hovering-in-space view of a betrayed and bleeding Jon Snow lying in the snow, breathing what must very logically -- based on the ruthlessness of the attack -- be his last.

And after establishing that Snow’s murder has set in motion a power struggle within the Night Watch -- one that could prove to be an unfortunate distraction from the real danger facing the denizens of the North -- the installment spun off on a dizzying around-the-kingdoms tour that spent very little time in any one place but, in true GoT fashion, crammed a whole lot of detailed exposition into each very-brief visit.

Read
Monday, Apr. 25, 2016

Clockwise from top left: Liam Cunningham, Michael McElhatton, Iwan Rheon, Diana Rigg and Eugene Simon in "Game of Thrones." Helen Sloan / HBO

Veep's POTUS has her finger on the F-bomb

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Veep's POTUS has her finger on the F-bomb

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Friday, Apr. 22, 2016

It’s a tricky business, this TV-satire thing.

When it’s done right, it raises comedy to high art, wresting peals of laughter from its helpless viewers while at the same time forcing them to think hard about the absurdity and injustice of the society that surrounds them.

The Oxford Dictionary defines satire as: “The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”

For four seasons, HBO’s Veep has ruthlessly satirized the American political process, employing steeply heightened reality, lovably hateable characters and elegantly worded blunt-force profanity to deftly skewer everything that is deplorable and imbecilic about Washington and its desperately ambitious denizens.

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Friday, Apr. 22, 2016

LACEY TERRELL / HBO
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep.

Espionage tale gets extra jolt from evil villain

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Espionage tale gets extra jolt from evil villain

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 16, 2016

As any dedicated James Bond fan can tell you, the most crucial element in any spy thriller is a delightfully despicable villain.

For the thriller to be truly thrilling, the hero needs a worthy adversary. And since it’s a given that the good guy (or girl) will be brilliant and cunning and ruthless in a right-side-of-the-law kind of way, the evil-doer must be equally excellent on the nasty side of the scale.

In the new AMC miniseries The Night Manager (which premières Tuesday at 9 p.m. on AMC), Hugh Laurie is the very best kind of worst person in the world, which is one of the key reasons this adaptation of a 1993 John le Carré novel deserves a spot on everyone’s must-see list for this TV year.

Also rather important is the fact that Tom Hiddleston is stone-cold brilliant in the role of the titular hotel clerk-turned-undercover agent.

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Saturday, Apr. 16, 2016

AMC
Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager.

Doing it his Way… ans

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Doing it his Way… ans

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Apr. 14, 2016

There’s something going on between the Winnipeggers and the Wayanses.

Exactly one year ago, actor/comedian Shawn Wayans was booked for a three-night engagement at Rumor’s Comedy Club; the shows sold out so quickly that additional performances had to be added, turning the event into an extra-long weekend of Wayans-fuelled fun.

Flash forward to the present, and we find Marlon Wayans preparing for a Winnipeg-bound trip that has also been extended by a couple of shows and an extra day because tickets for the initial set of shows were snapped up immediately by Wayans-loving locals.

“I can’t explain it,” Wayans says in a recent telephone interview. “I guess they just like our crazy movies. Plus, I feel like we’re unofficial Canadians — my brother (Shawn) and I have done a lot of movies in Canada. I’ve filmed five movies in Vancouver in the last few years, and I’m very fond of Canada.”

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Thursday, Apr. 14, 2016

NBC
Marlon Wayans is the youngest of 10 brothers, most of whom are in the comedy business.

Elated comedy fest boss laughing on way to bank

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Elated comedy fest boss laughing on way to bank

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2016

A COMMERCIAL success. An artistic step forward. And a personal triumph.

That’s how artistic director Lara Rae summed up the Winnipeg Comedy Festival’s 15th-anniversary event, which wrapped up Sunday. The annual spring laugh-a-thon expanded its audience by taking more shows into more locations, and also offered perhaps its most diverse lineup in terms of themes, performers and comedy styles.

“I’m really inspired by some of the eclectic shows that we had,” Rae said Tuesday, referring to such events as the women’s open-mike show, the Winnipeg-focused Neighbourhoods show, the francophone-improv Perdu en quoi?, the refugee-themed You’re Welcome show and the standup/panel P.W.I. (Performing While Indigenous) show.

“It was very interesting, with Performing While Indigenous, to have someone come out and do standup, and then have someone else do standup, and then sit down and have a real talk about something important,” said Rae. “You have someone being very, very funny, and then in the next instant you’re seeing something that’s very moving. People really seem to respond to that kind of authenticity.”

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Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2016

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Artistic director Lara Rae says this year’s festival was the most important for her personally since she founded the event 15 years ago.

Predictable revenge tale no challenge for viewers

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Predictable revenge tale no challenge for viewers

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 12, 2016

Mention a show whose title begins with “Game of ...” is premièring, and a lot of TV fans will get excited.

Well, curb your giddiness. That show doesn’t arrive for another couple of weeks.

Game of Silence is a new NBC series that is as simple, contained and single-focused as that other show is complex, far reaching and ambitious. It’s a revenge drama whose good guys and bad guys are clearly delineated from the moment they first appear.

Based on a Turkish television series, Game of Silence focuses on a group of friends who survived a horrible shared ordeal during childhood and are forced to revisit the trauma when a chance event brings the ugly past into their grown-up lives.

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Tuesday, Apr. 12, 2016

BOB MAHONEY / NBC
From left, David Lyons as Jackson, Michael Raymond-James as Gil and Larenz Tate as Shawn.

PBS filmmaker Ken Burns delivers hall of fame-quality Jackie Robinson documentary

By Brad Oswald  6 minute read Preview

PBS filmmaker Ken Burns delivers hall of fame-quality Jackie Robinson documentary

By Brad Oswald  6 minute read Saturday, Apr. 9, 2016

It’s history.

It’s America.

It’s baseball.

How could anyone doubt that the combination of these three topics, when handled with expert care by PBS’s in-house documentarian, Ken Burns, would result in a program that is, at once, beautiful and formidable and essential?

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Saturday, Apr. 9, 2016

Jackie Robinson

West Coast performer wrings laughs from the phone book, so imagine what else he can do

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

West Coast performer wrings laughs from the phone book, so imagine what else he can do

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Thursday, Apr. 7, 2016

Being from Vancouver has done at least a couple of things for Graham Clark’s comedy career.

First, it made him a natural choice for the roster of a show called Coast to Coast Comedy.

And second, and much more importantly, it helped to define who he is and what he does as a standup comic.

“Actually, (Vancouver) influences it quite a bit,” says Clark, a native Calgarian who moved to the West Coast 16 years ago, partly to attend film school, but mostly to escape the snow. “What I hear from a lot of comics who tour through town is that Vancouver audiences are very sensitive, very... for lack of a better term, politically correct. And I think having learned to really defend my point of view is a result of being in front of Vancouver audiences.

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Thursday, Apr. 7, 2016

SUPPLIED
Graham Clark

Montrealer goes from UN prosecutor to standup comic

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Montrealer goes from UN prosecutor to standup comic

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 5, 2016

There are a lot of different paths one can follow on the way from regular goof-around life to the professional standup-comedy stage. But not many of them take a detour through a war-crimes tribunal at The Hague.

That’s the decidedly unconventional route followed by Montrealer Jess Salomon, who spent five years practising law — including a stint as a war-crimes prosecutor for the United Nations — before deciding to shift the focus of her life from justice to just being funny.

Interestingly, it was the environment and the people associated with the UN’s international crime tribunal for the former Yugoslavia that jolted Salomon’s funny bone and sent her spinning in a different — and very funny — direction.

“What happened with comedy is that while I was working in The Hague, I realized that I didn’t really love working with the law,” recalls Salomon, who is scheduled to appear in four shows at this year’s Winnipeg Comedy Festival, including Thursday night’s Born This Way gala (7:15 p.m., Pantages Playhouse Theatre; tickets $37 at Ticketmaster).

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Tuesday, Apr. 5, 2016

SUPPLIED
Jess Salomon

Pete Johansson spent years honing narrative comedy style

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Pete Johansson spent years honing narrative comedy style

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Monday, Apr. 4, 2016

It was, says Pete Johansson, time to come home.

“I had to get back to Canada; I missed it too much,” explains Johansson, who spent more than seven years living in Britain and, during that time, developed into one of the U.K.’s most in-demand standup acts. “It’s just too hard to be away (from Canada).

“I had also grown quite disillusioned with the British mentality and outlook on life. I know it sounds crazy, but Canada is quite a positive country — not as blindly positive as the U.S., perhaps, but much more positive than the U.K.”

Johansson, 42, was born in Spokane, Wash., raised in Kelowna, B.C., and began performing standup in Vancouver as a 16-year-old after being inspired by the comedy of Sam Kinison. He took his act to the U.K. in 2008 after his wife was offered a modelling contract in London. He wasn’t necessarily looking to restart in a new locale, but he quickly learned that Britain is a place where comedians get a level of respect and admiration that’s hard to come by on this side of the pond.

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Monday, Apr. 4, 2016

SUPPLIED
Comedian Pete Johansson.

Take a bow, American Idol

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Take a bow, American Idol

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 2, 2016

When American Idol crowns its 15th and final winner this Thursday night, the reaction of many TV-watchers will be something like this:

“Who cares?”

But it’s important to remember that the answer to that question, not that many seasons ago, was “Almost everybody.”

For most of its prime-time life, American Idol was the 900-pound gorilla of TV shows, dominating the January-to-May ratings so completely that it was a foregone conclusion Fox would win the overall fall-to-spring ratings race based solely on the audience Idol attracted in the second half of the TV season.

Read
Saturday, Apr. 2, 2016

FOX
From left, 2016's top 4 contestants: MacKenzie Bourg, Dalton Rapattoni, Trent Harmon and La'Porsha Renae.

Mary Walsh ready to drop 'truth bomb' on Winnipeg comedy crowd

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Preview

Mary Walsh ready to drop 'truth bomb' on Winnipeg comedy crowd

By Brad Oswald  5 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2016

Mary Walsh laughs, loudly, when she’s asked why it’s taken 15 years for her to appear at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

“Nobody ever invited me!” she howls through the telephone from her home in Newfoundland. “Nobody ever invites me to these things — no, seriously, there was even a St. John’s Comedy Festival, and they were right down the street, and they didn’t invite me. I have no idea why; I’ve developed a bit of a complex about it.

 

“Why don’t I ever get to go? Everybody else goes — Cathy (Jones) used to go, and she’s done all of (the comedy festivals); Mark (Critch) and (Greg) Thomey and Rick (Mercer) have all gone to them, but nobody ever asked me. I’ve no idea why; all I can say is that I’m really happy that Miss (Lara) Rae asked me this year.”

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Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2016

SUPPLIED
Mary Walsh

Modern families straying from nuclear model

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Modern families straying from nuclear model

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Mar. 26, 2016

When it comes to the makeup of families, what is considered normal? And what constitutes average?

And, in Canada in the 21st century, what’s the difference between the two?

Some interesting insights are offered by Anything But Average, an hour-long exploration of family dynamics and statistical realities that airs Sunday at 7 p.m. on CBC.

The program, produced by Winnipeg-based Frantic Films, is an unscripted series pilot that grew out of an initiative by the public broadcaster to create series formats with the potential to create international interest.

Read
Saturday, Mar. 26, 2016

photos by Frantic Films / CBC
The number of families made up of two dads with two children is increasing.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Saturday, Mar. 26, 2016

NCAA Basketball

The annual U.S.-college hoops frenzy known as March Madness moves to a crucial stage, with the field of 64 that started the tournament last week being whittled down to the Final Four by Sunday night. The first two regional-final contests tip off tonight, with the second pair hitting the hardwood tomorrow. CBS/TSN4, 5 p.m.

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

The gang celebrates spring in this classic animated special. A misguided Marcie tries to colour Easter eggs by frying and roasting them. Linus insists the Easter Beagle will take care of everything, but no one believes him. YTV, check listings for time.

Read
Saturday, Mar. 26, 2016

NCAA Basketball

The annual U.S.-college hoops frenzy known as March Madness moves to a crucial stage, with the field of 64 that started the tournament last week being whittled down to the Final Four by Sunday night. The first two regional-final contests tip off tonight, with the second pair hitting the hardwood tomorrow. CBS/TSN4, 5 p.m.

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

The gang celebrates spring in this classic animated special. A misguided Marcie tries to colour Easter eggs by frying and roasting them. Linus insists the Easter Beagle will take care of everything, but no one believes him. YTV, check listings for time.

It’s Catchy

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

It’s Catchy

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Mar. 24, 2016

Bench strength.

It’s a term usually associated with successful sports teams’ ability to back up their starting lineups with nearly-as-skilled second-stringers, but this week, it’s also a fitting description for ABC’s Thursday-night programming strategy.

The U.S. network’s prime-time block is wholly controlled by powerhouse producer Shonda Rhimes — Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder — and the best-case scenario for ABC when one of those shows needs some shelf time is for another very similar drama to take its place.

As luck would have it, Rhimes has another appropriately sexy/steamy/suspenseful series ready to go: The Catch, a private-eye/con-game thriller that does a very nice job of maintaining the “Shondaland” appeal of ABC’s Thursday-night schedule.

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Thursday, Mar. 24, 2016

Richard Cartwright / ABC
Peter Krause and Mireille Enos in The Catch.

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 24, 2016

Let’s Get Hitched

Friday, March 25, at 8:30 p.m., CBC

CBC presents surprising and thought-provoking Canadian love stories in this series première. People share their reasons for showing up with their rings at City Hall to say their vows. The reasons are often as unconventional and moving as the couples themselves.

Supergirl

Read
Thursday, Mar. 24, 2016

Let’s Get Hitched

Friday, March 25, at 8:30 p.m., CBC

CBC presents surprising and thought-provoking Canadian love stories in this series première. People share their reasons for showing up with their rings at City Hall to say their vows. The reasons are often as unconventional and moving as the couples themselves.

Supergirl

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2016

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

Gary Sinise returns to television as FBI Unit Chief Jack Garrett, leader of a specialized international division dedicated to protecting Americans abroad in the new drama. In this episode, titled Harvested, the team is called in after an American visiting Mumbai wakes up missing a kidney. CBS/CTV, 9 p.m.

The Goldbergs

In the new episode Magic is Real, Adam takes an interest in prestidigitation because he thinks it might impress a girl; meanwhile, Barry doesn’t want to take the PSAT, but gets worried when he learns all his friends are. ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Read
Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2016

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

Gary Sinise returns to television as FBI Unit Chief Jack Garrett, leader of a specialized international division dedicated to protecting Americans abroad in the new drama. In this episode, titled Harvested, the team is called in after an American visiting Mumbai wakes up missing a kidney. CBS/CTV, 9 p.m.

The Goldbergs

In the new episode Magic is Real, Adam takes an interest in prestidigitation because he thinks it might impress a girl; meanwhile, Barry doesn’t want to take the PSAT, but gets worried when he learns all his friends are. ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Arresting police procedural working its way to the end

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Arresting police procedural working its way to the end

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016

We all know how this ends.

In each episode of the CTV police drama Motive, viewers learn the identities of the victim and the killer in the opening moments and then ride along with the homicide-squad detectives as they piece together the evidence that connects one to the other. The “whodunit” question is never in doubt; it’s the “why” and “how” that make the not-exactly-mysteries entertaining.

Similarly, the show itself returns to CTV’s lineup with a never-in-doubt ending on the horizon: Motive’s fourth season is also its last. CTV cancelled the series in February, just as shooting was completed on the new campaign’s episodes. The good news, for fans who’ve stuck with the series through three pretty solid seasons of reverse-procedural cop-show drama, is that the farewell season (which premières Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CTV) seems poised to provide a satisfying run to its set-in-stone conclusion later this spring.

The new season begins with an episode titled The Vanishing Policeman, which finds Det. Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman, who also directs one of the final-season episodes) breaking in a new partner, Mitch Kennecki (Victor Zinck Jr.), as she tries to solve a case involving the apparent suicide of a uniformed police officer.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016

CTV
Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira in Motive.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016

Schitt’s Creek

When some of Moira’s lawn signs mysteriously disappear, her campaign takes a turn in this new episode. Meanwhile, David and Alexis try to get David’s boss out of legal trouble. CBC, 9 p.m.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

With Hydra strengthened by Grant Ward, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents must work harder to protect those who can’t protect themselves in the new episode Parting Shot. Bobby and Hunter travel to Russia, where their investigation puts them in the middle of an assassination plot. ABC/CTV, 8 p.m.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016

Schitt’s Creek

When some of Moira’s lawn signs mysteriously disappear, her campaign takes a turn in this new episode. Meanwhile, David and Alexis try to get David’s boss out of legal trouble. CBC, 9 p.m.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

With Hydra strengthened by Grant Ward, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents must work harder to protect those who can’t protect themselves in the new episode Parting Shot. Bobby and Hunter travel to Russia, where their investigation puts them in the middle of an assassination plot. ABC/CTV, 8 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Monday, Mar. 21, 2016

Dancing With the Stars

Tom Bergeron hosts as a new batch of celebrities take the stage with professional dance partners in this season première. After weeks of training, they perform ballroom dances such as the tango, quickstep and foxtrot. ABC, 7 p.m.

Blindspot

Zapata goes undercover when an anonymous tip leads to an investigation into an urgent death row case in the new episode Rules in Defiance. Elsewhere, Jane considers her future with the FBI in the wake of the mole hunt. NBC/CTV, 9 p.m.

Read
Monday, Mar. 21, 2016

Dancing With the Stars

Tom Bergeron hosts as a new batch of celebrities take the stage with professional dance partners in this season première. After weeks of training, they perform ballroom dances such as the tango, quickstep and foxtrot. ABC, 7 p.m.

Blindspot

Zapata goes undercover when an anonymous tip leads to an investigation into an urgent death row case in the new episode Rules in Defiance. Elsewhere, Jane considers her future with the FBI in the wake of the mole hunt. NBC/CTV, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Sunday, Mar. 20, 2016

The Passion

Jencarlos Canela stars as Jesus, who attends the Last Supper, is betrayed by Judas and is crucified and resurrected in this new special. Set in the modern day, this musical adaptation of the 2,000-year-old story features a variety of pop music hits. Fox, 7 p.m.

The Family

Meyer teams up with Agent Clements to find a child kidnapper with the same MO as Adam’s abductor in this new episode. Elsewhere, Bridley continues her search for information about Adam. ABC, 8 p.m/CTV, 9 p.m.

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Sunday, Mar. 20, 2016

The Passion

Jencarlos Canela stars as Jesus, who attends the Last Supper, is betrayed by Judas and is crucified and resurrected in this new special. Set in the modern day, this musical adaptation of the 2,000-year-old story features a variety of pop music hits. Fox, 7 p.m.

The Family

Meyer teams up with Agent Clements to find a child kidnapper with the same MO as Adam’s abductor in this new episode. Elsewhere, Bridley continues her search for information about Adam. ABC, 8 p.m/CTV, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Saturday, Mar. 19, 2016

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are among the top golfers set to compete in this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Held at the Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., the event attracts some of the most talented players in the game. NBC/Global, 1:30 p.m.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

When Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) are shipped to the Smithsonian by accident, Larry (Ben Stiller) sets out to save his friends. While there, he discovers yet another battle as a Pharaoh tries to open a portal to ancient warriors. YTV, check listings for time.

Read
Saturday, Mar. 19, 2016

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are among the top golfers set to compete in this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Held at the Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., the event attracts some of the most talented players in the game. NBC/Global, 1:30 p.m.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

When Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) are shipped to the Smithsonian by accident, Larry (Ben Stiller) sets out to save his friends. While there, he discovers yet another battle as a Pharaoh tries to open a portal to ancient warriors. YTV, check listings for time.

Canadian TV networks need buzz-worthy shows

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Canadian TV networks need buzz-worthy shows

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

It was all hugs, handshakes and heartfelt acceptance speeches last weekend in Toronto as Canada’s TV industry celebrated its best at the Canadian Screen Awards.

But here’s the question: when it comes to homegrown television production in 2016, how much is there to celebrate?

The answer, in a word, is “some.”

If we were presenting this discussion as a great literary tome titled A Tale of Four Networks (and Some Cable Channels), the opening line would probably be, “It wasn’t the best of times, but it wasn’t the worst of times...” The best of Canadian TV these days really is very good, but the amount of high-quality, made-in-Canada scripted programming still leaves a lot to be desired.

Read
Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

BRAVO
19-2 is a decent, if unspectacular, Canadian cop show.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

Second Chance

Pritchard and Duval continue their investigation into the mysterious Albert Lin, hoping to uncover who he really is and how he’s connected to a slew of murders in the new episode Geworfenheit. Fox, 8 p.m.

Grimm

As dangerous fairy-tale creatures known as Wesen converge in Portland, Det. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) and his friends struggle to keep people safe. In the new episode Silence of the Slams, a mysterious craftsman is making luchador masks that give their wearers great power. NBC/CTV, 8 p.m.

Read
Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

Second Chance

Pritchard and Duval continue their investigation into the mysterious Albert Lin, hoping to uncover who he really is and how he’s connected to a slew of murders in the new episode Geworfenheit. Fox, 8 p.m.

Grimm

As dangerous fairy-tale creatures known as Wesen converge in Portland, Det. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) and his friends struggle to keep people safe. In the new episode Silence of the Slams, a mysterious craftsman is making luchador masks that give their wearers great power. NBC/CTV, 8 p.m.

Decision-making is all in our minds... whether we know it or not

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Decision-making is all in our minds... whether we know it or not

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

‘It’s not my fault.”

It’s a blame-deflection declaration as easily dismissed as it is employed — but what if it turned out to be true?

The new locally produced documentary My Brain Made Me Do It offers some interesting new insights into human brain function and the notion that we are in conscious control of our decisions and behaviour. The film, directed by Ryszard Hunka and produced by Merit Motion Pictures (which won a best history documentary Canadian Screen Award earlier this month for Vietnam: Canada’s Shadow War) airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC-TV’s The Nature of Things.

The film focuses most of its attention on the influence of human brain biology on criminal behaviour, but the information it presents might make you reconsider just how much control you actually have over your normal day-to-day routine.

Read
Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

CBC

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

American Idol

The top five singers face another intense performance round in this new two-hour episode. After they perform, judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban give feedback, but viewers hold the power as their votes determine who moves on. Fox, 7 p.m.

Shades of Blue

Harlee realizes she shouldn’t have trusted Stahl on the day of the heist in the new episode The Breach. As she tries to get immunity for her crew, Loman unwittingly witnesses the heist. Global/NBC, 9 p.m.

Read
Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

American Idol

The top five singers face another intense performance round in this new two-hour episode. After they perform, judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban give feedback, but viewers hold the power as their votes determine who moves on. Fox, 7 p.m.

Shades of Blue

Harlee realizes she shouldn’t have trusted Stahl on the day of the heist in the new episode The Breach. As she tries to get immunity for her crew, Loman unwittingly witnesses the heist. Global/NBC, 9 p.m.

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

The Passion

Sunday, March 20, at 7 p.m., Fox

Jencarlos Canela stars as Jesus, who attends the Last Supper, is betrayed by Judas and is crucified and resurrected in this new special. Set in the modern day, this musical adaptation of the 2,000-year-old story features a variety of pop hits.

Everything Is Copy

Read
Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016

The Passion

Sunday, March 20, at 7 p.m., Fox

Jencarlos Canela stars as Jesus, who attends the Last Supper, is betrayed by Judas and is crucified and resurrected in this new special. Set in the modern day, this musical adaptation of the 2,000-year-old story features a variety of pop hits.

Everything Is Copy

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2016

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

Gary Sinise stars as Jack Garrett, the head of a special international division of the FBI that protects Americans who find themselves in danger while travelling abroad in this première. The spinoff drama also stars Alana De La Garza and Daniel Henney. CBS/CTV, 9 p.m.

Nashville

In the new episode Forever and For Always, Rayna and Deacon are ambushed by paparazzi after their wedding-rehearsal dinner, prompting them to consider a change of venue. Meanwhile, Juliette forces Avery to tell a lie. ABC, 9 p.m.

Read
Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2016

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

Gary Sinise stars as Jack Garrett, the head of a special international division of the FBI that protects Americans who find themselves in danger while travelling abroad in this première. The spinoff drama also stars Alana De La Garza and Daniel Henney. CBS/CTV, 9 p.m.

Nashville

In the new episode Forever and For Always, Rayna and Deacon are ambushed by paparazzi after their wedding-rehearsal dinner, prompting them to consider a change of venue. Meanwhile, Juliette forces Avery to tell a lie. ABC, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2016

Crowded

Mike (Patrick Warburton) and Martina (Carrie Preston) are just starting to relish their newfound freedom now that their adult daughters (Miranda Cosgrove and Mia Serafino) have left home when the girls decide to move back in with them in this new comedy. NBC, 9 p.m.

Limitless

When Brian’s connection to Morra causes problems in his personal life, he goes rogue in the new episode Bezgranichnyy. He travels to Russia, where he seeks out Morra’s former associate, Piper. CBS/Global, 9 p.m.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2016

Crowded

Mike (Patrick Warburton) and Martina (Carrie Preston) are just starting to relish their newfound freedom now that their adult daughters (Miranda Cosgrove and Mia Serafino) have left home when the girls decide to move back in with them in this new comedy. NBC, 9 p.m.

Limitless

When Brian’s connection to Morra causes problems in his personal life, he goes rogue in the new episode Bezgranichnyy. He travels to Russia, where he seeks out Morra’s former associate, Piper. CBS/Global, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Monday, Mar. 14, 2016

Supergirl

After being exposed to red kryptonite, Kara turns on her friends and the citizens of National City in the new episode Falling. Meanwhile, Cat appears on The Talk. Aisha Tyler, Sara Gilbert and Sharon Osbourne guest star. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

The Bachelor

Host Chris Harrison joins Ben Higgins as his televised quest to find true romance ends in this season finale. After the handsome bachelor makes his final choice, members of the cast reunite to talk about their experiences in a one-hour special. ABC, 7 p.m.

Read
Monday, Mar. 14, 2016

Supergirl

After being exposed to red kryptonite, Kara turns on her friends and the citizens of National City in the new episode Falling. Meanwhile, Cat appears on The Talk. Aisha Tyler, Sara Gilbert and Sharon Osbourne guest star. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

The Bachelor

Host Chris Harrison joins Ben Higgins as his televised quest to find true romance ends in this season finale. After the handsome bachelor makes his final choice, members of the cast reunite to talk about their experiences in a one-hour special. ABC, 7 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Sunday, Mar. 13, 2016

Canadian Screen Awards

Veteran Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald hosts this gala event, which wraps up a week of awards presentations recognizing the best in film, TV and digital-media production. Macdonald is also a nominee this year for his work as an advice-dispensing manhole in the locally produced sketch-comedy series Sunnyside. CBC, 8 p.m.

The Carmichael Show

A controversial comedy show is at the heart of this mid-season première, titled Fallen Heroes. The family has a heated debate over what to do with tickets to a performance by scandal-plagued comedian Bill Cosby. NBC, 8 p.m.

Read
Sunday, Mar. 13, 2016

Canadian Screen Awards

Veteran Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald hosts this gala event, which wraps up a week of awards presentations recognizing the best in film, TV and digital-media production. Macdonald is also a nominee this year for his work as an advice-dispensing manhole in the locally produced sketch-comedy series Sunnyside. CBC, 8 p.m.

The Carmichael Show

A controversial comedy show is at the heart of this mid-season première, titled Fallen Heroes. The family has a heated debate over what to do with tickets to a performance by scandal-plagued comedian Bill Cosby. NBC, 8 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Saturday, Mar. 12, 2016

Faster Tougher Brighter 200

The Phoenix International Raceway hosts the Axalta Faster Tougher Brighter 200. The Xfinity series NASCAR race attracts some of the sport’s best drivers, including last year’s winner Joey Logano, who raced for Team Penske. Fox, 1:30 p.m.

World of X Games

Fresh powder is a snowboarder’s dream, on the slopes and off. In this video competition program, the world’s best urban snowboard athletes submit clips of their daring stunts as they battle for bragging rights and X Games Real Snow gold. ABC, 2 p.m.

Read
Saturday, Mar. 12, 2016

Faster Tougher Brighter 200

The Phoenix International Raceway hosts the Axalta Faster Tougher Brighter 200. The Xfinity series NASCAR race attracts some of the sport’s best drivers, including last year’s winner Joey Logano, who raced for Team Penske. Fox, 1:30 p.m.

World of X Games

Fresh powder is a snowboarder’s dream, on the slopes and off. In this video competition program, the world’s best urban snowboard athletes submit clips of their daring stunts as they battle for bragging rights and X Games Real Snow gold. ABC, 2 p.m.

Will Arnett's latest protagonist suffers from a case of arrested development

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Will Arnett's latest protagonist suffers from a case of arrested development

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

It has often been said a great screen story takes its viewers on a journey.

The new Netflix series Flaked seems content not to venture very far.

Geographically, it limits its travels mostly within the boundaries of the legendarily loopy seaside Los Angeles suburb of Venice. Emotionally, it opts for repetition of abrasive behaviours rather than anything in the way of character growth.

Fortunately for this eight-episode Netflix effort, which arrives in a binge-ready bundle on Friday, March 11, the setting is captivating, and the emotionally arrested characters’ deeply entrenched quirks are sufficiently interesting to make them worth watching for at least a little while.

Read
Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

Neflix
Will Arnett as Chip in Flaked

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

Kids’ Choice Awards

Saturday, March 12, on YTV, check listings for time

Blake Shelton hosts as kids pay tribute to their favourite stars from the worlds of television, movies, sports and music in this exciting awards gala. This year’s nominees include Adele, Selena Gomez, the Weeknd and Taylor Swift.

The Bachelor

Read
Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

Kids’ Choice Awards

Saturday, March 12, on YTV, check listings for time

Blake Shelton hosts as kids pay tribute to their favourite stars from the worlds of television, movies, sports and music in this exciting awards gala. This year’s nominees include Adele, Selena Gomez, the Weeknd and Taylor Swift.

The Bachelor

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

| DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Victor Garber stars as Prof. Martin Stein, who joins forces with Jax Jackson to form the meta-human Firestorm in the new episode Night of the Hawk. The team travels back to a circa-1950s town in Oregon to investigate a string of murders. CW, 7 p.m./CTV, 7:30 p.m.

You, Me and the Apocalypse

Read
Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016

| DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Victor Garber stars as Prof. Martin Stein, who joins forces with Jax Jackson to form the meta-human Firestorm in the new episode Night of the Hawk. The team travels back to a circa-1950s town in Oregon to investigate a string of murders. CW, 7 p.m./CTV, 7:30 p.m.

You, Me and the Apocalypse

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2016

American Crime

Another tumultuous season wraps up with this finale, which is titled simply Episode Ten. As the story comes to a close, Sebastian makes a stunning discovery, and Michael takes extreme measures in an effort to protect Kevin. ABC, 9 p.m.

The Victoria’s Secret Swim Special

Victoria’s Secret models prepare for summer in this one-hour special featuring the label’s hottest swim apparel. Cameras followed the Angels to the island of St. Barth’s in the French West Indies. Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas also star. CBS, 8 p.m.

Read
Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2016

American Crime

Another tumultuous season wraps up with this finale, which is titled simply Episode Ten. As the story comes to a close, Sebastian makes a stunning discovery, and Michael takes extreme measures in an effort to protect Kevin. ABC, 9 p.m.

The Victoria’s Secret Swim Special

Victoria’s Secret models prepare for summer in this one-hour special featuring the label’s hottest swim apparel. Cameras followed the Angels to the island of St. Barth’s in the French West Indies. Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas also star. CBS, 8 p.m.

Soapy take on Good Book falls far short of great TV

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Soapy take on Good Book falls far short of great TV

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2016

Sex and violence. Murder and intrigue. Ambition, double-dealing and an unbridled lust for power.

These are all desirable — some might even say necessary — elements of a grippingly suspenseful novel or its steamy miniseries adaptation. But what if the book in question is... the Bible?

That’s the biggest question raised by the new ABC series Of Kings and Prophets, which seeks to redefine an oft-retold Old Testament story as a soap-opera thriller filled with bloody sword battles, overheated romance and occasional flirtations with questions of faith and belief.

The series, which premières Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ABC, seems intent on establishing itself as a show that might lure the cable-inclined viewership of Game of Thrones and Spartacus back to mainstream broadcast television. And that’s a tricky endeavour, given the restrictions on violence and sexual content that still exist on TV’s traditional array of channels.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2016

Trevor Adeline / ABC
From left, Haaz Sleiman, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Simone Kessell, Ray Winstone, Jeanine Mason and James Floyd.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2016

Of Kings and Prophets

Determined to defend his Kingdom from one of Israel’s ancient enemies, the Philistines, King Saul (Ray Winstone) prepares to marry one of his daughters (Jeanine Mason) to Mattiyahu of Judah (Matt Whelan) in the première of this epic biblical drama. ABC, 9 p.m.

Little Big Shots

Steve Harvey hosts as talented tykes get their moment in the spotlight in a special sneak preview of this variety series. In addition to pint-sized breakdancers, tiny piano virtuosos and more, the show also features interviews with the participants. NBC, 9 p.m.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2016

Of Kings and Prophets

Determined to defend his Kingdom from one of Israel’s ancient enemies, the Philistines, King Saul (Ray Winstone) prepares to marry one of his daughters (Jeanine Mason) to Mattiyahu of Judah (Matt Whelan) in the première of this epic biblical drama. ABC, 9 p.m.

Little Big Shots

Steve Harvey hosts as talented tykes get their moment in the spotlight in a special sneak preview of this variety series. In addition to pint-sized breakdancers, tiny piano virtuosos and more, the show also features interviews with the participants. NBC, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Monday, Mar. 7, 2016

ScorpionThe team is in danger when Walter tries to “normalize” in the new episode Robots. A terrible virus gets uploaded to his computer and turns the Scorpion team’s “smart” building into a fiery death trap with people stuck inside. CBS/Citytv, 8 p.m.

Better Call SaulBob Odenkirk continues the saga of Jimmy McGill, a.k.a. Saul Goodman, in this prequel to the AMC series Breaking Bad. In the new episode Gloves Off, Jimmy’s actions create problems for Kim, and Mike entertains a lucrative but perilous proposal. AMC, 9 p.m.

A Girl in the River: The Price of ForgivenessHBO presents the television première of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Oscar-winning documentary about the controversial practice of honour killing in Pakistan. The film follows the story of an 18-year-old Pakistani woman who survived one such brutal attack. HBO Canada, check listings for time.

Talk showsJimmy Fallon: Ryan Reynolds, Katie Holmes

Read
Monday, Mar. 7, 2016

Ursula Coyote/Sony Pictures Television
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 2 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 2 minute read Sunday, Mar. 6, 2016

MythBustersThe MythBusters team has relied on input from fans since the very beginning of the series. In this new final-season episode, the most interactive show on television presents a Reddit Special during which the Internet is in control. Discovery, 6 p.m.

Once Upon a TimeEmma, Regina and others embark on a journey to the Underworld to rescue Hook in the new episode Souls of the Departed. However, lost souls with personal vendettas hound the heroes at every turn. ABC/CTV, 7 p.m.

Downton AbbeyIt’s the end of the road for the Crawley clan, as the beloved Brit-import drama comes to a close with a special two-hour episode. Tears will be shed, of course, and fans will be hoping for an appropriately stately sendoff for Lady Mary, Mr. Carson, Anna and Bates and the rest of the upper-crust Downton crowd. PBS, 8 p.m.

The Good WifeGlee alumnus Matthew Morrison guest stars as Assistant U.S. Attorney Connor Fox, who leads the proceedings as the grand jury against Peter is assembled in the new episode Hearing. Alicia, Eli and attorney Mike Tascioni (Will Patton) try to assess the nature of the charges Peter is facing. CBS/Global, 8 p.m.

Read
Sunday, Mar. 6, 2016

MythBustersThe MythBusters team has relied on input from fans since the very beginning of the series. In this new final-season episode, the most interactive show on television presents a Reddit Special during which the Internet is in control. Discovery, 6 p.m.

Once Upon a TimeEmma, Regina and others embark on a journey to the Underworld to rescue Hook in the new episode Souls of the Departed. However, lost souls with personal vendettas hound the heroes at every turn. ABC/CTV, 7 p.m.

Downton AbbeyIt’s the end of the road for the Crawley clan, as the beloved Brit-import drama comes to a close with a special two-hour episode. Tears will be shed, of course, and fans will be hoping for an appropriately stately sendoff for Lady Mary, Mr. Carson, Anna and Bates and the rest of the upper-crust Downton crowd. PBS, 8 p.m.

The Good WifeGlee alumnus Matthew Morrison guest stars as Assistant U.S. Attorney Connor Fox, who leads the proceedings as the grand jury against Peter is assembled in the new episode Hearing. Alicia, Eli and attorney Mike Tascioni (Will Patton) try to assess the nature of the charges Peter is facing. CBS/Global, 8 p.m.

Spoiler alert! Follow our simple rules to avoid ruining TV

By Brad Oswald  6 minute read Preview

Spoiler alert! Follow our simple rules to avoid ruining TV

By Brad Oswald  6 minute read Friday, Mar. 4, 2016

How soon is too soon? How much is too much? And who knows when it’s OK to say who did what to whom?

These are among the most vexing questions facing TV fans — or, if you’d rather, consumers of content — in the age of DVR-delayed viewing, streaming-service binge-watching and ceaseless multiplatform social-media interaction.

Long gone is the time when television was a universally shared experience involving “must-see” shows that had to be experienced as they aired in their traditionally scheduled time-slot, and when weekly episodes were followed by frantic next-day discussions with friends and co-workers about what happened in prime time the previous night.

These days, TV watching is an individually tailored enterprise, with many people opting to employ technology — DVR recording, online streaming, Netflix marathon viewing — allowing them to enjoy their favourite shows when and where it best suits them.

Read
Friday, Mar. 4, 2016

NETFLIX
Season 4 of House of Cards (starring Kevin Spacey) hit the Netflix digital airwaves Friday. You may know someone who has already watched all 13 episodes; tell them to keep quiet for two weeks.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Friday, Mar. 4, 2016

Second Chance

The past is back to haunt Jimmy Pritchard (Robert Kazinsky) when the subject of a coverup from 20 years earlier resurfaces in the new episode May Old Acquaintance Be Forgot. Madchen Amick guest stars as Joan, a former drug lord’s girlfriend who got away with murder with Jimmy’s help. Fox, 8 p.m.

Hello Goodbye

Host Dale Curd heads to Toronto Pearson International Airport where he talks to people who have lived through unexpected and sometimes shocking events in this new episode. They explain how their experiences led them to re-evaluate their lives. CBC, 8:30 p.m.

Read
Friday, Mar. 4, 2016

Second Chance

The past is back to haunt Jimmy Pritchard (Robert Kazinsky) when the subject of a coverup from 20 years earlier resurfaces in the new episode May Old Acquaintance Be Forgot. Madchen Amick guest stars as Joan, a former drug lord’s girlfriend who got away with murder with Jimmy’s help. Fox, 8 p.m.

Hello Goodbye

Host Dale Curd heads to Toronto Pearson International Airport where he talks to people who have lived through unexpected and sometimes shocking events in this new episode. They explain how their experiences led them to re-evaluate their lives. CBC, 8:30 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Mar. 3, 2016

| Firsthand

In the new documentary Looking for Mike, filmmaker Dylan Reibling delves into the mystery surrounding the death of his friend, computer salesman Michael De Bourcier. Michael died in 2002, but his case has gone cold and remains unsolved. CBC, 9 p.m.

You, Me and the Apocalypse

Read
Thursday, Mar. 3, 2016

| Firsthand

In the new documentary Looking for Mike, filmmaker Dylan Reibling delves into the mystery surrounding the death of his friend, computer salesman Michael De Bourcier. Michael died in 2002, but his case has gone cold and remains unsolved. CBC, 9 p.m.

You, Me and the Apocalypse

Cut-rate cable packages unlikely to win converts

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Cut-rate cable packages unlikely to win converts

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2016

The slimmed-down, bargain-brand version of cable television has finally arrived — and the big question about TV's smallest new bundle is whether anybody will care.

Dubbed "skinny basic" by the federal broadcast regulator that shepherded it into existence in the wake of its extensive Let's Talk TV hearings, the new package, which all of Canada's cable-TV providers are required to offer, must cost no more than $25 per month and must include local TV stations, "public interest" channels such as CPAC and APTN, educational channels and community channels.

Major U.S. networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and PBS — are optional, but not mandatory, inclusions in the budget-conscious package, which cable providers were to make available by March 1.

The $25 maximum price, as determined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, does not include the cost of set-top digital boxes or other associated cable-TV equipment, which means access to the $25 monthly package could cost more than $25.

Read
Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2016

Justin Tang / Canadian Press files
The new package, which all of Canada's cable-TV providers are required to offer, must cost no more than $25 per month and must include local TV stations, 'public interest' channels such as CPAC and APTN, educational channels and community channels.

'Cut it out!': Dave Coulier is at Rumor's

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

'Cut it out!': Dave Coulier is at Rumor's

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016

They say you can’t go back again.

Whoever “they” are, they clearly never checked with the cast of the ’90s sitcom Full House before jotting down the oft-repeated nugget of philosophical insight.

Going back, while at the same time moving forward, is exactly what the Full House gang is doing when the new binge-ready series Fuller House is released Friday, Feb. 26, on Netflix. And quite frankly, Dave Coulier couldn’t be more pleased.

“I think we’re all taken aback by the reaction to this,” says the 56-year-old actor and standup comedian, who begins a three-night series of sold-out shows at Rumor’s Comedy Club the same night. “Over the years, we’ve heard so many suggestions of getting back together or doing a reunion for one more show, or whatever. But collectively, as a cast, we felt like we did 182 episodes and were very successful, and we didn’t want to come back and do something to screw that up.

Read
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016

Supplied
Dave Coulier

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Friday, Feb. 19, 2016

Sleepy Hollow

A new evil threatens Sleepy Hollow, which throws Abbie, Crane and Jenny for a loop as they struggle to find normalcy in the new episode Kindred Spirits. Meanwhile, an old romance has long-lasting consequences for Crane.

Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon

Host Nick Cannon presents a vast array of hilarious footage from cellphones, dash cams, camcorders and more in a new episode of this comedy series. The program features first-person accounts of what’s happening onscreen from those who lived it. NBC, 7 p.m.

Read
Friday, Feb. 19, 2016

Sleepy Hollow

A new evil threatens Sleepy Hollow, which throws Abbie, Crane and Jenny for a loop as they struggle to find normalcy in the new episode Kindred Spirits. Meanwhile, an old romance has long-lasting consequences for Crane.

Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon

Host Nick Cannon presents a vast array of hilarious footage from cellphones, dash cams, camcorders and more in a new episode of this comedy series. The program features first-person accounts of what’s happening onscreen from those who lived it. NBC, 7 p.m.

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

TV picks of the week

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016

Jeff Gordon’s Daytona 500 Kickoff Celebration

Saturday, Feb. 20, at 8 p.m., Fox

Join four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner Jeff Gordon on the eve of the 58th running of the Daytona 500 for a pre-race party like no other. Held at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, this iconic race opens the Sprint Cup series season.

Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows

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Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016

Jeff Gordon’s Daytona 500 Kickoff Celebration

Saturday, Feb. 20, at 8 p.m., Fox

Join four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner Jeff Gordon on the eve of the 58th running of the Daytona 500 for a pre-race party like no other. Held at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, this iconic race opens the Sprint Cup series season.

Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows

Great white mope: Canadian-born comic embraces inner bleakness

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Great white mope: Canadian-born comic embraces inner bleakness

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016

If you asked a bunch of Winnipeggers to describe this city’s weather in the middle of February, the most common response would likely be “miserable.”

Which would probably explain why Jeremy Hotz is headed this way.

The popular — and perpetually perturbed — Canadian comedian is in the midst of his fourth cross-country tour, and its organizers (Montreal-based Just for Laughs) have once again decided the best time to send the L.A.-based performer across his homeland is during the coldest month of the year.

“They pick the worst time of the year because I’m the miserable comic, I guess,” Hotz says with a laugh from a Toronto hotel room, his temporary home between Southern Ontario shows before heading out on string of dates in the decidedly more frigid Prairie region. “That’s what we did the first time, sort of as a joke, but Just for Laughs seems to like it, so they keep doing it.

Read
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016

Supplied photo
Jeremy Hotz: call him Mr. Miserable.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016

Survivor: Kaoh Rong

Castaways travel to the island of Kaoh Rong in Cambodia where they face harsh conditions and relentless weather as they compete for a $1-million prize. The castaways are divided into tribes based on similar characteristics: brains, brawn or beauty. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

Chicago P.D.

Burgess finds heroin in a college professor’s truck, but the unlikely suspect claims to know nothing about how the drugs ended up there. Kara Killmer, Samuel Hunt and Rachel DiPillo guest star in the new episode Night Owl. NBC/Global, 9 p.m.

Read
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016

Survivor: Kaoh Rong

Castaways travel to the island of Kaoh Rong in Cambodia where they face harsh conditions and relentless weather as they compete for a $1-million prize. The castaways are divided into tribes based on similar characteristics: brains, brawn or beauty. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

Chicago P.D.

Burgess finds heroin in a college professor’s truck, but the unlikely suspect claims to know nothing about how the drugs ended up there. Kara Killmer, Samuel Hunt and Rachel DiPillo guest star in the new episode Night Owl. NBC/Global, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016

Chicago Fire

In the new episode, Bad for the Soul, Severide and Cruz investigate when Firehouse 51 gets an unusual call from a neighbouring firehouse. The addition of new firefighter Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) has repercussions. NBC, 9 p.m.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Hitchcock and Scully inject themselves into one of Jake’s cases after he insults their work ethic in the new episode, House Mouses. Elsewhere, Rosa gets help overcoming a big fear. Fox/Citytv, 8 p.m.

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Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016

Chicago Fire

In the new episode, Bad for the Soul, Severide and Cruz investigate when Firehouse 51 gets an unusual call from a neighbouring firehouse. The addition of new firefighter Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) has repercussions. NBC, 9 p.m.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Hitchcock and Scully inject themselves into one of Jake’s cases after he insults their work ethic in the new episode, House Mouses. Elsewhere, Rosa gets help overcoming a big fear. Fox/Citytv, 8 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 2 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 2 minute read Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016

The Simpsons

When Prof. Fink uses science to transform himself into a ladies’ man, he’s soon overwhelmed by the attention in the new episode Love is in the N2-O2-Ar-CO2-Ne-He-CH4. Later, he realizes that scientific exploration is his true love, and creates an algorithm to match men and women. Fox, 7 p.m./Global, 9 p.m.

Bachelor at 20: A Celebration of Love

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a look back at the past 20 seasons of The Bachelor in this new two-hour special. The program explores the fantasy of love and the roller coaster ride involved in falling in love with someone. ABC, 7 p.m.

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Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016

The Simpsons

When Prof. Fink uses science to transform himself into a ladies’ man, he’s soon overwhelmed by the attention in the new episode Love is in the N2-O2-Ar-CO2-Ne-He-CH4. Later, he realizes that scientific exploration is his true love, and creates an algorithm to match men and women. Fox, 7 p.m./Global, 9 p.m.

Bachelor at 20: A Celebration of Love

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a look back at the past 20 seasons of The Bachelor in this new two-hour special. The program explores the fantasy of love and the roller coaster ride involved in falling in love with someone. ABC, 7 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The PGA Tour’s top players team up with Hollywood celebrities, musicians and top-tier athletes for the 2016 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Catch third-round coverage live from Pebble Beach Golf Links as the golfers play for the championship. CBS, 2 p.m.

Shall We Dance on Ice

Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, along with Dancing With the Stars pro dancers Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin, celebrate dance both on and off the ice in this figure skating special that explores dance through the ages. ABC, 2 p.m.

Read
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The PGA Tour’s top players team up with Hollywood celebrities, musicians and top-tier athletes for the 2016 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Catch third-round coverage live from Pebble Beach Golf Links as the golfers play for the championship. CBS, 2 p.m.

Shall We Dance on Ice

Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, along with Dancing With the Stars pro dancers Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin, celebrate dance both on and off the ice in this figure skating special that explores dance through the ages. ABC, 2 p.m.

HBO series a no-holds-barred look at the gritty, grimy, glamorous music scene of the '70s

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

HBO series a no-holds-barred look at the gritty, grimy, glamorous music scene of the '70s

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

The through-line to HBO’s new ’70s-era drama Vinyl might be “it’s only rock ‘n’ roll,” but this turns out to be a down-and-dirty, gritty music-industry story that soars to the epic, operatic heights of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Both aurally and visually, it’s a yarn that somehow manages to be blunt and ugly and intricate and beautiful all at the same time.

Created and produced by an impressive team that includes Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter and author Rich Cohen, Vinyl takes viewers inside the world of Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), a street-smart New York City hustler who built a record empire from the ground up during the 1960s. Now, as punk and funk collide violently with the old-school rock of the early 1970s, is trying to unload his bloated company before it collapses under the weight of its own out-of-touch dysfunction.

The two-hour series première, masterfully directed by Scorsese, opens with a scene in which Richie, wasted and clearly at the end of his rope, is in his parked car on a dingy downtown street, trying to score some coke from a passing dealer.

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Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

HBO
Bobby Cannavale stars as a record executive in Vinyl.

Sting like a Bee

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Sting like a Bee

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

It took only two words — one of which cannot be printed by a mainstream news outlet — for Samantha Bee to establish the attitude, the agenda and the low tolerance for BS that her new show, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, intends to employ.

After running a clip that showed U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton at a town-hall meeting, attempting to pass off a folksy observation about being surprised to find herself asking people to vote for her for president, the Canadian-born Daily Show alumna turned to the camera and offered a succinct and clearly sincere reaction: “Oh, (expletive) off!”

And with that, Full Frontal host Samantha Bee had arrived as the much-heralded first (or, at least, latest) lady of late-night comedy, just in time to take full satirical advantage of the two-ring circus known as the U.S. electoral process.

The timing couldn’t be better. During her 12-year run as one of Jon Stewart’s most reliably subversive fake-news correspondents, Bee established herself as a comedy performer with a particular talent for exposing and exploiting the idiocy of the political class’s most dimwitted operators.

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Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

TBS
Samantha Bee hosts full frontal.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

The Amazing Race

Another race for $1 million kicks off as host Phil Keoghan welcomes 11 teams of two to this year’s competition in this season première. This season features participants who are famous thanks to YouTube, Vine, Instagram and the Internet. CBS/CTV, 7 p.m.

Hello Goodbye

Host Dale Curd once again guides viewers through Toronto Pearson International Airport in this new episode. He meets some people who’ve been given a second chance at an important relationship. They explain how these opportunities have changed their lives. CBC, 8:30 p.m.

Read
Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

The Amazing Race

Another race for $1 million kicks off as host Phil Keoghan welcomes 11 teams of two to this year’s competition in this season première. This season features participants who are famous thanks to YouTube, Vine, Instagram and the Internet. CBS/CTV, 7 p.m.

Hello Goodbye

Host Dale Curd once again guides viewers through Toronto Pearson International Airport in this new episode. He meets some people who’ve been given a second chance at an important relationship. They explain how these opportunities have changed their lives. CBC, 8:30 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016

Project Runway: All Stars

Another season kicks off as 13 past competitors return to the workroom in this première. Their first challenge requires them to relive their pasts as they try to create a look inspired by the moment that started their fashion career. Bravo, 8 p.m.

The Blacklist

When a missing child who had been presumed dead turns up alive, Red and Liz help the task force look for a dangerous woman who may be kidnapping children in the new episode Lady Ambrosia. Elsewhere, Tom faces the music. NBC/Global, 8 p.m.

Read
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016

Project Runway: All Stars

Another season kicks off as 13 past competitors return to the workroom in this première. Their first challenge requires them to relive their pasts as they try to create a look inspired by the moment that started their fashion career. Bravo, 8 p.m.

The Blacklist

When a missing child who had been presumed dead turns up alive, Red and Liz help the task force look for a dangerous woman who may be kidnapping children in the new episode Lady Ambrosia. Elsewhere, Tom faces the music. NBC/Global, 8 p.m.

Some female comedians walk into a bar…

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Some female comedians walk into a bar…

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016

Rebecca Kohler once noted that descriptions of comedians are unique because, a specific percentage of the time, any reference to a performer is preceded by a gender-specific adjective.

“There are no other professions where you say ‘female’ before the name of the profession,’ she said in a 2012 instalment of the online documentary series Seriously Funny, “except maybe ‘female impersonator.’ There are ‘female comics,’ but there are no ‘female doctors’ or ‘female lawyers.’ (Comedy) is still a boys’ club.’

The Ottawa-born, Toronto-based comic says acceptance of women as equal partners in the comedy business has improved in the years since that interview, thanks in large part to the high-profile advances of such performers as Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Kristin Wiig, but there’s still a different vibe and a different set of expectations that greet women when they step into the standup-comedy spotlight.

And that’s one of the reasons Kohler was quick to sign on as part of My Jokes Are Up Here, a comedy roadshow that showcases the talents of four of Canada’s top female headliners. The show, which features comedy by Kohler, Jen Grant, Christina Walkinshaw and Erica Sigurdson, stops in Winnipeg for a single performance on Friday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Club Regent Event Centre (tickets are $26.25 to $36.75 at Ticketmaster).

Read
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016

Erica Sigurdson

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016

NCIS

The NCIS team conducts an unusual investigation when a deep-sea diver is murdered on the job and the suspects are confined to a high-tech decompression chamber in the new episode Decompressed. Maya Stojan guest stars as one of the divers. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

NHL Hockey

The Jets continue their road swing with a stop in St. Louis to face one of their toughest divisional foes. It’s one of those measuring-stick games that will remind the home team just how much improvement is needed in order to compete in the Central Division. TSN3, 7 p.m.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016

NCIS

The NCIS team conducts an unusual investigation when a deep-sea diver is murdered on the job and the suspects are confined to a high-tech decompression chamber in the new episode Decompressed. Maya Stojan guest stars as one of the divers. CBS/Global, 7 p.m.

NHL Hockey

The Jets continue their road swing with a stop in St. Louis to face one of their toughest divisional foes. It’s one of those measuring-stick games that will remind the home team just how much improvement is needed in order to compete in the Central Division. TSN3, 7 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Monday, Feb. 8, 2016

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Comedian Samantha Bee takes a satirical look at current events as she hosts this new late-night talk show. The show makes the former The Daily Show correspondent the only current female late-night television talk show host. Comedy, 12:30 a.m.

Jekyll and Hyde

Unsure they can trust anyone, Robert and Max try to find distant Jekyll relatives in the remote countryside in the new episode Black Dog. Their adventure results in a fatal encounter with a local legend. CBC, 9 p.m.

Read
Monday, Feb. 8, 2016

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Comedian Samantha Bee takes a satirical look at current events as she hosts this new late-night talk show. The show makes the former The Daily Show correspondent the only current female late-night television talk show host. Comedy, 12:30 a.m.

Jekyll and Hyde

Unsure they can trust anyone, Robert and Max try to find distant Jekyll relatives in the remote countryside in the new episode Black Dog. Their adventure results in a fatal encounter with a local legend. CBC, 9 p.m.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Football: Super Bowl 50

It’s time for football fans to rejoice as the NFC champs take on the AFC champs in the most highly anticipated game of the season. This year’s golden anniversary game takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. CBS/CTV, 5:30 p.m.

MythBusters

If there’s one thing Adam and Jamie have learned to do over the years, it’s destroy things. In this new episode, the MythBusters use a vacuum cleaner to ruin a car and take out another vehicle with a massive amount of C4. Discovery, 6 p.m.

Read
Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Football: Super Bowl 50

It’s time for football fans to rejoice as the NFC champs take on the AFC champs in the most highly anticipated game of the season. This year’s golden anniversary game takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. CBS/CTV, 5:30 p.m.

MythBusters

If there’s one thing Adam and Jamie have learned to do over the years, it’s destroy things. In this new episode, the MythBusters use a vacuum cleaner to ruin a car and take out another vehicle with a massive amount of C4. Discovery, 6 p.m.

Crave crude comedy? Streaming show up your alley

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Crave crude comedy? Streaming show up your alley

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016

It’s a tricky business, turning a one-joke premise into a full-length scripted comedy.

Just ask the Saturday Night Live writers who tried to transform such popular-but-limited sketches as Coneheads, It’s Pat and MacGruber into feature films — the results can be (and in all three of these cases, were) both disastrous and painfully unfunny.

That’s why there was cause for legitimate concern when Bell Media announced it was adapting Letterkenny Problems, the popular online series of comedy mini-sodes, into a half-hour comedy that would serve as a marquee attraction for the Crave TV streaming service’s nationwide launch (it will later become part of Comedy’s springtime schedule).

Letterkenny Problems, which was created by rural Ontario-born actor Jared Keeso (19-2, Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story), is a series of short (90 to 120 seconds) segments in which a couple of fast-talking farm-country tough guys spew rapid-fire insults and observations about the people and things that annoy them.

Read
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016

Bell Media
From left, Nathan Dales, Jared Keeso, Michelle Mylatt and K. Trevor Wilson.

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Preview

On TV

By Brad Oswald 1 minute read Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016

Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials All-Star Countdown

Host Kevin Frazier presents the top 10 Super Bowl commercials in this one-hour special broadcast from Pier 48 in San Francisco. The program also includes a special sneak peek at some of the commercials slated to air during Super Bowl 50. CBS, 7 p.m.

Hockey Night in Canada

It’s another puck-packed evening for fans of Canada’s expanded Saturday-night institution. CBC’s all-Canadian doubleheader features the Leafs/Sens followed by Flames/Canucks, but if you’re looking for the Jets’ game in Colorado, flip your way over to Sportsnet for the late-evening start. Sportsnet, 9 p.m.

Read
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016

Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials All-Star Countdown

Host Kevin Frazier presents the top 10 Super Bowl commercials in this one-hour special broadcast from Pier 48 in San Francisco. The program also includes a special sneak peek at some of the commercials slated to air during Super Bowl 50. CBS, 7 p.m.

Hockey Night in Canada

It’s another puck-packed evening for fans of Canada’s expanded Saturday-night institution. CBC’s all-Canadian doubleheader features the Leafs/Sens followed by Flames/Canucks, but if you’re looking for the Jets’ game in Colorado, flip your way over to Sportsnet for the late-evening start. Sportsnet, 9 p.m.

Comedy festival finally lands Canadian legend Walsh

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Comedy festival finally lands Canadian legend Walsh

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016

To celebrate the Winnipeg Comedy Festival's 15th anniversary, Lara Rae thought it would be a good idea to land a big-time, old-school Canadian comedy legend to top the milestone event's roster.

As it turns out, the artistic director was able to double up on marquee talent, signing "Eh"-list headliners Mary Walsh and Brent Butt for this year's fest, which runs April 3 to 10.

"I've waited 15 years for this," Rae says of the inclusion of This Hour Has 22 Minutes alumna Walsh in this year's festival. "We've had Cathy Jones here a few times, but Mary has never been, and Rick (Mercer) has never been. I've wanted to have Mary at the festival since Day 1, but we've never been able to work it out until now.

"I had a few goals for this (anniversary) year, and one of them was to bring in at least one Canadian comedy institution, as we did in our first year with David Steinberg, and I think Mary Walsh certainly checks that off the list. And I would certainly put Brent at the same level."

Read
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016

Mary Wlash

Dramas depict stories of O.J. Simpson and Bernie Madoff

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Dramas depict stories of O.J. Simpson and Bernie Madoff

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016

It's an interesting question: which is the more despicable villain -- the murderer who takes the lives of two people, or the swindler who ruins the lives of thousands?

Two different brands of criminality are showcased in a pair of new dramas premièring this week -- the 10-part "event" series The People v. O.J. Simpson, which arrives Tuesday at 9 p.m. on FX Canada and Citytv, and the two-part miniseries Madoff, which airs Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. on ABC.

The Simpson series, produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (Glee, American Horror Story), fully lives up to all the flash and extravagance and celebrity-driven ridiculousness that were the hallmarks of the events it depicts. Populated by an all-star cast and filled with meticulously detailed behind-the-scenes drama, The People v. O.J. Simpson is likely to capture viewers' attention in much the same way the O.J. trial transfixed the TV-watching public and essentially launched the era of reality TV.

The large ensemble cast is led by John Travolta, who plays the head of Simpson's "dream team" of attorneys, Robert Shapiro, and Sarah Paulson, who portrays lead prosecutor Marcia Clark, who watched as a seemingly airtight case came unravelled during a trial that became a referendum on race relations in America rather than a simply a high-profile murder case.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016

Bob D'Amico / ABC
Richard Dreyfuss as financial schemer Bernie Madoff in Madoff

CRTC hearing examines troubled local television stations

By Brad Oswald 11 minute read Preview

CRTC hearing examines troubled local television stations

By Brad Oswald 11 minute read Friday, Jan. 29, 2016

The discussion, much of the time, has focused on high ideals, such as the health of democracy and journalistic integrity and the value of an informed public.

But the bottom line, as it always has been, is money.

Or, more specifically, the absence of enough of it to sustain local television stations and local TV news in this country in an age of shifting media-platform preferences and diminishing advertising revenue.

Since last Monday, the federal broadcast regulator has been holding a public hearing on the future of local TV in Canada, listening to submissions from major media conglomerates, smaller regional broadcast outlets and various interested advocacy groups and individuals with a stake in the declining financial fortunes of local television businesses.

Read
Friday, Jan. 29, 2016

Half of Canada’s local TV stations could fade to black, lobby warns

Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Half of Canada’s local TV stations could fade to black, lobby warns

Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016

SO, here’s the question of the day: how much does local television matter?

You might think this is a big, important question, or you might think it’s an irrelevant question whose answer has no bearing whatsoever on your day-to-day life and the way you watch TV (or consume content on your preferred mobile device).

In a conference room in Gatineau, Que., this week, a long discussion is taking place among people who feel the local TV question is one of the most crucial that we, as Canadians, face in the modern media age.

On Monday, the federal broadcast regulator began a public hearing that will examine the current state and future viability of local TV programming, with an emphasis on the health of local TV stations and local news programming.

Read
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016

SO, here’s the question of the day: how much does local television matter?

You might think this is a big, important question, or you might think it’s an irrelevant question whose answer has no bearing whatsoever on your day-to-day life and the way you watch TV (or consume content on your preferred mobile device).

In a conference room in Gatineau, Que., this week, a long discussion is taking place among people who feel the local TV question is one of the most crucial that we, as Canadians, face in the modern media age.

On Monday, the federal broadcast regulator began a public hearing that will examine the current state and future viability of local TV programming, with an emphasis on the health of local TV stations and local news programming.

Half of Canada’s local TV stations could fade to black, lobby warns

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Half of Canada’s local TV stations could fade to black, lobby warns

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Jan. 25, 2016

So, here’s the question of the day: how much does local television matter?

You might think this is a big, important question, or you might think it’s an irrelevant question whose answer has no bearing whatsoever on your day-to-day life and the way you watch TV (or consume content on your preferred mobile device).

In a conference room in Gatineau, Que., this week, a long discussion is taking place among people who feel the local TV question is one of the most crucial that we, as Canadians, face in the modern media age.

On Monday, the federal broadcast regulator began a public hearing that will examine the current state and future viability of local TV programming, with an emphasis on the health of local TV stations and local news programming.

Read
Monday, Jan. 25, 2016

Darren Calabrese / The Canadian Press
A pedestrian walks past the Rogers Building, in Toronto, on April 22, 2014.

Desperate TV executives quick to green-light long-ago popular shows

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Desperate TV executives quick to green-light long-ago popular shows

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016

The television business has come up with its own version of the three Rs:

Remake. Reboot. Revive.

Everywhere you look on the small screen these days — broadcast networks, specialty cable channels, streaming-content services — you can find new-ish TV shows that are reconfigured versions of old TV shows. From Netflix’s dusted-off version of Arrested Development to CBS’s head-scratchingly unfunny reincarnation of The Odd Couple (the second reboot; Ron Wilson and Demond Wilson starred in a short-lived African-American edition in 1982-83) to Fox’s heavily hyped “event series’ return of The X-Files to Netflix’s just-announced (and completely inexplicable) remake of the ’70s sitcom One Day at a Time, it seems that Hollywood’s TV industry can’t resist the impulse to re-do what has already been done.

The question, as it has been since way before that time back in the early ’80s that somebody thought it’d be a good idea for the Harlem Globetrotters to visit Gilligan’s Island, is why? — why, at a time when television’s creative community it churning out more genuinely great new original content than ever before, does it make sense to patch together new, but not necessarily improved, versions of shows that have already had their moment in the prime-time spotlight?

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Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016

CBS
Oddballs: Thomas Lennon, left, as Felix Unger and Matthew Perry as Oscar Madison take over the roles made famous by Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, in a reboot of the odd couple.

New X-Files revival picks up after clunky first episode

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

New X-Files revival picks up after clunky first episode

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016

The enduring message of The X-Files is the truth is out there.

When it comes to Fox’s highly anticipated six-episode revival of the beloved paranormal-adventure drama, the truth is the real fun of renewing acquaintances with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully lies out there somewhere just beyond the TV series reboot’s first episode.

The first hour of this new-look X-Files, which airs Sunday, Jan. 24, at approximately 9 p.m. on Fox and CTV (after the NFC championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers), will undoubtedly be a big disappointment to fans who’ve waited through weeks of endless promotional spots for a chance to finally reunite with their favourite TV-series conspiracy theorists.

Part of the problem is the show’s producers — probably quite rightly, given it’s been more than a decade since the series disappeared, not all that mysteriously, from Fox’s schedule in 2002 — clearly felt the need to provide new viewers with an explanation of just exactly what the heck The X-Files is all about.

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Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016

Ed Araquel/FOX via AP
This photo provided by FOX shows, David Duchovny, left, as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in the "Founder's Mutation" season premiere, part two, episode of "The X-Files."

Comedy troupe veteran Thompson puts heart into solo show

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Comedy troupe veteran Thompson puts heart into solo show

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Let’s make one thing clear: Scott Thompson is not dabbling.

He’s not an actor assuming the role of a standup comedian for a few fleeting onstage moments; nor is he a sketch-comedy performer taking a brief creative detour while on hiatus from his regular ensemble-comedy enterprise.

When he arrives at the Park Theatre this week for a pair of shows (Friday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; tickets $25 at Ticketfly.com; early show is sold out), the performer who takes the stage will simply and specifically be Scott Thompson, standup comedian.

It has taken more than five years of writing and performing, comedy-club sets and open-mike drop-ins and confidence-building solo gigs, but Thompson is ready to say he has arrived.

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Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Famed sketch-comedy performer Scott Thompson says he wants to be judged as a standup comic.

Galifianakis a Baskets case in cringe-worthy new comedy

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Galifianakis a Baskets case in cringe-worthy new comedy

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016

The traditional line of thinking when it comes to clowns is that they’re funny. But the truth of the matter is that many people find clowns, in all their costumed, grease-painted, floppy-shoed, pratfalling glory, to be weird, sad and even a little bit disturbing.

If you count yourself among this clowns-are-creepy constituency, the new FX-network series Baskets might be your kind of TV show. Created by Zach Galifianakis, Louis C.K. and Portlandia director and writer Jonathan Krisel, the new comedy, which premières Thursday at 9 p.m. on FX Canada, stars Galifianakis as a would-be clown whose deluded dreams of a life of sad-faced comedic artistry come unglued in a way that is in equal measures hilarious and pathetic.

Galifianakis plays a dimwitted but determined Californian named Chip Baskets (yes, that’s his real name), who has invested his life’s meagre savings in a trip to Paris to study at L’Académie de Clown Français, which turns out to be a disaster because he can’t speak or understand a word of French and is dismissed and/or ignored by every one of his classmates and teachers.

His clumsy response to a classroom challenge posed by a stereotypically snarky instructor results in a barrage of insults whose meaning is very clear to Chip, despite the fact the only words he understands in the venomous in-his-face diatribe are “Ronald” and “McDonald.”

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Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016

Ben Cohen/FX
Zach Galifianakis as Baskets.

Over-hyped financial industry drama falls short of expectations

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Over-hyped financial industry drama falls short of expectations

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

As a showpiece for two heavyweight actors trading an endless series of vicious verbal haymakers, Billions is definitely worthy of a ringside-seat investment of a few TV-watching hours.

But as a series that satisfyingly meets all the requirement of a great scripted drama, this new premium-cable offering is something less than a decisive knockout.

Given the relentless promotional push being given to Billions by Bell Media as a signature property for its streaming-content service (Crave TV, slated to become available nationwide by month's end), it's entirely possible the series (created for U.S. cable's Showtime network) might turn out to be a bit disappointing to those who, based on what feels like billions of Billions promo spots in the past few weeks, were expecting greatness.

Now, none of this is to say Billions -- which has a premium-TV Canadian première Sunday, Jan. 17, on Movie Central -- is bad. It isn't. In fact, it's pretty good and generally quite entertaining, and its central core of actors is often terrific.

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Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

JoJo Whilden/SHOWTIME
Damian Lewis, left, and Paul Giamatti

Frankenstein story, dirty-cop saga lacks electricity

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Frankenstein story, dirty-cop saga lacks electricity

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016

The marketing-angle slogan for this show is, “What would you do with a second chance?”

The viewer reaction is likely to be, “Why should we care when you haven’t proved you deserved a first one?”

Second Chance, a new Fox drama that puts a clumsily updated spin on the timeless Frankenstein saga, arrives in prime time tonight (8 p.m., Fox) with a storyline and character roster that are unlikely to prompt anyone, anywhere, to shout, “It’s ALIVE!”

Maybe it’s a case of too much tinkering in the script-writing lab and too many mismatched parts in the assembly of the creature. It’s probably unfair to describe the end product as monstrous or horrifying, but calling Second Chance the unfortunate byproduct of a botched experiment seems like an apt response to the series pilot.

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Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016

The marketing-angle slogan for this show is, “What would you do with a second chance?”

The viewer reaction is likely to be, “Why should we care when you haven’t proved you deserved a first one?”

Second Chance, a new Fox drama that puts a clumsily updated spin on the timeless Frankenstein saga, arrives in prime time tonight (8 p.m., Fox) with a storyline and character roster that are unlikely to prompt anyone, anywhere, to shout, “It’s ALIVE!”

Maybe it’s a case of too much tinkering in the script-writing lab and too many mismatched parts in the assembly of the creature. It’s probably unfair to describe the end product as monstrous or horrifying, but calling Second Chance the unfortunate byproduct of a botched experiment seems like an apt response to the series pilot.

British series suffers from split personality

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

British series suffers from split personality

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016

The problem with Dr. Jekyll, in the literary tale concocted by Robert Louis Stevenson, is that he can't control who he is.

The problem with Jekyll and Hyde, the latest screen adaptation of the oft-revisited story, is that it has no idea what it wants to be.

This new British import, which has its Canadian première on Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC, suffers a personality crisis much more complex than the original, on-the-page version of its subject could ever have imagined.

Rather than a straightforward battle between good and evil, darkness and light, this Jekyll and Hyde is jerked hither and yon among conflicted genre identities -- is it a horror drama? A dark comedy? A ridiculous farce? A love story? A CGI-driven live/cartoon hybrid?

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Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016

CBC
Tom Bateman stars as Dr. Robert Jekyll in new series that plays havoc with Robert Louis Stevenson�s familiar tale.

Sitcom’s father-son team really know their Schitts

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Sitcom’s father-son team really know their Schitts

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Friday, Jan. 8, 2016

Imagine the pressure.

Imagine the pride.

On one hand, you’ve got a relative newcomer to the TV business trying to produce one of showbiz’s most elusive entities — a successful and genuinely funny Canadian sitcom — who has saddled himself with the roles of creator, producer, writer and actor. He has included in his cast two of this country’s most revered TV-comedy figures — whose talents one wouldn’t want to squander and whose reputation one certainly ought not to tarnish — and it happens one of the beloved funny Canucks also happens to be his father.

On the other, you’ve got the aforementioned living comedy legend, who has quite naturally lent his unconditional support and unquestionable star power to this project by entering into a creative and business partnership with his offspring, and has discovered, in the course of the series’ first-season run, his son really is quite good at this TV-comedy thing.

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Friday, Jan. 8, 2016

Schitt's Creek has been renewed for a second season.

PBS is going to have a tough time replacing Downton Abbey

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

PBS is going to have a tough time replacing Downton Abbey

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016

Just how big a deal is Downton Abbey to PBS? Well, consider this: in the leadup to the première of the beloved British drama's sixth and final season, the U.S. public broadcaster took to running promotional ads on that nation's commercial broadcast outlets.

In an unprecedented move that is a clear indicator of Downton Abbey's broad-audience appeal, PBS crossed the great ideological divide that has traditionally separated it from its ad-revenue-driven competitors; viewers of CBS's The Good Wife and other strategically selected commercial-network series were reminded last month, in the most non-PBS-ish manner possible -- 30-second spots nestled among other product-pitching ads -- that Downton's final campaign is about to begin.

Combine that with the fact members of Downton Abbey's cast were seen Friday perched on a float in this year's Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., and what you've got is a TV series that has ventured more aggressively into the pop-culture mainstream than any PBS offering before it.

The series' impact on the public broadcaster has been massive -- Downton Abbey is, by a good measure, the most popular and highest-rated series in the network's history, averaging 12.5 million U.S. viewers during its fifth season (The Good Wife, by comparison, has averaged slightly more than 8.5 million viewers during its current campaign).

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Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016

Nick Briggs, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2015 for Masterpiece
The final season of "Downton Abbey" begins Jan. 3 on PBS.

These are the 10 things that made TV special in 2015

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

These are the 10 things that made TV special in 2015

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

You know how it goes in the television world: the more things change, the more things... well, change.

Even for a medium in which new technology, new platforms and new content arrive and evolve at a breakneck pace, 2015 was a year of tremendous upheaval. Here’s one TV-watcher’s look back at 12 fascinating and fast-moving months, as well as a quick look ahead to what 2016 might bring:

Still StandingThis offbeat new CBC offering took comedian/actor Jonny Harris (Murdoch Mysteries) to struggling small towns across Canada, where he would meet with locals, learn about the communities and then create an all-new set of locally themed comedy to be performed for the townsfolk at a local venue. It is, thanks to Harris’s best-possible-guest charm, brilliant. Without question, TV’s most pleasant surprise of the year.

David LettermanLate-night TV’s elder statesman called it quits in 2015, bringing an end to the era in which “talk” was the primary ingredient in the talk-show formula. Dave’s final show, on May 20, hit all the right notes and delivered a perfect balance of sentiment and silliness.

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Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

John Paul Filo / CBS via The Assocaited Press
David Letterman appears during a final taping of The Late Show, Wednesday. Letterman said of longtime show band leader Paul Shaffer (background): "As good a friend as you can have in television; as good a friend as you can have in life.”

Dogged producer lands his leading lady for film set in 1919 Winnipeg

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Dogged producer lands his leading lady for film set in 1919 Winnipeg

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Friday, Dec. 18, 2015

It took the better part of a decade to close the deal, but Danny Schur has finally landed his leading lady.

Schur, the local writer/composer/producer/entrepreneur whose determination to bring Strike! The Musical to the silver screen seemingly knows no bounds, told the Free Press this week that he has signed British performer Samantha Barks (Les Misérables) to play the female lead in the the $10-million production, which he says will be shot in Winnipeg in July and August.

"It was two years, almost to the day, since we began 'the dance' that is a producer-agent solicitation," Schur said of his effort to attract the 25-year-old Brit -- who portrayed the pivotal role of âponine both onstage in London's West End and onscreen in the 2012 film adaptation that also starred Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried -- to the Strike! project.

"Although Samantha expressed interest right from the beginning, someone of her stature is not easy to schedule, and I just about gave up hope when they said, 'Danny, we do want to do this; we just have to find a hole in her schedule.' It took this long, and many pieces in many different puzzles all had to be put in place."

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Friday, Dec. 18, 2015

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Files
Danny Schur's musical Strike! at Rainbow Stage in 2005.

Ten-hour Netflix documentary series a nail-biting true-crime tale

BY BRAD OSWALD 4 minute read Preview

Ten-hour Netflix documentary series a nail-biting true-crime tale

BY BRAD OSWALD 4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015

Stories of wrongful conviction are a staple of the true-crime genre of TV storytelling, inevitably featuring descriptions of justice denied, justice delayed and justice finally delivered.

In the new Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, that familiar series of events is only the beginning of a much longer, even more harrowing and fully engaging story.

The 10-part series, released in its entirety on the streaming-content service Friday, is a meticulously crafted tale in which the familiar elements of a wrongfully convicted person's ordeal are laid out in the first hour, and then what follows in the next nine takes viewers into uncharted territory.

Written and directed by Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, Making a Murderer examines the case(s) of small-town Wisconsin misfit Steven Avery, who ran afoul of local law enforcement as a young man and spent decades of his life suffering the consequences.

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Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015

Making a Murderer relies on videotaped testimony and achival news footage instead of cheesy re-enactments.

Winnipeg teen producing local TV series with all-volunteer cast

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg teen producing local TV series with all-volunteer cast

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015

For most 16-year-olds, the notion of creating, writing and producing a television series seems highly unlikely, at best.

For Winnipegger Joshua Hood, however, bringing a TV project to life was more of an inevitability.

"I've always wanted to do something like this; I've been working at it for years," says Hood, the creative force behind the locally produced Shaw TV series Millworth, which takes a comedic/dramatic look at life inside Winnipeg's worst (fictional) high school. "Ever since I was four, when I first picked up a camera -- and I basically haven't put one down."

Millworth is a six-episode series that premièred Nov. 30 and is currently airing twice weekly (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.) on Shaw TV. Inspired by Hood's interest in -- and concern about -- the public education system, the series features an all-volunteer cast of nearly 30 actors who play the students, teachers and administrators at Millworth, the fictional school.

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Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015

JOSHUA HOOD PRODUCTIONS
Thomas McLeod as James (facing away), Arthur McKinnon as Hugh.

Best! Christmas! Present! Ever!

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Best! Christmas! Present! Ever!

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Friday, Dec. 4, 2015

If you’re like me, you remember the moment as if it were yesterday.

The excitement. The anticipation. The almost-sleepless night. The stealthful, silently joyful discovery that there were, as hoped, presents piled under the tree.

The way-too-long wait for siblings and parents to rouse themselves and take their gift-opening positions. Finally, the frenzy of ribbon-and-bow removal, wrapping-paper ripping, and then...

There it was. The. Greatest. Christmas. Present. EVER.

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Friday, Dec. 4, 2015

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
We want you to tell us about the memorable gifts you’ve found under the tree. And to make it worth your while, Brad Oswald has put together a bundle of intriguing and amusing TV-show-related swag to reward one lucky reader whose best-present memory is randomly selected from the submissions we receive.

Netflix holiday special delivers old-fashioned fun, mirthful Murrayness

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Netflix holiday special delivers old-fashioned fun, mirthful Murrayness

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015

In an oddly refreshing display of truthful advertising, the new holiday TV offering A Very Murray Christmas delivers exactly what its title promises.

It’s a Christmas special. And it’s very, very, VERY Bill Murray.

It’s fair to say, in fact, that A Very Murray Christmas — which arrives on Netflix on Dec. 4 — is a show that only a Bill Murray fan could love.

But here’s the thing: is there anybody who’s not, on some level, in some secretly tickle-susceptible corner of their being — head, heart, funnybone, feet, whatever — a Bill Murray fan?

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Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015

Netflix
Bill Murray may be no Dean Martin, but his his well-weathered voice can carry a tune well enough to let his oafish but undeniable charm do the rest of the work.

Even a shlub can be a star in new TV landscape

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Even a shlub can be a star in new TV landscape

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015

Comedian Jim Gaffigan has carved out a very nice career by being an average, dopey, chubby, clean-talking, white American male.

It should come as no surprise, then, that a new sitcom called The Jim Gaffigan Show doesn't inspire the use of such oft-employed descriptors as "edgy," "dark," "nasty" or "raunchy."

Gaffigan's made-for-U.S.-cable series, which has its Canadian première tonight on Comedy (check listings for time), is based directly on his life and career as a successful standup comedian living in New York City. Because of that, it arrives as a clever, solidly amusing show that focuses on family, food and faith and is unlikely to venture into the realms of controversy and confrontation.

The Jim Gaffigan Show is the latest in a recent string of sitcoms featuring comedians playing semi-fictional versions of themselves -- think of Louis C.K.'s Louie on FX, and Aziz Ansari's Master of None on Netflix. It's a trend that seems to indicate the ongoing expansion of TV channels and streaming-content platforms is providing more opportunities for comedy performers to make the coveted standup-to-sitcom transition in a way that allows them to capitalize on their own stage material and play characters that don't require much of an acting stretch. They can also maintain creative control, ensuring the integrity of the comedic vision that inspired the TV project in the first place isn't destroyed by micro-managing and unwelcome suggestions from network executives.

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Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015

TV LAND
Gaffigan (centre) with co-stars (from left) Tongayi Chirisa, Adam Goldberg, Ashley Williams and Michael Ian Black.

A guide to the season’s festive TV offerings

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

A guide to the season’s festive TV offerings

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Friday, Nov. 27, 2015

Yes, that’s right, seasonal-special surfers — the holiday TV season is upon us. And it should come as no surprise, given the way some U.S. cable networks — led by Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel — have basically turned themselves into year-round Christmas-movie production factories, that the coming month’s listings are filled with more festive-themed titles than ever before.

On the chillier side of the Canada-U.S. border, Lifetime and W have already eased into an all-Christmas, all-the-time movie schedule, while other specialty nets such as Showcase, AMC and ABC Spark are including one or more seasonal titles in every night’s lineup.

If you’re into holiday programming, you needn’t look far to find it. Among this year’s highlights are a brand new offering on a new streaming-content platform — Bill Murray’s Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas (Dec. 4) — and a half-century celebration for one of the tube’s most beloved festive titles, A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, Nov. 30).

With all that in mind, our annual fridge-magnet-friendly festive TV calendar offers a selective guide to Christmassy viewing, including new seasonal titles and where-to-watch tips for your favourite must-see classics.

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Friday, Nov. 27, 2015

Charlie Brown and Linus appear in a scene from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, ABC

For Lara Rae, everything old is new again

By Brad Oswald 7 minute read Preview

For Lara Rae, everything old is new again

By Brad Oswald 7 minute read Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015

More than three decades into her comedy career, Lara Rae feels a bit like she’s doing standup for the first time.

And in a way, she is. When she steps up to the microphone during the all-female Empow(HER)ment show this week at the Park Theatre, she will be performing her first full set of comedy since embarking on a gender-transition journey she says she waited a lifetime to begin.

“I think I’m able to bring my old experience toward my understanding of this new experience,” says Rae, 52, who describes this as the happiest time of her life. “In a sense, I have twice as much material to draw from; I’m not necessarily talking about being in two genders, because I’m beginning to pass as a woman in the sense that hardly anyone even notices anymore… Mostly, I’m passing as a transgender woman, and being accepted or rejected as a transgender woman.

“The interesting thing, with this show and with shows I will perform away from home, is that people will be meeting me, as a performer and a person, for the first time, with no context of my old self. And that is the most thrilling part to me — not that I want to reject my old persona and gender, but it’s super exciting to me to be able to tell my story as somebody who people are meeting for the first time.”

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Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press
Comedian Lara Rae will perform at the all-female Empow(HER)ment comedy show at the Park Theatre this weekend.

Is Grey Cup weekend bacchanal a thing of the past?

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Is Grey Cup weekend bacchanal a thing of the past?

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

It was once the biggest event on Canada’s sports-TV calendar. It was also the biggest darned basement party of most north-of-the-border sports fans’ year. For decades, it was known — both affectionately and disparagingly — as the Great Canadian Drunk.

But as Winnipeg plays host to the 103rd Grey Cup game and TSN’s crew prepares to beam its Sunday-night broadcast across the country, a question looms: is the old-fashioned, rec-room-ready, chips-and-dip and beer-fuelled Grey Cup house party even a thing any more?

Sunday’s game is sure to attract a decent-sized audience for TSN, but the Canadian Football League’s marquee event is neither the must-see TV nor the cultural touchstone it was a couple of generations ago.

Consider this: when then-fledgling CTV acquired the broadcast rights for the Grey Cup in 1962, there were concerns that the new network’s limited range might leave some parts of Canada unable to watch the game. The issue was raised in the House of Commons and it was decided that because the Grey Cup was “an event of national interest,” it would be carried by both CTV and the publicly funded CBC.

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Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

Shift of the gab

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 5 minute read Preview

Shift of the gab

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 5 minute read Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

We need to talk... about talk.

Specifically, we need to have a discussion about TV's late-night hours, and whether the term "talk show" is an appropriate description for the current versions of the medium's most enduring post-prime time programming genre.

Jack Paar hosted a talk show. Johnny Carson hosted a talk show. David Letterman, Craig Ferguson and even Jay Leno could fairly be described as talk-show hosts.

But now that they're all gone, and a new generation -- Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden and Seth Meyers -- has taken up residence behind the desks of the major U.S. networks' after-hours staples, talk seems to have become one of the least important elements of their shows.

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Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

Douglas Gorenstein / NBC
Jennifer Lawrence, left, plays dress-up with Jimmy Fallon.

Unconventional Marvel series strips away comic-book conventions

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Unconventional Marvel series strips away comic-book conventions

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015

There's a natural tendency, given the overwhelming presence of under-performing superhero titles at the box office these days, to react to the release of yet another Marvel Comics adaptation with rolled eyes and muffled, resigned sighs.

It isn't hard to transform the phrase "another Marvel adventure" into a plaintive "Not another Marvel adventure," but in the case of the new Netflix series Marvel's Jessica Jones, such a please-make-it-stop sentiment is completely unjustified.

Simply put, this most unconventional of comic-book-inspired TV creations is very different, very intriguing and very, very good.

Marvel's Jessica Jones, which is released in a 13-episode Netflix bundle on Friday, Nov. 20, strips away many of the genre's most overused conventions and instead presents a version of that fantastical world in which "heroes" view their powers as either an afterthought to daily pursuits or a generally irritating set of attributes whose benefits and detriments are, at very best, a saw-off.

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Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015

Netflix
Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones, a marvel-lous addition to the superhero genre.

Two comedy kings go head-to-head this week, but they’ll be delivering jokes, not jabs

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Two comedy kings go head-to-head this week, but they’ll be delivering jokes, not jabs

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

There’s a standup showdown in Winnipeg this week and, as strange as it might sound, it’s the guy who stands five feet four inches tall and weighs 140 pounds who ranks as the undisputed comedy heavyweight in the matchup of mirth-making monologists.

Kevin Hart, arguably the hottest comedy act on the planet these days, brings his What Now? tour to the MTS Centre on Thursday night at 7 p.m. (tickets range from $49.50 to $125, with only a limited number of seats available); last spring, Billboard magazine predicted Hart’s current road odyssey would become the highest-grossing comedy tour in history.

Meanwhile, Australian-born performer Jim Jefferies is unleashing a one-two punch of his profane and politically incorrect brand of humour in a pair of shows at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre (Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m.; tickets are $47.50; Thursday’s show is sold out and a limited number of seats are available for Wednesday’s event).

Jefferies had the advantage of a significant head start in the lead-up to this week’s jocular jab-off — tickets for his show(s) went on sale last April, while Hart’s tour-stop announcement and on-sale date for tickets didn’t arrive until late September. Jefferies’ first (Thursday) show sold out quickly, and a second (Wednesday) show was added. Tickets for Hart’s event also sold briskly after going on sale on Sept. 25; a second (10 p.m.) performance was announced, but that show was subsequently cancelled.

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Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

There will be blood, not to mention gore and more

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

There will be blood, not to mention gore and more

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Nov. 13, 2015

The term “bone-crunching” is mostly used to describe collisions and contact situations in sports — hard tackles in football, impactful bodychecks in hockey, pretty much everything that happens on a rugby field.

It transfers well into the realm of TV reviews this week, however, because the sound of bones being crunched — not to mention twisted, snapped, compressed and shattered — is the overriding audio element in the action-amped new AMC drama Into the Badlands.

The futuristic, martial-arts-driven adventure — set in a dystopian, post-apocalytic world in which mechanized weaponry has been banned, and justice and vengeance are meted out with swords, knives, spears and flying fists and feet — is AMC’s latest attempt to bring an underserved genre to prime time in hopes of creating an unlikely hit.

The U.S. cable outlet succeeded beyond its wildest dreams with the zombie-apocalypse serial The Walking Dead, and has enjoyed solid but less spectacular results from its western adventure, Hell on Wheels. With the energetic and entertaining Into the Badlands, the network stands a better-than-even chance of staking its claim to another niche audience that will flock to a series that showcases the kind of action they’ve seldom seen on the small screen in recent years.

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Friday, Nov. 13, 2015

James Minchin III/AMC
Daniel Wu as Sunny in 'Into the Badlands.'

Edwards a sly comic with sharp observations

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Edwards a sly comic with sharp observations

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Friday, Nov. 13, 2015

Let's face it -- it's all just a bunch of baloney.

But that's the nature of standup comedy, an art form that by its own definition is strictly for laughs. And Derek Edwards is OK with that -- so much so, in fact, that he named his latest cross-Canada comedy tour Baloney and Wine.

"I'm always put upon to try and name the tour, because it gives it a little bit of individuality," says Edwards, who brings the western Canadian leg of the tour to the Burton Cummings Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 14. "So I picked a couple of words that seemed odd by juxtaposition. And I think, maybe, that people are self-conscious about getting up to relieve themselves in the middle of the show, so they drink wine instead of beer -- even the guys -- and they're sitting there listening to baloney, so it seemed appropriate.

"It just seemed to have levity built right in. I wish I could say it was deeper than that, but... "

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Friday, Nov. 13, 2015

Supplied
Derek Edwards

Influential sketch-comedy duo return after 17-year absence

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Influential sketch-comedy duo return after 17-year absence

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015

For fans of vintage sketch-comedy TV, this will be a welcome reunion. Clocking in at a meagre four episodes, however, Netflix's new comedy collection featuring re-teamed Mr. Show stars Bob Odenkirk and David Cross isn't likely to leave fans of that late-'90s favourite feeling anywhere near laughed into submission.

The pair's new offering, W/ Bob & David, arrives on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 13, accompanied by a half-hour "The Making of" special, and it's fair to say that Odenkirk and Cross, despite having each moved on to bigger stardom in traditional scripted TV fare (including Arrested Development for Cross, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul for Odenkirk), haven't lost their knack for sharp, smart and on-the-edge sketch comedy.

The four-pack of episodes opens with the duo emerging from a Real Time Travel Machine (which looks a lot like a glorified port-a-john), having spent the 16 years since the end of Mr. Show with Bob & David zipping through time while the rest of the world slowly aged.

Upon stepping back onto solid ground, they're greeted by some of their Mr. Show castmates, who point out the painful fact that Odenkirk and Cross have aged at the same rate as their non-time-travelling pals. It turns out they've misread the machine's name by skipping over a strategically placed hyphen -- the contraption is a REAL-TIME Travel Machine, which basically means they've spent a decade-and-a-half living in an outhouse.

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Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015

Saeed Adyani / Netflix
Bob Odenkirk (left) and David Cross (centre) emerge from their Real-Time Travel Machine and are greeted by the inventor.

Aging, bald rap fan battles slam-poet stereotypes in doc

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Aging, bald rap fan battles slam-poet stereotypes in doc

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015

Middle-aged. Middle-class. White, bald, gainfully employed, happily married, proudly parental.

These aren't the attributes one would expect to attach to a slam-poetry performer whose work is fuelled by outrage at life's injustices. But in the case of Ian French, the subject of the new documentary IF the Poet, the idyllic day-to-day reality and the artistic onstage anger have found a way to fruitfully coexist.

IF the Poet, which was written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Kim Saltarski, offers a fascinating look inside the competitive world of slam poetry as it follows French, a 52-year-old Torontonian who has little in common with the art form's mostly young and often disenfranchised practitioners, as he rants and rhymes his way to the world championship of slam poetry.

The film, which has its TV première Thursday at 9 p.m. as part of CBC's new Firsthand documentary collection, opens with French expressing concern his relatively favourable position on the demographic hierarchy will lead to instant dismissal by the slam poets whose company he seeks to share.

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Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015

CBC
Ian French, a.k.a. IF the Poet, onstage.

Ballet drama disappoints; espionage series laughably bad

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Preview

Ballet drama disappoints; espionage series laughably bad

By Brad Oswald 6 minute read Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015

On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much in common between international espionage and elite ballet dancing.

As it turns out, however, they do share this: they're both subjects that can be handled in a ham-fisted manner by the producers of TV drama series.

The potential for such high-level hackery is on full display in a couple of new series premièring this week -- Flesh and Bone, a ballet-themed soap opera that gets the steps and leaps right but the subtleties all wrong, and Agent X, a Bond-clone spy adventure that's so ridiculously bad it occasionally becomes hilarious.

Flesh and Bone, which arrives Sunday at 8 p.m. on Super Channel, is produced for U.S. cable's Starz network (home of Spartacus, DaVinci's Demons and Black Sails), meaning it has plenty of latitude when it comes to overheated emotions and gratuitous nudity. Its artsy premise involves a young woman named Claire Robbins (played by Sarah Hay), who escapes what appears to be a violently abusive home life in Pittsburgh and flees to New York, where she intends to try out for the prestigious American Ballet Company.

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Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015

2015 Starz Entertainment,LLC
Sarah Hay as Claire Robbins (inset) with Ben Daniels as Paul.

Aziz Ansari's Netflix series reflects millennial life... and it delivers a bunch of smiley emojis

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Aziz Ansari's Netflix series reflects millennial life... and it delivers a bunch of smiley emojis

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

There's been a major demographic shift down at the ol' Central Perk.

When Friends ruled the airwaves as TV's top comedy, the sitcom version of New York City was decidedly white, uniformly attractive and unapologetically, unrealistically upscale.

That it was in no way representative of the actual Big Apple had no bearing on Friends' mainstream audience appeal. Viewers still tuned in, in the tens of millions, to follow the vanilla-funny antics of Monica, Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe.

That was then. Master of None is now. The new 10-episode Netflix comedy, which will be released in a single binge-worthy batch on Friday, Nov. 6, presents a much more realistic view of NYC's population and a much more sophisticated and satisfying brand of comedy than the storied NBC series could ever muster.

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Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

Master of None

Sex, drugs and serial killers on the Strip

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Sex, drugs and serial killers on the Strip

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015

Sex and drugs and rock and roll -- if you're going to create a TV drama set in the '80s along Hollywood's infamous Sunset Strip, those are pretty much the required background elements for the story you're trying to tell.

Add in a serial killer or two, and maybe you've got the makings of a prime-time show that people will watch.

At least, that's what the producers of ABC's Wicked City seem to have in mind as they launch this limited-series drama that relies as much on attitude and atmosphere as it does on storyline and character interactions.

Wicked City, which premières Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ABC, is built on the notion Los Angeles in the 1980s was America's murder capital and serial-killer mecca. In addition to being a place where people went to pursue their dreams of stardom, it was also a place where aimless souls got lost in the chaos and, if their luck went particularly badly, died while trying to find something for which to live.

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Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015

ABC
Det. Jack Roth (Jeremy Sisto)

Supergirl can fly, but will she soar?

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Supergirl can fly, but will she soar?

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015

There's little reason to doubt, based on the première episode, that Supergirl has the ability to fly.

What's in question is whether she's been given a safe place to land.

The latest TV adaptation of a DC Comics yarn arrives in prime time with all the style, excitement, special-effects magic and star power necessary to make it a big-time hit, but its presence in CBS's traditional roster of procedural dramas, established sitcoms and reality/competition staples runs the risk of putting this powerful newcomer in harm's way in a manner that Kryptonite never could.

Simply put, Supergirl is a very good show that might be on completely the wrong network.

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015

Darren Michaels / CBS
Melissa Benoist as Supergirl

CBC documentary examines confusion over need for nutritional supplements

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

CBC documentary examines confusion over need for nutritional supplements

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015

After all the science, all the research and all the miles and hours spent seeking expert opinions from physicians and scientists, it pretty much comes down to this: You should listen to your mother.

Filmmaker Bryce Sage’s new documentary, The Curious Case of Vitamins and Me (which premières Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBC’s The Nature of Things), seeks to cut through the clutter and often-bogus claims that make the topics of nutrition, vitamins and supplements so confusing for even the most health-conscious of consumers.

It’s an interesting project that offers in-depth answers to some of the most common questions that ordinary folks have about their diets and their health.

Sage, a self-described former fat person who now pays near-obsessive attention to diet and exercise, travels extensively around North America in a quest to gather information that will separate the truth from the bogus when it comes to vitamins’ role in a healthy lifestyle.

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015

CBC
Other than a vitamin D supplement, aimed at offsetting the lack of direct sunlight encountered by astronauts in space, NASA crews are kept on a simple and sensible diet while aloft.

Oprah gives viewers something to believe in

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Oprah gives viewers something to believe in

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015

Just how big a deal is the inspiration-based documentary series Belief to Oprah Winfrey's OWN cable channel?

This big: Oprah herself serves as narrator.

The talk-show host turned TV mogul has a tremendous amount of time, capital, energy and emotion invested in this seven-night television event which aims to explore issues of faith, love and the endless search for meaning in the human existence in a way that has not yet been seen in popular culture.

Given the ambitious nature of the project, it isn't surprising to learn Winfrey's involvement extends far beyond lending her voice as narrator; she is also one of the series' executive producers and her production house, Harpo Studios, was a partner in bringing the series to the screen.

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Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015

OWN
The new series Belief follows Australian Aboriginal elder Terry Gandadila, who takes his grandson on a cross-country spiritual quest.

Documentary traces Canadian woman's foolhardy journey into radical Islam's heart of darkness after 9/11

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Documentary traces Canadian woman's foolhardy journey into radical Islam's heart of darkness after 9/11

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015

What's an appropriate price to pay for stupidity?

A few thousand dollars? A couple of million?

Or should stupidity carry a penalty of death?

That's the difficult question that lies at the heart of The Woman Who Joined the Taliban, a provocative and painful documentary that kicks off the new CBC series Firsthand on Oct. 15 at 9 p.m.

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Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015

CBC
Islam convert Beverley Giesbrecht (in white) was taken hostage while trying to make a first-person documentary on the Taliban.

Vancouver-set spy series unapologetically Canadian

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Vancouver-set spy series unapologetically Canadian

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015

IT figures that the hero in a Canadian-TV spy thriller would be rumpled, reserved, less than thrilling and perhaps even not all that Canadian.

Wolfgang McKee is no James Bond, that's for sure. And that's what makes the new CBC series The Romeo Section, for better and worse, something other than a standard-issue espionage drama.

The new series, one of the public broadcaster's most heavily hyped arrivals of the 2015-16 TV season, arrives in prime time with a rock-solid pedigree -- it's the latest domestic-drama effort from Chris Haddock (Da Vinci's Inquest, Intelligence), one of this country's most skilled and successful television producers -- and great expectations that it will become the kind of hit homegrown product that the cast-strapped CBC desperately needs as it continues to try to justify its existence in the ever-more-crowded TV landscape.

While it's highly doubtful that The Romeo Section (which premières tonight at 9 p.m.) will be the CBC's singular saviour series, it deserves credit for being a show whose distinct perspective and intriguingly complex storyline make it worthy of being sampled alongside the usual flood of formulaic U.S.-network imports.

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Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015

CBC
Juan Riedinger as Rufus in the The Romeo Section.

MISSED CONNECTIONS

By Brad Oswald and Bartley Kives 15 minute read Preview

MISSED CONNECTIONS

By Brad Oswald and Bartley Kives 15 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

As the TV series Fargo begins its second season, wistful notions of the acclaimed FX drama being shot in Winnipeg really are quite far gone.

But for the local film- and TV-production community, Fargo is still the Big One that got away -- a constant reminder of the delicate nature of location-shooting negotiations and of how Winnipeg's position as a smaller and relatively isolated city with few direct flight connections to U.S. cities will continue to make it difficult to attract major TV-series projects.

 

When it was being developed as a TV series in 2013, Fargo's producers looked north of the border for a shooting location that would match the bleak and wintry North Dakota/Minnesota landscape featured in the story, while allowing access to the benefits of exchange-rate savings and tax-credit incentives afforded by filming in Canada.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

FX
Ted Danson stars as Hank Larsson in the second season of Fargo.

Is it worth returning to Fargo? You betcha!

Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Is it worth returning to Fargo? You betcha!

Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

Two great bits of news about this week’s TV schedule: first, the second season of FX’s Fargo looks to be just as good as the first; and second, viewers in Winnipeg will actually be able to see it this time.

When the TV-series spinoff of the classic 1996 Coen brothers movie premièred last year, Rogers — which owns FX Canada and its companion network, FXX — opted to use the show to drive subscriber traffic toward newly launched FXX rather than placing it on the more established FX Canada channel.

And because Winnipeg’s primary cable providers, Shaw and MTS, did not have a deal in place to distribute FXX (and still don’t), local viewers were unable to readily access the acclaimed limited-run drama that went on to win last year’s Emmy Award for outstanding miniseries.

This year, however, Rogers is airing Fargo’s second season on FX Canada, which means the TV series that almost called Winnipeg home is available to anyone who subscribes to a package that includes that channel.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

Chris Large / FX
From left, Ted Danson as Hank Larsson and Patrick Wilson as Lou Solverson in Season 2 of "Fargo."

Winnipeg’s ability to serve as TV production hub hampered by lack of direct flights to U.S.

By Brad Oswald 16 minute read Preview

Winnipeg’s ability to serve as TV production hub hampered by lack of direct flights to U.S.

By Brad Oswald 16 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

As the TV series Fargo begins its second season, wistful notions of the acclaimed FX drama being shot in Winnipeg really are quite far gone.

But for the local film- and TV-production community, Fargo is still the Big One that got away — a constant reminder of the delicate nature of location-shooting negotiations and of how Winnipeg’s position as a smaller and relatively isolated city with few direct flight connections to U.S. cities will continue to make it difficult to attract major TV-series projects. 

When it was being developed as a TV series in 2013, Fargo’s producers looked north of the border for a shooting location that would match the bleak and wintry North Dakota/Minnesota landscape featured in the story, while allowing access to the benefits of exchange-rate savings and tax-credit incentives afforded by filming in Canada.

In the end, it came down to a choice between Winnipeg and Calgary. Calgary has several daily direct flights to and from Los Angeles; Winnipeg has none.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

Ted Danson as Hank Larsson in Fargo, the acclaimed television series on FX.

Musical comedy's offbeat premise, presentation colour outside the lines

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Musical comedy's offbeat premise, presentation colour outside the lines

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

As the annual wave of new TV dramas and comedies continues to roll along, the singular goal for each rookie show is the same: to get noticed.

Given that most of the autumn arrivals fit into traditional formats -- cop shows, courtroom dramas, medical/hospital stories, old-school sitcoms or, more recently, superhero adventures -- one of the most effective strategies for standing apart from the same-old crowd is to be different.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is certainly that.

The new CW comedy arrives with a title that will amuse some and possibly offend others, and a premise and game plan that are as unconventional as they are inventively energetic.

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Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Eddy Chen / The CW
Strike up the band: Rachel Bloom marches to the beat of a different drummer in unconventional new series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Crude British import can be a real howl

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Crude British import can be a real howl

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015

How do you remember your childhood? Happy? Sad? Difficult? Privileged? Funny? Not really worth remembering?

How about wildly inappropriate and yet somehow unconventionally articulate?

It's this last, rather unusual description that best fits the formative-years situation of the young Britons in Raised By Wolves, a new comedy import that has its Canadian première Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.

The series, created by U.K. journalist and author Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline, is based on their not-quite-ordinary upbringing in the Midlands city of Wolverhampton, England. Raised By Wolves follows siblings Aretha and Germaine Garry (played by Alexa Davies and Helen Monks) as they try to navigate adolescent life while being raised by a survivalist single mother, Della (Rebekah Staton), who's neither able nor inclined to offer anything more than a bare-bones existence.

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Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015

SUPPLIED PHOTO
Above, from left: Germaine (Helen Monks), Babby No. 1, Grampy (Philip Jackson), Della (Rebekah Staton), Babby Nos. 2 and 3, Yoko (Molly Risker) and Aretha (Alexa Davies).

Taking the pulse of health care

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Taking the pulse of health care

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015

It wasn't necessarily intended to be political, but it very likely will be.

When the producers of the ambitious CBC medical-documentary series Keeping Canada Alive sent more than 60 cameras into Canadian communities last spring to capture a day-in-the-life look at hospitals, health-care facilities and care homes across the country, the agenda was simply to give TV viewers an intimate and informative glimpse at a system that most Canadians consider to be one of the nation's core values.

But its arrival in prime time (premièring Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC) less than three weeks before a federal election almost assures the series will become part of the discussion that helps Canadians decide who should form the next national government.

"The series was in development for a long time before the election was called," says creative producer Dianna Bodnar. "It's been in development for way more than a year, but I certainly don't think the timing, as it has worked out, is a bad thing at all. I do think questions about health care are really important for all of us to ask ourselves, and the point of this series is to inspire Canadians to start, if they haven't already, to think deeply and talk about health care.

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Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015

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Winnipeg actor delves into deep emotions for role in cancer story

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg actor delves into deep emotions for role in cancer story

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015

It's a storyline that represents every family's worst nightmare.

But for an actor, it's the kind of challenge that turn out to be dream job.

The subject is cancer. The story involves a woman who has battled it once and thought she'd won, only to learn that the disease has returned and this time it's terminal.

And how that woman -- a newspaper columnist named Natalie Lawson (portrayed by Torri Higginson) -- and her extended family deal with this death-sentence diagnosis is the narrative engine that drives This Life, a powerful, unflinching new drama series that premières Monday, Oct. 5, at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015

Winnipegger Kristopher Turner: ‘the point of the show is to talk about death.’

Medical drama’s diagnosis? Looks like it’s going to make it!

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Medical drama’s diagnosis? Looks like it’s going to make it!

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2015

Every generation of TV watchers has had a medical drama to call its own.

From Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey in the 1960s to St. Elsewhere in the '80s, ER and Chicago Hope in the '90s and House and Grey's Anatomy in the new millennium, there has always been a prime-time place to watch doctors and nurses deal with the messy business of living and dying.

CBS is hoping Code Black will be the next new series to join the list. And based on its frantic and emotion-fuelled pilot episode, the prognosis seems pretty good.

Code Black, which premières Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBS and CTV, draws its title from the most critical stage of operations an emergency room can face. Simply put, "code black" refers to situations in which the incoming flow of patients exceeds the available staff of doctors and nurses available to handle it.

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Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2015

CBS
Marcia Gay Harden (centre) stars in Code Black.

Aging TV stars grind it out in two new comedies

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Aging TV stars grind it out in two new comedies

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2015

It's a big night for handsome TV actors of a certain age.

Two of Hollywood's best-preserved '80s-era leading men -- Rob Lowe and John Stamos -- are front and centre as stars of a back-to-back pairing of new Fox comedies that play well to the actors' strengths, but are very different in terms of their themes and, more importantly, their chances of success.

First up is Grandfathered (7 p.m., Fox and Citytv), in which Stamos plays Jimmy, a committed 50-year-old bachelor who runs a successful L.A. restaurant and spends his off hours dating younger women and keeping himself tanned, fit and free of grey hair.

He talks about wanting a family, but only as a way of impressing potential dates. And then one day -- very early in the series pilot -- a guy named Gerald (Josh Peck) walks into the restaurant and announces that he's the son Jimmy never knew he had.

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Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2015

RAY MICKSHAW / FOX
Family law: Dean Sanderson (Rob Lowe, left), is an actor who plays a TV lawyer, while his brother Stewart (Fred Savage) is an actual attorney lacking in courtroom savvy.

Well-oiled comedy-writing machine made for a slick ‘Daily Show’ takeover for Trevor Noah

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Well-oiled comedy-writing machine made for a slick ‘Daily Show’ takeover for Trevor Noah

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2015

As transitions go, this one was pretty seamless.

With new host Trevor Noah behind the anchor desk, The Daily Show made its long-awaited return to the late-night lineup; Noah is no Jon Stewart, obviously, but the way he handled his first night on the air made it clear that it won’t be long before he makes Comedy Central’s flagship fake newscast his own.

A big part of the new-look Daily Show’s success was a simple matter of mechanics — the format is solid and reliable, and as long as there are current events worthy of TDS writers’-room skewering, it almost doesn’t matter who’s reading the jokes. When Stewart took a sabbatical to direct a movie last year, John Oliver filled in as anchor and all that happened to him was that he got his own show on HBO and became a huge star.

Trevor Noah is going to be just fine in The Daily Show’s anchor chair.

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Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2015

CP
In this Sept. 25, 2015 image taken from video, Trevor Noah appears on the set of his new show, "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," in New York. Noah took over for Jon Stewart on Monday. (AP Photo)

Unique C.S.I. created new genre for crime drama

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Unique C.S.I. created new genre for crime drama

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2015

In this case, there will be no need for an autopsy. Foul play is not suspected; there will be no gruesome clues to decipher and no badly decomposed remains to be probed.

The death of C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation is a result of natural causes. In simple terms, it will be said C.S.I. died of old age. The show will pass from the prime-time schedule (Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS) peacefully, surrounded by its remaining friends and viewers.

It's fitting C.S.I.'s send-off comes in the form of a two-hour movie, Immortality, Parts I and II, that brings back the most noteworthy characters from the series' 15-year run to assist the current squad of investigators with one last explosive case.

And really, whether C.S.I.'s last instalment is a thriller or a yawner is of little consequence, because this reunion-fuelled finale is more about giving the series' fans -- whose numbers are far fewer than the 25 million-plus who tuned in weekly during the show's heyday -- a chance to give their favourite TV characters one last, great big figurative group hug.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2015

CBS
David Berman, from left, Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox, William Petersen and Ted Danson.

Quantico star sticking to her Bollywood roots

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Quantico star sticking to her Bollywood roots

Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2015

MONTREAL — Every year at this time, TV watchers all over North America try to predict which new shows will be hits and, as a result, which previously unknown actors will emerge as the new TV season’s breakout stars.

This year’s collection of possible instant-acclaim achievers is a bit different, however, because one of the “unfamiliar” faces most likely to hit it big is actually a huge star pretty much everywhere except here.

Unless you’re a follower of Bollywood movies or Indian music, it’s not likely you’ve heard of Priyanka Chopra, star of the new ABC drama Quantico (which premières Sunday at 9 p.m. on ABC and CTV). But the 33-year-old actor and singer has been one of southern Asia’s most popular performers for more than a decade, starring in dozens of Bollywood movies and releasing several chart-topping records.

Let’s put it this way: she might be new to North American TV audiences, but she’s anything but unknown to the 11-million-plus people worldwide who follow her on Twitter.

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2015

ABC
QUANTICO - "Run" -- A diverse group of recruits has arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best and the brightest, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11.

Series creator will have to avoid former mistakes to keep TV remake on track

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Series creator will have to avoid former mistakes to keep TV remake on track

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 24, 2015

In order to survive the annual fall-launch frenzy, new TV shows must necessarily pass the "Is this good?" test.

For a series such as NBC's Heroes Reborn, however, the prime-time survival challenge is more complicated. Because it's a remake/revival of a TV show from years past, it must also convince viewers that it has the right answer to another question: Is this necessary?

Heroes Reborn, which debuts with back-to-back episodes, works very hard at justifying its arrival, barely half a decade after the original Heroes signed off. At first impression, it has a decent shot of becoming both a worthy extension of the brand and a watchable show in its own right.

But given the bumpy road that Heroes traveled during its 2006-2010 run (initial critical acclaim, solid first-season ratings, then a steady decline and increased frustration as viewers began to complain that the show's labyrinthian storylines weren't paying off quickly enough), this new incarnation will have to keep proving itself, week by week, for as long as it sticks around.

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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2015

Christos Kalohiridis / NBC
Pictured: Kiki Sukezane as Miko Otomo in 'Heroes: Reborn.'

Scream Queens debut is 2 hours of fun bloody-murder mayhem

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Scream Queens debut is 2 hours of fun bloody-murder mayhem

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Sep. 21, 2015

A slash here, a shriek there and sinister, soap-sudsy silliness pretty much everywhere — that’s the formula that might allow Scream Queens to live up to its considerable pre-launch hype and emerge as one of the fall TV season’s first breakout hits.

This new comedy thriller from Glee/American Horror Story creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk doesn’t waste any time getting the blood and giggles flowing, in fairly equal measure, in its frantic and fully entertaining two-hour première (which airs tonight at 7 p.m. on Fox and Citytv).

The series is set at fictional Wallace University, a prestigious college at which sorority and fraternity life still enjoys a lofty status. At the top of the heap is Kappa Kappa Tau, a sisterhood of mean girls whose tradition of elitism and evil-doing dates back several generations.

Holding the title of Queen Bitch at KKT is Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), whose attitude toward life is summed up in her response to one fellow student’s observation that she’s an awful person:

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Monday, Sep. 21, 2015

CP
This photo provided by Fox shows (from left) guest star Ariana Grande, Emma Roberts, Abigail Breslin, and Billie Lourd, in a scene from the television series, "Scream Queens." (Steve Dietl/Fox via AP)

And, the Emmy winners probably won’t be…

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

And, the Emmy winners probably won’t be…

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015

OK, TV fans, gather 'round. Listen closely. Give me your undivided attention.

Actually, wait a minute -- we're here for Oswald's annual Fearless Emmy Predictions, so maybe a better plan would be to listen in a slightly distracted manner and give me your sort-of-divided attention.

Let's face it: the track record of this yearly best-programs-and-performers pick-'em exercise has been less than stellar. A passing grade, maybe, but hardly an ongoing honour-roll performance by ol' Mr.-Gets-Paid-to-Watch-Television.

If you're making your own Emmy Awards pool predictions, feel free to use what follows as a guideline, or perhaps just a jumping-off point for a series of spirited TV-related arguments.

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Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015

CP
AMC
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, in a scene from the last season of Mad Men.

STREAM? MORE OF A TRICKLE

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

STREAM? MORE OF A TRICKLE

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015

Seasons change. Autumn's arrival is marked by falling leaves, dropping temperatures, darker mornings and evenings and, of course, the arrival of the annual Fall TV Preview.

And times change, too. And these days, TV means a lot more than the programs that exist on those traditional around-the-dial channels and the hundreds of cable and specialty channels that populate the digital programming guide.

Television, in the fall of 2015, means content wherever it's collected and consumed, including streaming services such as Netflix, Crave TV and Shomi; that's why this year's edition of the new-season television forecast has been expanded to include a look at what's new and interesting in the streaming content realm.

If you're a cord-cutter, today's instalment -- let's call it the Fall TV Preview for People Who Don't Watch TV -- is for you.

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Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015

MARVEL�S JESSICA JONES

Stream? More of a trickle: Netflix cooks up new dishes, but Shomi and Crave offer only leftovers

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Stream? More of a trickle: Netflix cooks up new dishes, but Shomi and Crave offer only leftovers

Brad Oswald 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 2015

Seasons change. Autumn’s arrival is marked by falling leaves, dropping temperatures, darker mornings and evenings and, of course, the arrival of the annual Fall TV Preview.

And times change, too. And these days, TV means a lot more than the programs that exist on those traditional around-the-dial channels and the hundreds of cable and specialty channels that populate the digital programming guide.

Television, in the fall of 2015, means content wherever it’s collected and consumed, including streaming services such as Netflix, Crave TV and Shomi; that’s why this year’s edition of the new-season television forecast has been expanded to include a look at what’s new and interesting in the streaming content realm.

If you’re a cord-cutter, today’s instalment — let’s call it the Fall TV Preview for People Who Don’t Watch TV — is for you.

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Friday, Sep. 18, 2015

Rock documentary "Keith Richards: Under the Influence" will be o Netflix Sept. 18.

Friday choices reach for the top… and the bottom

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Friday choices reach for the top… and the bottom

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 2015

It's Day 6 -- T.G.I.F. Day -- in our annual Fall TV Preview, and the focus is on high arts and decidedly lowbrow comedy. Dr. Ken gives prime time an injection of something it definitely does not need, and Canada's public broadcaster seeks to inspire with a pair of newcomers that celebrate the creative process.

You might think that this brings an end to our annual autumnal assessment of all things TV, but hold on a minute! There's more to come in Saturday's Free Press as we delve deep into the digital realm with our first ever TV Preview for People Who Don't Watch TV -- a cord-cutter-friendly guide to what's happening this fall on streaming-content services such as Crave TV, Shomi and Netflix.

Bring your binge-watching appetite.

 

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Friday, Sep. 18, 2015

Ben Cohen/NBC
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (left) as Mitch and Tone Bell as Russell in Members Only

Evos return to save the world -- and so does Jane Lynch

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Evos return to save the world -- and so does Jane Lynch

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 17, 2015

Day 5 of our Fall TV Preview features a show that will be huge news for a certain segment of the TV audience, and a complete non-event for the rest. Heroes Reborn, which restarts NBC's cult-hit 2006-10 series with a new set of specially talented outsiders living in a much more dangerous world.

And speaking of special talents, how about an angelic presence with hellishly bad manners? It's like Sue Sylvester died and went to... wherever.

 

NBC, Global / Sept. 24 / 7 p.m.

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Thursday, Sep. 17, 2015

Christos Kalohiridis / NBC
Pictured: Kiki Sukezane as Miko Otomo in 'Heroes: Reborn.'

Two good hump day dramas and a stinker

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Two good hump day dramas and a stinker

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2015

We've reached Day 4 in our Fall TV Preview, and the major wave of new show arrivals seems to have crested. hump day's lineup has just three new offerings -- one a traditional (and rather good) medical drama, another a stylish coroner-who-solves-crime adventure, and the third, a homegrown thriller focused on deep-cover espionage in a Canadian environment.

 

FOX / Sept. 23 / 7 p.m.

ROSEWOODStarring: Morris Chestnut, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Gabrielle Dennis, Anna Konkle, Maggie Elizabeth Jones

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Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2015

CBS
Above, Marcia Gay Harden (centre) and Luis Guzman (second from right) star in Code Black.

New television offerings a mishmash of genres, quality

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

New television offerings a mishmash of genres, quality

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 14, 2015

Day 2 of our Fall TV Preview is a very mixed bag of prime-time programming, featuring a girl who can fly, an inked-up woman who can't figure out why she's tattooed, a cop who can solve crimes before they happen, a singing sort-of stalker and a modern family -- no, not that one -- that's just trying to figure it all out.

Ready, set... flip!

 

CBS / CITYTV / SEPT. 21 / 7:30 P.M.

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Monday, Sep. 14, 2015

Virginia Sherwood / NBC
Jaimie Alexander as Jane Doe in "Blindspot.'

Soapy series, serious docs round out Sunday night’s TV lineup

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Soapy series, serious docs round out Sunday night’s TV lineup

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 12, 2015

Earlier this week, Winnipeggers awoke to the first frosty morning since spring, a sure sign that the seasons are a-changing here on the Prairies.

Here's another autumn indicator: the annual Fall TV Preview, which offers a viewer-friendly guide to prime time's new and returning programs.

Starting today, and continuing all this week, we'll offer a night-by-night, show-by-show breakdown of what's happening on the tube this fall. The game plan has changed a bit this year -- we've done away with the channel-guide grids and we've expanded our view of what's new to include programming beyond what's on the major broadcast networks.

Also, a week from today, we'll publish our first-ever Fall TV Preview For Folks Who Don't Watch TV -- a look at programming trends and new arrivals on streaming-content services such as Netflix, shomi and Crave TV.

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Saturday, Sep. 12, 2015

Blood & Oil.

Beloved but predictable doofus Will Ferrell commits too many errors in baseball ‘documentary’

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Beloved but predictable doofus Will Ferrell commits too many errors in baseball ‘documentary’

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Thursday, Sep. 10, 2015

It hardly ranks as a hall-of-fame achievement, but given its charitable good intentions, the new HBO special Ferrell Takes the Field will probably generate more positive reaction than its on-the-diamond performance deserves.

This hour-long documentary follows actor/comedian Will Ferrell as he races from ballpark to ballpark in an effort to play all 10 baseball positions (nine on-the-field spots plus designated hitter), in five different games and for 10 different teams, in a single crazy day during Major League Baseball's "cactus league" spring training in Arizona.

The purpose of the stunt was to raise funds for Cancer for College, a charity founded by a college pal of Ferrell's whose baseball career was cut short by a cancer diagnosis; in the end, more than $1 million was generated for the scholarship program.

Beyond its admirable fundraising achievement, however, there isn't much about Ferrell Takes the Field that ranks as remarkable. As a comedy vehicle, it's actually a lot like a pre-season game -- pretty much meaningless to all but the true hardcore fans of the players involved.

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Thursday, Sep. 10, 2015

ROB TRINGALI PHOTO
Will Ferrell in 'Ferrell Takes the Field'

Stephen reveals the ‘real’ Colbert as he sheds his right-wing character

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Stephen reveals the ‘real’ Colbert as he sheds his right-wing character

Brad Oswald 3 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2015

Here’s the good news: even when he isn’t playing a character, Stephen Colbert is quite an engaging character.

And it took pretty much no time for the new host of CBS’s The Late Show to separate the genuine version of himself on this show from the amped-up, doltish-conservative guy he played on The Colbert Report. One episode into his Late Show run, the new guy — the real guy — seems to have laid to rest “the question” that has loomed since he was plucked from the post-Daily-Show slot on Comedy Central to replace TV legend David Letterman in CBS’s marquee late-night property.

“With this show, I begin the search for the real Stephen Colbert,” he said in a frenzied opening segment that included a heartfelt Letterman tribute, a video greeting from Jimmy Fallon, a front-row sight gag involving CBS boss Les Moonves, an overplayed occult-curse gag and the first of several Donald Trump jokes. “I just hope I don’t find him on Ashley Madison.”

Colbert introduced viewers to the new Late Show set, the new house band — the tastefully funked-up Jon Batiste and Stay Human — and a very cool stop-motion CGI-animated opening-credits sequence before getting down to the business of actually hosting the show. The second segment, in which Colbert pushed a Trump/Oreo metaphor (you just can’t get enough of either) much farther than anyone could have expected, was actually a big comedy win, because it was, at the same time, messy and childish and insightful and smart.

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Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2015

CP
Stephen Colbert, right, talks with actor George Clooney during the premiere episode of "The Late Show," Tuesday Sept. 8, 2015, in New York. Clooney and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush were the guests for Colbert's debut. (Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS via AP)

Winnipeg TV star Louriza Tronco shares talents on screens big and small

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg TV star Louriza Tronco shares talents on screens big and small

By Brad Oswald 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2015

For actors seeking success in TV and movies, an early career goal is to land a project that will "make it pop."

For Winnipeg-born performer Louriza Tronco, Make It Pop might actually be that star-making vehicle.

The 21-year-old triple-threat has landed a starring role in the new YTV series, which showcases her talents as a singer, dancer and actor. Make It Pop debuted earlier this year in the U.S., Britain and Australia (and has already been renewed for a second season), so its Canadian première (Wednesday at 9 p.m. on YTV) feels a bit overdue.

"All my friends have been asking, 'When is it going to come out in Canada?' and finally it's going to be on next week," Tronco says during a telephone interview from Toronto, where Make It Pop's second season is already in production. "I'm super-proud that Canada finally gets to see it, especially my hometown."

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Saturday, Sep. 5, 2015

YTV
Louriza Tronco gets to showcase her singing, dancing and acting skills on YTV�s Make It Pop.

Documentary examines Farley’s rise to the top, and tragic end

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Documentary examines Farley’s rise to the top, and tragic end

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 3, 2015

"INFURIATINGLY talented.”

That's how comedian Chris Farley is described by his former boss, the guy largely responsible for turning the burly Wisconsin native into one of the biggest TV and movie stars of his lamentably too-short era.

Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live, is one of many comedy notables who contribute stories and sad reminiscences in the new documentary I Am Chris Farley, which has its Canadian TV première on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 10:30 p.m. on Movie Central.

It's a heartwarming but ultimately heartbreaking film that celebrates the life of a unique comic genius without ever sidestepping the personal problems that pushed him ever deeper into the lifestyle excesses that led to his death in 1997, at age 33.

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Thursday, Sep. 3, 2015

NBC / The Associated Press
Chris Farley

Showbiz stories get fresh face in series of short-form docs

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

Showbiz stories get fresh face in series of short-form docs

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2015

Canadians in Hollywood -- this is hardly a new topic. That's why making a TV series that focuses on showbiz Canucks requires, first and foremost, a fresh perspective on a subject that has been discussed and dissected pretty much to death.

The new Movie Central series Reelside succeeds mostly by not seeming to have a pre-planned approach to its short-form documentary profiles. Each half-hour instalment has its own agenda and its own style as it offers a glimpse inside the lives and work of young Canadians toiling in various corners of the Hollywood machine.

The series opener, which airs Thursday at 10 p.m., focuses on the continuing working relationship of actress Sarah Gadon and photographer Caitlin Cronenberg, whose professional paths have crossed on several film projects and whose mutual admiration led them to embark on a photo-shoot assignment in the rocky lake-country backwoods of their home province.

The documentary, which marks Gadon's directorial debut, follows the pair (and a mid-sized production crew) as they travel to Bruce Peninsula National Park in Ontario to work on a photo-essay feature for an Italian fashion magazine. Footage of the photo shoot is combined with interview clips with both women as they discuss their careers and the artistic impulses that drive them while they're on the job.

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Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2015

Movie Central
Director George Romero, left, gives tips to filmmaker Philip Riccio.

Oddblock Comedy Festival earns praise, strong attendance

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Oddblock Comedy Festival earns praise, strong attendance

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Monday, Aug. 31, 2015

By pretty much any measure you might care to apply, the inaugural Oddblock Comedy Festival would have to be considered a success.

For four lovely, loopy, laugh-filled late-summer days this past weekend, a two-block stretch on the east side of south Osborne Street was transformed into a very, very funny place, as a half-dozen venues played host to 50 comedians in more than 30 shows, in front of crowds that consistently packed the smaller rooms and ranged from comfortably populated to near capacity in the larger ones.

“It’s been a great weekend,” Texas-based comic Chris Cubas said late Sunday afternoon, before taking part in the event’s closing gala at the Park Theatre. “For a first-time event, it’s been run super smooth — everything has gone like it’s supposed to go, all the shows have been well attended, and the audiences have been super game and fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

The festival, launched by Park Theatre owner Erick Casselman, talent booker Kevin Mozdzen and local comedian John B. Duff, kicked off with a pair of shows on Thursday night and wrapped up with a four-pack of performances on Sunday night. Inbetween, the south Osborne stretch between Vera Pizzeria and Luxalune Gastropub (which also includes fellow fest participants Monticchio Ristorante, Deseo Bistro, the Park Theatre and Park Alleys) was a hub of activity as comedians and comedy fans moved from venue to venue in search of the next great comedy moment.

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Monday, Aug. 31, 2015

Pat Thornton

‘It’s a bouncing baby comedy fest!’

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

‘It’s a bouncing baby comedy fest!’

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

Andy Wood isn't responsible for bringing the Oddblock Comedy Festival into the world, but it might be argued that he's the midwife who assisted with the delivery.

Wood, a veteran standup comic who co-founded the long-running and highly successful Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, Ore., consulted regularly with the organizers of Winnipeg's new comedy fest, which continues today and Sunday in a cluster of venues on south Osborne Street.

"It's not the first time that somebody has seen what's happened with Bridgetown and then wanted to start something similar," Wood explains during a telephone interview, a couple of days before heading to Winnipeg to take part in at least a half-dozen Oddblock shows. "We also helped out with High Plains Comedy Festival in Denver, which is now in its third year, and it's really cool to see what like-minded people are able to accomplish.

"I'm really excited to see Winnipeg, and to see how this thing is organized."

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
Oddblock co-founder John B. Duff.

The skinny on boob tube’s new fuzz show

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Preview

The skinny on boob tube’s new fuzz show

By Brad Oswald 3 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

The atmosphere created in a TV drama is a lot like the actual atmosphere that surrounds us -- at times, it can be fresh and invigorating; at other times, it's oppressive and overwhelming.

The new made-for-cable cop serial Public Morals finds itself in the latter category, thanks to its producers' determined effort to reflect the look, sound and attitudes of '60s-era New York City, which often goes so far over the top that it disrupts, rather than enhances, an otherwise entertaining period drama.

The series, which has its Canadian première Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Super Channel, was created, written and directed by Edward Burns, who also plays the show's lead character, NYPD vice Det. Terry Muldoon. Public Morals follows the often equally shady dealings of the cops and crooks who inhabit the Big Apple's mean streets during the 1960s.

The plainclothes Public Morals Division's focus is on drugs, gambling, prostitution and other forms of misbehaviour that stem from human weakness. But as Muldoon explains to a newcomer to the squad in the series opener, these are essentially victimless crimes, and since there's no likelihood that they'll ever be eliminated, the vice squad's job isn't to eliminate them; it's to manage them and make sure the people involved adhere to some commonly accepted unwritten rules.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

Super channel
Johnny Law on the case: Michael Rapaport, left, and Ed Burns prepare to lay a patch in their sweet ride as members of New York City�s Public Morals Division.

Netflix peddles high-quality drug-cartel drama, but there may not be demand on the street

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Netflix peddles high-quality drug-cartel drama, but there may not be demand on the street

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015

Back in 2013, when Netflix made its most aggressive move into the original-programming realm with the release of House of Cards, it had the star power of Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Spacey as a calling card to lure viewers.

It was an important moment in the evolution of what's loosely defined as television these days in North America, and it solidified Netflix's status as a new destination for high-quality scripted programming.

Perhaps it's a sign of Netflix's well-earned institutional confidence and expanding international reach that its latest binge-watch-ready release, the fact-based drug-cartel drama Narcos, is being touted as the streaming service's next big thing despite having virtually no recognizable Hollywood names in its cast credits.

Narcos, whose 10-episode first season is being released by Netflix on Friday, Aug. 28, is a big, ambitious, fully international miniseries that deftly combines scripted drama with archival news footage and images to create a compelling story about a decidedly global issue: the Colombian cocaine trade.

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Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015

Wagner Moura as drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Pat Thornton leaves the world of sketch comedy behind for solo adventure

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Pat Thornton leaves the world of sketch comedy behind for solo adventure

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015

For Pat Thornton, one is not the loneliest number. But it might be the funniest.

The veteran Canadian performer spent the better part of a decade performing in sketch troupes, both live onstage and on television, before shifting his focus back to standup comedy, the form that lured him into the business of being funny in the first place.

"When you're watching a sketch troupe, you don't know if everybody's doing the work, or if some people are just passengers," says Thornton, who is bringing his decidedly solo standup act to Winnipeg for the inaugural Oddblock Comedy Festival, which runs Aug. 27 to 30 at a handful of venues on south Osborne Street. "In standup, it's all you -- you can take chances that you wouldn't take when you're working with other people. You can try anything.

"In standup, I can just talk out my stuff until I like it -- you can't do that in sketch, because somebody else has a line to say... I started doing standup first, and then standup took a back seat to sketch for a very long time, and then about four years ago I started thinking, 'I don't know if I want to be in a sketch troupe when I'm 40,' and I thought maybe it was time to figure out how to do this by myself."

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Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015

Pat Thornton

Tiresome, screamy sitcom far from a laughing matter

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 3 minute read Preview

Tiresome, screamy sitcom far from a laughing matter

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 3 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015

Here's one of the things we learned about TV sitcoms back in the '70s: louder punchlines are not necessarily funnier.

It's a lesson that seems to have been lost on the producers of The Carmichael Show, the second retro-designed NBC comedy to be given a mercifully short three-week burnoff schedule for its limited six-episode run.

Like the just-completed Mr. Robinson, this long-shelved series showcases the style, structure and comedic rhythms of traditional shot-before-a-live-audience comedies that were mainstream successes three or four decades ago. Unlike Mr. Robinson, however, The Carmichael Show (which premières with back-to-back episodes Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC) isn't likely to conjure up any warm-and-fuzzy nostalgic memories of simpler sitcom times.

It isn't funny. It's often very loud, but almost never amusing.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015

Chris Haston / NBC
Old yeller: from left, Jerrod Carmichael, Amber Stevens West, David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine shout it out loud.

Stylish crime caper stays on track during wild ride

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Preview

Stylish crime caper stays on track during wild ride

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 4 minute read Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

The heist is bold and stylish. The investigation is dogged and determined.

Based on those two factors alone, the Brit-import miniseries The Great Train Robbery has the makings of a ripping-good TV yarn. And it doesn't disappoint, as it turns the story of Britain's most infamous crime caper into a captivating four-hour drama divided into two distinctly different parts.

The Great Train Robbery, which has its Canadian première Monday at 8 p.m. on Super Channel, retells the story of the 1963 robbery of a Royal Mail train carrying more than £2.6 million, first from the perspective of the heist's ringleader and then from the viewpoint of the chief investigator tasked with rounding up the crooks and putting them behind bars.

The series will air in four one-hour instalments. The first two hours, titled A Robber's Tale, focus on robbery crew leader Bruce Reynolds (played with considerable panache by Luke Evans) as he scrambles to get an increasingly large gang ready to pull off the biggest bank-note job in British history.

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Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

The heist is bold and stylish. The investigation is dogged and determined.

Based on those two factors alone, the Brit-import miniseries The Great Train Robbery has the makings of a ripping-good TV yarn. And it doesn't disappoint, as it turns the story of Britain's most infamous crime caper into a captivating four-hour drama divided into two distinctly different parts.

The Great Train Robbery, which has its Canadian première Monday at 8 p.m. on Super Channel, retells the story of the 1963 robbery of a Royal Mail train carrying more than £2.6 million, first from the perspective of the heist's ringleader and then from the viewpoint of the chief investigator tasked with rounding up the crooks and putting them behind bars.

The series will air in four one-hour instalments. The first two hours, titled A Robber's Tale, focus on robbery crew leader Bruce Reynolds (played with considerable panache by Luke Evans) as he scrambles to get an increasingly large gang ready to pull off the biggest bank-note job in British history.

Walking Dead prequel lays groundwork for zombie apocalypse to come

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Preview

Walking Dead prequel lays groundwork for zombie apocalypse to come

By Brad Oswald 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015

Talk about an easy setup. And, at the same time, a very daunting challenge.

The prequel-ish series Fear the Walking Dead arrives on AMC with the one thing that all new TV shows covet -- an opening-night audience guaranteed to be well in excess of 10 million viewers (a huge number by cable-network standards), thanks to the huge and rabid following its predecessor, The Walking Dead, has attracted.

But with huge viewership come huge expectations, and Fear the Walking Dead will have to prove very quickly to those eager Dead-heads that this "companion series" is worthy of a similarly enthusiastic commitment of time.

Thankfully, Fear the Walking Dead shows early signs of being up to the difficult task. Despite a slow start in the series' 90-minute debut, Fear gets through the always-cumbersome process of introducing characters and establishing storylines fairly efficiently and is then able to get down to the fright-filled fun of in-your-face/eat-your-face zombie-apocalyptic action.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015

Justin Lubin/AMC
Lexi Johnson as Gloria, who may or may not be involved in zombie activity.

So, a not-very-funny thing happened on the way to this comedian’s show

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 3 minute read Preview

So, a not-very-funny thing happened on the way to this comedian’s show

By Brad Oswald / Watching TV 3 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015

If it's true that tragedy plus time equals comedy, then Tig Notaro must, by now, be pretty freakin' hilarious.

Since the beginning of 2012, the veteran standup comic has endured the death of her mother, suffered a serious intestinal disorder, received a diagnosis of bilateral breast cancer, undergone a double mastectomy and, somehow, managed at the same time to establish herself as one of the most in-demand performers in her field.

Notaro's new HBO special, Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted (which premières Saturday on HBO Canada; check listings for time), showcases the sharp and brutally honest style of comedy she has developed since a famous night in the summer of 2012, when she decided to incorporate her personal health crisis into her standup show.

That show, which took place just two days after her diagnosis, began with Notaro walking onstage and saying, "Thank you. Thanks. I have cancer. Thank you. I have cancer. Really. Thank you." It shocked the audience, and marked the beginning of a new stage in her comedy career, in which direct exploration of her personal life provides the fuel for her often-dark humour.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015