For the past month I’ve been joining Arlene Byson on SiriusXM’s “Canada Talks” for a weekly chat about what’s new in television. This Monday, Arlene (right) wondered if groundbreaking shows such as Breaking Bad are chipping away at broadcast network ratings.There is no doubt that Walter White and Company have had an impact. One look at
The headless critic It’s that time of year again at the TV Feeds My Family house–time for all the packages of promotional items from the networks to pile up at my door.Every day brings more trucks to Brampton, delivering all manner of ballyhoo.One of the most memorable arrived last week–a Headless Horseman zip-up costume hoodie
Gala host Ron James and honoree George Anthony. Photo: copyright Jag Photography The Toronto International Film Festival is often one big hype-a-thon, a blur of red carpet sightings and celebrity hustle. Last Thursday, I had the privilege of attending one sane and civilized little corner of the star cluster, the 6th annual Playback Canadian Film
What happened to Sundays? Zombies stole our shows!Instead of juicy network dramas like Desperate Housewives, the night is now mostly comprised of reality shows and cartoons. The Amazing Race is still dominant at 8 on CTV, and The Simpsons still draws in the demos on Global after nearly a quarter of a century, but it
There’s been lots to catch up on with CHML’s Scott Thompson the past couple of weeks. Scott asks first about Jimmy Kimmel and his latest pants-on-fire YouTube prank. The twerking girl on fire hoax (13.8 million YouTube views and counting!) was sheer genius, I say, but even more fascinating was the countless news reports Kimmel showed
Fridays–where TV shows go to die. That’s been the conventional network wisdom the past decade or so, except at CBS, which has done all right with shows like Blue Bloods. CBS, however, has screwed up Global’s bottom line this season by relocating two shows that do well in Canada–Hawaii Five-0 (right) and Elementary–and bouncing them to
Thursdays, long dominated by CTV in Canada (and coveted by advertisers across North America), suddenly looks to be in play. Not at 8 p.m., where The Big Bang Theory remains Canada’s most-watched series. Grey’s Anatomy, however, is not as dominant as it has been in the past, and at 10 p.m., Global will win with Elementary.A bit of a
Hump day seems up for grabs this coming season. After 13 years, Survivor is starting to show its age in Canada, leaving room open for others to finally knock it off the island.For CBC, this may help sustain its No. 1 show, Dragon’s Den, as well as re-launch at 9 an-extended season of Republic of