Way back last April I was invited to the set of Nurses, a Canadian-made hospital series set in Toronto. Nine months later, it premieres this Monday night at 8 p.m. on Global. I’m not here to pan it or even bed pan it. There are some folks behind it who have made several very successful
Is the world ready for more Rick and Morty?. The out there animated, space adventure comedy, which airs on Adult Swim, returns for a fourth season Sunday. The series is about an eccentric and alcoholic mad scientist named Rick and his naïve, 14-year-old grandson named Morty. Together, they leave suburbia to explore strange new galaxies.
This has been the most muted upfront TV season I can remember. That impression may, admittedly, be due to the fact that I’ve seen a lot of them, but also I think it is because all the action and excitement and, frankly, a great deal of the audience, has shifted over to the streaming side.
May the 9th not be with you. Journalists across Canada took hits on all fronts Thursday. The Globe and Mail announced it is offering voluntary buyouts to save $10M annually. Should the target not be reached, the union representing Canada’s national newspaper workers says downsizing will follow. Rogers, meanwhile, after sending writers “Save the Date”
You’ve undoubtedly seen all those ads on bus shelters, billboards and even on television. Instead of declaring when Big Bang or Schitt’s Creek or the new CBC series Coroner will be air, they simply say when each series will start “streaming.” Here’s why: a report last April suggested that streaming will surpass broadcast viewing in Canada by 2020. Yes, next
Further proof that the Canadian television gravy train has stopped running: Corus announced Wednesday morning that COO and EVP Barbara Williams is retiring. This announcement comes on the heels of the departure of another top-ranking Canadian private network official: Sportsnet President Scott Moore. Williams enjoyed a long and profitable run as the chief show fetcher
Time to give some credit where credit is due. Last year’s Corus upfront, I whinged here, seemed a tad awkward. There were super short interview opportunities and a great gulf, in the the group I was in at least, between the talent and the reporters. This Wednesday, things were greatly improved. For starters, this year’s
Last June, at the Corus upfront in Toronto, myself and several other TV beat writers were in a room awaiting Shamar Moore to come in and tell us all about S.W.A.T. The remake of the mid-’70s cop show, premiering Thursday night, was one of Global’s major prime time acquisitions this season. Just before Moore walked into the room, we