Very few scripted dramatic TV shows have ever attempted to mount a full-blown musical episode. Certainly Dallas never did it. Mad Man sent off Bert Cooper in style when, in a fantasy sequence, Robert Morse took a career-ending bow singing, “The Best Things in Life are Free.” Even Don Draper was speechless. But full blown
Never say Murdoch Mysteries does not take chances. In its 17th season, the popular CBC series presents, as far as I can remember, a first for a Canadian TV drama — an all musical episode. Writer Paul Aitken had had the idea for years. Helene Joy (Dr. Julia Ogden) always wanted to do it. Yannick
It takes a village to turn me into an actor. A heritage village, in fact, such as Westfield Heritage Village just outside Hamilton, Ontario. It was there last September where I shot a scene opposite Jonny Harris and Charles Vandervaart on Canada’s top-rated drama series, Murdoch Mysteries. The episode, “Annabella Cinderella,” airs (and streams) tonight
The third week of September is still when stuff gets real in any new TV season. Several shows launch this very week, including the new version of Magnum,P.I. and the Lost-in-reverse drama Manifest (Monday), FBI and the hospital drama New Amsterdam (Tuesday), the This is Us/”Big Chill” wannabee A Million Little Things (Wednesday), the Murphy
Do you have Canadian Screen Week fever? Yes, the annual Canadian TV and film industry salute to itself is knee-deep in statue swapping. Very practical awards that double as ice scrapers are being distributed to everyone who over-paid for tickets to attend the multiple nightly galas. It all culminates Sunday at the main gala, broadcast on
In Canada, the annual television network “Upfronts” are a few weeks later than they are in the States. Our Upfronts are really “Uplaters.” They also don’t draw anywhere near the same amount of advertising revenues. Canadian advertisers tend to commit less of their budgets in the spring, playing more of a wait and see game. Since
William Shatner beamed down to Toronto this week to shoot scenes for an appearance next fall on Murdoch Mysteries. Droopy Roger Sterling moustache in place, the 84-year-old TV icon will play American author Mark Twain on the CBC drama when it returns for a ninth season next October. Shatner was busy shooting scenes opposite Yannick
Just a few years ago, Murdoch Mysteries was deader than Jian Ghomeshi at a meeting of Intern parents. That was back when City walked away from the series after five seasons. Now it is CBC’s most-watched scripted series and one of the highest-rated dramas in Canada. It could also be Canada’s Top TV export, sold to