Retired publicist pal Bill Vigars reached out from the West Coast this week. He let me know an actor who headlined a hit series in Canada back when I was starting out on the TV beat was in need. Scott Hylands was one of the stars of Night Heat (1985-89), a Gemini Award-winning CTV cop
Time was I spent much of September and parts of October hammering out fall preview copy. This went on for decades, dating back to those thick annual editions of TV Guide magazine. I later wrote fall preview editions of the Toronto Sun’s Television magazine and even a few for The Toronto Star’s Starweek magazine. This
Rolling Stone magazine has just come out with their list of the 100 Best TV sitcoms of all-time. It’s a pretty fair list, compiled mainly by my Television Critics Association pal Alan Sepinwall along with three other Rolling Stone contributers — Maria Fontoura, David Fear and Rob Sheffield. These lists are always great argument starters.
This festive Larry Fritz illustration graced the cover of TV Guide for the week of December 24, 1955–64 years ago this week. That was back when signals were pulled in from all over on rooftop antennas–for free. Back when there were TV listings magazines–which sold for 15 cents. Back when binging only took place at the
Scheduling is not always my strong point, so, yes, it took six months for me to finally get my ass down to Etobicoke and be a guest on Mike Boon’s very popular Toronto Mike Podcast. Do the dishes, turn off your mobile devices and get settled in for a two hour-plus conversation about Etobicoke, Michael Power-St. Josephs,
Back when I was a wee lad, Cleveland Amory would review shows for TV Guide magazine. He was on the back page, in a pencil sketch, wearing the typical white shirt and black tie reporter uniform of the ’60s. He was clutching a pipe, which is how you knew he was a critic. Reading his stuff
I first met Rick Mercer 24 years ago. I had a very cool assignment from TV Guide; go to Halifax, spend a week with the cast and crew of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and find out how they go from newspaper headlines to a sketch comedy series in five days. Mercer was a young lad at the
You never want to hear about anyone dying at 69, and I can’t imagine the heartache his 19-year-old son Carter experienced watching his dad being stricken right before his eyes. There is something so Canadian, however, about Alan Thicke meeting his end on a Burbank, Ca., hockey rink. Thirty years ago, Alan Thicke was one of the biggest stars