The 2024 Juno Awards drew an average audience of 672,000 viewers ages two and up in live, overnight viewers Sunday night on CBC. That number includes data coupled with the live and encore broadcast that airs in Pacific and Mountain time zones. That has the 53rd annual Canadian music industry salute climbing 36 per cent
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
There is no more beautiful venue for an annual media festival than the one held every June in breathtaking Banff, Alberta. Festivals have had it tough in recent years; witness the shocking news that Montreal will not host a Just for Laughs comedy event this summer for the first time in memory, certainly no laughing
Carol Burnett, who turns 91 next month, says she had no hesitation in joining Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin and others as a recurring star in the new dramedy Palm Royale. The series is streaming now at AppleTV+. “All I had to do is hear who was going to be in it,” she told
Listen up, wrestlemaniacs. This week’s guest on brioux.tv: the podcast is none other than Trish Stratus, back for a third season — starting tonight, Tuesday, March 19 — on Citytv’s two-hour season premiere of Canada’s Got Talent. The eight-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion and WWE Hall of Famer is back as a bad girl after
I seemed to be in the minority among TV critics last month in Pasadena during the Television Critics Assocation’s semi-annual press tour. I was not so knocked out with Palm Royale. The 10-part dramedy begins streaming Wednesday on AppleTV+. Maybe for me its that old bugaboo, “dramedy.” Is it simply not funny enough to be
Carol Burnett, who turns 91 next month, says she had no hesitation in joining Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin and others as a recurring star in the new dramedy Palm Royale. The series is streaming now at AppleTV+. “All I had to do is hear who was going to be in it,” she told
Maureen Donaldson would tell such outrageous stories you’d swear she was making it all up. Who packs all this into one life: a May-September affair with Cary Grant? A parrot that once belonged to Muhammad Ali? A first job with The Beatles? Word came via a Facebook posting this week from mutual friend Ray Bennett
In 1982, I was invited to a private dinner with Norman Jewison. Memories of that encounter flooded back on the news this week that the dean of Canadian film directors had passed away Saturday at 97. Forty-two years ago, he had accepted an invitation to be a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto. The
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour had a profound effect on this 10 to 12-year-old. You watched TV as a family back then, in front of the one screen in the house, in our case, a 25-inch Clairtone. “From Television City in Hollywood,” said announcer Roger Carroll. “Ladies and gentlemen, The Smothers Brothers.” Shot from above,
Every year I plan on taking a short cut by posting this list with the idea of simply cutting and pasting something I wrote from a previous year. Every year, however, a few shows jump to the top of the list that were overlooked in the past. This year is no exception, starting with the
Andre Braugher’s performance as Detective Frank Pembleton on David Simon’s critically acclaimed police drama Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999) was nuanced and electric. It was almost shocking, therefore, to see him bring such sharp comedy chops 14 years later to Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021). Braugher’s impressive range as an actor was absolutely akin to what