It's happening! Tuesday, @bitterasiandude joins #runtheburbs as our SEASON FINALE Guest Star! 3 years in the making, and this episode pulls together so many season arcs. Reuniting on screen w/ Paul was so special. I can't wait for you to see it! CBC 9pm, streaming 🇨🇦 on @cbcgem! pic.twitter.com/GngCAr3wgB
— Andrew Phung (@andrewphung) April 1, 2024
We see a lot of reaction to Run the Burbs as being corny. I am not normally a fan of "corny" but made an exception for Run the Burbs. Andrew Phung made that an easy sell. Good casting all around and you got the impression that everyone liked each other. Nice reunion with from Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.
CBC cancelled the show after 3 years. Ironically Strays, the "official" Kim's Convenience spinoff, lasted 2 seasons.
I won't go too much into the contrast with Children Ruin Everything, which I feel is a more cartoonish version of Run the Burbs. Both sides of the border have weighed in and cartoonish > corny in these examples.
Canadians can catch up on the show via CBC Gem. Americans can watch Seasons 1-2 on Hulu with hopefully (please) the addition of Season 3 this summer (maybe).
Let’s go. Watch @ShoresyHockey Season 3 starting May 24th on @cravecanada and June 21st on @hulu. From @newmetricmedia. pic.twitter.com/lZP6Q1ChAK
— Letterkenny Problems (@LetterkennyProb) April 23, 2024
Missing Letterkenny but Shoresy fills some of those emotional holes. Season 3 of Shoresy arrives this summer on the traditional start of summer in Canada (May 24) and the technical start of summer in the United States (June 21).
Jared Keeso has done a lot with the character we never saw on Letterkenny. Season 1 proved better than expected while Season 2 had a molasses type slow start. More Laurence Leboeuf will help, especially when she speaks en Francaise. Season 3 of Shoresy, like the others, has 6 episodes.
Saw the CW debut of Sight Unseen, a CTV co-production. The premise is intriguing about using technology to help a detective solve crimes. I learned that Dolly Lewis, the actor who plays Tess Avery, has some vision issues in real life. I am a fan of Agam Darshi, who plays Sunny Patel, the one who helps Tess solve the crimes. Darshi was one of the best parts of Funny Boy and she created Donkeyhead, which we enjoyed.
Fun to see Roger Cross back on a CW show. Cross was in Coroner on the CBC and CW. His character was more substantial on Coroner. I've lost track of how many Canadian TV shows have featured Ennis Esmer but this is another one.
I have a couple of issues with the program. The idea of getting around with sight issues is a personal vulnerability so watching a show where that comes up is problematic for me. I also struggled with the skips in logic in the pilot in how Tess got around as easy as she does.
We stopped watching Sullivan's Crossing and Sight Unseen is better. Try an episode and see if it is your cup of tea.
CTV is now running Season 2 of Sullivan's Crossing on Sunday nights as of April 14.
SkyMed will be back for Season 3 on Paramount+ in the United States and on CBC in Canada.
The idea of a cultural test to determine truly Canadian content
Finally got through the final season of Pretty Hard Cases. I postponed that for awhile to savor the end of the show. Season 3 gets off to a rough start. The show has had internal police issues that makes things harder for Sam (Meredith MacNeill) and Kelly (Adrienne C. Moore).
Wendy Crewson, who is normally a reliable fixture in Canadian TV, sadly plays a 1-dimensional commander. The pace of the show picks up when they ease out of using her character.
We got some fun returns of previous characters played by Susan Kent, Amanda Brugel, Katie Douglas, and yes, Percy Hynes White. We even had a brief reunion of Douglas and August Winter, who played best friends on Mary Kills People. (Add Mary Kills People to your TV list if you don't know the show. The show ran on Global in Canada and (unfortunately) only the first 2 seasons are on Hulu.)
This show has sharp writing and chemistry that other shows would kill to get on their sets. Tassie Cameron and Sherry White came up with an amazing show that deserved better treatment in the Canadian TV landscape and a better U.S. TV deal. You can catch episodes on CBC Gem in Canada and Freevee in the United States.
2024 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Television
With the turn of the calendar, in case you have an old school calendar, summer isn't far away. We figured the CW will crank up some Canadian television for the summer. We have no announcements.
Turns out you can get a jump on Season 2 of Moonshine on the CW. Your TV? Nah. Season 2 is currently available online via the CW site.
Canadians can catch up on all 3 seasons of the show via CBC Gem.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent has advantages to show Canadians the real Toronto
Watching Tim Rozon with a beard in his homage to Jian Ghomeshi on an episode of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. This show really is ripping it from recent headlines. The numbers have been great on the Canadian side.
My friend who loves this show asked me if I was sure this was referring to Jian Ghomeshi. I assured him that the Internet and myself were on board.
Tassie Cameron, who we mentioned with Pretty Hard Cases, is the showrunner and it shows (terrible pun).
I figured this show would be a natural crossover for an American outlet to pick up fresh L&O content. The headlines really feel Canadian. Sure, Q ran on NPR stations in the United States but how many Americans (besides me) would even make that connection?
Amanda Brugel and Rozon are Canadian actors who have clicked with American audiences, so maybe some crossover is viable.
The program has 3 more episodes, including a new episode Thursday 8 pm Eastern on Citytv.
2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
This is hockey related yet more Canadian TV related. We thought Rogers might be at fault for not having NHL on Sundays starting on April 28. My current hunch (nobody ever tells us anything) is that CBC deliberately wanted to run Season 4 of Race Against the Tide as well as Season 2 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge.
On the face of things, these shows could have waited until summer. Also, CBC gets advertising revenue from these shows, something they don't get from carrying Hockey Night in Canada via Rogers. There are only 2 more seasons under the Rogers contract, which expires after the 2025-2026 season. Where the CBC will be hockey-wise under the new deal? No crystal ball can help. Amazon taking on Monday nights is the first of many clues.
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage
CanadianCrossing.com television coverage
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) had 96.5% of the record turnout of 70.2% of eligible voters vote for an authorizing strike action against the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA). Doesn't mean there will be a strike; just being ready in case they have to do so.
The issues are very similar to the writers strike on the U.S. side. WGC members have been working without a new contract since December 31, 2023.
No regular reader will be surprised to learn that we are on the side of the writers, even if that means disruption to the Canadian television schedule. The future of Canadian TV depends on a fair deal now.
Twitter captures: @andrewphung; @LetterkennyProb
photo credits: Sight Unseen; Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
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