CanWest Global is re-upping three series, the B.C.-filmed The Guard, the lively Toronto-lensed 'da Kink in My Hair and The Best Years, with each prepping soon for a second season. 'da Kink, based on the play by Trey Anthony, did well early on, especially with hard-to-reach urban audiences.
As for The Best Years…these MUST NOT BE my best years, because to the best of my ability I can’t remember a darn thing about the series, even though I screened the first episode. The Forgotten Years, a better title?
The Guard, filmed around the Lower Mainland and up the Sea-to-Sky Hwy, in Squamish, BC, was a sure-thing for renewal. Its premiere drew more than 800,000 viewers, according to the network. A joint effort from Vancouver’s Brightlight Pictures and Halifax Film, the series stars Steve Bacic, who you might remember from his days on Andromeda, as the troubled leader of a Coast Guard Search and Rescue unit.
Bacic and the rest of the cast are all quite charismatic, and hopefully will have a bit more to work with next season. Although most critics liked the series, The Guard’s first scripts were uneven and offered up seriously cheesy bon mots, like a panicked diver arguing, “We follow the book, they die!” (Cue sound of gurgling.)
A rumour’s been floating (a pretty buoyant one) that a former Cold Squad veteran has been asked aboard as captain of The Guard’s story department…We’ll keep you posted.
That announcement comes on the heels of the Canadian Television Fund’s announcements earlier this week of its 2008-09 broadcaster envelope budgets.
Total amount of dough the CTF will provide to Canadian TV producers for the coming year: $275 million, with $173 mill of that going to English-language broadcasters.
And a final announcement, that may matter, at least to Vancouver crews and craftspeople:
NBC Universal’s SciFi cable network announced its slate of new series yesterday, including a prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, which is set to begin its final season on air.
The Guard, filmed around the Lower Mainland and up the Sea-to-Sky Hwy, in Squamish, BC, was a sure-thing for renewal. Its premiere drew more than 800,000 viewers, according to the network. A joint effort from Vancouver’s Brightlight Pictures and Halifax Film, the series stars Steve Bacic, who you might remember from his days on Andromeda, as the troubled leader of a Coast Guard Search and Rescue unit.
Bacic and the rest of the cast are all quite charismatic, and hopefully will have a bit more to work with next season. Although most critics liked the series, The Guard’s first scripts were uneven and offered up seriously cheesy bon mots, like a panicked diver arguing, “We follow the book, they die!” (Cue sound of gurgling.)
A rumour’s been floating (a pretty buoyant one) that a former Cold Squad veteran has been asked aboard as captain of The Guard’s story department…We’ll keep you posted.
That announcement comes on the heels of the Canadian Television Fund’s announcements earlier this week of its 2008-09 broadcaster envelope budgets.
Total amount of dough the CTF will provide to Canadian TV producers for the coming year: $275 million, with $173 mill of that going to English-language broadcasters.
And a final announcement, that may matter, at least to Vancouver crews and craftspeople:
NBC Universal’s SciFi cable network announced its slate of new series yesterday, including a prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, which is set to begin its final season on air.
Production locations weren’t announced, but it’s a likely bet that the series, Caprica, will be filmed here.
As well, SciFi announced its plans for Robert Halmi’s RHI to produce Alice, a miniseries treatment of Alice In Wonderland…in the same vein as Tin Man, last season’s take on The Wizard of Oz…
As well, SciFi announced its plans for Robert Halmi’s RHI to produce Alice, a miniseries treatment of Alice In Wonderland…in the same vein as Tin Man, last season’s take on The Wizard of Oz…
Down the rabbit hole...and Happy Easter, all.
1 comment:
So glad I caught up on your blogs, Alison. Awesome inside scoops on Canadian TV. Thanks!
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