***NOTE*** Are you following Amber on Twitter yet? She's headed to L.A. for the 2010 Summer TV Critics Press Tour, and if you want to stay up-to-date with all the latest info and news that's where you'll hear it first.
Hey Amber, Now that CBS cancelled The Bridge, will we see a second season in Canada? —Jeff
Amber: Heck, yes we will — CTV confirms a second helping of the Canadian drama is indeed still on tap, despite CBS’s mistreatment of the series. Creator Craig Bromell says that the second instalment will focus more on character development now that he has a first season under his belt.
And for those who were disappointed the first season of the Toronto-shot series (which pretended not to be shot in Toronto), that could change for the second instalment. Bromell, who is the former head of the Toronto Police Association, couldn’t get insurance on The Bridge to be shot in Toronto so long as his name was attached to the project — he’s made his fair share of enemies over the years, and having his experiences thrown onto the small screen hasn’t sat well with everybody. But he’s working on getting that changed now that the show had a fairly successful first season, and hopes insurance will come through this time around.
Hi Amber, Season 8 of Project Runway is on Lifetime now. Do you know when Slice will air it here? Also, what about the second seasons of Hawthorne and Royal Pains; will we see them here? Thanks for your help. I am a big fan of your column! —Jennifer
Amber: Slice hasn’t set an airdate for Project Runway yet. For the past seven seasons of the reality series, though, we’ve always had to wait until it started airing in the U.S. before we could watch it here. It’s so frustrating, given all the online sources that usually scream the winner to us well in advance, but I suppose if you cared enough to avoid those sites you probably could.
Royal Pains is a Citytv property, and even though the network announced it would air the series at the beginning of the summer, not a single episode of the second season has aired so far. As for Hawthorne, Showcase originally aired the first season in Canada (even though Global TV is airing it now), so that’s where it will pop up when and if the specialty station opts to bring it back.
Hi Amber! Hope you are having a great summer, and thanks for bringing us the Canadian scoop on all things TV! I know that you get a lot of emails about Drop Dead Diva, and I wanted to mention that it is on NTV for those fortunate enough to get “Canada’s Superstation.” It comes from Newfoundland, but I get it in Alberta, so maybe other DDD fans can find it in their area. Also, a quick question, what is the latest on the (admittedly slim) chance of AMC picking up Law & Order? Thanks! Luv ya! —Jenny
Amber: You mean someone else has noticed Drop Dead Diva has become a weekly staple question in my column? I love it. Thank you for sharing the news about NTV; it might make some people very happy. Now we just have to work on the rest of Canada.
Where do I even begin with Law & Order? There has been no development since the news AMC was potentially interested, which usually means it isn’t happening. This industry is a fickle one, and while executives are your best friends one day, giving you tickets to big games and pouring alcohol down your throat, the next day they’re kicking you in the balls. I shouldn’t feel too badly for Dick Wolf, since he has three other friggin’ series still on NBC, but it’s always nice to win a title for something (ahem, the longest-running series on TV ever), and NBC stole that from him, after promising him he’d get it. Annoying.
Hi Amber, My sister and I love the movie starring Stockard Channing and Ed Asner, The Girl Most Likely. We have never seen it on TV again, nor were we able to locate it on video (some time ago) or DVD. Are you able to help us find this hidden jewel? Thanks —R.L.
Amber: Mmmmm, how much do you love the movie? Is it worth $60? Because that’s how much the DVD is currently listed for on amazon.ca. MGM released the DVD in 2005 after popular demand, and I’m guessing there are only a few copies out and about, which is why the price is so high.
Saving Grace's current season has been on for a while on TNT. Do you have any idea when Showcase will begin airing these shows? Thanks. —Jennifer
Amber: I checked in with Showcase and while it does plan on airing the episodes, they still haven’t been scheduled. There’s a slim chance the show could return around the same time as Weeds and Rescue Me — in the fall — but I feel like it might be longer than that given the hesitation to set a date.
Hi Amber, I was wondering if you had any more info on Season 2 of The Listener? Also is it true that Lisa Marcos is the one that’s leaving the show and being replaced by a new female cop? Also do you know why it’s taken so long to be released for a second season? —Judy
Amber: I’m hearing there will definitely be new characters in Season 2 (maybe or maybe not to replace a certain exiting character), but no one has been officially cast yet. Production on the series has been pushed back yet again, and it looks as though it may start sometime in late August, early September. Mind you, series star Ennis Esmer — who is one of the cast members definitely returning — also has another upcoming gig, co-hosting Wipeout Canada with Jonathan Torrens. That scheduling has to be considered too, and is part of the reason it’s taking so long. The second reason is that when NBC dropped the show, it meant certain elements had to be retooled. If production does indeed begin by fall, then the series will be ripe for midseason, or next summer.
Hi Amber, Can you please tell me if any Canadian broadcaster will be airing Rizzoli & Isles or Covert Affairs. Thank you. —Paulette
Amber: Am I the only one who has a problem pronouncing that name? It trips me every time. I mentioned last week (and the week before on Twitter) that Rizzoli & Isles begins on Super Channel Oct. 5. Unfortunately Covert Affairs — even though it was filmed in Toronto — doesn’t have a Canadian broadcaster yet.
Amber, thanks for keeping us all posted on when our fave shows are returning. Do you know when Weeds will air on Showcase? And what about White Collar? I know Season 2 is on in the U.S., but when will Bravo! air it? Thanks and have fun in L.A. —Barbara
Amber: You’re welcome. Thanks for reading! Weeds returns to Showcase Sept. 5, but White Collar isn’t returning to Bravo. Period. The broadcaster doesn’t own the rights to it, and I’m haven’t yet found anyone else in Canada that picked them up. I’ll keep everyone posted when and if that changes.
Hi Amber, I have a question for you about Cra$h & Burn. I was sad to hear yet another quality Canadian show had been cancelled. It really is sad that we cannot support our own homemade shows properly. The second part is my question. During the credits, I always seem to miss the info for the title song. Do you know the name of the song and the group that does it? Thanks for your help! —John
Amber: That’s the nature of the business — shows come and go. Despite Showcase’s cancellation of that series though (and I can confirm it isn’t returning), look at all the Canadian content Canwest has pushed through or is developing this year alone. Global TV is the only major Canadian network that is airing an original scripted program this fall, Shattered. Wipeout Canada and Top Chef Canada are both on their way. Haven currently airs on Showcase and Lost Girl is coming up this fall, and there are several other Canadian projects on their way too: Blackstone, Endgame, XIII, King, Combat Hospital, The Kenny Hotz Television Program, The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour and Single White Spenny. Additionally, there are a handful of pilots currently being developed: Befriend and Betray, Jack of Diamonds and Rave Squad.
Oh, and the song was created specifically for the show, and is known as the “Cra$h & Burn Theme Song.” It was created by Steve Skratt and Asher Lenz.
Hi Amber, are the new episodes of Futurama going to air in Canada? Comedy Network says it doesn’t have the rights to them. —Michelle
Amber: It’s true, Comedy doesn’t have the rights. And neither does Teletoon, despite what some bloggers are reporting. As it stands, I believe the latter — which owns all the older episodes — is trying hard to secure the rights, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Hi Amber, do you think Durham County will be returning for a third season? I just love that show. —Danielle
Amber: I love it too, so much so that when I met Hugh Dillon for the first time, I was a little bit scared of him. It was at an upfront presentation and he was taking pictures with the rest of the Flashpoint cast. All. Night. Long. So I think he might have been a little bit grumpy. He’s actually quite nice — just not on that show. Durham County is returning, by the way. The entire season was shot at the end of last year, and The Movie Network plans on resurrecting it in October.
Amber, I am a big fan of A&E reality shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Billy the Exterminator. I recently noticed that Dog’s brother is no longer on the show. Did he and Dog have a falling out? Just curious. —Terry
Amber: Did you know Tim Chapman isn’t actually Dog’s brother? They’re not related, but they call one another “blood brothers.” Anyhow, Tim took the last season of the series off to deal with “personal issues” (he was arrested in Honolulu at the beginning of 2007 for indecent exposure). He returned to the series this past April though, so he’ll be on future episodes.
Hi Amber, I love your column. I'm panicking a little bit — my favourite summer show, My Boys, is listed on TVGuide.ca's summer preview as having started July 25. It's also listed on the TBS website. However, it's not showing up on my programming guide. Is there any news of if and when it will air so us Canucks can join in the fun? Thanks. —Rebecca
Amber: Here’s one of those annoying things … My Boys airs on TBS, a station that we used to get in Canada. However, ever since Peachtree TV took over that signal, it airs some of TBS’ programming, but not all of it. And unfortunately My Boys is one of those shows that doesn’t air here. That could change in the future, but for now we’re going to have to wait for the DVD.
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A TV junkie, Amber will watch just about anything – once. One of her biggest pet peeves is when networks bounce shows around their schedule, leading to an eventual cancellation. While current gems include The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Dexter, True Blood, House and The Mentalist, she’s still crying over the cancellations of Kitchen Confidential and Pushing Daisies.
Now Amber devotes her time to analyzing the current state of TV and helping readers dissect complicated schedules. She’ll answer a variety of questions about past and present shows, spoilers and casting: anything is — and should be, up for discussion.