brioux.tv: the podcast

Send us Fan MailAs George Harrison once said, all things must pass. Which brings us to the fifth and final season of Son of a Critch, the CBC sitcom based on the early life of Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes).Last June as production wrapped I met with the four main castmates from the series -- Critch, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Claire Rankin and Malcolm McDowell -- at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. There we shared a conversation about how the series ends with young Mark (Ainsworth) graduating from high school and into a very uncertain future, for himself as a budding performer, and for his home province of Newfoundland.Critch says it is the ending he always had in mind. Ainsworth talks about going from child star to young adult actor with a starring role as Link on The Legend of Zelda. McDowell, now 83, says he will miss the show as well as St. John's which became a second home for the veteran actor.Look for the final season to begin Tuesday, Sept. 8 on CBC and CBC Gem.

Send us Fan MailThis week on brioux.tv: the podcast, meet a former child star who continues to impress -- Kathy Garver, best known for playing oldest sibling Cissy on Family Affair. The series premiered on Sept. 12, 1966 -- 60 years ago next month. It ran for five seasons and 138 episodes and starred Brian Keith as Uncle Bill, a Manhattan bachelor.  With the help of his gentleman's gentleman Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), he was suddenly tasked with raising three kids. At 20 (though playing 15), Garver was already a showbiz veteran when the series began. She boasted credits in everything from Our Miss Brooks, The Millionaire, Father Knows Best and "The Ten Commandments." Unlike many former child stars, Garver never stopped working, pivoting to voice work in animated shows such as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang to a 2025 Grammy nomination for an audio recording. Then there are her books, including one out earlier this year, and several upcoming projects, and Garver enters her eighth decade a true showbiz survivor.

Send us Fan MailFor Part Two of my conversation with "Programming Insider" Marc Berman, we continue with the back half of the Critics Quiz. What was the scariest thing you ever saw on television? Do you think the era of the late night TV talk show is about done? What was your most memorable Television Critics Association press tour moment?Questions about those semi-annual network press gatherings dominate, including, "What show did you vote for in the annual TCA Awards as Program of the Year?" and, "Name your most unforgettable TCA character."All this and more from Berman and Brioux, part deux.

Send us Fan MailIf you are reading this, you probably already follow Marc Berman, a.k.a. "Mister Television." In 1997, while at Mediaweek, Marc created The Programming Insider, the daily, digital online destination for television and media. We've known each other since then through our affiliation with the Television Critics Association. We've both worked our way through platefuls of scrambled eggs at fancy Pasadena and Hollywood hotels in bi-annual trips to countless network press tours.Those live tour dates are no more but as readers at Inc. now know, Marc's passion for television remains. In this first of two parts, I ask Marc my "Super 16" TV critic questions, including, Who was the first star you ever interviewed? Who surprised you as the biggest jerk? Who would you choose: Ginger or Mary Anne? And the telling opener: was there a TV series that made you want to become a TV critic? Marc gives a moving response to that and many other questions. This is a nostalgic, heartfelt episode from two dudes who were brought up right -- in front of the TV set.

Send us Fan Mail Back in 2008, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Lassally, then winding up his extraordinary career in late night as executive producer of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. For close to an hour, at his office deep within CBS Television City, Lassally regaled me with stories about Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Ferguson and many others.In listening back to the conversation — for the first time in 18 years — I’m struck not just by his professionalism but also by how generous and candid he was on that day. He truly had Carson’s gift for making the guest look good and feel at home.Lassally blew my mind when I asked if there was a common thread to Carson, Letterman and Ferguson. The soft spoken TV executive did not hesitate with his answer.“They have one thread — they all have mothers that didn’t give them enough love.”Left unspoken was the fact that, in Lassally, they also all had one hell of a father figure. I've edited down this interview to share some of the wisdom received on that day. Condolences to his family and friends and to all who value such a first hand connection to late night broadcasting and its roots. SUGGESTION: the sound quality for this episode, where a simple digital recorder was used, is sub-standard. Lassally was very soft spoken, so you'll need to crank  up the volume.

Send us Fan MailIn 2022 I had the good fortune to welcome Ronnie Schell as a guest on this podcast. Schell was a familiar face and voice on TV for decades, most prominently as Jim Nabors' army pal on Gomer Pyle, USMC. He was also the voice of Hockey Night in Canada's animated mascot Peter Puck, did many Disney movies and cartoon voice-overs. Early on, he even snuck in an appearance on You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx.Schell was 94 when he died last month, just 10 days before Joby Baker passed away at 92. The two starred as New York disc jockeys in a series from the folks behind The Dick Van Dyke Show titled Good Morning World. Wish I had spoken to Baker, who quit TV cold at 50 and built a reputation at galleries in California as a painter and sculpter.Listen as Schell, a spry 90 at the time, reminisces about that series and name drops a ton of other TV stars he worked with as TV went from black and white to colour.

Send us Fan MailIn Part II of this two-part conversation, retired Globe and Mail TV columnist John Doyle returns to talk a little bit more about soccer but mostly about our shared fascination with television. The two of us tackle several of today's biggest TV challenges. For example: are late night talk shows going the way of the western? Does Crave sensation Heated Rivalry live up to the hype? Is funding at a crossroads in Canada? And because he simply can't help himself, Doyle also manages to put the world soccer body FIFA in context. And folks said it couldn't be done!While the World Cup rages on (without Canada, knocked out on Saturday by Morocco), continue reading Doyle's expert take on the beautiful game in the pages of The Toronto Star. For his take on TV today, hear him now on brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailCan it be? Is that our John Doyle making sense of The World Cup in The Toronto Star? The former TV columnist at The Globe and Mail has come out of retirement to help explain why we are all suddenly mad for soccer as Canada continues to kick its way into contention. This isn't the first time John has turned into a sports scribe. He has reported on three other World Cups as a journalist. Hey, he's not just another pretty face TV pundit. He wrote the 2010 bestseller "The World is a Ball: The Joy, Madness and Meaning of Soccer." He knows this beautiful game.Listen in as we kick the subject around. Then come back next week as we head into extra time. In Part II of our conversation we talk mainly TV, including a look at the best and worst of what we're both watching this summer.

Send us Fan MailYes, TV is Good. ABC declared it back in the '90s in their press materials. Now Alan Sepinwall has used the slogan as the name of his new podcast, where he is paired with fellow critic Kathryn VanArendonk.I first met Alan back when that slogan was coined at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual network press tours. He wasted no time establishing himself in what was a competitive room as one of North America's leading voices of TV criticism.At first at the New Jersey Star-Ledger and later as Rolling Stone's TV critic, Alan stood out for his insightful, episode-by-episode essays detailing landmark shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire and Mad Men, among many others. He'd write these short story-length breakdowns minutes after each show aired. To me it was like some sort of voodoo magic trick!Alan has written several books about television. His latest, available now for pre-order, is "Serling: a Journey into The Twilight Zone with TV's First Visionary." He can always be read at his entertaining blog, "What's Alan Watching."The two of us talk press tours past and future, including Alan's recent trip to Austin, Texas, to attend, with several other TCA critics, the ATX television festival. Plus we land on one 2025-26 series we both think could emerge as program of the year later this summer when the TCA Awards are announced.

Send us Fan MailThere has been a lot of talk lately that talk shows, as we know them, are too expensive to last. The big band, the studio audience, the nightly monologue -- they all cost money.Well, Tom Green thinks he has the answer. He's growing the talk show of the future now on 150 acres in Ontario on The Tom Green Farm (now streaming on Crave).What about the guests you ask? Green has managed to persuade a whole barnload of friends to come up and visit. They include Dan Aykroyd, Amber Marshall, Jason Blaine, Paul Bissonnette, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, DeadMau5, Jon Dore, Erica Ehm, Tony Hawk, Kurt Vile, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Tragically Hip’s Paul Langlois, Steven Page, Priyanka, Jessie Reyez, Kevin Staab, George Stroumboulopoulos, and more. Plus there is his mule (16 and 1/2 hands high!), the chickens, his mom Mary Jane (now a co-producer) and an incredible vert ramp he had built for Tony Hawk on a farm field. This is Green acres, Canadian farm style. See it on Crave. 

Send us Fan MailThis Saturday, May 30 at 12 noon, over 100 people in brightly-coloured orange wigs and vivid caftans will be storming Orangeville, Ont's city hall. Demanding more polyester? Lobbying for a clown college? No, this will kick off the 2nd annual Roper Romp Orangeville.It's all thanks to super fan Sofie Weber, one of two guests on this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast. She tells me she has over 100 people set to dress up as Mrs Helen Roper, played by Audra Lindley in the late '70s ABC sitcom The Ropers. This Three's Company spinoff also starred Norman Fell as landlord Stanley Roper. Nearly a half century later, this two-season comedy has inspired people from across North America to bust out their caftans and clunky jewelry.Joining us on this podcast is Stevie Louise Vallance, a Montreal-born, Emmy award-winning actress, director  and voice artist with credits on everything from Knots Landing to Night Heat, ReBoot and Zoobilee Zoo. She played street urchin Jenny on Season Two of The Ropers and will be romping her way to Saturday's Roper-palooza in Orangeville! 

Send us Fan MailWorld's collide as the talky half of Jay and Silent Bob meets Murdoch Mysteries. Yes, it turns out that Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith's pal since Clerks, is a superfan of the CBC historical whodunnit Murdoch Mysteries. He was turned on to the series by his buddy, Matt Goehring. Mewes binged 18 seasons and 300 episodes in six months. All caught up, he and Matt have teamed with Shaftesbury on The Murdoch Mysteries Podscast, which drops every Monday.Hey, I know the value of talking to Murdoch's main players. Yannick Bisson is still the reining champ here at brioux.tv: the podcast in terms of total downloads. Mewes nabbed a part on the series (as Slipperly Bill Watson) and he and Matt just teamed up on a May the 4th episode with the latest Murdoch recruit, Paul Sun Hyung Lee (Inspector Choi). And, yes, I'm jealous of all the great graphics and other visuals on their podcast. So listen to them here first, before you go off and binge their podcast, okay?

Send us Fan MailPlease welcome a veteran sports reporter and host who, in my opinion, has been better on his feet and in the moment than anybody else in a rink or on a field. I’m talking of course about Scott Oake, who recently announced his retirement from Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada. Correction – he reluctantly announced, because he never wanted any fuss made about his departure. He just wanted to go quietly, to ghost. Sportsnet insisted a fuss be made and so he has squirmed through several interviews, including this one with me. I just wanted to thank him for all the great TV moments and, as someone else who has milked this talking to famous people thing for decades, ask how I can find a dignified way to the exit ramp. Scott offers good advice, talks about that interview in the stands with Snoop Dogg, and names the colleagues who influenced him the most. He also puts the spotlight on what is most important to him now, the Bruce and Anne Oake Memorial Foundation established in his son and late wife’s name in Winnipeg. It is a wonderful cause, one born out of sorrow but what a pivot towards helping others. Helmet on and get ready to lace ‘em up with Scott Oake.

Send us Fan MailWith the recent passing of Dinah Christie at 83 we go back into the vault for my 2014 conversation with the beloved Canadian entertainer. Always a welcome presence on television in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, Christie was a touchstone for many boomers. I used to rush home from school to see the CHCH charades series Party Game where Christie, along with impish comedian Billy Van and "Captain" Jack Duffy, formed the almost unbeatable home team. As we discuss in this interview, the weekday favourite was kind of Canada's low budget Tonight Show. It allowed viewers to see homegrown singers, actors and other celebrities as themselves in a relaxed and casual setting. Christie's more serious side shone a decade earlier when she was the self-admitted "token blond" on the landmark (but short-lived) Canadian newsmagazine This Hour Has Seven Days. Hear her on those experiences as well as her three seasons opposite Don Adams on the less acclaimed grocery store set sitcom Check it Out!.

Send us Fan Mail Adam Growe is happy to be back behind the wheel of Cash Cab for a 10th season (airing Wednesdays on MUCH and streaming on Crave). Raised in Vancouver, the stand-up comedian had to re-take and pass his special cab licence in Toronto before shooting took place last October/November. The series, which has been franchised in 40 counties, first took to the road back in 2008 in Canada. This new edition comes with a karaoke twist; passengers, after correctly answering trivia questions before arriving at their destination, can double their cash prize by answering one more and then singing a few bars of the song in question.Growe talks about what passengers leave behind in the cab, the contestants who freaked and bailed when they learned cameras were involved, and answers the all-important question: naming his favourite character from the classic sitcom Taxi.  

Send us Fan Mail Who’s a good boy? All the puppies on the new CBC/CBC Gem series Must Love Dogs, that’s who. Premiering April 20, the 10 episodes feature a couple I met last December at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto –  Brady Oliveira and Alex Blumberg. They live in Winnipeg and are very dedicated to rescuing and finding forever homes for canines all across Manitoba.Brady can catch any dog. He is the star running back with his hometown club the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Over his six seasons, he’s been the leagues rushing leader twice and was part of two Grey Cup winning teams. He was also the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2024.Alex is equally impressive in her zeal to rescue as many dogs as possible. The relator will crawl under fences and sheds, as you’ll see in the pilot episode, to sack and tackle as many puppies as possible. Fetch this episode right here at brioux.tv: the podcast. 

Send us Fan MailI first met today’s guest, BC native Benjamin Ayres, in 2010 when he was co-starring with Corner Gas’s Fred Ewanuick on a little Canadian comedy called Dan for Mayor. Ben’s 110 IMDb credits go back even further and show him to be skilled at both comedy and drama with roles in such shot-in-Canada gems as Saving Hope, Less Than Kind, Family Law, Burden of Truth, Suits, and going way back, jPod. Now he’s saddling up as a no-nonsense rancher in Hope Valley 1874, a prequel to the ever popular When Calls the Heart. Bethany Joy Lenz and Jill Hennessy are also along for the ride. The new series is streaming now on both Hallmark+ and the W Network. We get into the whole cowboy deal and spend a lot of time talking about the most important thing about being cast in a western – picking the right hat.

Send us Fan MailIn this special episode, we go beyond the scandal and into the storytelling of one of the most infamous moments in Olympic sports history with the cast of Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story. Through candid interviews conducted at the red carpet preview, hear from Mark McKinney, Andrew Phung, Emma Hunter and other top Canadian sketch players who bring this audacious mocumentary to life. Also interviewed is writer/creator Andrew Q Farrell (The Office), co-stars Karen Robinson, Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor who plays preening American sprinter Carl Lewis, and even Ben Johnson himself, who spent more than 9:79 seconds talking to me. Shamier Anderson (as Johnson), Ennis Esmer (as Johnson’s needle-happy sports doc), Ryan Bellville and Kristian Bruun also star.The six-part series is streaming now at GameTV as well as on Paramount+. 

Send us Fan MailFor over 300 episodes, Debi Drennan has been applying makeup to Yannick Bisson and all the leading actors on Murdoch Mysteries.  She even works on bit players, such as, well, me. Twice. With the series winding down its 19th season, Drennan looks back at her career as the head of makeup on the CBC hit series. She also hints that the season finale, set for Monday, April 13, sets up a nail-biter of a cliffhanger.Before Murdoch, Drennan worked on several Canadian favourites, including Dragon's Den, Bomb Girls (which she co-created), This is Wonderland, and Due South. She won an Emmy working on the TV-movie Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Her very first job in TV? Doing makeup on The Littlest Hobo -- and, yes, that included the dog!

Send us Fan Mail What’s up, doc? Well, for one thing, they are now showing classic Bugs Bunny cartoons on Turner Classic Movies.I first saw these seven-minute miracles back in the 1960s on The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour. When I wanted to read more about them there were two guys who had the scoop: Leonard Maltin and Jerry Beck. These two lifelong friends have been telling the story of Termite Terrace and other animation legends ever since.Beck’s wonderful web site, Cartoon Research.com, is the place to get information on everything from Gertie the Dinosaur to Dino the Dinosaur and beyond. A professor at CalArts School of Film/Video, he has written 15 books on animation including “The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons” (2020).He also shares some exciting news about a long-awaited book about a Warners legend that finally has a release date. Hear all about that as well as Beck’s daring rescue of a lost TV treasure from the 1950s on a very animated episode of brioux.tv: the podcast. 

Send us Fan MailSeven hundred episodes of a Canadian TV series? Aside from Hockey Night in Canada, what could this be? Well, on Tuesday, March 3, CBC will air the 700th episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The satirical sketch series began way back in 1993. On this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, I speak with two of the current front five players -- Stacey McGunnigle and Chris Wilson. (Mark Critch, Trent McClellan and Aba Amuquandoh are the others.) Over the past five seasons, Chris and Stacey been having great fun slipping under the skin of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry; Pierre Poilievre and Karoline Leavitt; and Galen Weston and Pam Bondi, among many others. We had so much fun doing this episode we did it twice! (Well, that was mainly because I didn't record it the first time.) The good news is that this second version is twice as fun! Give it a listen here, or you can watch the video version of this episode over on YouTube.

Send us Fan MailOn a special mid-week episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, meet Tara Bosch. Like Monday's podcast guest Jay Klein, she is walking back into the Dragon's Den a Canadian success story.Both came up with better ways to take sugar out of everyday snacks. Bosch, from Surrey, BC, had a sweet tooth but yearned for a healthier alternative. She started experimenting in her basement apartment kitchen, eventually selling her home made treats from the trunk of her car. The goodies were called SweetSnacks, tasty, low-sugar alternative candy that the Season 12  Dragon's Den judges couldn't resist. Four years after her pitch, Bosch sold her business for a jaw-dropping $360 million dollars!Now she mentors other young women looking for early-stage capital through her initiative Bold Beginnings. She is also launching a new line of healthy fun foods under the brand name snackish. Look for her, Klein, and three other returning "Full Circle Dragons" this Thursday night as well as March 5 on the two-part, 20th season finale of Dragon's Den (CBC, CBC Gem).

Send us Fan MailSome of us just chew gum. While he was chewing it over, however, Jay Klein thought: how can I make gum better?Klein is the founder and CEO of PÜR, a brand committed to making snacks better-for-you and still taste great and fun to chew. Born in Florida, he moved to Toronto to study at York University and founded The PÜR Company in 2010. He took his sugar- and aspartame-free gum into the Dragon’s Den in 2014 (Season 9). Soon all the Dragons were chewing and chomping to deal.Klein spun his business from one manufacturer and warehouse to a worldwide enterprise. PÜR has become the #1 selling aspartame-free gum in the world. Mints and popcorn are now part of the brand.On this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, we talk about what a big deal this is to guys like me who have to watch their sugar intake. Watch for Klein Feb. 26 and March 5 when he and other Full Circle Dragons return to the Den to deal with a new generation of pitchers. It’s all part of the Season 20 two-part finale (CBC and CBC Gem).

Send us Fan MailWho is that on the flight deck of the Starship Athena? Why it is none other than Raoul Bhaneja who has boldly gone on to wow audiences across Canada on stages as well as in feature films and television.The Manchester born, Ottawa-raised actor-musician plays Chancellor Kelrec, head of the Star Fleet's War College, in Paramount +'s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.Interviewed while finishing up production in Toronto on Season Two of the series, Bhaneja says he's having a blast acting opposite Oscar winner Holly Hunter, Emmy-winner Paul Giamatti and promising young Canadian Sandro Rosta, among others in the cast.Hear Bhaneja turn his phasers on so-called critics such as Elon Musk and Stephen Miller, both whining about the multi-species, "woke" nature of the series. Their opinions are at odds not just with Gene Roddenberry's original vision for Star Trek, but also with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who deem it "Certified Fresh." 

Send us Fan MailThe former Baronesses are back as Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill launch into Season Two of Small Achievable Goals (Tuesday nights on CBC; also streaming on demand on CBCGem). The writer-producers play Kris and Julie, two women at different stages of peri-menopause and menopause, who talk about it on their peri-meno-podcast.Hot topics include hot flashes, HRT's, and even cooling capes and collars. Also turning up the heat is a demanding King of Queens Studios boss played by Tamara Podemski (Reservation Dogs). Fellow Baronesse Aurora Brown guests this season, as does Jackie Richardson (Law & Order: Toronto). Jon Dore returns as Julie's husband Pete, who starts to lose his cool over the night sweats and brain fogs; Meanwhile, Kris has a new love interest.Recorded in December at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. 

Send us Fan MailBarbara Williams first media job was as a receptionist at the all-news radio station CKO. She quickly rose up the ranks, eventually becoming President of Shaw Media, COO of CORUS and for the past seven years Executive Vice President of CBC. This month she retires, with former Paramount content licensing head Douglas Smith named CBC’s new EVP.In this conversation, recorded in December at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, Barb talks about the rewards and challenges of bringing a business approach to a culture institution. Did she know going in her CBC job would be as much about politics as programming? “I thought I was prepared for how different it would be,” she says. "It was a big adjustment." Previous jobs were all bottom line driven. Williams found championing “public worth” values a very different leadership challenge.Hear Barb on big issues such as the impact in Canada of multi-billion dollar takeovers of Big Media companies south of the border; the pressures of satisfying audiences now hooked on endless on-demand content; and the need, especially now, to open doors to more Canadian storytelling. Also: should the public network ditch advertising? (Spoiler alert: that would be no, sez Barb)

Send us Fan MailIn Part Two of my look at the return of Saint Pierre meet Robina Lord-Stafford. Not only does she have one of the coolest names in Canadian television, she is also, along with Allan Hawco, the co-creator of the CBC police series.Plus she lives in the same town north of the GTA where I live, Orangeville, Ont. This podcast episode, therefore, was recorded right at my kitchen table -- a first.Aspiring to write for television or currently in a writers’ room? Check out this conversation. Robina’s career has rocketed her up the ranks of players in the Canadian television community. Her first writing credits were on Frankie Drake Mysteries and Blood and Water, moving on to episodes of Hudson & Rex and Moonshine. Besides writing, she added producer credits on Pretty Hard Cases and Mary Murdoch before jumping to supervising producer on Wild Cards and now co-showrunner and executive producer status on Saint-Pierre.Hear about the mentors who helped her up the ladder as well as a pet project she hopes to one day complete: a movie about an infamous relative who once flew the Jolly Roger as a Caribbean pirate -- and I don't mean a film pirate. It is all part of the story that is Robina Lord-Stafford.

Send us Fan MailAt the start of this conversation recorded before Christmas at the CBC broadcast centre in Toronto, Allan Hawco reminded me that I've been tailing him for 20 years -- back to the launch of Republic of Doyle in 2005. Hawco and costar Josephine Jobert are back with 12 new episodes of Saint-Pierre, the highest-rated sophomore series on CBC. The police procedural is shot on location on a tiny part of France off the coast of Newfoundland. I keep asking Allan, what, did somebody steal another baguette? Is there really that much crime in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, an eight island archipelago, pop. 5,819? Mais qui, say the stars, with stories about international smuggling, among other things, based on real crimes. This is the first half of a two-part conversation on Season Two of Saint Pierre. Next week, hear my interview with the co-creator of the series, Robina Lord-Stafford, who happens to be an Orangeville neighbour. Hear about her rapid rise up the ranks of Canadian content creators, from writing on Frankie Drake Mysteries and Moonshine (where she met Hawco) to work on Pretty Hard Cases, Wild Cards, and now Saint-Pierre. 

Send us Fan MailOne actor/comedian I have had on my most sought-after list since this venture began in 2019 is my guest this week on brioux.tv: the podcast. Jonny Harris just happens to be a busy guy, working two CBC series at once. On Murdoch Mysteries, now in its 19th season, his character Constable Crabtree has been a fan favourite since the very beginning. His own series, Still Standing, starts its 11th season this Tuesday with Harris visiting the remote, desert-like terrain of the Osoyoos Indian Band in southern British Columbia.At a time when all of Canada has its elbows up, Harris brings his folksy, community-first approach to towns across Canada trying to rebound from tough times. He visits St. Thomas, Ont., once a thriving auto centre. He heads to Acton, Ont., once worth the drive to visit the now defunct leather tannery.Harris gets the entire town out for these TV showcases, and spreads good cheer and positive stories of rebirth. Along the way, he’s not above getting an elephant shaved into the back of his head. Murdoch Mysteries continues Mondays; Still Standing returns Tuesday, Jan. 6. Both are on CBC and CBC Gem.

Send us Fan MailDid you hear about the lady lawyer who dropped her briefs and became a solicitor? No? Me neither but BC-born Kayla Wallace plays the kick-ass law shark on Landman, now streaming on Paramount+. The second season premiere of this Taylor Sheridan series was such a hit that a third season has already been ordered. Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris the titular Landman, the manager of a large Texas oil field. Sam Elliott plays his dad. Demi Moore plays his boss, overwhelmed after the death of her husband in (John Hamm). Andy Garcia plays the shady financier who launders drug money by bailing out oil companies.  Tommy does not want his help but needs it, ane he'll need every trick that Wallace's savvy character, Rebecca, can throw at rivals looking to sue this oil enterprise into recievership.If Wallace looks familiar she was a regular on When Calls the Heart before landing Landman. WCTH's Kevin McGarry is her husband. Attention all you Hearties and McGarries: the couple are expecting their first child in the new year.

Send us Fan MailThe year 2025 has certainly been a good year to stand up for Canada. Who better to turn that mission into a TV special than Rick Mercer?The former This Hour has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report firebrand returns Sunday, December 28, with Rick Mercer Stand Up for Canada. The hour-long comedy special, featuring fellow comics Sophie Buddle, Mayce Galoni and Julie Kim, was taped before a sold out crowd last fall in Saint John, New Brunswick. That show was part of a 20-city, cross Canada tour.The CBC special opens with a song Mercer has used in comedy concerts for years – “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper. On this podcast episode, Mercer tells how that association with the band led to him inducting them into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023. We also speculate on the future of Montreal's Just for Laughs, and Mercer tells how he got former Prime Minister Jean Chretien to be his "voice of God" announcer for his string of comedy shows.

Send us Fan MailHere is something I've been working on for a while -- a video podcast salute to a true TV pioneer: David Boreanaz, Sr. If you grew up in the '60s or '70s you may know him as Dave Thomas. No, not the SCTV comedy legend, but the host of Rocketship 7. Follow this link to blast off back to Mr. Beeper, Promo the Robot and the glory that was the space race. Buckle up for a nostaslgic ride back when TV shows flew through the air, on antennas, all the way to Canada from Buffalo's WKBW. My thanks again to David, a broadcaster and a gentleman who put kids first back when children's TV was a wild west fueled by cereal ads and imagination. By all means listen to this podcast episode if you are traveling on foot or by car. For the full experience, however, check out the video experience which is more of a mini-documentary. See Dave the storyteller, ever telegenic even as he approaches his 90th birthday next Valentine's Day. There is also a short clip of Rocketship 7 towards the end -- a sad reminder that this is basically, like many early local children's TV shows, a lost series.

Send us Fan MailDick Van Dyke really has had the time of his life. Celebrate his centennial with three friends of the podcast: former New York Times TV critic Bill Carter, Dick Van Dyke Show expert and "Walnut Times" publisher David Van Deusen and Cinecon president and fellow film collector Stan Taffel. You'll also hear archival interviews with Van Dyke himself, original Van Dyke Show writer-producer Bill Persky, and a Canadian actress who guested on his later series, Diagnosis Murder, Claire Rankin (Son of a Critch). Enjoy this spoonful of sugar, then don't miss Van Dyke's 100th birthday salute December 12 at 8 pm on PBS's American Masters featuring Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, Martin Short and others. 

Send us Fan MailSome actors are thrilled to land a role on a TV series that lasts six or 13 episodes. Then there are Melody Thomas Scott and Peter Bergman. As all soap fans know, they’ve starred for decades as Nikki Newman and Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless. The series is in its 52nd year on both CBS and Global.Scott and Bergman, who were interviewed in Toronto this month, say the fact that these characters change all the time keeps things fresh.Sometimes those changes include new actors being cast. This November sweeps, Nikki’s grandson Noah is bandaged up like a mummy after a car accident. When the bandages come off – poof! – there’s a new actor (Lucas Adams) to go with the new face.Says Bergman, “It’s a miracle to me that the audience will buy this.” On the other hand, as he says, they bought it when Bergman replaced Terry Lester as Jack Abbott 36 years ago – and they’ve been buying it ever since.

Send us Fan MailWho is this lawyer writing and producing hit medical dramas? He is David Shore, who got his start in Canada writing for Traders before crossing the border as a writer-producer on The Practice and Law & Order. Besides his hits he was involved with a few great misses, including EZ Streets, a short-lived series that was HBO before HBO, and two with great lead actors, Hack and Sneaky Pete.This coming October 30 and November first and second he is being honoured in his hometown of London, Ontario, with the Forest City Film Festival’s lifetime achievement award. The Emmy and Peabody award-winner will be celebrated at a Hollywood comes to London reception as well as screenings of the pilot episodes of House and The Good Doctor. I met Shore years ago with other critics when we toured the impressive hospital set of House in Los Angeles and found him to be a very welcoming host. On this week’s episode of brioux.tv: the podcast he makes an equally impressive guest.

Send us Fan MailTwelve years after their storyline wrapped on NCIS, Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly have reunited as their crowd-pleasing characters on NCIS: Tony & Ziva. As executive producers of this series, the two actors had a say as to where this series would be shot, and they picked Europe -- smart move if you're going to be spending six months on the job. No wonder the actors, interviewed over zoom in Toronto, are so relaxed and friendly. Hear how de Pablo stepped up in fight scenes after two doubles went down. Thrill as Weatherly confesses to doing his own love scenes. Watch the finale of the ten episode first season now at Paramount+, with the finale premiering Thursday, October 23. Hear them now on brioux.tv: the podcast -- or watch the interview on YouTube here.

Send us Fan MailRyan Reynolds said he just didn't want to live in a world without a John Candy documentary. So he produced one, and it's a beauty.  "John Candy: I Like Me" premieres Friday, October 9 on Prime Video. Colin Hanks -- whose dad Tom Hanks starred opposite Candy in 1984's "Splash," directs. Hear from both Reynolds and Hanks, along with, in an exclusive conversation, John Candy's children Jennifer Sullivan Candy and Chris Candy.  It is all in this special episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, available for the first time in both audio and full video versions. Also featured in the documentary: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Conan O'Brien, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Steve Martin and Mel Brooks.To see the video version of this episode, follow this link to the brioux.tv: the podcast YouTube page: https://youtu.be/DS42nfrEJvE

Send us Fan MailFormer New York Times television columnist and bestselling author Bill Carter joins me for a wide open discussion about the White House attack on late night talk show hosts. Me and Bill celebrate Kimmel, more than ever our hero for going Brooklyn-rogue and standing up to bullies Donald Trump and his FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Carter talks about going backstage during Kimmel's week of shows in New York, riffing on fake Gavin Newsom (Seth Meyers brother Josh), those adorable  Three Tonys, and a late night triumph so robust it made Carter nostalgic for the smart silliness of Conan O'Brien at his best. Carter, an outspoken critic of the Trump administration on-line, does not hold back so we cut out the part of thre conversation that might have gotten him thrown into the Florida alligator prison. Everything else remains, so fasten your seatbelts, sit back and enjoy a free speakin' episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailHave you ever made a bucket list of places around the world you'd like to visit? Eugene Levy did for Season Three of The Reluctant Traveler, streaming now on AppleTV+.This season finds him flying to Mexico, India, Vienna, Ireland, Vancouver, Louisianna, Korea and even London. His tour guide in The UK was none other than The Prince of Wales.“I was really taken aback with how at ease he made me feel.” said Levy.The four-time Emmy award winner also got the royal treatment during the recent Toronto International Film Festival, where two documentaries he was appearing in were showcased. One salutes his old SCTV pal John Candy and the other looks back at the Toronto production of Godspell and the crazy convergence of young comedic talent who energed from that musical. Hear Levy's take on traveling abroad as well as back in time as this week's guest on brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailIn the '60s, Dini Petty broke ground with Toronto radio station CKEY as Canada's first female traffic reporter to fly solo in a helicopter. After 5,000 hours in the air she landed her pink chopper and went on to a stellar career as a news anchor at Citytv and as a talk show host at CFTO’s The Dini Petty Show.Now, at age 80, she’s back with Trailblazing Talks with Dini Petty, a one-hour special premiering Monday, Oct. 13 on The News Forum Network (check Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Telus channel listings). The venture has already been greenlit to go to series.“At this point in my life, I am drawn to deeper conversations about resilience, courage, and the true cost of leadership,” says Petty, adding, “it is never too late to step forward with purpose.”Petty welcomes first guests actress Tonya Williams (The Young and the Restless) and three-time Olympic gold medalist and later senator Marnie McBean. Petty’s own story, however, sets the trailblazing bar high. Listen as she recounts the ten times so far she feels she has defied death! All this week on brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailThe Blue Ant founder and CEO and former Alliance Atlantis chief rang the bell earlier this month on the Toronto Stock Exchange. His company's reverse takeover of Boat Rocker delivered more Canadian content -- including top-rated The Amazing Race Canada -- to a diverse portfolio MacMillan already successfully shops around the world.You'd think he'd be exhausted from counting all that money he made from the sale of his half of the CSI franchise and the rest of his Alliance Atlantis assets in 2007. Instead, MacMillan is once again ramping up at a time when many other Canadian media companies are holding on at best. He's doing it by feasting on Fast Channels and sharing the Love Nature. What makes him know when to zig when others zag? All that and more in a down-to-business episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailWhere do documentary filmmakers go to find that historic clip or interview nobody else has? Many turn to the CBC Archives in Toronto. The vast, climate controlled vaults at the CBC Broadcast Centre are home to approximately 1.5 million hours of digitized material. Those restored holdings are drawn from over 90,000 cans of film, 215,000 videos and over 270,000 audio assets. Classic CBC shows such as The Friendly Giant, This Hour Has 7 Days, and Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts dating back to 1952 are among the holdings.Two who oversee the operation are Dan Dimopoulos, Senior Manager, Content Lifecycle, and Ann Cox, Senior Manager, Library Services. They make sure these rare gems are fully restored and searchable for filmmakers from around the world.Every month, thousands of hours of footage are retrieved for reuse. For example, the makers of the Netflix feature “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan” found a mid- ‘60s interview with the variety show host conducted by Patrick Watson. Executive producer Margo Precht Speciale says it is the best interview her grandfather ever gave.Other docs recently featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, including those celebrating the Toronto production of Godspell, Lilithfair and “Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert,” all raided the CBC Archives.I admit, as a film collector myself, I kinda nerded out talking to Dan and Ann. Listen to us now at brioux.tv: the podcast.

Send us Fan MailIf you've already listened to Part 1 of my conversation with writer-producer-podcaster Frank Santopadre, you just know there was more  to explore. This is the second half of our terrific conversation. Here the focus is more on life after Gilbert Gottfried and Frank's eventual decision to create an entirely new podcast that would be Fun Fr All Ages. If you haven't heard Part 1 yet, get back in line! Both episodes are now live and in full colour.

Send us Fan MailIf you are a fan of comedy, film, television, movies, music, or even Bazooka Joe bubble gum jokes, join me this week in conversation with Frank Santopadre. For over eight years and 600 episodes he brought comedian Gilbert Gottfied in like a tugboat to harbour in the truly amazing Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal podcast. Santopadre, as you’ll hear, just didn’t become the George Fenneman to Gottfried’s Groucho Marx by sitting around DeSota dealerships. His career as a joke writer for hire (for everyone from Bill Murray to Martin Short to Sarah Silverman to Meryl Streep to even the Boston Red Socks) led him to becoming an Emmy award-winning writer-producer on The View. He’s just launched his own podcast, Fun For All Ages. Now you can hear celebrities in the mix with experts in various fields talking about their favourite obsessions. Did you know that Triumph the Insult Comic Dog master and Conan O’Brien wit Robert Smiegel owes much of his comedic perspective to Peanuts’ creator Charles Schultz? Just one example of the fun facts confirmed on this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.This is Part 1 of 2 with Frank; both posting on the same day.

Send us Fan MailI went into the vault this week to create a 3-Pack of favourite TV stars from the '60s. Two are from interviews conducted in 1997 at a Hollywood Collectors autograph show.First up is Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), who was signing autographs with her old Gilligan's Island pal Russell Johnson (the professor). Wells was one of the stars who died (at 82) during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020. The second interview is with Bob May. Bob Who? He was the guy who for three seasons was stuffed inside the robot suit on Lost in Space. May, who died at 69 in 2009, talks about the time he was nearly electrocuted in that tin can. Danger Will Robinson!Behind Door No. 3 is Monty Hall, the co-creator and long time host of Let's Make a Deal. Hall was a spry 91 when I spoke with him in 2013 as he was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the game show. He passed away at 96 in 2017.

Send us Fan MailBack in the 1950s and '60s, every Sunday night, families would gather around their living room TV and watch The Ed Sullivan Show.The variety hour ran 23 seasons, ending 54 years ago in 1971. Now streaming on Netflix, the documentary Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan is not just another "best of" blast of nostalgia. It recognizes Sullivan as a social game-changer. As network television's top-rated variety showman throughtout the 1950s and '60s he introduced Black entertainers into living rooms across North America. On this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, I speak with Sullivan's granddaughter and the driving producer of the documentary, Margo Precht Speciale. She spent 10 years lining up interviews with Harry Belafonte, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and others, as well as clips from the CBS variety hour featuring  everyone from Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Ike & Tina Turner, James Brown, Nat King Cole, Gladys Knight, The Supremes, Billy Preston and many others.Please join us for a "really big shew!"

Send us Fan MailMeet the star of the new series Pretty Blind. As described in her AMI-tv bio, Jennie Bovard is a running, beer-drinking, thirtysomething with albinism. She loves making people laugh and is very involved in accessible sport and recreation opportunities in her community. She has lived with partial sight all her life, has a diploma in film and tv production, and lives in Halifax. She’s been recording a podcast for several years called Low Vision Moments where she talks about things that have happened to her as a partially sighted person … such as that time she physically distanced herself from a post because she thought it was a person. I think we’ve all been there with that one. Showrunner Mark Forward and Jonathan Torrens – two cast members who worked together for several years on Mr. d – spun her stories into a six-episode first season of Pretty Blind, which premieres July 8 on AMI.

Send us Fan MailHere is why Jonathan Torrens is the perfect Canada Day Weekend podcast guest:As a producer, he is behind two new Canadian TV comedies: Pretty Blind, starring Jennie Bovard as a legally blind but supremely independent library worker (premiering July 8 on AMI); and 0-to-60 Driving Academy, steering headlong into a second season on Bell Fibe.Then there are his IMDb credits. The PEI native has worked on the following CanCon favourites: Trailer Park Boys (as rapper J-Roc), Mr. d; Letterkenny and Shoresy; This Hour Has 22 Minutes; Wipeout Canada; Call Me Fitz; Moonshine; Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Royal Canadian Air Farce. Before all that, he got his start at CBC as a teenager as host of Street Cents, which led to his own shows, Jonovision, and Jonathan Cross's Canada.Had he been born sooner he also would have been on The Beachcombers and The Littlest Hobo. Join us for the ultimate deep dive into CanCon TV. 

Send us Fan Mail In the digital age, the question is not only which tools are still available to support Canadian content production but which ones are still relevant. One with an insider's perspective is Pat Ferns, author of "The Big Picture: A Personal History of Independent Television Production in Canada" (Sutherland House). Ferns began his career with a formative stint at CBC, created award-winning series and documentaries as an independant producer and helped reform the Canadian television funding process. He later helped put the Banff World Media Festival on its feet.  At a time when, it can be argued, Canada's story matters more than ever, Ferns wades into the battlefield between the CRTC and the new media giants of content distribution. Can we marry Canadian stories with global reach? That and more with Order of Canada member Pat Ferns, this week's insightful guest on brioux.tv: the podcast. 

Send us Fan MailBy far, the biggest name in TV sitcoms this century has been Chuck Lorre. This June, when I saw that he was going to be a keynote speaker at the Banff World Media Festival, I thought what the hell, put in a request for a podcast interview. So glad I did, because on this episode, we talk about the glory that is The Kominsky Method, Big Bang's Barenaked Ladies theme song, his take on The Sopranos finale, and his latest project -- a Netflix sitcom starring Leanne Morgan.On a personal note, I tell him how Bob Hearts Abishola was a big winner with Lucia, my wife Sandra's Italian-born mother. Lorre wanted that series to salute the immigrant achievement in America -- a message that could not be more relevant today.I even put Lorre on the spot by asking what he thought would be the perfect Canadian TV sitcom. Hear his three word answer and so much more, on a memorable episode.