[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Once upon a time, the pinnacle of Canadian television was the Beachcombers and the Littlest Hobo. Well, things have changed over the last 30 or 40 years. And someone who's had his finger in the pulse of Canadian television for close to two decades is the editor of TVA.com Greg David, and he joins me today. Greg, how are you?
[00:00:29] Speaker A: I'm great. Thanks for having me on. And thanks for those, those old, old school Canadian TV polls. It's, it's fun because, you know, if you find the right channel, I know Littlest Hobo is still on the air on CTV on weekend mornings, which I catch every once in a while. But happy to be here with you.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: And it's a pleasure. And the thing is, the reason I bring it up is that was basically the Canadian TV I grew up on. There was a couple of shows. CTV had one, CBC had one, and that was about it. And on your website, tva.com the you had the story that the Trailer Park Boys have just wrapped up season 13 and they'll release it in April 2026 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this enduring show from the Halifax Dartmouth area. It's an incredible Canadian television success story.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: It really is. And it's kind of snuck under the radar as well. I mean, I remember back I visited the set during the filming of the second season and this was a show that lived on the cable channel Showcase when it first launched. And now here we are that it's available on its own streaming channel. They've got to deal with crave. The streaming is here in Canada. So it really is a success story. But like I said, it snuck under the radar even for me because I thought, how has it been around for 13 seasons? How have there been feature films that have been made and how do these guys still stay relevant with their storytelling? When they're not filming these shows, they're traveling around the U.S. canada and around the world to sold out shows. So they show no signs of slowing down. And that, that, that base, that fan base that they've got is never more rabid, regardless of whether it's Canadian, you know, Canadian fans or international fans.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: And Greg, I'm glad you brought that up because I've met John Paul Tremblay, Mike Smith and Rob Wells, like yourself. And I loved it from day one because I used to live in Nova Scotia and I saw a bit of the appeal there. But when you see that they're selling out theaters in Wisconsin and Ohio and Ireland and Scotland, it kind of shocked me that how universal Their appeal is around the world.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Yeah. And I guess when I think about this, often I'm asked about a show like Corner Gas, which was really the first Canadian show that kind of went down into the US and became a success on tbs. And there was also on pbs, the Red Green show. A lot of people don't know that that has huge success in the US and around the world because PBS picked it up. So I think you let off the top talking about Littlest Hobo and the Beachcombers. But really, in the last few decades, and especially now with the streaming services, people are getting access these Canadian shows, and we're not being dismissed as, oh, you know, a country that makes shows that look like a certain way or, you know, are kind of hokey. No, we tell storytelling with the best of them, and we create shows with high production values and their international successes.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: And to that end, Greg, I was watching an award show with my wife a few years ago, and there's Brad Pitt talking to a Canadian reporter going on and on about Jerry Kiso, Letter Kenny and Shoresy and how much he loves it.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: Yeah, that's an incredible success story. And I mean, it doesn't get any better than Brad Pitt giving your show a shout out as well, you know, Letterkenny, another Canadian success story, like you said, created by Jared Kiso, who was tired of trying out for Hollywood roles and not getting them and really thinking about quitting the industry altogether. And then he thought, why don't I come up with my own show? And he did that. And it became it's, you know, now wrapped up on Crave tv. But now they've got the spinoff that's Shorzy, which is based on one of the characters from Letterkenny. That is even more, I'd argue, than the original show. Letter Kenny was my stepson, checks it out all the time when he's visiting. And he loves Shorzy and he's very picky when it comes to his tv. But, yeah, we create these characters that, that people identify with, people love. It's all about the storytelling, you know, relatable stories that people get. And it doesn't. You don't have to be beaten over the head with this is made in Canada. It's just good tv made for everybody.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: And you alluded to streaming earlier, Greg, and correct me if I'm wrong, I heard that Crave loves sh.
They ordered dozens and dozens of episodes. So this will be going on for the future.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Shorzy yeah, absolutely. I mean, when Letterkenny first came out, it was the first Canadian original comedy for Crave and really put Crave on the map. You know, you've got to pay extra to get Crave, like the Netflixes and the, and the Disney pluses. So people were willing to shell out that extra money just so they could get access to it. You know, this is Jared Kizo's baby. And it's really smart for Bell Media and Crave to stay in bed with Jared because he's creating programs that people watch and more importantly, people are willing to in this very fickle market where, you know, people tend to be getting rid of basic cable, paying a la carte prices for different channels, and like you said, going to streaming services.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Speaking to Greg David, the editor of close to two
[email protected] highlighting Canadian television. We have the Trail Park Boys, the Letterkenny's, we have Shoresy. We also have some food TV shows in Canada that have become very popular, like the Great Canadian Bake Off. And whether it's Canada or other countries, maybe you can explain our fascination with reality shows around cooking and food.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: Well, I mean, as a person who likes to cook and more importantly likes to eat, you know, it's undeniable that you like to watch those shows and watch people compete. When you're talking about the great Canadian baking show, you're talking about a competition series that isn't as cutthroat as maybe the Amazing Race Canada or perhaps Big Brother Canada. You know, it's, it's nice and people all tend to get along. So there's that. But there's also that fascination with the competition show anyway, whether it's food or travel, we always like to see. And it goes all the way back to 2000 when a little show called Survivor came out. We always like to look at other people compete and say, what would we do in that situation? What would I do in that situation? Could I be really cutthroat? So I think there's that fascination. But when it also comes down to it, it's all about budget. It's a lot more, it's a lot cheaper to make a reality show than it is to make a scripted show. So you're always going to get that, okay, let's make something, let's make a spin off of this show. Let's create our own competition reality show because it is cheaper to make in the long.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: And with Canadian content still a thing, a reality for everyone in the Canadian media world that is, like you say, cheap cancon to keep your license.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely it is. And you know, if you look at the specialty channels like you mentioned about food specifically, if you go to Food Network or Taste Channel here in Canada, you'll see a lot of those competition shows and those baking shows and cooking shows that are all cancon. I mean, there are production companies in Canada that just make their whole lifeblood is making and continuing to make, you know, culinary shows in this. In this country. And yeah, it does help with that license. Absolutely.
[00:07:10] Speaker B: I've forgotten to know Jonathan Torrens over the year. Of course, people know him from J Rock and the Trailer Park Boys and Street Sense, but he's also developed his own shows in the Maritime, Nova Scotia, pei, New Brunswick area.
Is it the mindset of people to give them the funding for these shows now in Canada changing, Greg, because they're getting success?
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I think so. And I think that the model here in Canada is very different from the US in the United States, you have television networks. The conventional television networks like NBC and Fox and CBS make shows. They make a pilot episode of a program and then they shop it around and decide whether a network decides whether they're going to go ahead with it. And then they put the money into it. Here in Canada, it's really backwards. You get the funding first because it is expensive to. To make television shows, and production companies don't always have all of that money just sitting around waiting to make a show. So you really aren't able to experiment with programming like you are in the US and so, yeah, if you have a new show idea, you've got to shop it around and you've got to apply for that funding so that you can get that funding to then make your show. So there isn't as much of that gamble or that crapshoot that you're allowed to do down in the US Here in Canada.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: Can we overstate the impact that Eugene and Dan Levy had with Schitt's Creek and all their Emmy success, that it's open maybe the doors and eyes to people on Canadian television?
[00:08:34] Speaker A: No, you can't overstate it. I mean, you know, Schitt's Creek, when it was just on CBC and CBC Gem was a cute little show that here in Canada we loved. But as soon as it went to went down to the US and and started airing on the cable channel down there, then that led to accolades in the U.S. it led to primetime Emmy nominations, you know, and then it went to Netflix, where it's gone worldwide. So, no, you can't understate it because when you look at a show like Schitt's Creek and you do that, that homework and you go back and say it's a Canadian show.
Then, then, then you know, people get into it. It's the same thing that happened with Kim's Convenience. When Kim's Convenience went to Netflix, people were like, what is this show? And then it all went back to, hey, it's a Canadian show that's really well done, well acted and well written and, and filmed in Canada too.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Because that is, you know, a debate that goes on in this country.
We want to give money to the cbc but we first think of it as news documentary, you know, that kind of political talk. But there also is aspect of the CBC and I mean they are under financial and fiscal pressure to sort of cut costs. You wonder how much money they're still going to have year after year to make original programming through the cbc.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Yeah, and you bring up a really good point. I think whenever you mention CBC it's a very political hot potato and people immediately think like you did about the news stream and they're forgetting about all the scripted programming, the original movies, Canadian movies and international movies that are broadcast there as well, the date, the award winning documentary series that are there. So yeah, people tend to forget about that. And it is tough, you know, every. I hate the fact that you have to wait to see what happens after every election to see whether the CBC is going to be around or, or what shape it's going to be in. And the other thing that, you know, people say, oh, I don't want my tax, my taxpayer money going to cbc. Well, if you look at other countries around the world that have the similar programming model with the public broadcaster, we actually don't pay as much as some other countries around the world. So it would be interesting. I always have interesting convers with people that don't really understand how it works. The industry works. They just think, ooh, CBC not aligned with my political views and so therefore we should get rid of it.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: Has just in the industry in general, Greg has the issues between Trump and the US and Canada, the 51st state talk tariffs and all that affected productions in all sorts both sides of the border in Canada or is because the exchange is so strong, you will find American TV shows and movies still making productions in Canada because they save so much money.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: Yeah, I spoke to the president of the Canadian Screen Awards about that not too long ago and she said that there aren't a lot of changes going on right now. It's very much a wait and see approach because some of the things that have been announced actually haven't come to fruition. So there hasn't been that. I've seen any kind of production shutdown with regard to less US Shows coming to film in Canada. As you said, the, you know, the tax. The tax breaks for them are just so great. What we are seeing, though, down in the States are like Gavin Newsom in California especially, you know, imploring shows and movies to film in California. But you're seeing more of that rather than production companies deciding to leave Canada.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: So I know Bob Odenkirk, who had such great success with Better Call Saul. He just shot Nobody too, in Manitoba, if I'm correct, and I keep reading a lot. Is Manitoba giving even steeper tax breaks and tax cuts to movie and television production?
[00:12:05] Speaker A: Yeah, all the provinces are really starting to take. Take notice of this. And, you know, the fact is that V and Toronto and even Montreal now are becoming very, very busy when it comes to productions, whether they be homegrown US or even international productions. So now all of these other provinces are saying, well, listen, come here, because we're not as crowded. We've got crews that are available ready to work. We've got beautiful locations as well. So I think that it's great. You know, it's a. It's a good problem to have when you've got everybody wanting to film in Canada. The east coast is quickly becoming a hotbed as well. You mentioned Jonathan Torrens and all the projects that he's got going on. So it only makes sense for. For Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan to kind of jump on board and say, come and film here. Also, the north is becoming really big now. There's a CBC gem series called north of north that shot up in Nunavut, and that's really opened the door to the north to go up and film, too.
[00:12:59] Speaker B: I don't think I'd want to be a crew person shooting a show in Nunavut. I have to say, great. I love Canada, but I draw a line at that cold.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I would, too.
[00:13:08] Speaker B: What's the future? Where are we going to be in the next few years in Canadian television? Do we have something coming up in the pipe that we should keep an eye out for?
[00:13:15] Speaker A: I mean, I think you just need to look at what we've got and kind of celebrate it. You know, I think that people should tune into the shows like the Canadian Screen Awards to look at the shows that are winning here, winning awards here in Canada and check them out. I also think that people should check out the films that win at the Canadian Screen Awards as well, because that there's so many great movies that get filmed here in Canada that we don't get a chance to see. So I don't mean to shill for the Canadian Screen Awards, but that really is a good place to start to look at previous winners and check out those shows. And from a production standpoint, you know, seeing Canada partnering with other countries like Ireland and the UK and other countries in Europe to work on those international projects to kind of spread that money around and showcase the international crews and the international talent alongside the Canadian talent and Canadian crews.
[00:14:06] Speaker B: Because, Greg, once upon a time, automatically when you had a Canadian show, Canadian radio host with TV critics, they dumped all over it, they tried to shoot it down because it's Canadian, it can't be good. Then as you mentioned earlier, it would get picked up by the BBC or Netflix and it got popular and all of a sudden everyone got on board with it. How do we change that mindset for Canadians that if it's a new Canadian production, it may be good and give it a chance?
[00:14:33] Speaker A: That's so tough. I mean, that goes back to like bands, you know, not really getting any love in Canada until they go down and become successful in the US or actors and actresses, you know, they try to make it here and it isn't until they go to Hollywood and they become successful that we love them. I think that, that, you know, it's something that's going on with Canada and it's hard to, you know, we always, the knee jerk reaction is that we're not good enough to make stuff right? Any kind of art, you know, we're not good enough. But I think that, you know, going back to Corner Gas again kind of broke that mold and said, yeah, we are good enough because look, these US channels are making, you know, are picking up our stuff.
But I think it's just a sea change that you need to go in and just watch a show and don't think about it being Canadian and think of that as being a negative.
[00:15:17] Speaker B: Because SCTV lives on in YouTube and there are legions of people around the world. They're like, this is brilliant. Then they realize, oh, it's a bunch of Canadian men and women who made this in the 70s and 80s.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I'm so glad that you brought that up. You know, there's so many people that say that they preferred SCTV to Saturday Night Live.
It's just, yeah, again, it's, it's, it's that whole thing about, you know, we make really good content. We're very funny. We can write dramas. We write great music. We can make good stuff. Just. Just give us a chance.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: So I just wonder, because we're all like, let's support Canada. Buy Canadian, if Canadians will also use that sort of mindset of the grocery store and the department store to the arts, which would be nice.
[00:15:59] Speaker A: Yeah, it would be nice. The problem is that, you know, if you have Netflix and you're scrolling through Netflix and you watch a show, you might not know what country that show is from. You could be watching Canadian content and not even realize it. And that's the problem with the streaming services. There's just so much out there, and you're not quite sure unless you've been reading up and catching up on it, know what country you're actually watching this show from. So that would be the only negative.
[00:16:23] Speaker B: Okay, I have to ask you, because I, my partner and I have two daughters in the early 20s, and they're obsessed with all these Real Housewives shows. Are they. Are they going to start staging those in Canadian cities?
[00:16:33] Speaker A: They have tried to do that in the past. I think that the problem with that is that it's. You're kind of hemmed into the bigger cities. You know, it'll be Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal.
It all depends. You know, that said, though, you know, we've looked at the, the, not the project runways, but the, the Paul's Drag Race that has a Canadian version. And I mean, there are people around the world that say that the Canadian version is better than the original version down in the US Same thing with Big Brother Canada. There's so many people that say that that version of it is so much better. And to a certain extent, you know, the Amazing Race Canada better than the US Version. I think it really depends. I think, you know, it could come up, obviously, that the Real Housewives could launch in Canada, in other markets. It just depends on whether those ratings are coming in in the first place for the original.
[00:17:23] Speaker B: I mean, the Real Housewives of Moncton has a great, great sound. Really rolls up. Greg, thank you so much. It's tv.comtva.com Greg David's the editor. Greg, thank you so much for the insight. You do such great work, you and your team, and keep it up and keep promoting Canadian television and Canadian arts.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: Thanks so much for.
