Canadian sci-fi series 'Killjoys' and 'Between' both return for 2nd season | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Canadian sci-fi series 'Killjoys' and 'Between' both return for 2nd season

The cast from "Killjoys" are seen in this undated handout photo. "Killjoys" is about a trio of inter-galactic bounty hunters: Dutch D'Avin and John. They track down criminals throughout the solar system. The series is shot inside an old factory in Etobicoke in west-end Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ HO, Steve Wilkie for Space *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Space, as they used to say on "Star Trek," is the "final frontier." A visit to the sets of two returning Canadian sci-fi shows demonstrates that, behind the scenes, things can look very down to earth.

"Killjoys" (Friday on Space) is about a trio of inter-galactic bounty hunters: Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen), D'Avin (Luke Macfarlane) and John (Aaron Ashmore). They track down criminals throughout the solar system.

The series is shot inside an old factory in Etobicoke in west-end Toronto.

"Between" (Thursday, June 30 on City; Friday on Netflix) stars Jennette McCurdy ("iCarly," "Sam & Cat"), Jesse Carere and Steven Grayhm. Created by Michael McGowan, it centres on a group of almost 20-somethings who live in a small town where a mysterious disease is killing off everybody over age 21.

That series — a pioneering Netflix/Rogers Media collaboration from Don Carmody Television — is shot inside an abandoned factory in Mississauga, Ont., about 10 kilometres west of "Killjoys."

These are humble surroundings compared with Hollywood soundstages, but cheap? No, says John Young, partner at Temple Street Productions. He pegs the budget on special effects-laden "Killjoys" is "well north" of $2 million per episode.

That series was created by Michelle Lovretta, who previously created "Lost Girl." Does she pitch sci-fi shows because she thinks they'll sell?

That would be no, says Lovretta. "You've got to be crazy if you come into an environment of a pitch and say, 'I want to have a bisexual succubus — and by the way, in my next show, I want to have people fly off into very expensive space."

How expensive?

"Every time I turn in a 'Killjoys' script," she says, "my producer looks at me with betrayal and asks me why I hate him. I make everything blow up or bleed."

Including her actors. This day on the set, Macfarlane still has his hand taped after accidentally punching a wall during a fight scene. "I always get hurt!" he says.

The London, Ont., native's first TV break came in the Steven Bochco-produced, California-based production "Over There." While that production was the full Hollywood treatment, Macfarlane says he's "never laughed so much on a set" as he has on "Killjoys."

"Here we are in a factory in Etobicoke — yeah, it's not glamorous," he says. "When you're stuck with these crazy hours doing something that's meant to be entertaining for others it has to be fun — and this truly is a lot of fun."

In season 2, the world of "Killjoys" gets "bigger and more complicated," says Macfarlane. He adds that the writers and producers are "going further with the comedy elements of the show," a feature he feels helps "Killjoys" stand out from the usual sci-fi crowd.

Things are a little more intense as "Between" returns for a second season. Four weeks have passed and the young adults quarantined behind the Pretty Lake borders are getting desperate.

"Food is scarce, supplies are scarce and people are scarce because everyone's dying," McCurdy adds. "The stakes are definitely elevated."

McCurdy and co-star Carere have been on their own real-life journey. Dating in real life, they accompanied cast mates and producers to the MIPCOM TV marketplace in Cannes, France, last fall as part of a push by Telefilm Canada to showcase Canadian talent on a world stage.

While in France, Carere decided to shave his head. The producers of "Between" rolled with it when he got back and wrote a head-shaving scene into the season 2 premiere.

"They were ready with the script, ready to make it work," says the 23-year-old native of Woodbridge, Ont. He sees the new 'do as "a symbolic thing with Adam shedding his past, moving on with less of a guard."

Look for Adam and McCurdy's character Wiley to make a run for it in season 2 in a desperate search to find a cure to the killer disease.

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Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

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