Weekly Lede Stories

Tremendous Tempo Tip-Off

 

A new era for both Canadian sports and the WNBA begins tonight, when the expansion Toronto Tempo play the first regular-season game in franchise history. TSN has all the action, with the pre-game show beginning at 7 p.m. ET, followed by tip-off, as the Tempo play host to the visiting Washington Mystics. The Tempo – the first Canadian team in WNBA history – will be looking to be competitive right away, with two-time WNBA champion coach Sandy Brondello at the helm, and a roster that includes veterans Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and Kia Nurse, as well as top draft pick Kiki Rice from NCAA-champion UCLA. Earlier this week, Bell Media and the WNBA announced a multi-year agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada.

Household Names

One might think that Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in HBO’s THE LAST OF US, Myha’la, who plays Harper in HBO’s INDUSTRY, and Maya Jama, the host of LOVE ISLAND UK, deal with so much double-crossing in their professional lives that they wouldn’t need to sign up for any more. Wrong! All three are among the fascinating cast for Season 2 of CELEBRITY TRAITORS UK, which is coming later this year. Other notables packing for the mansion include veteran actor Michael Sheen, singer James Blunt, and model and actress Jerry Hall, while Claudia Winkleman returns as host. The first season of CELEBRITY TRAITORS UK is on Crave now, alongside many other entries in the vast TRAITORS family, including THE TRAITORS CANADA.

Odd Couple There’s more heat back on the beat. The six-episode TV adaptation of BON COP, BAD COP, with Patrick Huard and Henry Czerny returning to their unforgettable film roles but telling a brand new story, premiered last night with the first two episodes on Crave (subsequent episodes will stream on Thursdays). BON COP, BAD COP sees David (Huard) and Martin (Czerny) reluctantly teaming up again, this time for an investigation that takes them across Canada following the mysterious disappearance of the band chief of an Indigenous community. Filmed across Québec, and with dialogue in English, French, and Mi’gmaq, the series offers a fresh take on the film franchise’s beloved blend of action, drama, suspense, and humour. A trailer can be seen here.

Four-Play?

While the currently airing third season of HBO’s EUPHORIA has generally been considered the final season, might there be a window opening for a fourth season after all? An article in Forbes has floated the idea that Season 4 may no longer be impossible, and the main reason it cites is this: while most series see ratings go down if they’ve been away for a few years, viewership for the third season of EUPHORIA is significantly up from what it was in Season 2. Could the likes of Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney be coaxed back for more, given what big stars they’ve become, and how busy they are? Regardless, Season 3 continues to drop new episodes Sundays on Crave, and creator Sam Levinson describes the story as “a roller coaster that keeps clicking up.”

Ross-Rachel Revisited Switching the subject to a finale that is explicitly being advertised as a “series finale,” Lisa Kudrow’s critically acclaimed HBO series THE COMEBACK wraps up on Sunday, only on Crave. Kudrow has been doing lots of press lately, and of course she can never get too far away from her former series FRIENDS. This week on CTV2’s THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON, Kudrow expressed some strong opinions about the Ross-Rachel relationship, stating that she has changed her mind about the infamous “on a break” debate. Meanwhile, speaking of FRIENDS, none other than Jerry Seinfeld came up with a hilarious way to compare FRIENDS to his classic sitcom SEINFELD, and you can read specifically what he said here.