Canada exchanges violence for valour
Family shows antidote to blood lust
Could When Calls the Heart be the cure for disgruntled Game of Thrones fans?
After U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill tweeted her opposition to the rape scene in the May 17 episode of Game of Thrones, others agreed that the HBO fantasy drama had finally gone too far in its depiction of violence — particularly against women.
Among them, feminist geek-culture blog The Mary Sue issued a lengthy explanation of why it would no longer be covering Game of Thrones on its pixelated pages.
Meanwhile, in Canadian television, a handful of series have been priding themselves on their family-friendly focus, exchanging sex scenes for sweetness, and violence for valour. Coincidentally or not, they all feature strong female lead characters.
When Calls the Heart — filmed in British Columbia and set on the Canadian frontier in 1910 — follows well-todo teacher Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), who’s assigned to a small coal-mining town. It’s a classic fishout-of-water setup based on Alberta author Janette Oke’s bestselling book series, which in 2013 became a TV movie of the same name.
The Canada-U.S. co-production aired its first two seasons here on Super Channel; Season 1 now airs Sundays on CBC. Michael Landon Jr., son of the man who headlined Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven, is a co-executive producer.
Krakow says When Calls the Heart reminds her of the shows she used to watch with her own family growing up. And, based on the ratings for When Calls the Heart — two million U.S. viewers on average, a feat for its U.S. broadcaster Hallmark — it’s also striking a chord with the show’s fans, who call themselves Hearties.
“Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and those kinds of shows are similar to our show because they’re so family friendly. I really enjoyed watching shows with my family growing up — it was an opportunity for us to gather together,” Krakow says.
“What I love hearing is that our show is providing that for families all over the place, and there’s really something for everyone.”
Another of CBC’s series, the long-running Heartland, also happily caters to everyone in the home. Set to giddyup on its ninth season on Oct. 4, that show stars Amber Marshall as an Alberta woman who’s somewhat of a horse-whisperer on her family ranch. Marshall said there is an appeal for familyfriendly shows.
“In today’s society there are a lot of really fast-paced, very heavily dramatic and a little bit risque content when it comes to television shows, even shows that say they’re family friendly,” she said.
“With Heartland, that’s one of the reasons for its success and longevity — the fact that families can sit down together and not be concerned by the content and not have to explain anything to their kids or be embarrassed.”
Another production — the upcoming TV movie Anne of Green Gables — revisits Canada’s favourite feisty redhead. Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s bestselling novel set in P.E.I., it’s now in production and will debut on YTV in early 2016.
Thirteen- year- old Ella Ballentine, who plays Anne Shirley, was excited to join the film precisely because it could serve as a positive influence for her peers.
“One of the reasons I love Anne is because she’s very strong,” she says.
When you match When Calls the Heart, Heartland and Anne of Green Gables it’s clear family TV is on its way to having a full-on moment.
That’s not to say the market for Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and the like has dried up — far from it. The Thrones Season 5 finale drew the show’s largest audience ever, 8.1 million U.S. viewers on the day it aired.
The zombie-fighting AMC series The Walking Dead, meanwhile, took in 15.8 million U.S. viewers for its Season 5 finale. But it does seem family fare is finding its way in the TV pack.