TVSquad

In case you didn't know, I'm Canadian. That being said, I watch tons and tons of American TV, partially because our main English channels -- CTV and Global, just to name two -- mostly air US shows. And, let's admit it, I enjoy a lot the shows created by my friends south of the border.

Since there are more TV shows produced in the US and because actors can make more money down south, a lot of Canadian actors go to the USA. to work (or try to get work in a US show shot in Vancouver or Toronto). Here I present you with ten Canadian actors currently starring in lead roles in various primetime US TV shows. Did you know these ten actors were not from the US?

If you are a Veronica Mars fan like I am, then you are probably still mourning the loss of the series; well, the first two seasons anyway. I'm sure the series hadn't run its course and that it would have rebounded from the fiasco known as season three, otherwise known as Piz.

OK, so maybe Piz grew on me a little, and he did keep Logan nice and angry, because nobody likes a happy Logan. And besides, would you want to see that sappy, insipid Logan in a feature film?

Did you like the way I slipped that in there? Feature film? Yep, Rob Thomas has confirmed that since the order on Cupid has been slashed from thirteen to eight episodes, he'll have time to write the Veronica Mars movie. And he spills the beans on some other juicy tidbits about the film too:

I can't believe I forgot to add Party Down to my recent list of new shows I'm looking forward to. Not only is it produced by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, but it also stars several Veronica Mars alums. Ken Marino (Vinnie Van Lowe), Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas), Adam Scott (Mr. Rooks), and Jane Lynch (Mrs. Donaldson) have all been cast in lead roles.

I know, I know; I was hoping to see Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni or even Kristen Bell on the cast list too. No such luck. But Colantoni is set to guest star in at least one episode, and so is Ed Begley Jr., who played Dean O'Dell in the last season of Veronica Mars. Plus, Thomas said that Bell has expressed interest in appearing on the show.

Elle Woods Bishop might be dead, but the rumors of Kristen Bell reprising the role of Veronica Mars for a big screen outing are still circulating. Actually, a script is being written and a movie deal might already be in place. At least that's what former Veronica Mars cast member Enrico Colantoni is saying.

In a recent red carpet interview with The TV Addict, Colantoni said that VM creator Rob Thomas is working on a script for a film version of the short-lived CW series. Colantoni is the latest Mars associate to get fans' hopes up about Veronica's jump to the big screen. In recent months, Thomas and VM star Kristen Bell have spoken publicly about their love for the series and their hopes for a film project. Colantoni seems confident that the movie will happen.

The actor also told The TV Addict that Thomas had possibly come to an agreement with "Joel" about the film's production. That "Joel" is most likely Joel Silver, former executive producer of the show (and about a million blockbusters, including The Matrix and Lethal Weapon). If this is true, then it looks like this project might actually become a reality. Let's just hope Thomas can fit it in while working on the Cupid redo for ABC.

(S01E01) "You know why we're all here? It's about helping you." -- Sgt. Gregory Parker

Yet another cop show has blasted into our lives: Flashpoint, which premiered Friday at 10 PM on CBS. I'm not much for cop shows, and never got into all the CSI, Law & Order shows that continue to grace the airwaves. But I have to say, I was riveted to this one. Not as riveted as I am to 24, but you never know. We'll see how it goes.

It revolves around an elite emergency police unit in Toronto known as the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). The show was actually inspired by Toronto's real-life Emergency Task Force, and the series is filmed in Toronto, which gives it an authentic air and allows the city to shine in a way it hasn't before. Even in this first episode, we see beautiful shots of the architecture and urban landscape.

The SRU team handles all the nitty-gritty stuff -- hostage situations, gangs, bombs, suicidal teens, you name it. Because of this, they also have an impressive array of state-of-the-art weapons -- sniper rifles, tasers, flash-bang grenades, and a bunch of other stuff I've probably never heard of.

Flashpoint premieres Friday, July 11, at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, and yes, it's another cop show, but it sounds gritty enough to offer something interesting. The new summer drama stars Enrico Colantoni as Sergeant Greg Parker, Hugh Dillon as Ed Lane, David Paetkau as Sam Braddock, and Amy Jo Johnson as Jules Callahan.

The series follows the lives of a Toronto-based Strategic Response Unit (SRU), unique cops who go beyond the call of ordinary cops to rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, handle state-of-the-art weaponry and, of course, risk their lives to save others.

I participated in a conference call this week with Colantoni, Dillon, Johnson, and executive producers Bill Mustos and Anne Marie La Traverse. Some highlights of the call:

When one of our favorite TV shows goes off the air, it can be devastating. However, many times, the cancellation is the birth of a spinoff. Sometimes it can be a great thing (Frasier) and sometimes not so much (AfterM*A*S*H).

Here are some of this month's spinoff ideas that I would love to see.

Mr. Hawkins Goes to Texas
After the conspiracy of the Cheyenne government was revealed on Jericho, Robert Hawkins (Lennie James) thought the hard part was behind him. He had no idea what was in store. As America tries to form a new governing body, they are desperate for honest men to help lead the way. With help from Mimi Clark (Alicia Coppolla), his personal assistant, Hawkins fights government bureaucracy with the same zeal that he fought domestic terrorism.

(S04E10) "It's always something." - Charlie

Great episode! I've always wondered when Don's team would encounter a situation right in their own building. While this wasn't on the grand scale that I imagined, this was still pretty damn good. Plus, you have to admit, right from the beginning it felt like a math problem. Two guys in a box. Sounds like the type of thing that was probably tossed around the conference room table when this show was originally developed. Sounds exactly like the type of thing that Charlie can take apart with theories and equations. And that's just what he did.

I'm sure Keith will talk about this more this evening when he reviews Veronica Mars, but I thought I'd just mention the following tidbit, just in case you want to warm up your DVR's (or those primitive VC...something-or-others).

There will be a mini-reunion of Just Shoot Me stars on tonight's episode of VM. Laura San Giacomo, who played Maya Gallo on the NBC comedy, will play a new client of Veronica's Dad, Keith. Mr. Mars is played by Enrico Colantoni, who portrayed Elliott Di Mauro on Shoot Me. On that show Maya and Elliott had an on-again, off-again romance. Tonight, San Giacomo's character will hire Keith to investigate her cheating husband.

One other thing to mention about tonight's Veronica is the appearance of Matt Czuchry. If that name sounds familiar to you it's because Matt stars as Logan, Rory Gilmore's boyfriend, on Gilmore Girls, which happens to precede Veronica on the CW Network's Tuesday night schedule. Creepy, isn't it? In tonight's episode he'll play the half-brother of Veronica's boyfriend, who is also named Logan. Wow, double creepy.

Hey Veronica Mars fans, don't get mad at me, it's not me saying it! It's Donna Freitas over at Beliefnet.com ("the religion and pop culture blog"):

"Each week, as the latest episode comes to a close, I am eager to see the previews of next week's scenes -- yet I'm always left with the feeling that something is missing from the series as a whole ...week after week, Veronica Mars, without fail, delivers incredible snappy dialogue from all its quirky characters, yet there is still an emptiness behind these words and conversations."

Readers: agree or disagree? I was a huge Buffy fan, but I've only seen a couple of eps of Veronica Mars (even though it seems like the type of show I'd love).

[via TV Tattle]