Hello, Canada and hockey fans in the United States. Is there enough of our national game on the dial for you these days? The opening rounds of the NHL playoffs are currently winding down, after which the TV coverage seems to ramp up. If you're still putting off that spring cleaning or raking out the flower beds, there's daytime playoff hockey today (TSN, 3 p.m.) and tomorrow (NBC, TSN, 2 p.m.). Take a break this weekend with some top-drawer Canadian news reporting, a documentary on swarming bugs and beasties and the car-crash appeal of Donald Trump and B-list celebrities. Of course there's also hockey in prime time every night, but no need to try and take it in all at once. If all the playoff series go the distance, we'll still be watching in June.
W5
Saturday, CTV, 7 p.m.
The sturdy newsmagazine closes its season with two startling stories, both reported by Victor Malarek. The first is an update on Mirapex, which has been touted as a wonder drug for those afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Malarek meets two Canadians whose lives were very nearly undone by the drug. Mirapex did control some symptoms of the degenerative disease, but it also unleashed some unpleasant impulses - including hyper-sexuality and compulsive gambling. Neither patient was warned of the potential side effects. As revealed, Health Canada only began alerting Canadians of the side effects once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the makers of Mirapex began issuing warnings to patients in the United States.
The second report profiles victims of Golden Gate Funds LP, which pulled in potential investors by listing such reputable names as former prime minister John Turner and ex-RCMP commissioner Norman Inkster as being on its board of directors. The list was fictitious, and to date investors haven't got a penny of their money back. Malarek goes looking for answers from Golden Gate's founder, even tracking him down to his palatial mansion in Richmond Hill, Ont. Good on you, Victor.
Superswarms
Sunday, Discovery Channel, 8 p.m.
Birds of a feather flock together, as Carole Pope used to sing, and so do bees, fish, mice and almost every other creature under the sun. This two-hour BBC documentary focuses on the dramatic occurrence of creatures swarming together by the millions - billions, trillions, even, in the case of mayflies and other species. The program touches on the apparently secret world of communication that exists within the animal kingdom, but the watch factor is, of course, the remarkable and terrifying swarm footage, much of it captured on home camcorders and cellphone cameras. In Costa Rica, a massive swarm of killer bees buzz spectators at a soccer match. In South Australia, a virtual sea of mice run roughshod over farms, devouring everything in their path. And in Rome, tens of millions of starlings are threatening to take over the city, or at least bury it in excrement. Even with the alarmist tone, it's an amazing film.
Celebrity Apprentice
Sunday, NBC, Global, 9 p.m.
Can someone kindly explain why I keep watching this show? Every Sunday night, without fail, I'm drawn by the siren's call of the celebrity edition of Donald Trump's business-challenge reality series. And once it's over, I kick myself for wasting two more hours of my life. In any case, ratings for this edition are starting to plummet, so this could be the last chance to watch Trump humiliate low-rung celebrities in a controlled setting. On tonight's new episode, the two teams are assigned the task of creating a celebrity workout class. Once again, the semi-stars immediately get on each other's nerves, and Cyndi Lauper irritates everyone. As he's done in the past, The Donald tries to keep things interesting by randomly mixing up the teams, ostensibly to even the odds.
Check local listings.
John Doyle returns on Monday.