Upon the arrival of The Last of Us’ sixth episode dubbed Kin, many eager Canadian viewers jump to Crave to start watching. However, throughout the duration of the episode, many were left frustrated. For one reason or another, Crave’s app began signing people out. Thus, many viewers were left frustrated, unable to see the conclusion of the episode.
During the tail end of the last night’s episode of The Last of Us, Crave acknowledged the issues subscribers faced. “Our team is aware that some customers are experiencing technical difficulties with the Crave app, the @CraveHelp account said.
To our Crave subscribers, our team is aware that some customers are experiencing technical difficulties with the Crave app. We understand the urgency of the matter and are working as fast as possible to resolve it.Thank you for your pateince.
HBO’s The Last of Us has become appointment viewing for many fans of the video game series and newcomers alike. Naturally, these tech issues stirred some frustration. “We understand the urgency of the matter and are working as fast as possible to resolve it,” the account went on to say.
To make matters worse, the exact same tweet was published on Sunday, February 5th. The timing of the previous tweet was nearly the same down to the minute. Anecdotally, it doesn’t appear as though there is a consistent platform that is giving audiences trouble. As of the time of writing, it’s hard to say whether the issue predominantly stems from the mobile, smart TV, or console app.
It’s also not clear what issue Crave is facing exactly. Given the popularity of The Last of Us series, it stands to reason that perhaps there is too much demand. Given the case, it will be interesting to see whether or not Crave is able to rebound from this as the series continues over the next three weeks.
Earlier this month, Canadian artist The Weeknd revealed the first look at his upcoming concert event, The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium, is set to launch on February 25th. Available as part of an HBO broadcast, here’s how you can stream the concert event in Canada.
Following the premiere of his new live video for Die For You, The Weeknd announced his Live at SoFi Stadium concert event. Filmed in November 2022, The Weeknd filmed his performance as part of an HBO live special and is now ready to release it to the world.
“Experience the sold-out show like never before,” the description reads on the official trailer.
The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium was filmed in L.A. at the SoFi Stadium as part of the concluding stops on the Scarborough-born artist’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour. The special appears to be in some way a means to make it up to his fans. In September, The Weeknd was forced to cancel his second show in L.A. after losing his voice. Weeks later, the artist continued his tour but returned to SoFi Stadium on November 26th and 27th.
While the special is being broadcasted on HBO Max in the U.S. and other eligible regions, it’s available via Crave in Canada. The concert special is said to be roughly 95 minutes in length. The Weeknd serves as one of the many executive producers on the project.
Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Carnival Row (Season 2) [Amazon Original]
Amazon Prime Video Canada premiere date: February 17th, 2023 (first two episodes, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Fantasy Runtime: 10 episodes (around one hour each)
In this final season, a series of mysterious killings cause tensions between the Faefolk and humans, leading the denizens of Carnival Row to take action.
Carnival Row was created by Travis Beachum (Pacific Rim) and René Echevarria (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and stars Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings franchise) and Cara Delevingne (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets).
An Amazon Prime Video subscription is included at no additional cost with an Amazon Prime membership, which is priced at $99/year.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Apple TV+
Sharper [Apple Original]
Apple TV+ Canada premiere date: February 17th, 2023 Genre: Psychological thriller Runtime: 1 hour, 56 minutes
A young man on a path of vengeance cons billionaires in Manhattan.
Sharper was directed by Benjamin Caron (Andor) and stars Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights), Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy), Justice Smith (The Get Down), Brianna Middleton (The Tender Bar) and John Lithgow (The Crown).
Crave premiere date: February 16th, 2023 (first episode, new episode every Friday) Genre: Sci-fi Runtime: 10 episodes (around one hour each)
After receiving a desperate message from a long-lost friend, Picard must embark on his most daring mission yet with old and new friends alike.
Picard is based on Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek franchise and was created by Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay), Kirsten Beyer (Star Trek: Discovery) and Alex Kurtzman (2009’s Star Trek).
The series features an ensemble cast that includes Star Trek: The Next Generation veterans Patrick Stewart (Picard), LeVar Burton (La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Gates McFadden (Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Troi), Brent Spiner (Lore) and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine).
The new four-part Crave Original documentary series is produced, written, and co-directed by Anishinaabe journalist Ryan McMahon, who is on a quest to uncover the truth behind the deaths of numerous Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ontario. #ThunderBay premieres Feb 17 on Crave. pic.twitter.com/ixLIQYJGJv
Anishinaabe journalist Ryan McMahon investigates the deaths of numerous Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Crave premiere date: February 17th, 2023 (first two episodes, final two episodes on February 24th) Genre: True crime documentary Runtime: 10 episodes (around 45 minutes each)
Original theatrical release date: September 16th, 2022
Crave premiere date: February 17th, 2023 Genre: Historical action-drama Runtime: 2 hours, 15 minutes
In the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1823, a general trains the next generation of warriors to fight a foreign enemy.
The Woman King was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard) and stars Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad), Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die), Sheila Atim (The Underground Railroad) and John Boyega (Star Wars series).
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Netflix
Full Swing [Netflix Original]
Netflix Canada premiere date: February 15th, 2023 Genre: Sports documentary Runtime: Eight episodes (41 to 50 minutes each)
This docuseries follows pro golfers like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka on and off the course during competitions.
Perfect Match [Netflix Original]
Netflix Canada premiere date: February 14th, 2023 (first four episodes, new episodes every Tuesday) Genre: Reality competition Runtime: 12 episodes (around 50 minutes each)
98 Degrees’ Nick Lachey hosts this new dating series bringing together hopefuls from series like Love Is Blind, The Mole and Too Hot to Handle.
But of all the places they visited during their year-long shoot in the province, there was one place, in particular, that stood out: Canmore.
“My favourite place that we went to was Canmore, for sure,” Ramsey noted, to which Pascal excitedly agreed. “Every inch of Canmore was just this magical little town… with really great fudge,” he added. (Sadly, we weren’t able to ask where he got said fudge.)
Now, we’re finally getting to see the small Alberta town in the hit HBO drama series. In the sixth episode, premiering February 19th, Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) head to Jackson, Wyoming to find Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna). As co-creator/co-showrunner Craig Mazin told us, Canmore was a “dead ringer” for Jackson thanks to its beautiful, snowy vistas.
It’s worth noting that The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season, which will adapt The Last of Us Part II. The game’s opening hours are also set in Jackson, so it remains to be seen if HBO will bring the production back to Canmore for these scenes. For now, though, we have Episode 6 (titled “Kin”) to enjoy, as well as the remaining three episodes.
Part of the appeal of The Last of Us has been to see all of Alberta’s stunning geography, and it’s something that the cast and crew have continued to praise. In a recent interview, Jeffrey Pierce, who plays Perry in the series and Tommy in the games, told us that his time shooting in Calgary was likely his “favourite” filming experience to date. John Paino, the series’ production designer, has also said that he was “shocked” at how “clean” Alberta ended up being.
Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Somebody I Used To Know [Amazon Original]
Amazon Prime Video Canada premiere date: February 10th, 2023 Genre: Romantic comedy Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes
A workaholic returns to her hometown and starts to question her life choices after running in with her ex and his fiancée.
Somebody I Used To Know was co-written and directed by Dave Franco (The Rental) and stars Alison Brie (Community), Jay Ellis (Insecure) and Kiersey Clemons (Dope).
An Amazon Prime Video subscription is included at no additional cost with an Amazon Prime membership, which is priced at $99/year.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Crave
C.B. Strike: Troubled Blood
Amazon Prime Video Canada premiere date: February 6th, 2023 (first episode, new episodes at 9pm ET) Genre: Crime drama Runtime: Four episodes (around one hour each)
A war-veteran-turned-P.I. takes on a cold case of a missing mother with his partner while dealing with a devastating family diagnosis.
C.B. Strike: Troubled Blood is based on Robert Galbraith’s crime novels and stars Tom Burke (Mank) and Holliday Granger (The Borgias).
Original theatrical release date: May 20th, 2022
Crave premiere date: February 10th, 2023 Genre: Historical drama Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes
The Crawleys travel to France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess’s newly inherited villa.
Downton Abbey was directed by Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold) and features many returning cast members from the series, including Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Elizabeth McGovern and Maggie Smith.
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Netflix Canada premiere date: February 9th, 2023 Genre: Psychological thriller Runtime: Five episodes (around one hour each)
Joe starts a new life as a university professor in England and gets caught up in English’s high capital society, leading him to run in with the so-called ‘Eat the Rich Killer.’
Based on Caroline Kepne’s novel series of the same name, You was created by Greg Berlanti (Arrowverse) and Sera Gamble (The Magicians) and stars Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), Charlotte Ritchie (Feel Good) and Tilly Keeper (EastEnders).
Stream You here. Note that Season 4’s five-episode second half will premiere on March 9th.
Best friends Debbie and Peter find their lives changed after swapping houses for a week.
Your Place or Mine was written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and stars Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde), Ashton Kutcher (That ’70s Show), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) and Tig Notaro (Army of the Dead).
The full list of movies and shows hitting Netflix Canada this month can be found here.
Paramount+
Orphan: First Kill
Original theatrical release date: August 19th, 2022
Netflix Canada premiere date: February 10th, 2023 Genre: Horror Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes
In this prequel to 2009’s Orphan, Esther escapes from a psychiatric facility and travels to America by impersonating a missing daughter, putting her into conflict with the family’s matriarch.
Orphan: First Kill was directed by William Brent Bell (Separation) and stars Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) and Vancouver’s Rossif Sutherland (Reign).
Stream Orphan: First Kill here.
A Paramount+ subscription costs $8.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Paramount+ Canada this month can be found here.
Part of the appeal of HBO’s The Last of Us series is how it adds to the story of the original PlayStation game upon which it’s based.
In one case, this meant dramatically expanding the love story between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) in the standout third episode, which was only hinted at in the original game. Elsewhere, this might lead to introducing new characters.
Nowhere has the latter been more apparent than in Episodes 4 and 5 of the show, in which creators and showrunners Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (the original The Last of Us game) introduce not one, but two new figures. Enter Kansas City revolutionary leader Kathleen (Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey) and her right-hand man Perry (Bosch‘s Jeffrey Pierce).
Jeffrey Pierce as Perry.
But for fans of both 2013’s The Last of Us and its 2020 sequel, Pierce is perhaps most recognizable for another role: Tommy, the younger brother of protagonist Joel. With Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) portraying Tommy in the series, Pierce has been given the chance to play a completely new character. It wasn’t always going to be that way, though.
“They actually had me read for a different part, and they had me read for it three times,” Pierce reveals to MobileSyrup in a roundtable interview. While he coyly declined to reveal what that part might be, he says Mazin and Druckmann soon presented him with the character of Perry.
“Ultimately, they came back and said, ‘Look, we’re never gonna believe you as a victim, which is a very gratifying thing to hear.’ And a week later, they called and said, ‘Hey, we got this guy that we think you’d be perfect for.’ So it was sort of a roundabout way back to the kind of casting that is really in my wheelhouse.”
Indeed, Perry is tough and resolved like Tommy, but with a unique wrinkle that sets him apart thanks to his relationship with Kathleen. Where Tommy leaves Joel (Pedro Pascal) to go off on his own, Perry follows Kathleen, who’s taken over as revolutionary leader from her brother, and serves as both muscle and advisor.
“I enjoyed Tommy for a lot of reasons, but Perry is the sort of iconic Ronin samurai who’s found his purpose, and what more could I ask for?” says Pierce.
Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen.
For Pierce, the HBO series also presented a new way to experience a world he’s acted in for well over 10 years. In the games, he’d record in a studio with no resemblance to The Last of Us‘ post-apocalyptic world, surrounded by fellow actors in offbeat motion-capture outfits.
While he says the challenge of imagining everything through motion capture “takes you back to the roots of why you fell in love with acting,” he was still in awe of the experience of actually filming in real Alberta locations. With an estimated budget of over $100 million USD (about $133.7 million CAD), The Last of Us is believed to be the most expensive TV production in Canadian history, and it shows.
“Walking onto the sets that they built, especially for Episode 5’s climactic exchange — they built that entire neighbourhood. That was a parking lot, and they built it from the ground up,” he says, referring to the big battle between Kathleen’s forces and infected creatures that Joel, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), Henry (Toronto’s Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard) get dragged into.
“And if there’s any CG, it’s just the sky. Everything else is practical. And that was unbelievable. I mean, it’s got to be 15 to 20 houses that they built the skeletons of, and then the actual façades of, and then they’ve got one that’s burned down, and the only thing left was a chimney. And they did every single piece of detail in there. So to get to come to play on something that was given that much love and sweat and blood to build — you felt that you had to honour what they had done with your work. And that made it a really, really special experience.”
Also adding to his time on the show: Calgary.
“With COVID, I was kept pretty contained [in] downtown Calgary, which was still great. I’ve shot all over Canada, and the thing that I enjoy, regardless of where I’ve been, is the people. They’re just such a lovely bunch. And that crew in Calgary was amazing. This is another first experience, and I think there were probably 250, 300 people on the crew. And more than two-thirds of them took that job because they were fans of the game; [it] impacted their lives in such a way that maybe that’s why they got into production, maybe that’s why they got into TV and film. But they took that job specifically because it was The Last of Us.”
For Pierce, this all brought his long-running journey with The Last of Us full circle.
“Walking onto set the first day was like walking into my own living room because everyone knew me as Tommy from the game and were just so warm and welcoming and kind and generous. I think it was maybe my favourite experience filming because of that.”
As previously confirmed, the fifth episode, “Endure and Survive,” was to premiere on Friday, February 10th instead of Sunday, February 12th to avoid the Super Bowl. However, Crave users quickly noticed that the February 5th episode, “Please Hold to My Hand,” was showing up instead.
Beyond this streaming snafu, “Endure and Survive” is notable for a few reasons. To start, it features Toronto’s own Lamar Johnson in the key role of Henry, a man looking to escape Kansas City with his little brother, Sam. It also features two original characters: Melanie Lynskey as revolutionary leader Kathleen and Jeffrey Pierce (who played Tommy in the video games) as her right-hand man, Perry.
For more on “Endure and Survive,” read our interview with Pierce, in which he talks about what it was like to shoot in Calgary.
At the end of last week’s episode of The Last of Us, a man and his little brother get the drop on Joel and Ellie, holding them at gunpoint.
Those who’ve played the original PlayStation game that inspired the hit HBO series will recognize them as Henry and Sam, arguably two of its most memorable characters. (If you know, you know.)
But what many might not know, however, is that the older brother, Henry, is played by Toronto’s own Lamar Johnson. The 28-year-old actor is best known for a lead role in the Canadian teen drama series The Next Step, as well as appearances in the likes of The Hate U Give and Your Honor. He also stars in Brother, an upcoming Toronto-set drama that garnered rave reviews at TIFF.
Henry (Johnson) and Sam (Woodard). Image credit: HBO
While that brotherly relationship was present in the game, the show tweaks Henry’s background by giving him a troubled history with the new character, Kathleen, a ruthless revolutionary leader played by Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey.
Some other changes from the game: HBO’s version of Sam is younger and Deaf (Woodard is also Deaf himself), which is a nice move for representation. We’ll see this all play out in the fifth episode, titled “Endure and Survive.”
Henry (performed by Brandon Scott) in The Last of Us’ PS5 remake. Image credit: PlayStation
Johnson is one of The Last of Us‘ many Canadian connections. Most notably, the series was filmed in Alberta for an entire year, shooting in such locations as Calgary, Edmonton, High River and Lethbridge. However, it was the small town of Canmore that stars Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) raved the most about in a recent interview with MobileSyrup. “Every inch of Canmore was just this magical little town… with really great fudge,” Pascal told us.
HBO has announced that it is moving up the premiere of the fifth episode of The Last of Usto avoid conflicting with the Super Bowl.
Normally, new episodes of the hit post-apocalyptic drama series drop on Sundays at 9pm ET, which would overlap with the big game on February 12th. Now, The Last of Us Episode 5 will arrive on Friday, February 10th at 9pm ET. Bell has confirmed that it will begin streaming at the same time on its Crave platform in Canada. Otherwise, the remaining episodes of The Last of Us will stream each Sunday at 9pm ET.
The Last of Us has had a strong momentum since premiering on January 15th, landing HBO its second-biggest series debut after House of the Dragon. This has resulted in the network quickly renewing the show for a second season, which will adapt The Last of Us Part II.
In Canada, specifically, The Last of Us has generated a lot of buzz for filming in Alberta. With a reported budget of over $100 million USD (about $135 million CAD), the show is believed to be the biggest TV production in Canadian history.
Dean Daley and I recently went to San Fransisco to cover the launch of Samsung’s S23 series smartphones, and much to our surprise, Bell’s Crave streaming service seemed to work on our iPads while in the United States.
This is strange because usually when I’m in the U.S., I can’t access Crave since other U.S.-based streaming services hold the rights to most of its content and because of this, the platform is region-locked to Canada.
When testing Crave out on my laptop, it didn’t work, but the iPad app skirts the region-lock for some reason. Dean and I used an iPad mini, with mine on 5G and his on Wi-Fi. The MacBook I tested this on was also on Wi-Fi.
There’s no way to say for sure if this is a bug, but if you want to catch up on the latest episodes of The Last of Us in the U.S., this might be a simple way. I’m reasonably sure the last time I tried to watch Crave in the U.S. on an iPad was at WWDC in the summer, so something within the Crave app seems to have changed since then.
I’ll also mention that I was able to watch content on Paramount+ on my iPad for a few days of my trip, and then on the last night, it stopped working and I was locked out.
Have you been able to watch Crave on an iPad when outside of Canada? Let us know in the comments below.
