Okay, we know it’s only April – but here’s a bold declaration: Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story is hands down the best new Canadian TV show to premiere so far this year, writes critic J. Kelly Nestruck. The full series, now available to stream on Paramount+, lands some gold-medal guffaws about one of the biggest steroids-in-sports scandals of all time. Packed with politically incorrect humour, the show is a powerful exploration of family separation and our tortured relationship to our neighbours to the south.

And while we’re handing out raves, don’t miss Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks, a rom-com that expertly mines the missteps of wasted youth. Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick and Jay Baruchel star in this film that follows Grace (Ferreira) as she leaves the comfort of the Toronto suburbs for Montreal’s burgeoning indie music scene. What follows is a funny, heartwarming encapsulation of the pain and joy of early adulthood.

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