Tales of an Urban Indian will air Thursday, December 24, 8:30 PM ET on APTN East and 8:30 PM MT on APTN West.  APTN North will fling the show out December 26 at 11:00 PM CT.

The show is about First Nations actor Simon Douglas (Darrell Dennis), recently on-the-wagon and bothered by media stereotypes of Native people.  To combat this, Douglas becomes a documentarian.

Tales of an Urban Indian is based on Darrell Dennis’ play, which toured Off-Broadway earlier this year.  The play has existed in some form since 1999, although it’s only hit the American consciousness within the past year.  How the play will translate into a series, God only knows.

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The first episode of Health Nutz airs Sunday, December 27 at 11:00 PM ET (APTN East)/11:00 PM MT (APTN West)/11:00 PM CT (APTN North.)  Former hockey player/currently destitute Buzz Riel Jr. (Kevin Loring) inherits a juice bar from his father.  To keep the juice bar, Riel must stay clean and sober.  Hilarity is scheduled to ensue.

If Laura Mennell’s Facebook page is accurate, Health Nutz has already been picked up for six episodes.  Laura Mennell plays high-class pill/man popper Jennifer Noir in the pilot.  If Health Nutz has already made it to series, airing the pilot at 11:00 PM is odd scheduling.

APTN describes Health Nutz as “the juice-bar version of the hit sitcom Cheers…”  I love how APTN has to point out the hit series status of Cheers, a show which spent its final eight seasons in the Nielsen Top Ten.  I think APTN’s overselling Health Nutz a bit.

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I wasn’t sure if Wolf Canyon counted as an APTN pilot, but it does.  Kevin Sorbo is the name actor attached to the show, which threw me off.  Lorne Cardinal also has a role as Hoyt Talbot Jr.

The show centres around the cast of syndicated time filler Wolf Canyon, which Rick Denham (Sorbo) is the star of.  The object is to compare and contrast the fictitious Horse Head Lake First Nation reserve with production of a third-rate action series.

Kevin Sorbo is an interesting casting choice.  It reminds me of Alan Thicke’s role on jPod, in that Sorbo is playing the asshole version of himself.  Needless to say, Sorbo should know the world of syndicated fluff very well by this point.

Wolf Canyon will air Thursday, December 24, 8:00 PM ET on APTN East and 8:00 PM MT on APTN West.  APTN North will air Wolf Canyon December 26, midnight CT.