TV Blog Buzz: Best Canadian shows of 2013; behind ‘The Simpsons’ merch empire

TV Guide Canada has taken a straw poll of some of the country’s TV critics to name the best Canadian show of the year. The winner? By an overwhelming result, votes from the 16 critics awarded the prize to the Space series “Orphan Black.” Second was the City comedy “Seed,” followed by CTV’s “Amazing Race Canada,” CBC’s “Murdoch Mysteries,” the Movie Network’s “Call Me Fitz,” CBC’s “Republic of Doyle,” Global’s “Rookie Blue,” Showcase’s “Lost Girl,” Global’s “Bomb Girls,” Showcase’s “Continuum,” CTV’s “Motive” and HBO Canada’s “Less Than Kind.” http://bit.ly/1hrt9Mi

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The seemingly everlasting success of “The Simpsons” boggles the mind. It’s been on the air since 1989, and while some fans would debate how good it really is today compared to its earlier glory years, there’s no hint of it going away after 25 seasons. And why would it, considering how much of a cash cow it is? Fast Company takes a look at the multi-billion dollar empire built with show merchandise and spin-offs, including recent efforts to let fans design official T-shirts. http://bit.ly/1cFSg9A

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The trend of celebrating a cultural anniversary by compiling an oral history of it — that is, getting the key players involved to recount their stories in their own words — may have just jumped the shark. New York magazine’s Vulture blog put the work into celebrating that monumental moment in TV history when Tori Spelling’s Donna Martin character lost her virginity on “Beverly Hills, 90210.” It probably wouldn’t make a Top 1,000 list of memorable TV moments, but fans of the show will appreciate the trip back through memory lane with Canadian Jason Priestley, who directed the episode. http://vult.re/JKWHbO