Canadian networks shop new, and old, U.S. shows
Broadcasters also prepare to reveal homegrown debuts, as well as returning series
Canada’s private TV networks will gamble approximately $700 million in Los Angeles later this month as they try to import the next big hit TV series.
What will they be buying? ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW will showcase their new wares at their annual “upfronts” to advertisers beginning the week of May15. The networks will be showing off new series starring the likes of Carol Burnett, Felicity Huffman, Jon Cryer, Eva Longoria, David Boreanaz and Lauren Graham.
Meanwhile, Colm Feore, Emily Van-Camp and Bruce Greenwood are among the Canadian-born stars hoping their show is the next big thing.
There are fewer remakes this year, although NBC is bringing back Will & Grace and the CW is rebooting Dynasty. The superhero trend has also cooled, with Marvel’s Inhumans being one exception.
The CW has been a dependable supplier to Canadian programmers. One bonus is that so much CW content is shot north of the border. Already renewed for next season are Vancouver productions Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Supernatural.
Several of TV’s longest-running shows have been renewed, including Survivor, Grey’s Anatomy and The Simpsons (back for at least two more seasons). Less certain are renewals for more recent fare such as Quantico, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow and Blindspot. Other American shows “on the bubble” for renewal are Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Code Black, Elementary, Prison Break and the Vancouver-produced Timeless.
At the end of the month and into June, Canadian networks will present their new shows to advertisers in Toronto. CBC announces May 24 and has by far the deepest bench of homegrown fare.
New to CBC will be Alias Grace, a sixhour miniseries inspired by the story of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant and maid convicted of murder in Upper Canada in 1843.
Frankie Drake stars Lauren Lee Smith ( The Listener) as Toronto’s only female private detective. The Great Canadian Baking Show will bring bakers across Canada together in a series of culinary challenges. The comedy Crawford, from the creator of Trailer Park Boys, features an unconventional family with a raccoon problem.
Long-running favourites This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Rick Mercer Report, Murdoch Mysteries, Dragons’ Den (featuring the return of Arlene Dickinson), Mr. D and Heartland will all be back on CBC. New series Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms will also return, and Schitt’s Creek is back for Season 4. CBC is waiting until Netflix launches Anne outside Canada before deciding the fate of their Green Gables heroine. As previously announced, This Life will not return for a third season.
CTV is bringing back the detective drama Cardinal starring Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse. New homegrown shows from CTV include The Launch, a six-part talent search series. The Detail is a detective series starring Wendy Crewson and Shenae Grimes-Beech, while The Disappearance is an intense, six-episode psychological drama. Global’s got the second season of Jason Priestley’s lighthearted detective drama Private Eyes returning May 25.
City’s original series Bad Blood wrapped production in Montreal and Sudbury this winter. The six-part crime examines the true-life saga of Canadian mob boss Vito Rizzuto. Look for it this fall.