CBC still churning out fresh TV

At a time when TV networks are wracked with uncertainty, thanks to production shutdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic, CBC is forging ahead with a schedule for the 2020-2021 season.

The public broadcaster announced its plans Wednesday during a virtual upfront presentation geared to advertisers and others in the industry.

“Unlike others, CBC has a confirmed schedule and brand-new original programming to offer this fall — 1,300 hours across all genres,” said Sally Catto, CBC’S head of English television programming.

Five new series are set for fall, among them the docuseries Enslaved (led by Samuel L. Jackson), which tracks the history of slavery. Orangeville Prep is a factual series that peeks inside a basketball preparatory program, while the drama Trickster is based on the novel Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson. Trickster has already been renewed for a second season.

The network will also debut the Canada-new Zealand co-production The Sounds, a thriller set in a sleepy New Zealand town. The U.k.-france co-production War of the Worlds will debut in Canada — the adaptation of H.G. Wells’ story stars Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth Mcgovern and Daisy Edgar-jones.

Returning series for this fall include Battle of the Blades, Family Feud Canada, Baroness Von Sketch Show, Pure, Dragons’ Den and The Nature of Things — kicking off with the documentary State of the Planet, featuring David Suzuki and David Attenborough. CBC also firmed up its programming for early 2021, including the new show Lady Dicks, about two mismatched detectives played by Meredith Macneill and Adrienne C. Moore. New factual series Arctic Vets, meanwhile, will follow a team of veterinarians tending to wildlife in Canada’s frozen North.

The CBC winter slate also includes a batch of returning favourites: New seasons of Frankie Drake Mysteries, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Heartland, Kim’s Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries, Tallboyz, Workin’ Moms and Coroner are all scheduled to air.