CBC cancels lifestyles series ‘The Goods’
CBC SHOW WILL RUN UNTIL MAY 10
Here are the goods on “The Goods:” it’s not coming back next fall. CBC confirmed Tuesday that their daytime lifestyle series has been cancelled after two seasons.
Steven Sabados, Jessi Cruickshank, Andrea Bain and Shahir Massoud all host the series, which premiered in the fall of 2016. Reminiscent of Sabados’ previous series with late husband and business partner Chris Hyndman, “The Goods” taped its final episode last week and will play out the season weekdays at 2 p.m. until May 10. Jennifer Dettman, CBC’s executive director, unscripted content, says the public broadcaster will continue to offer lifestyle content via the digital portal CBC Life.
According to data research company Numeris, the current, confirmed season-to-date average among Canadians 2+ is 66,000 viewers nation-wide. “The Goods” drew slightly less its first season, averaging 62,000.
The decision to cancel the series, however, wasn’t just about numbers.
“We are proud of the show,” says Dettman, acknowledging daytime - like all of television - has become a highly competitive market and genre. Taking “The Goods” off the CBC’s TV schedule, maintains Dettman, “is part of our ongoing redirection of programming budgets from television to digital content.”
The public broadcaster announced a few seasons ago it would begin focusing its resources on digital, streamed programming “as a strategic priority.”
The demise of “The Goods” follows Rick Mercer’s decision to shut down “The Mercer Report” after 15 seasons. The two were among the remaining regular studio-audience series at CBC’s downtown Toronto broadcast centre.
This spring, the major tenant at CBC Toronto is Rogers. The rival broadcaster’s between-periods set for “Hockey Night in Canada” occupies one of the bigger soundstages on CBC’s 10th floor.
Aside from annual “Air Farce” New Year’s Eve tapings and budding entrepreneurs pitching wares on “Dragons’ Den,” there currently seems to be little use for the purpose-built studios within the walls of CBC’s broadcast centre.
That’s more coincidence or optics than agenda, suggests CBC’s head of publicity Katherine Wolfgang. She says a soon-tobe-announced new competition show, coming next season, will definitely be taped in Toronto before a studio audience. Other studio-based shows, she says, are in development.
CBC does currently partner on or produce a number of studio audience shows taped in other parts of Canada. “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” originates in Halifax and “Still Standing” travels to towns all across Canada. CBC’s studio audience specials include comedy festivals in Winnipeg and Halifax as well as Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” galas.
CBC also announced in December that a new, ground floor studio is coming to the Toronto broadcast centre, allowing visitors a behind-thescenes peek at CBC Kids interactive, multi-platform productions.
As for scripted, prime-time programming, CBC has already announced the return of the following programs for next season: the reversioned Green Gables drama “Anne,” “Baroness von Sketch Show,” “Burden of Truth,” “Dragons’ Den,” “Frankie Drake Mysteries,” “The Great Canadian Baking Show,” “Kim’s Convenience,” “Little Dog,” “Mr. D” (for a seventh and final season), “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Still Standing,” “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” and “Workin’ Moms.”
More renewals are expected to be announced at the network’s annual season preview event. That will be held late next month in — where else? — a giant soundstage at the Toronto broadcast centre.