CBC needs more ‘great Canadian storytelling’ after loss of hit TV shows, say experts
TORONTO
Tuesday’s Canadian Screen Award nominations featured many gains for the CBC but also highlighted its massive losses.
Many of the public broadcaster’s nominated shows have ended for various reasons in recent months, shaking up what has been a golden era of its TV lineup.
Global smash “Schitt’s Creek,” which is up for a leading 21 CSA trophies, wrapped its sixth and final season on its own terms last year.
The buzzy “Trickster,” a 15-time nominee, was cancelled after just one season this past January amid controversy over co-creator Michelle Latimer’s claims of Indigenous ancestry.
The beloved “Kim’s
Convenience,” up for 11 awards, is set to wrap up with its fifth-season finale on April 13 after producers said its co-creators were moving on to other projects.
“Baroness Von Sketch Show” left the air after its fifth season last fall in what the comedy troupe felt was “a natural time” to end.
“Frankie Drake Mysteries” wasn’t renewed after four seasons last month. And “Burden of Truth” concluded with its fourth season earlier this month after producers said it had a “natural end.”
Industry experts say the outcry over the demise of those shows proves the public broadcaster is doing its job by making quality, distinctively Canadian programming that is popular on global platforms like Netflix and the CW.
In order to continue that momentum, however, observers say the corporation must continue to focus on diverse, homegrown scripted programming that serves Canadian culture — and it needs adequate funding to do so.
“While all good things do come to an end, I think we need to make sure the replacements, whatever comes next, lean in even harder to great Canadian storytelling that’s shamelessly, distinctively
Canadian,” says Daniel Bernhard, executive director of watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
“It works here and it works around the world. The private networks, we know, are less inclined to make this kind of programming. The CBC makes it and it’s good. And so we need to do more of it.”
But the government must also play a role, Bernhard adds, noting the cost of TV production has significantly increased but the CBC’s budget hasn’t risen since 2016.
“The CBC continues to be among the most poorly funded public broadcasters in the world. And the private TV companies are also disappearing, because all the ad revenue goes to Google and Facebook, and all the subscription revenue goes to Netflix and Amazon, so their ability to finance Canadian programming is also diminished,” says Bernhard.