Bell Media has announced a programming slate with more than 1,000 hours of new and returning original English- and French-language content ahead of its 2023-24 Upfront presentation Thursday.

The 1,037-hour programming lineup totals 96 titles – which is roughly the same number as last year and includes a new daytime talk and lifestyle show led by Mary Berg (Mary Makes it Easy).

On the programming front, Bell Media has expanded its original commissions for Crave for 2023-24, revealing a dozen new scripted and unscripted titles for the streamer.

The new additions to Crave include a number of scripted companies. There’s Winnipeg-set Indigenous high school comedy Don’t Even and working-class comedy The Trades from Roller Coaster Entertainment, producers of The Trailer Park Boys, and Blink49 Studios. Crave will also launch its “first-ever” short-form series with Nesting.

Comedy duo Jae and Trey Richards lead scripted title The Officer Movers, about two college dropouts whose company is near bankruptcy, while Crave has also ordered the “rapid-fire” sketch comedy The Dessert, presented by Bruce McCulloch (The Kids in the Hall) and co-created by Shane Cunningham, who stars alongside Isabella Campbell and Jillian Smart, with music from Arkells singer and executive producer Max Kerman.

On the unscripted side, Bell Media confirmed the Cream Productions U.K./Canada docuseries The Optimist’s Guide to the Planet with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (pictured, bottom left) will debut in Canada on Crave.

Bell Media also unveiled six new documentaries for the streamer: The Art of Dance, directed and produced by Kevin John Fitzgerald; Garry Tutte’s Beauty Kings; Nicole Bazuin’s Modern Whore; Postnatural, directed by Brett Story and co-directed by Ben Travers; Thyrone Tommy’s Russell Peters (Loft Entertainment); and Akash Sherman’s Singhs in the Ring.

The programming additions join previously announced scripted series Bria Mack Gets a Life, Late Bloomer (pictured top right), In Memoriam and So Long, Marianne; unscripted series Billionaire Murders and I Have Nothing; and documentaries 299 Queen Street West, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, Audiophilia: Adventures in the World of Hi-Fi, Smoke & Gifts: It’s all Gonna Break, Wilfred Buck  and Naked: Sex and Gender.

Bell Media also announced that Crave unscripted series We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada Vs. The World have been renewed for season seconds.

Previously announced renewals include New Metric Media’s Letterkenny (season 12) and spinoff Shoresy (season two), as well as season four of Canada’s Drag Race, season two of Pillow Talk and season three of Présumé innocent: l’affaire Sébastien Métivier, which also airs on French-language channel Canal D.

CTV

Launching on CTV during the 2023-24 broadcast season is the new daytime talk and lifestyle series The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. The daily series is produced by Bell Media Studios, hosted by Berg, and will be taped in front of a live studio audience weekday mornings at Bell Media’s Toronto location at 299 Queen St. W.

The Good Stuff with Mary Berg will include segments on cooking, gardening, home renovation and other DIY tricks from a variety of experts, as well as interviews with celebrities, influencers, authors and “everyday heroes.”

Opportunities for sponsorship and branding are currently available, including brand integration, social extensions, custom content, shoppable media and sponsored activations, said the release.

CTV has also ordered the lifestyle special The Take Back, where an expert team will surprise Canadians across the country with a second chance at a cancelled celebration.

The network announced earlier this week that it has ordered reality competition series The Traitors: Canada, produced by Entourage Television, which is also producing a French-language version for fellow Bell Media channel Noovo. Both series are hosted by actor Karine Vanasse (pictured right).

Other previously announced titles include the game show Battle of the Generations, hosted by Lilly Singh, and scripted series Sight Unseen, created by Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy.

Newly announced renewals on CTV include second seasons for romance competition Farming for Love and drama series Sullivan’s Crossing, the latter of which is headed to The CW for its U.S. debut this fall.

The channel has also renewed its in-house daytime and lifestyle series, including season eight of Your Morning, season 22 of Etalk, and season 11 of The Social.

CTV’s previously announced renewals are season nine of reality competition The Amazing Race Canada, season three of the comedy Children Ruin Everything, and season four of the drama Transplant.

Bell Media announced new acquisitions for CTV last week, including scripted dramas Tracker and High Potential. Its returning series include 9-1-1: Lone Star, Will Trent, Blue Bloods, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Magnum P.I., The Good Doctor, The Masked Singer, The Rookie, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Conners, The Cleaning Lady, Lego Masters, Not Dead Yet, Young Sheldon, and the continuation of the Got Talent franchise with the untitled America’s Got Talent series.

Specialty

Bell Media has ordered three new titles for its CTV-branded channels. CTV Sci-Fi Channel will be the “exclusive home” in Canada for horror comedy Reginald the Vampire, joining previously announced title Paranormal Revenge.

CTV Drama Channel has greenlit the docuseries The Squad, about a Texas woman who was arrested for hiring a hitman to kill her daughter’s cheerleading rival, while CTV Comedy Channel has ordered the comedy special The RP4 Hosted by Russell Peters. The broadcaster previously announced CTV Life Channel’s upcoming series Staying Inn: Hotel Julie.

Bell Media has also announced a raft of renewals for its specialty channels, including scripted comedy Acting Good and unscripted series Roast Battle Canada for CTV Comedy, as well as season three of Mary Makes it Easy for CTV Life.

Unscripted titles Highway Thru Hell, Forensic Factor and Last of the Giants have been renewed at Discovery for their respective 12th, seventh and third seasons, while season nine of Fear Thy Neighbor has been greenlit for Discovery ID.

Previously announced renewals include season two of CTV Sci-Fi’s SurrealEstate and season three of Discovery’s Mud Mountain Haulers.

Image courtesy of Bell Media