On the heels of its announcement that Canwest Broadcasting programmer Emily Morgan is to oversee HGTV Canada, replacing Anna Gecan, who last month jumped to the channel’s US counterpart, HGTV has unveiled its fall ’09 schedule with four new original series and three newly acquired series targeting the 25 to 54 demo.
Realtor vs. Realtor, slated for 13, 30-minute episodes, debuts Sept. 30 at 8 pm ET and features real estate agents who compete against one another to find a couple the perfect home. The network says viewers should expect ‘aggressive behaviour, cut-throat strategies and honest goodwill’ out of the contestants.
Starting Oct. 1 at 8 pm ET, Mike Holmes will bring his special brand of consumer activism to Holmes Inspection. Like he does with renos, Mike will find out what went wrong in the home inspections and seek to make it right during the hour-long show. Twenty-six episodes are slated.
The world broadcast of Family Renovation kicks off Oct. 1 at 9 pm ET. The show follows the Grant family as they plan and execute a home renovation. The crux is that the family has five kids under the age of 10 and wants to live in the house while it’s being renovated. Deadline-fuelled chaos promises to abound.
Morgan, already VP of content for the Food Network Canada and Fine Living channels, will also create original programming for the property and design-themed Canadian lifestyle channel. As part of her responsibilities, Morgan will oversee an increasing number of co-productions between HGTV US and HGTV Canada.
That beefed-up cooperation comes as the HGTVs slowly turn their programming focus away from the frenzied bidding wars of better times to more design shows, in which homeowners renovate and remain in their homes.
‘There’s not the same interest in watching people flipping because the property market has changed a lot,’ says Morgan. ‘Nesting and how to love the place you’re in, that’s a more relevant strategy.’
Morgan will be aided in her new role by Tanya Linton, director of original production for HGTV Canada.
The four newly acquired shows on HGTV this fall include Real Estate Intervention: The Canadian premiere of this half-hour show debuts Sept. 30 at 8:30 pm ET and features home sellers comparing their homes against others a similar price point so that they can best price their house and beat the competition. The show will culminate each week with the revelation of what home sold first.
Also newly acquired is The Unsellables UK arrives on Canadian shores for its North American premiere on Sept. 30 at 9:30 pm. With 20 episodes slated to go, the British edition of this Canadian original mirrors its Canuck roots in content and format as homeowners try to get rid of properties that just won’t sell by transforming them into valuable properties.
Carter Can gets its Canadian premiere on Sept. 28 at 5 pm ET and will air weekdays to follow. The show follows the dashing home improvement expert Carter Oosterhouse as he works with homeowners who can’t seem to get their renovations done. Green building solutions and environmentally friendly approaches will be a feature of the show. A total of 13, 30-minute episodes are slated for fall.
With files from Playback Daily
