The CBC is calling the upcoming fall season ‘a transition year,’ as the TV net introduces more youthful programming and adapts to a 24-hour schedule for the first time. ‘That means populating more of the schedule with different kinds of programming to reach different kinds of audiences during the entire day,’ says Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming.
There will be a heavy emphasis on factual-based programming with the CBC having picked up several new series, including four prime-time shows from its newly created factual entertainment division, as well as two new drama series premiering this fall.
Among its best bets are the new crime series Intelligence, from creator/exec producer Chris Haddock of Da Vinci’s Inquest fame; Rumours, the English-language version of a popular Quebec comedy about the staff of a women’s magazine; and the migration from Newsworld of The Hour, the fast paced nightly news and lifestyle show hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, which launched last year. It will now also run at 11 p.m. daily on the main net. Plans have also been announced for reality-based shows including The One: The Canadian Edition and Dragon’s Den.
Sheila Malanchuk, media strategy director at OMD Vancouver, says the move of The Hour will likely pay off. ‘It’s not doing great in numbers right now on Newsworld, but the main network would really be the better fit for it as it’s a younger-skewing show.’
She also says that while the leap into reality-television fare ‘is a little late’ it could be wise given that the reality genre never seems to die. Malanchuk adds that, while tough to judge given that the bulk of the new programming has yet to be produced, the net’s new season marks a shift to more youthful programming – clearly a move to try (a word she emphasizes) to be more competitive.
The details about the new shows are as follows:
Factual entertainment programming:
Dragon’s Den, Thursdays at 10 p.m. (1 hr)
Enthusiastic entrepreneurs battle for financing to fund their ideas for Canada’s next big thing. Facing off against the five ‘dragons,’ the show’s potential financial backers (all of whom are established business minds with money to spare), the contestants aim to rise above the crowd to secure the cash to get their projects off the ground.
Test the Nation: National IQ Test
Already a tried-and-tested success in over 25 countries, Test The Nation: National IQ Test pits six teams of potential MENSA minds against each other in front of a live studio audience to find out where Canada’s brains really live. Viewers at home will be able to play along with a score sheet found in their morning newspapers.
Underdogs, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (1 hr)
A five-part series hosted by Wendy Mesley where disgruntled consumers fight back against big business.
Dramatic programming:
Intelligence, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (1 hr)
Mob-man-turned-informant Jimmy Reardon teams with intelligence chief Mary Spalding to try to infiltrate the major gangs on the West Coast while carefully toeing their respective party lines.
Rumours, Mondays at 9 p.m., (30 min.)
Eight friends, lovers and colleagues, whose relationships are fraught with sexual tension, team up to put together a women’s magazine.
Jozi-H, Fridays at 9 p.m. (1 hr)
Drama about a diverse group of international doctors and nurses stationed in the emergency facilities of Johannesburg Metropolitan Hospital.
Documentary programming:
Hockey: A People’s History, Mondays at 10 p.m. (1 hr)
A five-part HD series tracing the roots of hockey in Canada from the backyard pond to the Olympic rink and how the game has shaped a nation.
The Great War
Three hundred descendants of WWI soldiers, airmen and nurses are outfitted, fed, trained and housed in authentic WW I era protocol to trace the path of the ancestors to mark the 90th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge.
The Summit
Examining the goings-on inside the corridors of power at a G8 gathering of world leaders.
