CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation and Corner Gas scored big on Tuesday, (October 12) garnering large Canadian audiences and improved ratings nationally. In audience data supplied by BBM, Degrassi: The Next Generation proved its talent for capturing teenage angst with 930,000 viewers nationally, an overall audience surge of 52%, and a 66% spike in the adults 18-49 demographic. While Corner Gas surpassed the one-million viewer mark as 1.4 million tuned in to watch the homegrown series.
Together, the combination of Corner Gas and Degrassi: The Next Generation gave CTV an average audience of more than one million viewers winning the 8-9 p.m. timeslot in Canada. Overall rating showed that Corner Gas and Degrassi more than doubled Making the Cut (CBC, 566,000. 2+); back-to-back episodes of Father of the Pride (Global, 384,000, 2+) and Degrassi nearly doubled the season premiere of DaVinci’s Inquest (CBC, 640,000, 2+) at 9 p.m.

Global launches its latest reality series The Biggest Loser on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Hosted by comedian Caroline Rhea, the one-hour series follows 12 overweight participants as they receive an intensive non-surgical physical makeover. Viewers will be able to follow the participants as they reshape their bodies and lives.

A bevy of series have undergone sked changes, so get ready to follow the bouncing ball on the following launches…Wife Swap, the hit Brit show beaten to the punch by Fox format clone Trading Mommies, now debuts Sunday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., then moves to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Another reality entry, Lost, has its two-hour premiere Saturday, Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. Desperate Housewives, the quirky new nighttime soap aimed at female viewers, picked by many pundits as a likely hit, takes the Sunday 7 p.m. time-slot, bowing Oct. 3.
Returning series have also moved around. Law & Order has been added to the sked Monday Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. (part one), and on Sept. 30, witch potboiler Charmed tackles Thursdays at 8 p.m. for a six-ep arc (targeting even more MTV-gen eyeballs with Newlyweds‘ Nick Lachey guesting). The series resumes its regular time-slot, Saturdays at 5 p.m. on Nov. 6. The Amazing Race 6 premiere is as yet unscheduled.
Due to the success of Medical Investigation, CTV will continue to air the series Fridays at 10 p.m. in simulcast with NBC. As a result, Dr. Vegas will be shelved. Medical Investigation premiered Sept. 9 on CTV and moved to Fridays at 10 p.m. on Sept. 10.
And while it ain’t hockey, fights should break out when Dr. Phil Primetime Special: Family First airs on CTV Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. Hidden camera footage of a seriously out-of-control family provides fodder for some parenting dos and don’ts from Oprah’s favourite self-helper in this two-hour special. Celeb child-rearing advice from Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford and Will Smith is also delivered, and Dr. Phil tries to help a family whose son scores 10 out of a possible 14 serial killer traits. Since 4.3 million Canucks check out Dr. Phil’s daytime talker every week, his initial dip into primetime likely means there’ll be tears before bedtime for competitors in tomorrow night’s time-slot.

The two-hour world premiere of Making the Cut airs tonight on CBC at 8 p.m. Scott Oake and NHL coaches Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan host the 13-episode docudrama, well timed to pick up hockey-hungry eyeballs. The show provides an inside look at the search for Canada’s best unsigned hockey players as they compete for one of six invitations to a Canadian NHL team training camp. Created and produced by Network Entertainment and presented by Bell, Making the Cut stars male and female, young and old participants as they compete at tryouts held all over the country during the summer. All events surrounding the show were produced by Molson Sports & Entertainment. The show air Tuesdays from Sept. 21 to Dec. 14.

Global Television is scheduled to air what it hopes will be a quirky, edgy comedy to connect with women viewers, in early 2005. The Jane Show, starring Second City alumna Teresa Pavlinek, is part of the Global Labs, a new initiative designed to develop and fast track creative properties. Produced by Shaftesbury Films, the half-hour pilot is aimed at women 18 to 34, and there are advertising and sponsorship opportunities available.