Debuting in 1998, this fall marks the seventh season for CBC’s critically acclaimed drama DaVinci’s Inquest. The reality-based series is set to make its return on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. Meanwhile, the 13-episode series This is Wonderland has begun production on its second season and will be airing in January. Both CBC series are aimed at the 25-to-54 demographic and have advertising opportunities still available.
The humongous blockbuster Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, based on the equally popular book by J.R.R. Tolkien, will be making its North American television premiere. The four-hour telecast is airing on CBC on Sunday, Oct. 3 and Monday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. Advertising opportunities are still available.

While Canadians mourn the absence of Hockey Night in Canada, other media outlets from cinema and World Wrestling Entertainment Canada (WWE) to specialty and conventional nets are poised to make a grab for the displaced audience and ad dollars.

Home & Garden Television is gaining 360,000 more potential viewers. Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications, which owns the channel, and Montreal-based cableco Videotron have inked a deal to move the specialty to basic cable. HGTV is among the top 10 specialties, according to Nielsen Media Research (Adults 25-54 AMA, Mon.-Sun. 6 a.m.-6 a.m. 4/5/4-6/27/4).
Effective Sept. 30, HGTV will be carried on channel 29 on Montreal’s West Island and on channel 37 in Rockland, Hull/Gatineau and will be changing channel position with Life Network.
http://www.hgtv.ca/
http://www.allianceatlantis.com/

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.

From the producers of Freaks and Geeks comes the new one-hour coming-of-age drama Life as we know it. The series, which follows three teenage boys on the cusp of becoming men while dealing with the pressures of high school, expects to grab the teenage girl demographic. Life as we know it premiers Thursday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. on Chum TV stations.
Media in Canada went around asking some of the industry’s top broadcast specialists to give their take on the new programs being offered this fall and Cathy Murray, media manager at MPG/Maxxmedia in Toronto said this fledgling teen show shows a lot of promise and could potentially do well in its target demographic.
http://abc.go.com/primetime/life/index.html