On the heels of Global TV’s announcement of its offerings for the year, Corus Entertainment revealed its upcoming 2019-20 slate for its specialty TV channels — including Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada and History.
This year, Corus’ acclaimed scripted slate grew with character-driven drama Nurses and Canada/U.K. co-production Departure starring Archie Panjabi and Christopher Plummer.
Complementing those series, Corus ordered returning seasons of detective drama Private Eyes and award-winning historical drama Vikings.
READ MORE: Global TV fall shows 2019: ‘Modern Family’ last season, ‘Little Late With Lilly Singh’ join roster
As a trailblazer in unscripted lifestyle content, a new crop of original, competitive, palate-pleasing series were introduced including Wall of Chefs, The Big Bake and kid cooking series Junior Chef Showdown.
Leading home and renovation series, Big Home Overhaul and Hot Market, complement recurring favourites with heavy-hitting Canadian talent such as Property Brothers, Island of Bryan and Home to Win.
The company also brings audiences homegrown versions of prized franchises such as Big Brother Canada and Top Chef Canada with returning seasons this year, along with new episodes of Iron Chef Canada.
WATCH BELOW: Big Brother Canada Season 7 winner celebrated by hometown
“Corus’ roster of Canadian productions announced today underscores our commitment to creating premium content, supporting homegrown talent and working with our exemplary partners,” said Lisa Godfrey, vice-president of original content, Corus Entertainment. “We continue to expand our library of original content year over year across multiple genres, showcasing distinctive narratives and formats that resonate with our brand partners and distributors on a global scale.”
History
History debuts three new series, Big Timber, following a family of loggers in B.C., joining previously announced series Salvage Kings slated for fall and Breaking Wild for winter. The network also debuts a new season of the award-winning historical drama, Vikings, later this year.
Big Timber — NEW SERIES
In the forests of Vancouver Island, B.C., a family of loggers have bet it all on a valuable and isolated timber claim. But with treacherous weather and impossible terrain, they must build their own roads and MacGyver their own machinery to get this timber out in the best condition possible – and they have a limited amount of time to get it done.
History Erased — Season 2
This innovative event series examines the butterfly effect of removing key individuals, ideas and inventions from a given nation’s history to highlight that country’s contributions to global culture and human history. In each episode, we imagine the world without a specific country as their game-changing leaders, innovators and social-political achievements are erased. What unfolds? Global catastrophe, societal upheaval and chaos!
Vikings — Season 6A
Award-winning historical drama and ranking as the No. 4 program across specialty entertainment last fall, Vikings returns with the hotly anticipated first part of Season 6, the final season, coming this fall.
Salvage Kings — NEW SERIES
Meet the team at Priestly Demolition – a family business with a big heart and with over 250 jobs a year – there are countless treasures to be found before the wrecking ball moves in. Once the buildings are stripped and the last brick has fallen, the salvage team embarks on the fun, fast and furious auctioning and sale of the items discovered and we soon learn that people will pay for the strangest things.
Breaking Wild — NEW SERIES
A compelling real-life Western, this doc series follows the efforts of the fearless Xeni Gwet’in (pronounced Honey Gwet-teen) cowboys, transplanted American Naval Officer Michael Lares, and legendary horse trainer Mike Hawkridge, who work to ensure the survival of the wild Qayus horses and continue the legacy of cowboy culture in their title lands.
The Strongest Man in History — NEW SERIES
Four of the strongest men in the world, Eddie Hall, Brian Shaw, Robert Oberst, and Nick Best, reach back through time – seeking out history’s most legendary strongmen, celebrating their feats of strength, and dispelling the mythology of their beloved sport. Each week, they will travel to a different destination, separating fact from fiction, evaluating the feasibility of these supposed legends, and then (whether they’re true or not), they will attempt to crush them
Axmen Reborn — NEW SERIES
The logging families of the Pacific Northwest have been torn apart since the long-running series Ax Men. Untimely deaths and a changing economic landscape have threatened family businesses. For this new generation of loggers, now is the time to start wielding the ax as the timber industry is on the upswing again and the old guard is looking for redemption.
READ MORE: John Cattuci helps find one-of-a-kind food across North America in ‘Big Food Bucket List’
Food Network Canada
Food Network Canada delivers a delectable menu of standout new series beginning with holiday-themed baking competition, The Big Bake this fall. To satisfy cravings this winter, a sweet competition series, Chocolate Masters, joins the network.
The Big Bake — NEW SERIES
The Big Bake is a larger-than-life holiday baking competition series from Food Network Canada with themed Halloween, holiday and spring episodes. In each special self-contained episode, three professional baking teams have six hours to design, bake and decorate a grand-scale holiday-inspired cake based on a particular theme. These bakers need to go big or they’ll go home – blowing up their designs to gigantic proportions and thinking outside the (bakery) box for their holiday-inspired creations. The more ambitious and delicious the cake, the closer they are to victory… and each episode’s $10,000 prize.
Chocolate Masters — NEW SERIES
Chocolate Masters is a new ooey-gooey, decadent chocolate dessert competition series from Food Network Canada. In this sweet serialized competition, 10 home bakers go head-to-head in the indulgent world of chocolate, vying for the grand prize in a range of creative and exciting chocolate-based challenges. In order to survive the competition from week to week, and avoid elimination, the chocaholic dessert-makers must dazzle our panel of world-renowned chocolatiers and food expert judges with their delicious, inventive creations. In the end, only one competitor makes it all the way to the end and is crowned the ultimate chocolate master.
Cupcake Championship — NEW SERIES
Hosted by Kardea Brown, the obsession with cupcake artistry reaches new heights as four of the best cupcake designers battle it out in two rounds for cupcake supremacy and a sweet $10,000 prize.
Junior Chef Showdown — NEW SERIES
The most buzz-worthy kid cooks gather in one spot to compete in this serialized cooking competition. These amazing chefs live and breathe food and are ready to amaze and astound with their culinary creations. In Junior Chef Showdown, the best and brightest young cooks go head-to-head in challenges that test their skills and ingenuity in the kitchen, but only one pint-sized chef will be named the country’s best.
Wall of Chefs — NEW SERIES
In Wall of Chefs, amateur cooks face off in cutthroat culinary challenges that are judged by 12 of Canada’s most renowned chefs, also known as “The Wall.” Each episode features four home cooks who compete in themed rounds with the ultimate goal of satisfying the palates of these highly respected industry pros. At the end of each devastatingly difficult but delicious round, the chef judge critiques the dishes and the competitor who makes the worst dish must leave the Wall of Chefs kitchen. In the end, only one cook will be left standing, claiming $10,000 and the respect of the Wall of Chefs.
Carnival Eats — NEW SEASON
Host Noah Cappe is back on the hunt for the most mouth-watering and outrageous foods famously found at fairs and amusement parks in Carnival Eats, giving audiences an inside look at the wacky characters who create them and the culinary thrill-seekers who devour and delight in them.
Iron Chef Canada — NEW EPISODES
Based upon the popular Japanese sensation, Iron Chef Canada pits world-class chefs in intense culinary battles against the legendary Canadian Iron Chefs: Hugh Acheson, Amanda Cohen, Lynn Crawford, Rob Feenie and Susur Lee. In every episode, a talented challenger goes head-to-head against one of Canada’s most iconic and legendary Iron Chefs in a one-hour, five-dish competition for culinary supremacy.
Fire Masters — NEW SEASON
In each episode of Fire Masters, three chefs push their grilling talents to the limit as they do battle in fiery culinary challenges, cooking up creative, mouthwatering, flame-kissed dishes. One chef is eliminated in each of the first two rounds. The last chef standing then goes head-to-head with a Fire Masters judge in an epic third and final round, vying for $10,000 cash and the coveted title of Fire Masters Champion.
Big Food Bucket List — NEW SEASON
Fan-favourite host and comedian John Catucci (You Gotta Eat Here!) returns for a second season, taking viewers on one-of-a-kind food adventures across North America, checking the most drool-worthy dishes and must-see culinary stops off his Big Food Bucket List.
Top Chef Canada — NEW SEASON
Canada’s most prestigious culinary competition is back with the best and brightest professional chefs competing for the title of Canada’s Top Chef. A Top 3 ranked series on Food Network Canada this spring, Top Chef Canada returns for its eighth season with its expert panel of judges comprised of chef, restaurant co-owner and host, Eden Grinshpan, owner of The McEwan Group, head judge chef Mark McEwan, along with resident judges: restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, food personality Mijune Pak and renowned food critic Chris Nuttall-Smith.
READ MORE: Gail Simmons and Chris Nuttall-Smith, from ‘Iron Chef Canada,’ talk making show uniquely Canadian
Slice
Slice is the home of big personalities, luxurious living, and superior unscripted lifestyle programming, welcoming the exciting reboot of the ‘90s hit series Blind Date this fall. As the exclusive broadcaster for the top performing The Real Housewives franchise, and the destination where loyal fans can get this content first, The Real Housewives of Orange Country returns with new episodes. Fans can also expect new seasons of the hugely popular series Below Deck in 2019.
Blind Date — NEW SERIES
Dating has always been an awkward, contentious, sexy, and hilarious adventure. However, the magic of a blind date has gone away, replaced by the algorithms of dating apps, which have eroded dating into a casual meet-up to exchange preconceived notions. Sometimes you’re better off just going in blind.
W Network
W Network continues to bring in massive audiences, bolstered by its recent partnership with Hallmark Channel. This year, the network secures blockbuster series including ensemble drama Pearson, executive produced by Suits creator and executive producer Aaron Korsh, Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene, iconic detective series Nancy Drew, and family drama Party of Five.
Pearson — NEW SERIES
Powerhouse lawyer Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) leaves New York behind to take on the city of Chicago in this unique spinoff of the long-running hit legal drama, Suits. The former managing partner of Pearson Specter Litt is determined to make a difference in the Windy City as she navigates the corrupt and intimidating world of Chicago politics.
Nancy Drew — NEW SERIES
Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) is a brilliant teenaged detective whose sense of self had come from solving mysteries in her hometown of Horseshoe Bay, Maine – until her mother’s untimely death derails Nancy’s college plans. Devastated by her mother’s passing, Nancy swears off crime-solving while crossing off the days until she can re-apply to college. But when a socialite is murdered, Nancy finds herself a prime suspect in the crime, along with a group of other teens present at the scene: Nancy’s nemesis from high school, George Fan (Leah Lewis); A rich girl with a mysterious past, Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani); Nancy’s secret boyfriend, Ned “Nick” Nickerson (Tunji Kasim), and amiable burnout Ace (Alex Saxon). In addition, Scott Wolf plays Carson Drew, Nancy’s father.
Katy Keene — NEW SERIES
A Riverdale spinoff, Katy Keene follows the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters — fashion legend-to-be Katy Keene, singer/songwriter Josie McCoy, performer Jorge Lopez/Ginger, and “It Girl” Pepper Smith — as they chase their twenty-something dreams in New York City together.
Party of Five — NEW SERIES
Party of Five follows the five Acosta children – Emilio, Lucia, Beto, Valentina and baby Rafael – as they navigate daily life struggles to survive as a family unit after their parents are suddenly deported to Mexico. The series stars Brandon Larracuente as Emilio, Emily Tosta as Lucia, Niko Guardado as Beto and Elle Paris Legaspi as Valentina.
Showcase
Showcase debuts a super heroine programming block with standout series Batwoman starring Ruby Rose, paired with fan-favourite Supergirl, and also introduces DC origin stories Pennyworth and from executive producer James Wan (Aquaman), Swamp Thing.
Batwoman — NEW SERIES
Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, a highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a saviour, Kate must overcome her own demons before becoming Gotham’s new symbol of hope.
Swamp Thing — NEW SERIES
Swamp Thing follows Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe. Based on characters from DC created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson
Pennyworth — NEW SERIES
This DC origin story follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne, who’s not yet Bruce’s billionaire father, in 1960s London.
HGTV Canada
HGTV Canada brings home 12 new and returning series, welcoming new Canadian talent and featuring familiar fan-favourite personalities including a new season of Property Brothers this fall. New real-estate series Hot Market reveals high stakes in the country’s largest city, while Big Home Overhaul transforms households for deserving families, set for spring 2020.
A Very Brady Renovation — NEW SERIES
A Very Brady Renovation will feature a full-scale overhaul of the world-famous Brady Bunch house in Los Angeles. HGTV will execute a show-stopping transformation by adding 2,000 square feet to its original footprint—all without compromising its instantly recognizable street view. The house will be replicated to include the floating staircase, the orange-and-green kitchen and the kids Jack-n-Jill bathroom.
Property Brothers: Forever Home — NEW SERIES
Drew and Jonathan Scott are on a mission to help couples transform their houses into forever homes – a place where they can put down roots and spend their lives. Our homeowners aren’t looking to flip properties or make a quick buck, they know their house is “the one” and have plans to grow old together. They need Drew and Jonathan to unlock the full potential of their houses and renovate them into the homes of their dreams.
Hot Market — NEW SERIES
Hot Market chronicles the behind-the-scenes stories of five top-selling real-estate agents in Canada’s biggest city. This fresh new series follows the hustle to buy, sell and renovate homes for discerning clients in the high-stakes, high-end and highly competitive Toronto marketplace. Each episode opens the doors to an exclusive world of multi-million-dollar properties, showcasing everything from trendy urban lofts and modern penthouses to jaw-dropping mansions and luxurious lakefront estates. These top agents stop at nothing to chase listings, prep homes for sale and find clients their ultimate dream home.
Big Home Overhaul — NEW SERIES
Big Home Overhaul (wt) is HGTV Canada’s new feel-good renovation series that follows the network’s most talented contractors and designers as they come together to deliver whole-home renovations to incredibly deserving homeowners. In each episode, our dynamic host brings together a different HGTV Canada celebrity contractor-designer duo to plan and execute the worthy homeowner’s makeover, with the help of family, friends and the community. After the cathartic first swing of the sledgehammer that starts the demolition, the family leaves the home renovation in the hands of HGTV Canada’s best who work around the clock to give the family a complete home overhaul.
Home to Win: For the Holidays — NEW SEASON
The fourth season of the top-rated Canadian original series, that offers viewers the opportunity to win their very own dream home, returns this fall. HGTV Canada’s celebrity builders, designers and real-estate experts bring their extraordinary skill, creativity and reno know-how to completely restore this season’s home, a Victorian beauty in dire need of a modern makeover. New this year are holiday-themed design touches and DIY challenges with the home rewarded just in time for the warm-and-fuzzy holiday season.
Property Brothers: Buying and Selling — NEW SEASON
In Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, Jonathan and Drew Scott help homeowners take their next step up the real-estate ladder. Jonathan renovates the family’s home for a successful sale, while Drew hunts down the best options for their next property and oversees the selling and buying.
Property Brothers — NEW SEASON
Drew and Jonathan support couples across the Greater Toronto Area, Nashville as well as Calgary and Las Vegas, to find, buy and transform extreme fixer-uppers into incredible dream homes. First, real-estate specialist Drew tracks down hidden gems with untapped potential, and then it’s up to identical twin brother and contractor Jonathan to expertly overhaul these ramshackle properties.
Island of Bryan — NEW SEASON
Island of Bryan returns for a second season this winter. In Season 2, Bryan and Sarah have committed to six more months until the grand opening. With the budget maxed out and more at stake than ever, they need to keep their eyes on the prize: finishing their dream project. This season will bring an end to the epic family adventure; leaving viewers inspired, amazed, and relieved that they didn’t have to take on this build themselves.
$ave My Reno — NEW SEASON
In $ave My Reno Season 3, cash-conscious homeowners’ domestic dreams become a reality when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy builder with contagious energy, and Samantha Pynn, the celebrated ‘luxe-on-a-budget’ designer, grab hold of each project. Seb and Sam save through smart spends, upcycling, and spectacular DIY designs, encouraging homeowners to strap on a toolbelt and help with their renovation along the way. Together they transform these houses into showpiece homes – all on a budget that fits the bill.
Backyard Builds — NEW SEASON
Contractor Brian McCourt and design expert Sarah Keenleyside maximize a backyard’s potential by creating tailored, one-of-a-kind structures in Backyard Builds. Whether it’s a converted shipping container, cake studio, treehouse village or outdoor theatre, when indoor space isn’t enough, Brian and Sarah take it outside.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition — NEW SERIES
Television’s highest-rated home renovation series of all time—Extreme Makeover: Home Edition—is coming to HGTV. While it has not yet revealed the cast for the new episodes, HGTV will showcase its own superstar experts in the weekly race to complete a custom, whole home renovation for one deserving family.
READ MORE: Top Chef Canada: Eden Grinshpan, Mark McEwan on Season 7
ABC Spark
ABC Spark, a millennial-focused network, anchors its schedule with two new series this winter/spring including drama Motherland: Fort Salem and half-hour comedy Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. Also joining the network this year are returning series Siren, The Bold Type, grown-ish and new episodes of Good Trouble.
Motherland: Fort Salem — NEW SEASON
Set in an alternate America where witches ended their persecution over 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the government to fight for their country, Motherland: Fort Salem follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped, with the more dominant women on the front lines fighting looming terrorist threats that are familiar to our world – but with supernatural tactics and weapons. The series stars Ashley Nicole Williams, Jessica Sutton, Taylor Hickson, Demetria McKinney and Amalia Holm.
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay — NEW SEASON
From Please Like Me creator, writer and star Josh Thomas, the half-hour comedy Everything’s Gonna Be Okay introduces Nicholas (Josh Thomas), a neurotic 25-year-old visiting his single dad and two teenage half-sisters, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. He hasn’t been particularly present in his siblings’ lives, but when their dad reveals that he is terminally ill, the girls have to cope with not only a devastating loss but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who will have to rise to the occasion, move in and hold it all together.
YTV
Powerhouse network YTV welcomes Nelvana’s award-winning short film voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, The Most Magnificent Thing. The short film is set to make its broadcast debut this fall.
The Most Magnificent Thing: Hollywood icon Whoopi Goldberg and screen and stage star Alison Pill (Vice, Three Tall Women, The Newsroom) helm the voice cast for Nelvana’s first animated short film, The Most Magnificent Thing. Based on Ashley Spires’ bestselling picture book of the same name, published by Corus’ Kids Can Press in 2014, Goldberg stars as the film’s narrator, with a cast rounded out by Pill as “mom,” Lilly Bartlam (Total Drama Island, Dot) as “the determined girl,” and Tony Daniels (Atomic Puppet, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) as her canine best friend.
TELETOON
Animation network TELETOON sees the return of Hotel Transylvania: The Series from Nelvana, featuring vampire teenager Mavis. Early next year, a new season of Total Dramarama is set to premiere.
Hotel Transylvania: The Series — NEW SEASON
Hotel Transylvania: The Series features Mavis in her vampire teen years. Drac is still away but teenage Mavis and her pals Wendy, Pedro and Hank are back at Hotel Transylvania causing mayhem and mischief under the watchful eye of her Aunt Lydia. Follow their escapades as Mavis continues her mission to run Hotel Transylvania and make her Dad proud.
Total Dramarama — NEW SEASON
Total Dramarama goes back in time to re-introduce our favourite Total Drama Island cast members as four-year-olds in a daycare centre. They might be downsized, but their personalities aren’t. Inside these pint-sized bodies, we’ll find the hilariously familiar characters we know and love, spending the day together at Happy Tots Daycare Centre. And Total Drama Island’s scary but lovable Chef is now (barely) in charge of everything.
ADULT SWIM
The newly launched network delivers an exciting new series from the DC Universe, Harley Quinn, voiced by Kaley Cuoco this fall/winter. In addition, new seasons of fan-favourite animated adult series are scheduled this fall including Mr. Pickles, Bob’s Burgers, Robot Chicken, Family Guy and the long-awaited season four of acclaimed series Rick and Morty.
Harley Quinn — NEW SERIES
Harley Quinn has finally broken things off once and for all with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City in this half-hour adult animated action-comedy series. The series features Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and a whole cast of heroes and villains, old and new, from the DC Universe.
Treehouse
Preschool network Treehouse welcomes three new series and a returning season of beloved series Esme & Roy. New animated pet series, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe and The Remarkable Mr. King, featuring an endearing little lion, are both set to premiere this fall, while Pikwik is slated for 2020.
Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe — NEW SERIES
Binky and his fellow P.U.R.S.T. agents (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) are on a mission to protect their human families from aliens, robots, and interstellar threats. It’s a pretty big job for these small pets, but this paw-some team is certified and ready for action.
The Remarkable Mr. King — NEW SERIES
Mr. King is a well-meaning, short-sighted little lion. He thinks he should know everything, but sometimes his “big think” causes big snags and tangles. So if Mr. King tries and fails, he tries again to make things right. Mr. King shows us how to turn mistakes into wins for everyone to share.
Pikwik — NEW SERIES
Pikwik follows the Pikwik Pack, team leader Suki the hedgehog, Axel the raccoon, Hazel the cat, and Tibor the hippo, as they work together to deliver magical packages to the colourful citizens of Pikwik Cove.
Esme & Roy — NEW SEASON
Esme and Roy are the best Monstersitters in Monsterdale. They’ve become experts at using creative games to solve little monsters’ big problems. With lovable characters who spark strong emotional connections, Esme & Roy inspires children to engage in new play patterns, which increase their creativity and learning.
Disney Channel Canada
Gabby Duran and the Unsittables — NEW SERIES
Gabby Duran constantly feels like she’s living in the shadows of her uber-polished, successful mother and whip-smart younger sister. She finally finds her moment to shine when she inadvertently lands an out-of-this-world job to babysit an unruly group of very important extraterrestrial children who are hiding out on earth with their families, disguised as everyday kids. Fearless and unapologetically bold, Gabby steps up to the challenge to protect these youngsters and their secret identities, and prove she’s the best babysitter in the galaxy.
Global TV, Global News and all specialty channels listed above are properties of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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