1. art and entertainment
2. movies and tv
3. television

CANADIAN
TELEVISION
2015
A GUIDE TO CURRENT PRODUCTION
Prepared for
Michael Hennessy, President & CEO
Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA)
Curated by
Bill Brioux
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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CANADIAN TV ENTERS A GOLDEN AGE
For the last 30 years, in my time reporting on it,
television in Canada has undergone many changes.
The one constant, however, has been the nagging
impression that Canadian television is somehow
inferior to the US brand.
This notion has only intensified in recent years, in
what some call the new “Golden Age” of TV drama.
So, as many have been asking, where is Canada’s
Golden Age?
Well, you’ll find it in the pages of this book. Not
everything that comes out of Canada is the quality
of The Sopranos or Mad Men or Breaking Bad. Then
again, few shows from America can come close to
these classics.
Bill Brioux
The fact is Fargo, the most-nominated TV series at the 2014 Emmy Awards, is produced in
the province of Alberta. Yes, the producers and many of the stars are Americans, but you
should hear them gush about Canadian crews.
Billy Bob Thornton, for one, is a fan. “One night, it went down to 40 below and they wouldn’t
allow us to work,” he told me of working near Calgary on Fargo. “You figure if a Canadian
says it’s too dangerous to go out there, it probably is too dangerous to go out.”
The fact is television
has become a
borderless business.
FX Networks, considered the top non-premium
US cable brand and a rival to HBO overall, invested
$100 million in Canada during the past TV season.
Fargo, The Strain and Man Seeking Woman were
the result – three shows any jurisdiction would be
proud to produce.
Mexican-born director and executive producer Guillermo del Toro has shot five projects in
Toronto, including The Strain. “The crews are so fantastic,” he says. “When we work together
in anything I produce, I feel the crew happy and blooming.”
What about our creators and showrunners? A sign of Canada’s maturity as a TV nation
is that homegrown executive producers can now feel confident planting their production
flags on foreign soil. Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, the team behind the Can-Am
success story Flashpoint, took their latest project—the war drama X Company—to Hungary.
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
In Man Seeking Woman, you have a
Canadian—Ottawa-native Jay Baruchel—as
the main star of an American production
shooting in Canada. Toronto subs for
Chicago in the narrative but that’s okay, says
Baruchel. “What makes a Canadian project
Canadian is something we all have to figure
out,” he says. “It doesn’t always have to be
Laura Secord running through the forest. If
someone is from Canada and they create in
Canada, and the money and tax dollars go
back into Canada, that’s Canadian art.”
Bill Brioux (left) in Toronto in Nov., 2014, moderating a celebration
The fact is television has become a
borderless business. In the past few years,
I’ve travelled to Dublin, Budapest, Dieppe and Buenos Aires to report on Canadian-made
productions. It was an eye-opener for me to see the giant footprint Canada has in Cannes
at the annual MIPCOM TV marketplace. Shows such as The Book of Negroes shuttle actors
and crews from Nova Scotia to Johannesburg en route to producing memorable television.
of 100 episodes of Murdoch Mysteries with series star Yannick Bisson.
Within Canada, it’s not just Vancouver and Toronto competing against Hollywood, Atlanta,
Wilmington, New York and New Orleans as television production hubs. I’ve chased TV
stories from Dawson City to Winnipeg to Regina to St. John’s to Montreal to Ottawa to
Halifax to Hamilton, all in the past two years. Canadian television production is booming,
and the proof can be found in these pages.
This book doesn’t even tell the full story. Great children’s shows, TV-movies and documentaries
are also in production from coast to coast. What we have here is a window on the main
comedies, dramas and reality shows produced either in Canada or by Canadians.
Because it is a first attempt to cull and catalogue on behalf of the Canadian Media Production
Association, one or two shows may fall through the cracks. Apologies in advance, but if
your production is somehow not showcased here, take heart that you live in a land where
the TV industry is so vibrant and abundant that we left even your show out! With your help,
this will be a more complete listing next time.
It has been my good fortune to travel to sets in local and far-flung locations to speak with
producers, actors, writers and crews to bring this great TV success story together. Welcome
to a Golden Age of television any nation would be proud to call its own.
Bill Brioux
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
RATINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
TELEVISION GENRES
DRAMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
COMEDY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
UNSCRIPTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
FOREIGN LOCATION & SERVICE PRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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R AT I NG S
TOP CANADIAN SHOWS 2013 - 14 SEASON BROADCAST
NUMERIS (BBM CANADA) AUG. 26, 2013 - AUG. 31, 2014, 2+ (,000)
1. AMAZING RACE CANADA 2
CTV
TUES
2774
2. MASTERCHEF CANADACTV MON1819
3. ROOKIE BLUEGLOTHURS1597
4. SAVING HOPECTVTHURS1582
5. MURDOCH MYSTERIESCBCMON1335
6. MOTIVECTVTHURS1282
7. THE LISTENERCTVMON1114
8. DRAGON’S DENCBCWED1069
9. BATTLE OF THE BLADES
CBC
SUN
1054
10.RICK MERCER REPORTCBCTUES1010
TOP CANADIAN SHOWS 2013 - 14 SEASON SPECIALTY
NUMERIS (BBM CANADA) AUG. 26, 2013 - AUG. 31, 2014, 2+ (,000)
11. VIKINGSHISTTHURS904
12. BIG BROTHER CANADA
SLICE
THURS
702
13. BIG BROTHER CANADASLICEWED672
14. BIG BRIOTHER CANADASLICESUN625
15. CANADA’S WORST DRIVERDISCMON605
16. CONTINUUMSHOSUN532
17. YUKON GOLDHISTWED418
18. THE NEXT STEPFAMFRI368
19. BITTENSPACESAT347
20.ORPHAN BLACKSPACESAT337
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D R AM A
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
AS CEN SION CBC
Premiere
Executive
Producers
Starring
Production
Companies
RATINGS:
Feb. 9, 2015
(Season 1)
•
•
Philip Levens
(Smallville),
Jason Blum
(Stranded),
Ivan Fecan,
Tim Gamble,
Brett Burlock
•
•
Originally commissioned by US cable net Syfy
Synopsis: In 1963, the US launched a covert space
mission sending hundreds of men, women and children
on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension
to populate a new world. Fifty-one years into their
journey and approaching the point of no return, the
ship’s population begins to question the true nature of
their mission after a young woman is murdered.
Shot in Montreal
Six episodes
Brian Van Holt,
Tricia Helfer,
Jacqueline Byers,
Brandon P. Bell,
Tiffany Lonsdale,
Wendy Crewson
Lionsgate and Sea
to Sky Studios in
association with
Quebec-based Lift
Off Productions
and Blumhouse
Productions
Ascension opened to 869,000
overnight estimated viewers
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
B IT TEN SPACE
Returning
Feb. 7, 2015
(Season 2
•
Created By
Daegan Fryklind
•
Executive
Producers
Daegan Fryklind,
Grant Rosenberg,
Patrick Banister,
John Barbisan,
John Morayniss,
Margaret O’Brien,
Tecca Crosby,
J.B. Sugar
•
Starring
Production
Company
RATINGS:
Laura Vandervoort,
Greyston Holt,
Greg Bryk,
Paul Greene,
Steve Lund,
Michael Xavier,
Genelle Williams
•
•
•
Bitten averaged 348,000 viewers in its timeslot,
making it Space’s highest-rated original series of all
time
On May 22, 2014, the series was renewed for a second
season of 10 episodes
Based on the best-selling “Otherworld” books by
Canadian author Kelley Armstrong
Vandervoort says she was yakking about dogs and
PETA on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight when
the producers spotted her and called her in for this
series
Toronto plays Toronto in this series (as it does in the
novels), nice for a change. It all takes place in the
same studios where Flashpoint filmed, with Nikita
next door.
Vandervoort, who also was on V, is well acquainted
with the sci-fi fan base. She’s worked a Comic-Con or
two and knows what she’s in for. She has a black belt
in real life, so that helps.
Hoodwink
Entertainment,
No Equal
Entertainment One,
Bell Media
Bitten drew an average of 347,000
viewers a week in 2013-14, making
it the 9th most-watched Canadian
specialty program that season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
T H E BOOK OF NE G R OES C BC
Premiere
Executive
Producers
Jan. 7, 2015
Damon D’Oliveira
Clement Virgo
Daniel Iron
Bill Niven
Margaret O’Brien
•
•
•
•
Starring
Production
Company
Aunjanue Ellis
Lyriq Bent
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Louis Gossett, Jr.
Ben Chaplin
Allan Hawco
Greg Bryk
Jane Alexander
•
•
Opened to 1,941,000 CBC viewers, making it the
highest-rated original drama for the network since
1990
Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa as well
as various locations around Nova Scotia
Based on the novel of the same name by Canadian
author Lawrence Hill
The six-part miniseries premiered on BET in the United
States on February 16, 2015
The miniseries drew raves from the critics: “Visually,
the show is stunning, and Canadian director Clement
Virgo’s painterly eye creates scenes of incredible
beauty while telling an epic tale of inhumanity.”
– The Toronto Star
“Aunjanue
Ellis
is
astonishing
throughout…”
– The Globe and Mail
Conquering Lions
Pictures,
Entertainment One
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
CO NTIN UUM SHOWC ASE
Returning
Created by
Starring
Executive
Producers
Production
Company
2015 (Season 4)
•
•
Simon Barry
Rachel Nichols,
Victor Webster,
Erik Knudsen,
Stephen Lobo,
Roger Cross,
Lexa Doig,
Tony Amendola,
Omari Newton,
Luvia Petersen,
Jennifer Spence,
Brian Markinson
Simon Barry,
Sara B. Cooper
•
•
•
Reunion Pictures,
Boy Meets Girl
Film Company,
Shaw Media, GK-tv
•
Shot in
RATINGS:
Vancouver
Continuum drew an average of 532,000
viewers a week in 2013-14, making it the
6th most-watched Canadian specialty
program that season
•
•
•
The series premiered in the US on January 14, 2013 on Syfy
Reviewer Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times described
the series as “slick” and highlighted its attention to detail.
Reviewer David Hinckley of the New York Daily News
compared Continuum positively to Life on Mars, another
series with a time travelling police officer.
Continuum premiered to an overnight, estimated
900,000 on Showcase. That made the sci-fi series the
most watched TV show in Canada Sunday at 9p.m.,
beating a movie on CTV, and topping both CBC (a rerun
of Republic of Doyle) and Global (a repeat of The Good
Wife) combined. More than twice as many Canadians
watched Continuum on Showcase that night as America’s
Got Talent on City (387,000).
Another 265,000 watched Continuum the same night at
11 p.m.
The Continuum launch got maximum exposure in the
narrow window between season-enders and summer
start-ups. There was no Stanley Cup playoff game
on opposite, just the one, new, well-crafted Canadian
series, and viewers gobbled it up. More proof that, if you
schedule it—meaning a Canadian scripted drama—they
will come.
“I’ve been trying for ten years now to get a show on the air
in terms of developing and selling ideas. So this feels like
a 10 year overnight success,” says creator Simon Barry on
Continuum’s record-breaking specialty premiere.
The third season cliffhanger finale was
the No. 1 program in key demos for all of
Canadian specialty
Renewed for a fourth and final season of
six episodes to be seen in 2015
Seen internationally in 132 countries
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D RAM A
H AVEN SHOWCAS E
Returning
Developed by
Starring
Executive
Producers
Production
Company
Shot in
TBA (Season 5)
Sam Ernst
Jim Dunn
Emily Rose,
Lucas Bryant,
Nicholas Campbell,
Eric Balfour
Laszlo Barna,
Jim Dunn,
Sam Ernst,
Noreen Halpern,
Matt McGuinness,
David MacLeod,
John Morayniss,
Shawn Piller,
Michael Rosenberg,
Lloyd Segan,
Scott Shepherd
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The show was renewed for a split 26-episode fifth
season. The first half will be aired in 2014 with the
second half in 2015.
Airs in the US on NBC Universal’s Syfy
Jason Priestley directed episodes and also did a fourepisode guest arc
Based on the short story The Colorado Kid by Stephen
King
Main production centre in Chester, N.S. is the town’s
curling rink
Haven has been sold for broadcast in several countries
worldwide, including Australia, Denmark, France,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Portugal, South
Africa, Spain, the UK and the US
The supernatural series was still pulling 200,000 to
300,000 viewers in Season 4 on Showcase
Entertainment One,
Big Motion Pictures
Productions, Piller
Segan Shepherd,
Shaw Media,
Universal Networks
International
Nova Scotia
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
H E A RTLA N D CBC
Returning
Airs
Created By
Executive
Producers
Sept. 28, 2014
(Season 7)
•
Sundays at 7 p.m. ET
•
Lauren Brooke
Heather Conkie,
Tom Cox,
Jordy Randall,
Michael Weinberg
•
•
Starring
Production
Company
Opening
Theme
Amber Marshall,
Michelle Morgan,
Graham Wardle,
Gabriel Hogan,
Chris Potter,
Jessica Amlee,
Shaun Johnston,
Jessica Steen,
Nathaniel Arcand,
Kerry James
SEVEN24 Films,
Dynamo Films
•
•
•
•
Production is based in and around High River, Alta.,
with additional filming in studio and on location in
nearby Calgary
Ratings: The series premiered in Sept., 2007, to
513,000 viewers and averaged around half a million
total viewers that first season. By Season 3, the
premiere topped one million viewers for the first time.
The 100th episode “After All We’ve Been Through”
was watched by 945,000 viewers.
The series is imported to over 25 countries, including
France, the UK, Australia, Germany and Italy
It airs on the family friendly cable channel Up in the
US
One of the quietest success stories in Canadian
television. Family series rarely draw awards, critical
attention.
During this eighth season Heartland will air its 125th
episode. The CBC press site claims this makes it the
longest-running Canadian one-hour dramatic series in
history. Beachcombers, however, ran 19 seasons, 387
episodes.
Well scheduled early on Sunday nights; proof family
hour scheduling still has an impact
Series is a very consistent ratings draw, particularly
among younger viewers
“Dreamer”
by Jenn Grant
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
KIL LJOYS SPACE
Premiere
2015 (Season 1)
Created by
Michelle Lovretta
(Lost Girl)
Executive
Producers
Michelle Lovretta,
David Fortier,
Ivan Schneeberg,
Chris Grismer
Starring
Production
Company
Shot in
•
•
•
10 episodes
Synopsis: A sci-fi adventure drama series that follows
a trio of fun-loving, hard-living interplanetary bounty
hunters sworn to remain impartial as they chase
deadly warrants throughout the Quad, a distant star
system on the brink of a bloody, multi-planetary class
war.
In development since 2012 as part of Bell Media’s
Writer Only Drama Development program
Aaron Ashmore,
Luke Macfarlane,
Hannah John-Kamen
Temple Street
Productions
Toronto
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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D RAM A
LOST GIRL SHOWC ASE
Returning
Created By
Dec. 7, 2014
(Season 5)
•
•
•
Michelle Lovretta
•
Developed by
Executive
Producers
Jay Firestone,
Prodigy Pictures Inc.
Jay Firestone,
Vanessa Piazza,
Michelle Lovretta
(Season 1),
Peter Mohan
(Season 1),
Jeremy Boxen
(Season 2),
Grant Rosenberg
(Season 2),
Emily Andras
(Season 3, 4),
Michael Grassi
(Season 5)
Starring
Anna Silk,
Kris Holden-Ried,
Ksenia Solo,
Zoie Palmer,
Rick Howland,
K. C. Collins
Production
Companies
Prodigy Pictures
Inc. in association
with Shaw Media
(Showcase)
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
•
•
•
•
Premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010
In the US, it premiered on Syfy on January 16, 2012
Episodes on Syfy in the US are 90 seconds shorter to
allow for more commercial advertisement time
Showcase has announced that Season 5 will be
the series’ last. The original 13-episode season was
extended to 16 episodes and split into two parts
consisting of eight episodes each. The first episode
of the fifth season premieres on December 7, 2014.
The second half is scheduled for 2015 (date to be
determined).
There will be 77 episodes in total by the time Lost Girl
wraps up
As of Feb. 25, 2015, the show’s Facebook page had
409,654 likes and its official Twitter had 77,500
followers, giving the series a large social media
presence.
The series premiere in Sept., 2010 drew over 400,000
viewers (2+) and another 184,000 for the episode
rerun at 10:40 p.m., making Lost Girl, at the time, the
highest-rated Canadian scripted series premiere on
Showcase
Ratings for the series peaked in Season 3
Shoots in a one time pencil factory in Toronto’s West End
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D RAM A
MOTIVE CTV
Returning
Created by
Developed by
Executive
Producers
Mar. 8, 2015
(Season 3)
•
•
•
Daniel Cerone
Rob Merilees,
Rob LaBelle
Daniel Cerone,
Erin Haskett,
James Thorpe,
Lindsay Macadam,
Louise Clark,
Rob LaBelle,
Rob Merilees,
Dennis Heaton
•
•
•
•
•
Starring
Production
Companies
RATINGS:
Kristin Lehman,
Louis Ferreira,
Brendan Penny,
Lauren Holly,
Cameron Bright,
Roger Cross,
Valerie Tian,
Warren Christie
Bell Media,
Foundation Features,
Lark Productions
Motive drew an average of 1,282,000
viewers a week in 2013-14, making
it the 4th most-watched Canadian
scripted series that season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
•
•
•
Produced in Vancouver
Sold as a “how-dunit” rather than a whodunit
Season 1 average around 1.1M viewers a week in
Canada on CTV
Season 2 total viewers edged closer to 1.3M per week
Season 1 in the US on ABC drew around 4.7M viewers
per week
Season 2 average 4.3M per week
Premiered on the CTV television network on February
3, 2013, immediately following Super Bowl XLVII.
The series premiere had 1.23 million viewers, making
Motive the number one Canadian series premiere
of the 2012–13 season; what was remarkable about
that was the Super Bowl had a 35 minute lighting
malfunction delay, pushing the start of Motive way
back past 10:30 p.m.
The next three Sundays also topped over a million—
out of simulcast (ABC didn’t start running the series
until May)
Then the series was shifted to Thursdays, a strong
night for the network but shifting a new show is
always a gamble. Motive never really missed a beat.
The first Thursday night episode March 14 drew a
total of 983,000 viewers and it soared to 1,202,000,
1,240,000 and 1,193,000 the next three Thursdays.
On May 21, 2014, CTV ordered a third season of Motive
Lehman says her hope going in was simply to be in
something Canadians actually watched. “I signed on
to do a Canadian show,” she says. Having survived 10
or 12 years slogging through pilots and pickups in the
US before breaking through in The Killing.
She feels the acting holds its own with any US network
fare and is proud of the natural rhythm she’s found
with Ferriera
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D RAM A
MURDOCH MYSTER I ES C BC
Returning
Oct. 6, 2014
(Season 8)
•
•
Airs
Executive
Producers
Showrunner
Starring
Production
Company
Shot and set in
Mondays at 8 p.m. E.T.
Scott Garvie,
Noel Hedges,
Cal Coons,
Peter Mitchell,
Christina Jennings
•
•
•
•
Peter Mitchell
Yannick Bisson,
Hélène Joy,
Thomas Craig,
Jonny Harris,
Georgina Reilly
Shaftesbury
•
•
•
•
Toronto
•
•
•
RATINGS:
Murdoch Mysteries drew an average
of 1,335,000 viewers a week in 201314, making it the 3rd most-watched
Canadian scripted series that season
and No. 1 overall on CBC
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
•
Begins eighth season in Sept.; 18 episodes ordered. Series will
pass 100 episodes in this its eighth season
CBC’s No. 1 scripted program and No. 1 drama in Total
households; draws more viewers than Dragon’s Den, Mercer
Report; topped only by Hockey Night in Canada
Shot in Toronto series has never been more popular.
Average close to 1.5 million viewers a week for new episodes
in 2013-14
Will be stripped in the supper hour starting this fall on CBC
The series originated on City back when it was still the CHUM/
City group. It was canceled in 2011 after five seasons on City.
Programmers at Rogers argued it was an ‘odd fit” for their
network, which was moving more toward a mix of edgy, urban
US comedy imports.
The series hit a high of 700,000 viewers on City thanks to a
well-publicized guest stint by prime minister Stephen Harper;
otherwise rarely cracked the half million mark on City.
Murdoch Mysteries is Harper’s favourite TV show. Told it was
moving to CBC in 2012, the PM said, “I’ll watch it anyway.”
CBC came to the rescue and ordered a sixth season days after
City’s announced cancellation
The first five seasons are still in high rotation on Roger’s
City stations especially all summer, as City overplays it in a
transparent attempt to come anywhere close to meeting its
Canadian content quota
Despite so much exposure on two different networks the
series remains a steady draw in Canada; Rogers pulls 300,000
to 400,000 with episodes seen five, six times already
Imported to 120 countries.
Produced with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video
Production Tax Credit; the Ontario Film and Television Tax
Credit; and the Canadian Television Fund
The series airs in the UK on Alibi (formerly known as UKTV
Drama)
In the US, the series began airing on the Ovation cable TV
network in 2013 under the title The Artful Detective
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D RAM A
1 9 -2 BRAVO
Returning
Airs
Jan. 19, 2015
(Season 2)
•
Mondays 9 p.m. ET
•
Executive
Producers
Starring
Production
Companies
Jocelyn Deschenes,
Luc Chatelain,
Bruce M. Smith,
Carolyn Newman,
Greg Phillips,
Saralo MacGregor
Jared Keeso,
Adrian Holmes,
Benz Antoine,
Bruce Ramsay,
Conrad Pla,
Dan Petronijevic,
Laurence Leboeuf,
Maxim Roy,
Mylène Dinh-Robic
Sphère Média Plus
and Echo Media
in association with
Bell Media
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
•
•
•
Produced with the participation of the Quebec Film
and Television Tax Credit, the Canadian Film or Video
Production Tax Credit, the Canadian Media Fund and
the COGECO Program Development Fund
Benz Antoine reprises his role from the original Frenchlanguage series
The French series, created by and starring Réal Bossé
and Claude Legault, debuted in 2011 on Radio-Canada
to critical and ratings success
The English 19-2 was originally ordered as a pilot for
CBC, but was picked up by Bravo when CBC passed on
it
19-2 is the first English drama in memory that is clearly
set in Montreal
Bell has qualified 19-2’s first season run on Bravo as a
success, reaching an average of 190,000 viewers a
week, making it the No. 3 show on the network
“
The acting is solid and organic, the
pace is perfect, the writing is real
and natural and believable, and the
stories hit home.
16
”
— Denette Wilford, HuffPost TV Canada
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
“ ”
…the most important
Canadian show
in years.
— John Doyle,
The Globe and Mail
D RAM A
O RP HAN BLACK S PAC E
Returning
Created by
April 18, 2015
(Season 3)
•
•
Graeme Manson,
John Fawcett
•
Starring
Executive
Producers
Production
Company
Shot in
RATINGS:
Tatiana Maslany,
Dylan Bruce,
Jordan Gavaris,
Kevin Hanchard,
Michael Mando,
Évelyne Brochu,
Maria Doyle
Kennedy
Ivan Schneeberg,
David Fortier,
Graeme Manson,
John Fawcett
•
•
•
Temple Street
Productions,
BBC America,
Bell Media
•
Toronto
•
Orphan Black drew an average of
337,000 viewers a week in 2013-14,
making it the 10th most-watched
Canadian specialty program that
season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
Renewed for a ten-episode third season
Tatiana Maslany has received universal acclaim for her
performance as the various clones, winning the Television
Critics Association Best Dramatic Performance Award,
beating Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called her
performances “fantastic”. Maslany’s failure to receive a
nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series at both the
65th Primetime Emmy Awards and 66th Primetime Emmy
Awards was seen as a snub by many critics. Goodman
called it an “outrageous oversight.”
The series also won a Peabody and a Canadian Screen
Award
Orphan Black made its broadcast network television debut
on CTV on August 16, 2013
Executive producer Graeme Manson (Flashpoint) and
producer-director John Fawcett (Spartacus, Lost Girl),
batted the idea around for 10 years. “We tried to make the
whole thing work as a feature for a while,” says Manson.
When TV tilted back from procedurals to serials, the two
started pitching it as a series. “Serialized cable television
really lent itself to the project,” he says.
Five of the six Season 1 writers in the Orphan Black writing
room are graduates of the Canadian Film Centre
The series was pitched to USA and FX before BBC America
picked up the US rights
Ratings: The Season 2 return of the BBC America thriller
nearly doubled its 18-49 viewership in its first three days
of time-shifted viewing. The ratings went up 97 percent
compared to its first-night tally. That’s more than any TV
drama premiere — cable or broadcast — that season. The
first episode soared to 1.6 million BBC America viewers and
746,000 in the demo.
17
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
R EMEDY GLOBA L
Returning
Mar. 23, 2015
(Season 2)
•
Created by
Greg Spottiswood
•
Executive
Producers
Greg Spottiswood,
Bernie Zukerman,
Kelly Makin,
Adam Barken
Starring
Production
Company
Produced in
Dillon Casey,
Enrico Colantoni,
Matt Ward,
Genelle Williams,
Sara Canning,
Sarah Allen,
Patrick McKenna,
Martha Burns
•
Indian Grove
Productions
•
Toronto
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
On May 1, 2014 Global announced that Remedy had
been renewed for a 10 episode second season. The
first season was also 10 episodes
Remedy had a so-so delivery on Global in Feb., 2014,
with 754,000 estimated overnight viewers. That’s
about half what the network averaged a few years
earlier with it’s last attempt at a doctor show, the copro casualty Combat Hospital. Global hammocked
Remedy between two simulcasts, Almost Human
(1,086,000) and The Blacklist (1,245,000)
Dillon Casey, who grew up in Oakville, Ont., was
previously on the shot-in-Toronto CW drama Nikita.
He says he’s enjoying the chance to “learn a lot,
especially from guys like Rico and Greg. I mean, I’ve
had opportunities, but never to do the range of things
I’ve done in this show.”
Spottiswood feels he’s capable of plenty. He sees
Remedy as “an opportunity to see what I’m capable
of, in a way.”
“I knew he was good when we cast him, but he’s
really good,” he says. “There are very good actors
who don’t have the capability to project an inner life
when they’re not talking or doing anything. He has
that capacity, which was a revelation, and we’ve been
using it. Basically he doesn’t have to do very much
for us to be engaged and feel. Plus he’s funny,” says
Spottiswood.
18
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
R EPU BLIC OF DOYL E C BC
Returning
Airs
Debuted
Created by
Executive
Producers
Oct. 15, 2014
(Season 6)
•
Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
•
Jan. 6, 2010 on CBC
•
•
Allan Hawco,
Malcolm MacRury,
Perry Chafe
Allan Hawco,
John Vatcher,
Michael Levine
•
•
•
•
Starring
Opening
theme
Allan Hawco,
Seán McGinley,
Lynda Boyd,
Krystin Pellerin,
Mark O’Brien,
Marthe Bernard
•
•
•
“Oh Yeah”
by Great Big Sea
•
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
Resembles: a throwback to cop shows of the ‘70s
like Rockford Files and Starsky & Hutch; Hawco has
Rockford poster taped on door of writer’s room.
St. John’s lensed drama returned for a sixth and final
season in late Sept
The final total number of episodes will be 77
The province of Newfoundland invested in capital
costs to launch this series in St. John’s, particularly in
converting a warehouse into a studio
St. John’s is really one of the stars of the series
Fifth season order for 16 episodes the series high
Series drew a million Total viewers a week every single
week during its second season on Wednesday nights
tucked behind the CBC hit Dragon’s Den
Made headlines with guest starring stint by Academy
Award winner Russell Crowe in Third Season premiere,
boosting audience to 1.36 million viewers
Doyle lost as many as half a million viewers a week
as a result of a shift to Sundays in Season 4 as CBC
coped with another round of programming cutbacks
Perennially snubbed at the Gemini “Screenie” awards
In 2013, did a clever, cross-generational crossover
with Murdoch Mysteries, an idea hatched by Murdoch
showrunner Peter Mitchell
Canadian acting veterans Gordon Pinsent and Paul
Gross have guest starred a few times. The series has
used virtually every Newfoundland-born actor at one
time or another including Shannon Tweed, Shawn
Doyle and members of Great Big Sea.
19
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
R O OKIE BLUE GLOBA L
Returning
Summer 2015
(Season 6)
•
Created by
Tassie Cameron,
Morwyn Brebner,
Ellen Vanstone
•
Executive
Producers
David Wellington,
John Morayniss,
Noreen Halpern,
Ilana Frank,
Tassie Cameron
•
Starring
Production
Company
Missy Peregrym,
Gregory Smith,
Charlotte Sullivan,
Rachael Ancheril,
Lyriq Bent,
Priscilla Faia,
Matt Gordon,
Noam Jenkins,
Eric Johnson
Shaw Media,
Thump, Inc.,
Ilana C.
Frank Films,
Entertainment One
•
The Canadian premiere drew an audience of 1.9 million
viewers with 712,000 in the 18–49 category, placing
first for the night and second for the week
In the US the premiere drew 7.253 million viewers.
The premiere became the most successful scripted
summer debut in over a year and in nearly six years
for ABC.
The series averaged 1.597 million viewers, 1.351M,
1.202M and 1.203M over its first four seasons in Canada
There was a 22 episode order for Season 5, to be split
over the summers of 2014 and 2015
“
There’s something really primal about
the idea of being a rookie—it hits that
horrible, eternal sense of feeling like a
fraud, like a kid dressed in grown-up
clothes, trying to pretend you know
what you’re doing. And I thought,
what if you were feeling just like
that—but with a gun?
”
— Tassie Cameron, Executive Producer
Shot & Set in
RATINGS:
Toronto
Rookie Blue drew an average of
1,597,000 viewers a week in 201314, making it the most-watched
Canadian scripted series that season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
20
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
SAVIN G HOP E CTV
Sept. 22, 2014
(Season 3)
•
Thursdays at 9 p.m.
on CTV
•
Created By
Malcolm MacRury,
Morwyn Brebner
•
Executive
Producers
Ilana Frank,
David Wellington,
Lesley Harrison,
Morwyn Brebner,
Aaron Martin,
Malcolm MacRury
Starring
Erica Durance,
Michael Shanks,
Daniel Gillies,
Huse Madhavji,
Julia Taylor Ross,
Kristopher Turner
Returning
Airs
•
•
Production
Companies
Produced in
RATINGS:
Ilana C. Frank Films,
Entertainment One,
Bell Media
Toronto
Saving Hope drew an average of
1,582,000 viewers a week in 201314, making it the 2nd most-watched
Canadian scripted series that season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
Ratings: Saving Hope premiered to 1,520,000 CTV
viewers on June 7, 2012. CTV averaged 1.7M total
viewers for Season 1, 1.3M Season 2.
The premiere on NBC did 3.1M, close to a historic low
for a scripted series premiere on the Peacock network.
It was quickly canceled Stateside.
CTV chose to go it alone, proving a series designed
as a Can-Am co-pro could draw a large, non-simulcast
audience and survive the loss of its US broadcast
partner
This was in contrast to Combat Hospital, another CanAm co-pro with a medical setting. It opened big in
Canada the year before Saving Hope, averaging over
1.5 M, but when the US network partner walked away
quickly Global did not stick with the series.
Saving Hope, like Combat Hospital, was the highestrated domestic draw of its initial summer
“
...a sober, intelligent, placidly
paced drama as only the
Canadians can make.
21
”
— Lori Racki, The Chicago Sun-Times
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
S ENSITIVE SKIN HBO C A N A DA
Returning
TBA (Season 2)
•
Premiered
July 20, 2014
•
•
Written by
Bob Martin
Directed by
Executive
Producers
Don McKellar
Kim Cattrall,
Don McKellar,
Bob Martin,
Henry Normal,
Hugo Blick
•
•
Starring
Production
Companies
Kim Cattrall,
Don McKellar,
Elliott Gould,
Colm Feore
Rhombus Media,
Baby Cow
Productions
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
Adapted from the British series of the same name,
created by Hugo Blick
Six-episode first season
Sensitive Skin is uneven but it may just be an
adaptation that needs more time to find itself as a
Canadian series. It is certainly well cast and well made.
It has many honest, poignant moments of boomer
desperation. There are some direct hits on Toronto’s
hipster/condo core. A second season that took a
bigger swing at Davina’s personal journey would be
welcomed.” — Bill Brioux, BRIOUX.TV
HBO Canada renewed series for a second season in
Dec. 2014
All six episodes were available for download as soon
as the series premiered
“
Sensitive Skin is uneven but it may
just be an adaptation that needs
more time to find itself as
a Canadian series.
22
”
— Bill Brioux, BRIOUX.TV
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
ST R A N GE EMP IRE C BC
Returning
Airs
Created By
Executive
Producers
Sept. 22, 2014
(Season 1)
•
Thursdays at 9 p.m.
Laurie Finstad
(Durham County)
Laurie Finstad,
Tim Johnson,
Jeff Sagansky
Starring
Cara Gee,
Melissa Farman,
Tattiawna Jones,
Aaron Poole
Production
Company
Annuit Coeptis
Entertainment II
•
•
Synopsis: Serialized Western drama set near the
Alberta-Montana border in the 1860s, in which three
women band together for survival after the men in
their town are murdered.
Thirteen episodes ordered
Strange Empire is an indication that the new team in
charge of programming at CBC are looking to change
direction. “Serialized, darker programming is I think
something most audiences are used to seeing on US
cable,” says Sally Catto, CBC’s new vice president of
programming.
“
Serialized, darker programming is I
think something most audiences are
used to seeing on US cable...
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
”
— Sally Catto, CBC Vice-President of Programming
23
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
VIKINGS HI STORY
Returning
Feb. 19, 2015
(Season 3)
•
Michael Hirst
•
Michael Hirst,
John Weber,
James Flynn,
Sherry Marsh,
Alan Gasmer,
Sheila Hockin,
Morgan O’Sullivan
•
Travis Fimmel,
Katheryn Winnick,
Clive Standen,
Jessalyn Gilsig,
Gustaf Skarsgård,
George Blagden,
Alexander Ludwig,
Alyssa Sutherland
•
Created by
Executive
Producers
•
•
Starring
Production
Companies
RATINGS:
Shaw Media,
Octagon Films,
Take 5 Productions
•
•
•
•
According to Nielsen, the series premiere drew 6 million
viewers in the US, topping all broadcast networks
among 18-to-49 year olds
In Canada, the premiere was watched by 1.1 million
viewers. The first season averaged 942,000 viewers.
That made it 2013’s No. 1 rated scripted specialty
series
History renewed Vikings for a ten-episode third
season in March. When asked what viewers could
expect from the next season, Michael Hirst explained:
“Yeah, we’re gonna attack Paris.”
The first season’s budget has been reported as $40
million US
The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford
Studios, a newly built studio facility in Ireland, chosen
as a location for its tax advantages
Seventy percent of the first season was filmed
outdoors
Some additional background shots were done in
Western Norway
Fimmel is the main lead but Toronto-raised Katheryn
Winnick, Montreal’s Jesslyn Gilsig, Ottawa original
Donal Logue and Vancouver boy Alexander Ludwig
(The Hunger Games) were all part of the inner cast
Canadian director Ken Girotti (Being Erica, La Femme
Nikita) was back for a second season
Vikings drew an average of 904,000
viewers a week in 2013-14, making
it the No. 1 rated Canadian specialty
program in the country
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
24
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
D RAM A
X COMPANY CBC
Premiere
Feb. 18, 2015
(Season 1)
•
Created by
Mark Ellis
Stephanie
Morgenstern
(Flashpoint)
•
Ellis, Morgenstern,
Ivan Schneeberg,
David Fortier
•
•
Executive
Producers
RATINGS:
Starring
Evelyne Brochu
(Orphan Black),
Jack Laskey
(Endeavour),
Warren Brown
(Luther),
Dustin Milligan
(Demonic),
Connor Price
(Being Human)
and
Hugh Dillon
(Flashpoint)
Production
Companies
Temple Street
Productions,
Pioneer Stillking
Films
•
•
•
Synopsis: Based on real-life stories, X Company centers
on a team of young recruits training as secret agents
during World War II.
Dillon plays Duncan Sinclair, the “beating heart and
clenched fist” of a secret World War II camp on the
shores of Lake Ontario
Inspired by stories about a real spy training school
located between Whitby and Oshawa
Production took place in Budapest
Montrealer François Arnaud, who starred in The Borgias,
will guest star in X Company
A Canadian-Hungarian co-production
James Bond author Ian Fleming, was reportedly trained
at the actual Ontario spy camp
X Company opened to 813,000
overnight estimated viewers
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
25
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
26
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M E DY
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
27
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
MR . D CBC/CITY
Jan. 18, 2015
(Season 4)
•
Mondays at 9 p.m. ET
•
Created by
Gerry Dee,
Michael Volpe
•
•
Executive
Producers
Gerry Dee,
Michael Volpe
•
Returning
Airs
Starring
Production
Company
Opening
Theme
Gerry Dee,
Jonathan Torrens,
Lauren Hammersley,
Booth Savage,
Bette MacDonald,
Naomi Snieckus,
Darrin Rose,
Mark Little,
Wes Williams,
Mark Forward
Topsail
Entertainment
•
•
•
Dee based Mr. D on his ten years teaching physical
education in high school before he left for a career in
stand-up comedy in 2003
Filmed on location at Citadel High School in Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Renewed for a fourth season on April 4, 2014
The first episode of the show was watched by 1.23 million
viewers before settling in around the 630,000 that first
season
Budget cuts at CBC limited the series order to just 8
episodes in Season 3
Mr. D got little traction as a result, with episodes dipping
into the 300,000 viewer range
CBC, facing further budget cuts, was prepared to walk
away from Mr. D when Rogers stepped in with a plan
to extend the series. Rogers made a deal to invest in a
second window on the comedy. Thirteen new episodes
of Mr. D will air on CBC’s 2014-15 schedule. Later in 2015,
the series will begin airing on City.
“Delighted and thankful to CBC and Rogers on working
together to make Season 4 of @mrd_on_cbc happen,”
Dee wrote on Twitter. “Will air on @CBC and @City_tv
in 2015.”
“I’m Awesome”
by Spose
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
28
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
R IC K MERCER REP OR T C BC
Returns
Airs
Oct. 7, 2014
(Season 11)
Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET
Created by
Rick Mercer,
Gerald Lunz
Executive
Producers
Gerald Lunz
Starring
Rick Mercer
Shot in
•
•
•
•
•
Toronto
•
RATINGS:
Shot before a studio audience at the CBC Broadcast
Centre in Toronto
Eleven seasons, 200 episodes and counting
A consistent ratings winner pulling a steady millionplus a night for a decade
Every week, Mercer does a ‘streeter’-style tonguein-cheek rant about current issues, using the same
format that he popularized on 22 Minutes with a long
take and camera tilting. These are almost always
taped while Mercer walks up and down a graffitistrewn Toronto alleyway.
Over 11 seasons, Mercer has gone skating with Hazel
McCallion, got measured for a suit with Don Cherry
and bungee jumped off a bridge in Whistler, BC with
“Man in Motion” Rick Hansen
Rick Mercer has won over 25 Gemini awards
Rick Mercer Report drew an average
of 1,010,000 viewers a week in 201314, making it the 3rd most-watched
CBC series that season
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
29
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
PAC KAGE DEA L C IT Y
Returning
Sept. 12, 2014
(Season 2)
Created by
Andrew Orenstein
Starring
Randal Edwards,
Harland Williams,
Jay Malone,
Julia Voth
Executive
Producers
Andrew Orenstein,
Tim Gamble,
Michael Shepard
Production
Companies
Thunderbird Films,
Rogers Media
Shot in
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Vancouver
•
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
Second season shot in hurry up style of the new 10/90
comedies; two episodes produced each week.
Live studio audience now only in on half the production
The sound stage is one of those stealth studios tucked
inside an industrial park. Outside it looks like any other
soul-less suburban factory zone. Inside, you could be on
the Warners’ or CBS Radford lot.
Harland Williams, Jay Malone and Randal Edwards
play three goofy brothers. Julia Voth plays Edwards’
character’s hot girlfriend who accepts them all, for
better or for worse.
Eugene Levy and Pamela Anderson guest starred in
Season 1
Jason Priestley makes an appearance in Season 2
Ratings: The series failed to break out Season 1 despite
being hammocked between two top-rated comedy
imports Monday nights on City. Package Deal would
appear to slump to 300,000 viewers in between
two million-plus audiences. Factor out the simulcast
numbers for the imports on American border stations,
however, and Package Deal’s retention in the timeslot
was closer to 70%.
One of two shows hyped in 2013 as part of the Great
Canadian experiment with four camera, studio audience
comedy
30
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
S C H ITT’S CREEK CBC
Premiere
Created by
Jan. 13, 2015
(Season 1)
•
Eugene Levy,
Daniel Levy
•
Executive
Producers
Eugene Levy,
Daniel Levy,
Fred Levy,
Andrew Barnsley,
Ben Feigin
Starring
Eugene Levy,
Catherine O’Hara,
Daniel Levy,
Chris Elliott,
Mara Marini
Production
Companies
Shot in
RATINGS:
•
•
Synopsis: Levy and O’Hara star as Johnny and Moira
Rose, a wealthy couple who are forced, after losing
all their money, to rebuild their lives in their only
remaining asset: the no-horse town of Schitt’s Creek,
which they once purchased as a joke.
O’Hara says she’d been carefully avoiding sitcom
pitches for years in order to dodge working long hours
“with a bunch of strangers,” but couldn’t resist this
pitch from her old SCTV pal Eugene Levy. Besides,
in playing half of a snooty couple who loses almost
everything, there was the chance to “live in poverty
wearing the most annoying clothes.”
Series was renewed for a second season in January
2014
Shot in Toronto at Pinewood Studios
Not a Real Company
Productions
Toronto
Schitt’s Creek opened to 1.4 million
overnight estimated viewers
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
31
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
S PUN OUT CTV
Returning
TBA (Season 2)
Created by
Jeff Biederman,
Brent Piaskoski,
Brian K. Roberts
Executive
Producers
Jeff Biederman,
Brent Piaskoski,
Brian K. Roberts
Starring
Dave Foley,
Paul Campbell,
Rebecca Dalton,
Al Mukadam,
Holly Deveaux,
J.P. Manoux,
Darcy Michael
•
•
•
Production
Companies
Shot in
Ratings: The show opened above 1.2M in the
overnights behind The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays
before dipping to 800,000 the next night and less
than 600,000 in the overnights the next week. With
half the audience gone in eight days, the comedy was
looking to settle around the half-million mark in Week
Four on a Friday.
Foley was joined in Season 1 in one episode by his
Kids in the Hall co-stars
Second season order for 13 new episodes went into
production in September in Toronto
Project 10
Productions
Toronto
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
32
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
S UN NYSIDE CITY
Premiere
Created by
Executive
Producers
Starring
Production
Companies
Shot in
Jan. 8, 2015
(Season 2)
•
Dan Redican,
Gary Pearson
Dan Redican,
Gary Pearson,
Anton Leo,
Shane Corkery,
Dan Bennett,
Phyllis Laing
•
•
Sketch comedy series hails from two veterans of the
genre, Redican, who was part of the Frantics as well
as head writer on Kids in the Hall and also starred
on Puppets Who Kill and Pearson, with writing and
producing credits on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, That’s
So Weird and MADtv
Episodes ordered: 13
A second season of seven episodes has been ordered
to air in the fall of 2015
Kathleen Phillips,
Lauren Ash,
Pat Thornton,
Patrice Goodman,
Alice Moran,
Kevin Vidal,
Rob Norman
Counterfeit Pictures,
Buffalo Gal Pictures
Winnipeg
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
33
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
T H IS HOUR HAS 22 M I N U T ES C BC
Returning
Airs
Created by
Starring
Oct. 7, 2014
(Season 22)
•
•
Tuesdays at 8:30 pm
•
Mary Walsh
•
Mark Critch,
Cathy Jones,
Shaun Majumder,
Susan Kent
•
•
•
Production
Company
DHX Media,
Canadian
Broadcasting
Corporation
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
22 Minutes is celebrating its 22nd season
Originally featuring Cathy Jones, Rick Mercer, Greg
Thomey and Mary Walsh
Its full name is a parody of This Hour Has Seven Days, a
CBC newsmagazine from the 1960s
Recognized with 24 Gemini Awards and 11 Canadian
Comedy Awards
Taped before a live audience in Studio 1 at CBHT in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ratings averaged over 800,000 viewers Tuesday nights
last season on CBC
Former fake news anchors include Walsh, Rick Mercer,
Grey Thomey, Colin Mochrie, Geri Hall and Gavin
Crawford
The series travelled to Ottawa in January, shooting its
first episode outside Halifax in 22 years
34
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
T RA ILER PA RK BOYS N ET F L IX
Returning
Created by
Starring
Production
Company
Mar. 27, 2015
(Season 9)
•
Mike Clattenburg
•
John Paul Tremblay,
Robb Wells,
Mike Smith
•
Sunnyvale
Productions,
Swearnet Pictures
(season 8-present)
Shot in
Halifax Regional
Municipality, Truro,
Nova Scotia
Distributor
Entertainment One
(Season 8-present)
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trailer Park Boys resided with Showcase for its first
seven seasons. Beginning with the eighth season, the
series switched to Netflix
The show’s lead trio formerly toured with Our Lady
Peace, and with Guns N’ Roses, with whom Bubbles
sings his trademark song “Liquor and Whores”
It airs all over the world, including Australia on The
Comedy Channel, the UK and Spain on Paramount
Comedy, the Republic of Ireland on 3e, Iceland on
SkjárEinn, New Zealand on TV 2, Israel on Xtra Hot, the
Netherlands on Comedy Central
In the US, it formerly aired on BBC America as well as
DirecTV. It now airs on Netflix.
Netflix has also committed to a ninth season
The series has so far spawned three feature films
Episodes would typically have pulled 300,000 viewers
in the middle of the series’ run on Showcase
The series was turned down at The Comedy Network
No. of episodes: 65 +
35
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
CO M EDY
YO U NG DRUN K P U N K C IT Y
Premiere
January 21, 2015
(Season 1)
•
•
Created by
Bruce McCullough
Executive
Producers
Bruce McCullough
Susan Cavan
Jordy Randall
Tom Cox
Starring
Production
Companies
Shot in
Tim Carlson
Atticus Mitchell
Bruce McCullough
Tracy Ryan
•
•
•
•
•
•
Synopsis: Two young men—Ian and Shinky—explore the
lost years between high school and “what’s next”
A semi-autobiographical take on a coming-of-age
journey loosely based on McCullough’s own adventures
prior to his success with The Kids in the Hall
Set in Calgary in the 1980s
McCullough grew up not far from where Young Drunk
Punk was shot
13 episodes have been ordered
Toronto-native Atticus Mitchell, who plays Shinky, was
last seen in Fargo
Developed and commissioned by Rogers
“Hopefully it will serve as a poor, but ultimately
redemptive example for high school graduates today,
who are not certain of their future plans.” — McCullough
Accent
Entertainment,
SEVEN24 Films
Calgary
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
U NS C R I P T E D
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
TH E A MA Z I N G R AC E CANADA
UN S C R I PTE D - CO M P E TITION
THE AMAZING RACE CANADA - CTV
CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON - CBC
• Summer 2013: average audience
3.5 million viewers
• Most-watched Canadian television
program on record and #2 program of
the year overall behind only The Big
Bang Theory
• From Insight Productions
• Begins Sept. 28
• Hosted by Jessi Cruickshank and
Jeff Douglas
• No trivia, no book smarts, just mindbending challenges in six categories
of intelligence
• An American adaptation is in
development
RATINGS:
The Amazing Race Canada drew
an average of 2,774,000 viewers a
week in 2013-14, making it the mostwatched Canadian series that season.
CANADA’S WORST DRIVER - DISCOVERY
• 10th season
• Discovery’s most successful
program ever
• From Proper Television
BACHELOR CANADA - CITY
• Returns Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET
• The series rested for a year after an
inaugural season where ratings ranged
between 600,000 to 700,000
DRAGON’S DEN - CBC
• Airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET
• New dragons Michael Wekerle and
Vikram Vij were added for Season 9
• Arlene Dickinson and David Chilton will
not be returning for Season 10
RATINGS:
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
38
Dragon’s Den drew an average of
1,069,000 viewers a week in 2013-14,
making it the 2nd most-watched CBC
series that season
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
DONUT SHOW D OW N
UNSCRIPTED - FOOD
BBQ CRAWL - TRAVEL & ESCAPE
NETWORK (CANADA)
...dated inns in cottage country.
• Wise is the event expert on CTV’s The
Social
• Production Company: General Purpose
Entertainment, Toronto
• Airs Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT
• 13 X 30 min. episodes
• Barry’s love of cooking began when he
was 13, working beside his uncle at a
pizzeria in his hometown, Niagara-onthe-Lake
• Shooting locations include Stratford,
Buckhorn, Huntsville and Port Severn
• Season 2 premiered April 1, 2014
• Executive Producer Kit Redmond
• Starring Canadian BBQ Champion Danielle
Dimovski, aka “Diva Q”
• Synopsis: Dimovski competes in southern
US BBQ cooking competitions and visits
smokin’ BBQ establishments along the way
• Production Company: RTR Media
• 23 x 30 min. episodes
• Dimovski is a suburban mom of three
whose passion for BBQ takes her to
competitions all over North America
where she has won numerous awards
DONUT SHOWDOWN
- FOOD
CHOPPED CANADA - FOOD
• The Food network’s No. 1 series
of 2014 returns with host Dean McDermott
•
•
•
•
DINING INNVASION - COTTAGE LIFE TV
•
• Premiere: Sept 5., 2014
• Executive Producer Scott Clark McNeil
• Starring Chef Victor Barry and Event
planner Rebecca Wise
• Synopsis: Barry and Wise spruce up 13...
•
•
•
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
39
Returning Sept. 8, 2014 (Season 2)
Executive Producer Mike Sheerin
Host Daryn Jones
Synopsis: Three teams of expert donut
makers compete to create the tastiest,
one-of-a-kind donut and grab the
$10,000 prize.
Production Company: Architect Films
Inc., Toronto
Distributor: Tricon Films & Television
14 x 30 min. episodes
The expert judges include chefs David
Rocco, Duff Goldman, Elizabeth Falkner,
Zane Caplansky, Eden Grinshpan, Jeff
Mahin and Maggie McKeown.
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
MASTE R C H E F CANADA
UN S C R I PTE D - FO O D
MASTERCHEF CANADA - CTV
RECIPE TO RICHES - CBC
• Summer average: 1.8 million viewers
• Canada’s most-watched homegrown
series of the 2013-14 season and one of
the most-watched new programs
of the season
• Renewed with an order for Masterchef
Canada: A Holiday Special
• From Proper Television
•
RATINGS:
• Masterchef Canada drew an average
• of 1,819,000 viewers a week in
• 2013-14, making it the second most-
• Premiere Wed. Feb. 26, 2014 at 9 p.m.
(9:30 NT)
• Synopsis: Amateur Canadian cooks compete
to have their unique recipe featured as
a President’s Choice® product and to
ultimately win the $250,000 grand prize.
Canadian viewers vote for their favourite.
• Executive Producers: Ivan Schneeberg and
David Fortier (Temple Street Productions)
• Host Carlo Rota (Little Mosque on the Prairie, 24)
• Production Company: Temple Street
Productions in association with CBC and
Loblaw Companies Limited.
• Six one-hour episodes
• The first two seasons aired on Food Network
Canada and Global before CBC picked up the
show for its third season in 2013
• Host Carlo Rota’s got his passion for food
from his father Dante Rota, an internationally
renowned chef. He is also the former host of
The Great Canadian Food Show.
• Judges are Gail Simmons, Vikram Vij, and
Arlene Dickinson
watched Canadian series that season.
ONE WORLD KITCHEN - GUSTO TV
• Launching April, 2015 on television and
earlier online
• Shines a spotlight on five global cuisines;
Indian, Thai, Italian, South American and
Japanese
• Features five Canadian chefs; Vijaya
Selvaraju, Hana Etsuko, Natalia Machado,
Vanessa Gianfrancesco and Pailin
Chongchitnant
• 30 episodes ordered
• Produced in Ottawa
• Showcases Canada as one of the most
culturally diverse nations on the world
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
YOU GOTTA EAT HERE - FOOD
• Fourth season begins Jan. 30, 2015
• Canada’s version of Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives
• Hosted by John Catucci who scourers
Canada for comfort food
• 26 x 30 min. episodes
• From Lone Eagle Entertainment
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
COLIN & J USTI N ’ S C A BI N P R ESSUR E
UNSCRIPTED - H OME
COLIN & JUSTIN’S CABIN PRESSURE
- COTTAGE LIFE TV
HOUSE OF BRYAN SEASON 3: IN THE
STICKS - HGTV
• Season 2 premieres March 18, 2015
10 p.m. ET
• Executive Producer Les Tomlin
• Starring Scottish design duo Colin
McAllister and Justin Ryan
• Synopsis: The boys are back to finish
the transformation of their three-story
log cabin in Muskoka, Ontario.
• Production Company: Co-production
between Blue Ant Media (Toronto),
Peace Point Entertainment Group
(Toronto), and OUTtv.
• Airs: Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET
• Distributor: Peace Point Rights
• 13 x 30 min. episodes
• “Neither Colin or I realized just what a
pig in lipstick we were buying.”
— Justin Ryan.
• Starring Bryan and Sarah Baeumler
• Synopsis: Small town boy Bryan and his
city wife Sarah, build their dream home
in the country
• Production Company: Si Entertainment
• Airs Sundays at 9 p.m.
• House of Bryan is the highest rated
series in HGTV Canada’s history
• 16 x 30 min. episodes
• The show is seen in 26 countries
including Russia, Australia and Israel
• Baulmer has a B.A. in Political Science
from University of Western
• Baulmer and wife Sarah have four
children.
INCOME PROPERTY - HGTV CANADA
• Returned Feb. 26, 2015
• For Season 10, host Scott McGillivray
takes the show on the road for the first
time
• Four vacation properties to be
highlighted this season
• McGillivray was recently named People
magazine’s “Sexiest Man of the Week”
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
TI MB ER K I NGS
UN S C R I PTE D - HO ME
MIKE’S ULTIMATE GARAGE
- HGTV CANADA
TIMBER KINGS - HGTV CANADA
• Returning January 4, 2015
• Executive Producers Adam Wilkenfeld,
David Paperny, Cal Shumiatcher and
Audrey Mehler
• Starring the Timber Kings crew: Bryan
Reid, Jr., André Chevigny, Bryan Reid,
Sr., Joel Roorda, Beat Schwaller, and
Peter Arnold
• Synopsis: Master log smiths custom
build huge, multi-million dollar log
homes and then take them apart and
reassemble them at their new owner’s
location – thousands of miles away
• Production Company: Paperny
Entertainment, Vancouver
• Distributor: Passion Distribution,
London
• HGTV Canada’s #1 series
• 10 x 60 min. episodes
• The homes are built by Pioneer Log
Homes in Williams Lake, BC
• This season, the Timber Kings crew is
building homes in Britain, Germany and
Scotland, in addition to North America
• The logs weigh 2,000 pounds and are
cut with 20-pound chainsaws
• Mike Holmes and his son Mike Jr,
design, build and deck out their own
state-of-the-art man cave
• Originally a one-night television event
• Mike Holmes original HGTV series,
Holmes on Homes, premiered in 2001
• In May 2010, Reader’s Digest named
Holmes as the second most widelytrusted person in Canada behind David
Suzuki
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
COLD WATER COW BOYS
UNSCRIPTED - LIFEST Y L E
COLD WATER COWBOYS - DISCOVERY
THE LIQUIDATOR - OLN
• Channel’s second-highest series
premiere ever—Canadian production or
otherwise—drawing 610,000 viewers
for its series opener
• From Paperney Entertainment
• Returning January 8, 2015 (Season 4)
• Executive Producers Margaret
Mardirossian and Helen Schmidt
• Starring Host Jeff Schwarz
• Synopsis: Schwarz buys and sells 24/7
to keep his 30,000 sq. ft. warehouse
full and the profits flowing
• Production Company: Anaïd
Productions (Vancouver) in association
with Rogers Media Inc.
• Shot In North Vancouver BC
• Airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT
• Distributor: Picture Box Distribution
• Season 3 premiere had the highest
audience numbers in the show’s
history: 125,000 viewers (P2+). Season
3 also averaged 31 per cent higher
audiences year-over-year in the key
A25-54 demo (BBM Canada).
• 78 x 30 min. episodes
• Leo Award winner 2014: Best
Screenwriting in Lifestyle/Information
Series
• Airs in 137 countries around the world
• “I’ll buy anything if the price is right…. I
live for the deal.” — Jeff Schwarz
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
SAY Y E S TO TH E D R E SS CANADA
UN S C R I PTE D - L IF E STY L E
STORAGE WARS CANADA - OLN
SAY YES TO THE DRESS CANADA
- W NETWORK
• Returning January 8, 2015
• Executive Producers Guy O’Sullivan
and Allison Grace
• Synopsis: Described as a “modern day
treasure hunt” where buyers bid on
storage units at auction
• Production Company: Proper Television
• Based on a format created by Original
Productions, a FremantleMedia
Company
• Airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
• Distributor: FremantleMedia
International
• Highest-rated show on OLN
• 36 x 30 min. episodes
• Season 2 special guests include
Sportsnet Broadcaster and former
Stanley Cup Champion Nick Kypreos
and Robb Reiner of Canadian heavy
metal band, Anvil
• Seen in over 140 territories around
the world including the UK, Germany,
Spain, Italy and Australia
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
• Returning January 7, 2015
• Synopsis: a bride-to-be tries on wedding
dresses and gets way too much input
from friends and family
• Shot in Woodbridge, Ont., at AmandaLina’s Sposa Boutique
• Bridal stylist Joesph Spencer was Holt
Renfrew’s evening gown specialist
• The US version of the series has run for 11
seasons
• Among the brides on Season 1 are
Olympic bobsledder Emily Baadsvik,
who searches for her gown with the help
of her fiance, retired CFL star Dimitri
Tsoumpas
• Watch one picky bride try on 50 gowns
before settling on the perfect dress
• From Temple Street Productions
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
Y UKON GOLD
UNSCRIPTED - LIFEST Y L E
SHANNON AND SOPHIE - W NETWORK
YUKON GOLD - HISTORY
• Returing Tuesday, May 20, 2014
• Producers John Ritchie, Rob Bromley,
Gillian Lowery and Dana Johl
• Starring Shannon Tweed and daughter
Sophie Tweed-Simmons
• Synopsis: The everyday adventures of
“try anything” mom Shannon Tweed
and her more conservative 21-year-old
daughter, Sophie Tweed-Simmons
• Production Company: Force Four
Entertainment (Vancouver) in
association with W Network
• Shot In Whistler (where the Simmons’
own a home), Vancouver, Los Angeles
and Nashville
• Airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET
• 8 x 30 min. episodes
• Sophie is pursuing a singing and acting
career and helps run her own charity,
Sophie’s Place, a children’s advocacy
centre in Surrey, BC
• Gene Simmons will make regular cameo
appearances on the show
• Season 3 premiered Feb. 25, 2015
• Follows four daring gold mining crews as
they pan for the ultimate payday
• History’s top-rated Canadian documentary
series for the past two years, often topping
600,000 viewers
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
B I G G E ST A N D B A D DE ST CANADA
UN S C R I PTE D - M ISC E L LA N EOUS
AIRSHOW - DISCOVERY
BORDER SECURITY: CANADA’S FRONT
LINE - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
CHANNEL (CANADA)
• Premieres January 26, 2015
• Synopsis: follows the lives of pilots, wing
walkers and other daring performers
through a hair-raising airshow season
• From the makers of Highway Thru Hell
• 12-part Canadian original
• Produced by Great Pacific TV
• Tagline: “This can be a job people are
dying to do”
• Returning September 5, 2014 10 p.m. ET/
PT (Season 3)
• Executive Producers John Ritchie, Gillian
Lowrey and Rob Bromley
• Production Company: Force Four
Entertainment, Vancouver, BC
• Synopsis: Canada Border Services
Agency (CBSA) officers challenge
suspicious looking passengers who enter
or exit Canada by land, sea or air.
• Shot in Vancouver, BC (primarily) and
Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and
Quebec
• Based on Border Security: Australia’s
Front Line which debuted in 2004
• Opening Theme: “Would I Lie to You,” by
Eurythmics
• 26 x 30 min. episodes
• Filming of an immigration raid in spring
2013 where several workers were
arrested inspired a campaign to have the
show shut down. The president of the
CBSA wanted it cancelled but Canada’s
Public Safety Minister overrode his
concerns.
BIGGEST AND BADDEST CANADA
PLANET CANADA
- ANIMAL
• Returning Monday, December 1 at 10
p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT, Season 2
• Synopsis : In Season 2, Niall McCann
travels to Louisiana, South America,
Africa and the Florida Everglades to see
snakes, crocodiles, lions, gorillas and
pythons in action – and very up-close.
• Produced and directed by Peter von
Puttkamer
• Starring Canadian/British adventurer
and biologist, Niall McCann
• Production Company: Gryphon
Productions Ltd., West Vancouver, BC
• 6-part , one-hour series
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
HIT THE ICE
UNSCRIPTED - MISCELLAN E OU S
DINO HUNT CANADA - HISTORY
THE PEOPLE’S COUCH - BRAVO
• Premiere: January, 2015
• Synopsis: follow Canadian
paleontologists as they embark on
actual dinosaur digs. See them unearth
a dinosaur that’s never been discovered
before!
• Dino Hunt brings beasts back to life
using CGI and prosthetic models
• Premiere: Sunday, July 13, 2014 at
8:30 p.m. ET
• Synopsis: Canadians watch other
Canadians watch TV
• Executive Producers Thomas Howe,
Donna Luke, and Richard Fowler
• Starring eight groups of armchair
critics including Shirlene, Jizelle and
Chrield; Kenny and Tara; Kathy, Mary
Ann and Cheri; Jordan and Nic; Sylvia
and David; Ken and Natasha; Kate,
“Miss Icy” and Terry, and Ben and Star
• Produced by Gogglebox Productions
Inc., in association with Bravo, and with
the support of THA Media Inc.
• Airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m. (ET)
• 10, half-hour episodes
• Based on GOGGLEBOX, the U.K’s hit
series. In its third season (ending May
2014) it was the highest rated series on
Channel 4
• The People’s Couch observes people
observing television and proves that
how we watch is often as funny as
what we watch—if not more so.” Tim
Teeman, The Daily Beast
HIT THE ICE - APTN
• Returned January 9, 2015
• Synopsis: At a NHL-style hockey training
camp, 20 uber-talented Aboriginal
players hope to be discovered by a junior
league scout.
• Written, produced and directed by Jason
Brennan
• The team’s coach, John Chabot, is a
former NHL hockey player
• Production Company: Nish Media in
association with APTN
• 13 x 30 min. episodes
• Broadcast in English and Cree
• Premiered on APTN 2012
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
TO O M U C H I N FO RM AT I O N
UN S C R I PTE D - M ISC E L LA N EOUS
TOO MUCH INFORMATION
- SUPER CHANNEL
SEE NO EVIL - SLICE NETWORK
• Premiere November 2014
• Premise: A panel of comedians are asked
to blurt “too much information” on a
variety of subjects. Points are awarded.
• Host: Norm Sousa
• Panelists: Geri Hall, Naomi Sniekus, Mark
Forward, Lauren Ash, Carla Collins,
Dave Merheje, Andrew Johnston, Sitara
Hewitt, Fraser Young and several others
• From Lone Eagle Entertainment
• Premiere: Friday, November 7 at 9pm
ET/PT
• Executive Producers Michael Kot, Saloon
Media and Thomas Viner, Arrow Media
• Synopsis: Real crimes are solved using
surveillance cameras plus dramatic reenactments and testimony of police and
other witnesses
• Production Company: Saloon Media
(Toronto) and Arrow Media (UK)
• Airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
• Distributed by Entertainment One
• 6 x 60 min. episodes
• CCTV (closed circuit television) footage
has helped close cases that might have
remained unsolved
• Cases include the Billings murders in
Florida and the abduction and murder of
Kelsey Smith
• “With 30 million surveillance cameras in
North America, we are increasingly living
in a surveillance society. See No Evil taps
into this using a blend of real-life CCTV
and home surveillance footage with
dramatic reconstruction, revealing some
of the most compelling murder cases.”
–Thomas Viner
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
FOR EIG N LO C AT I O N &
S E RVICE P ROD UC T I O N
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
49
A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
FOREIGN LOCAT ION A N D SERV IC E P R OD U C TI O N
DEFIANCE
In 2012/2013, the total volume of Foreign Location Service (FLS) production in Canada was
$1.74 Billion dollars and supported 38,200 full time equivalent jobs. Eight out of 10 FLS projects
in Canada originate in the US
ONTARIO
Ontario is Canada’s largest film and television production centre and is home to the most
English-language distribution and broadcasting companies. The province recorded $2.39
Billion in total production volume during 2012-13.According to the Motion Picture Association
of Canada, this generated 46,500 full time equivalent jobs in Ontario in 2012-13. Of the total
production volume, $212 million was spent on Foreign Location and Service (FLS) production.
Among the FLS productions taking place in Ontario in 2014-15:
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - Season 3
The CW/Showcase
BatB III Productions Inc.
Stars: Kirstin Kreuk, Jay Ryan,
Sendhil Ramamurthy
Exec. Prod.: Brad Kern, John Webber,
Frank Siracusa
Shoot: Aug. 28, 2014 – Feb. 06, 2015
Toronto
MAKE IT POP - Season 1
Nickelodeon
DHX-Exchange Productions Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Nick Cannon, Tom Lynch
Shoot: Dec. 8, 2014 – Mar 13, 2015
Toronto
THE EXPANSE - Season 1
Syfy
Expanding Universe Prods. Ltd.
Stars: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Cas Anvar,
Wes Chatham, Thomas Jane
Exec. Prods.: Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus,
Hawk Ostby, Sean Daniel,
Jason Brown, Sharon Hall
Shoot: Oct. 28, 2014 - Mar. 27, 2015
Toronto
DARK MATTER - Season 1
Syfy
Dark Matter Series Inc.
Stars: Marc Bendavid, Melissa O’Neil,
Anthony Lemke
Exec. Prods.: Jay Firestone, Vanessa Piazza
Shoot: Jan. 7 – May 15, 2015
Toronto
HANNIBAL - Season 3
NBC/City
Gaumont Int’l Television
Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen,
Laurence Fishburne
Shoot: Oct. 20 2014 - Apr. 02, 2015
Mississauga
DEFIANCE - Season 3
Syfy/Showcase
NBC - Universal
Stars: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz,
Graham Greene, Mia Kirshner
Exec. Prod.: Kevin Murphy
Shoot: Feb. 2 - Jun. 11, 2015
Toronto
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FOREIGN LOCAT ION A N D SERV IC E P R OD U C TI O N
TH E ST RAIN
HEMLOCK GROVE - Season 3
Netflix
Lockhem 3 Productions Inc.
Stars: Famke Janssen, Landon Liboiron,
Bill Skarsgård, Dougray Scott
Exec. Prod.: Gerritt van der Meer
Shoot: Dec. 08, 2014 - Apr. 30, 2015
Mississauga
THE STRAIN - Season 2
FX/FX Canada
Strain Can II Productions Inc.
Stars: Corey Stoll, Mia Maestro
Exec. Prod.: Guillermo del Toro, Carlton Cuse,
J. Miles Dale, Chuck Hogan, Gary Ungar
Shoot: Nov. 17, 2014 – Apr. 30, 2015
Toronto
MAN SEEKING WOMAN - Season 1
FXX/FXX Canada
Broadway Video, FX Productions
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Eric Andre, Britt Lower,
Maya Erskine
Exec. Prod.: Simon Rich, Jonathan Krisel,
Andrew Singer, Lorne Michaels
Toronto
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE - Season 1
Starz
Premiere: Motion Picture Corp.
Stars: Riley Keough, Shaun Benson,
Jeff Clarke
Exec. Prods.: P. Fleischman, G. Marcus,
S. Soderbergh
Shoot: Mar. 9 - Jun. 19, 2015
Toronto
REIGN - Season 2
The CW/CTV Two/M3
Reign Productions Inc.
Stars: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows,
Toby Regbo
Exec. Prods.: Frank Siracusa, John Weber,
Laurie McCarthy, Harley Peyton,
Brad Silberling
Shoot: July 07 - Apr. 13 2015
Toronto
THE GOOD WITCH - Season 1
Hallmark
Good Witch One Productions Inc.
Stars: Catherine Bell, James Denton,
Catherine Disher
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Exec. Prod.: Frank Siracusa
Shoot: Oct. 15, 2014 – Feb. 13, 2015
Toronto
SUITS - Season 5
USA Network/Bravo
Temple Street
Stars: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams,
Meghan Markle, Rick Hoffman, Sarah
Rafferty, Gina Torres
Exec. Prod: Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier,
John Fawcett, Graeme Manson
Shoot: Oct. 14, 2014 – Mar. 3, 2015
Toronto
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A GUIDE TO CUR R EN T PR ODUCTION
FOREIGN LOCAT ION A N D SERV IC E P R OD U C TI O N
B ACKST RO M
BRITISH COLUMBIA
In announcing their budget in February, 2015, the BC government pledged to continue
to ensure the competitiveness of BC’s film, television and digital industries. Among the
measures: extending the Interactive Digital Media tax credits to 2018 and expanding the
digital animation or visual effects (DAVE) tax credits to include post-production.
Here’s a look at the foreign location and service production happening this season in British Columbia:
ARROW - Season 3
The CW/CTV
Oliver Queen Films
Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy,
Colin Donnell, David Ramsey
Exec. Prod.: Gerg Berlanti, Marc
Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Shoot: July 09, 2014 – Apr. 17, 2015
Vancouver
FALLING SKIES - Season 5
TNT/Super Channel/Space
Stars: Noah Wyle, Connor Jessup,
Jessy Schram, Maxin Knight
Exec. Prod.: David Eick, Olatunde
Osunsanmi, Todd Sharpt
Final season
Vancouver
IMPASTOR - Season 1
TVLand
IImpastor Productions
Stars: Michael Rosenbaum, Sara Rue,
Micrea Monroe, David Rasche
Exec. Prod.: Eric Tannenbaum, Kim
Tannenbaum, Richard King, Robert Greenberg
Shoot: Mar. 16 - May. 19, 2015
Burnaby
BACKSTROM - Season 1
Fox/Global
Far Field Productions
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Genevieve Angelson,
Thomas Dekker, Dennis Haysbert
Exec. prod.: Hart Hanson, Leif G.W. Persson,
Mark Mylod, Niclas Salomonsson
Vancouver
BATES MOTEL - Season 4
A&E
GEP Productions
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore,
Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nestor Carbonell
Exec. Prod.: Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin
Shoot: Oct. 20, 2014 - Feb. 26, 2015
Vancouver
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
IZOMBIE - Season 1
The CW
Stars: Rose McIver, David Anders,
Malcolm Goodwin, Robert Buckley
DC Comics, Rob Thomas Productions
Exec. Prod.: Rob Thomas, Diane RuggerioWright, Danielle Stokdyk, Dan Etheridge
Premiere: Mar. 17, 2015
Coquitlam
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FOREIGN LOCAT ION A N D SERV IC E P R OD U C TI O N
IZO M B IE
MISTRESSES - Season 3
ABC
ABC Studios, Ecosse Films
Stars: Jennifer Esposito, Rochelle Aytes,
Yunjin Kim, Jes Macallan
ABC Studios, Ecosse Films
Exec. Prod.: Rina Mimoun, Douglas Rae,
Grant Scharbo
Shoot: Mar. 17 - July 16, 2015
North Vancouver
SUPERNATURAL - Season 10
The CW/Space
Supernatural 5 Films
Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha
Collins, Mark Sheppard
Exec. Prod.: Robert Singer, Jeremy Carver,
Phil Sgriccia, McG, Adam Glass
Shoot: July 8, 2014 - Apr. 21, 2015
Burnaby
THE FLASH - Season 1
The CW/CTV
Central City Films
Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton,
Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin
Exec. Prod.: Greg Berlanti, Andrew
Kreisberg, David Nutter, Sarah Schechter
Shoot: July 11, 2014 - Apr. 10, 2015
Vancouver
ONCE UPON A TIME - Season 4
ABC/CTV
Stage 49 Productions
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison,
Lana Parrilla, Robert Carlyle
Exec. Prod.: Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz,
Steve Pearlman
Shoot: July 9, 2014 - Apr. 2, 2015
Burnaby
PROOF - Season 1
TNT
Proof Productions Inc.
Stars: Jennifer Beals, Joe Mallum Blue,
Matthew Modine
Exec. Prod.: Rob Bragin, Kyra Sedgewick,
Tom Jacobson, Jill Littman, Alex Graves
Shoot: Jan. 12 - Apr. 24, 2015
Vancouver
THE 100 - Season 2
The CW, Netflix
Alloy Entertainment
Stars: Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco,
Thomas McDonell
Exec. Prod.: Jason Rothenberg,
Leslie Morgenstein, Matt Miller
Premiere: Jan. 2015
Vancouver
ROGUE - Season 2
Direct TV/The Movie Network/Movie Central
Undercover Rogue 3 Prods. Inc.
Stars: Thandie Newton, Cole Hauser,
Sarah Jeffery
Exec. Prod: Robert Petrovicz
Shoot: Feb. 9 – Sept. 14, 2015
Vancouver
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THE FLASH
WAYWARD PINES - Season 1
Fox
FX Productions
Stars: Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard,
Carla Gugino, Juliette Lewis
Exec. Prod.: M. Night Shyamalan,
Donald De Line, Chad Hodge
Premiere: Summer 2015
Burnaby
CANADIAN TELEVISION 2015
WHEN CALLS THE HEART - Season 2
Halmark/Super Channel
Silver City Productions
Stars: Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing,
Lori Loughlin, Chelah Horsdal
Exec. Prod.: Michael Landon, Jr.,
Eric Jarboe, Michael Shepard
Shoot: Nov. 17, 2014 - Mar. 05, 2015
Langley
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HELIX
QUEBEC
Quebec is one of the three largest film and television production centres in Canada, drawing
nearly $1.4B in film and TV work in 2012-13. Quebec held a 24% share of total film and TV
production volume in 2012-13.
Plus what’s not to like about Montreal? Or, as Neil Patrick Harris tweeted in 2012: “Goodbye,
Montreal! I had such a great time - the sights, the food, the people - I think you might be my
favourite city in Canada!”
Among Quebec’s current English-language foreign location and service production:
HELIX - Season 2
Syfy, Space
Muse Entertainment, Sony Pictures
Television
Stars: Billy Campbell, Kyra Zagorsky,
Mark Ghanimé , Matt Long
Exec. Prod.: Ronald D. Moore, Lynda Obst,
Steven Maeda, Brad Turner
Premiere: Jan. 16, 2015
Montreal
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TH E P I N KERTO NS
ALBERTA
FARGO - Season 2
FX/FX Canada
26 Keys Productions, The Littlefield
Company/Nomadic Pictures
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson,
Jean Smart, Kirsten Dunst
Exec. prod: Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield,
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Shoot: Jan. 19 - May 15, 2015
Calgary
HELL ON WHEELS - Season 5
AMC
Entertainment One, Nomadic Pictures
Stars: Anson Mount, Colm Meaney,
Common, Dominique McElligott
Exec. prod.: Jeremy Gold, Joe Gayton, Tony
Gayton, David Von Ancken
Premiere: 2015
Calgary
MANITOBA
THE PINKERTONS - Season 1
Syndicated/CHCH
Rosetta Media, Buffalo Gal Pictures
Stars: Angus Macfadyen, Martha MacIsaac,
Jacob Blair
Exec. prod.: Kevin Abrams, Adam Moore,
Suzanne Berger, Phyllis Laing
Premiere: Jan. 27, 2015
Grosse Isle
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CANADIAN
TELEVISION
2015
PREPARED FOR
A GUIDE TO CURRENT
PRODUCTION
CURATED BY
Michael Hennessy, President & CEO,
Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA)
Bill Brioux
brioux.tv
MARCH 2015
DESIGNED BY
Katie Brioux
katie.brioux.ca
All photography property of ABC, Animal Planet, APTN, Bravo, CBC, CBS, CHCH, CITY, Cottage Life, CTV, Food
Network Canada, Fox, FX, FXX, Global, HBO Canada, HGTV Canada, History, NBC, Netflix, Showcase, Space,
Super Channel, Syfy, The CW and W Network.
This booklet is prepared for informational purposes. The inclusion of any company or production in this list does
not in any way constitute an endorsement by the CMPA of such company or production.
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A GUIDE TO CURRENT PRODUCTION