CBC fall lineup built on established favourites
The CBC launched a fall lineup that relies on established shows, and ratings successes, such as The Tudors, Sophie and Little Mosque on the Prairie.
The biggest change to the fall lineup is the addition of a daily dose of Jeopardy, the game show hosted by Canadian-born Alex Trebek.
Jeopardy will be airing at 7.30 p.m. weekdays, after long-running Coronation Street
Two new mini-series ó Celine, the story of the Quebec chanteuse, and Everest, the tale of a 1982 attempt on the world’s highest peak by a Canadian team ó make their debut this fall on Sunday evenings.
But most of the prime-time schedule is based on returning shows such as Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Nature of Things and Dragon’s Den.
It’s the first time in recent history the CBC has presented a fall lineup filled with tried and true favourites, said Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming at CBC-TV.
“It’s a good indication of the success of the shows from last year,” she said.
Among the shows debuted in 2007-8 that are coming back for a second year are:
– The Tudors,the story of the lives and loves of Henry VII, starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
– The Border, the action drama series about an elite customs and security unit.
– Heartland, the family series set in ranch country.
– Sophie, the half-hour comedy about a single mom played by Natalie Brown.
– Steven and Chris, the daytime fashion and design show.
“In prime time, we’re the network that carries more Canadian shows and tells more Canadian stories to more Canadians than anyone else,” Layfield said.
Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president of English services, made much of CBC-TV’s ratings success with Canadian shows, pointing out the network now has better prime-time ratings than Global. CBC’s commercial competitors build their lineup on U.S. shows.
While the half-hour series such as Little Mosque and Sophie are set to run a full-year, the more expensive hour-long series will end mid-season because CBC doesn’t have the budget to ask for more episodes, Layfield said.
CBC will announce a new lineup for January 2009 in October, she said.
That will include a drama set in oil country, Wild Roses, and The Session, about a woman who can go back in time and relive moments from her past with the help of a mysterious therapist.
It’s also the final year for Royal Canadian Air Farce, the comedy sketch show that will be bowing out after 20 years with a special on New Year’s Eve.
For fall, it’s paired on Friday night with Dr. Who, the BBC sci-fi drama returning for a fourth season.
In factual programming, CBC is bringing Test the Nation; Canada, Eh? which brings together six teams to test their knowledge about Canada.
Wheel of Fortune, the long-running U.S. game show has been added to the schedule at 5.30 p.m. on weekdays.
Categories