TORONTO – Corus Television has unveiled programming highlights from its 2006-2007 lineup for its stable of specialty channels.
Movie Central is picking up the Showtime drama series Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall (of Six Feet Under fame) as a homicidal justice-seeker tracking and murdering serial killers, and will be airing a fourth season of HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire. W Network will air The Smart Woman Survival Guide, a hybrid of scripted sitcom and practical lifestyle information, while CMT gets in on the reality music superstar phenomenon with Plucked, a new Canadian reality documentary/competition showcasing up-and-coming country music talent.
For younger viewers, YTV is picking up Nelvana’s ironic comedy Ruby Gloom, about a girl who befriends scary and eccentric creatures, as well as the CGI animation series Erky Perky, a funny look at two hungry bugs trying to find their way to their downtown hot dog stand. On Treehouse, This Is Emily Yeung comes from the makers of This Is Daniel Cook, about the irrepressible six-year-old Emily.
This fall’s lineups for all broadcasters are about more than content, as multiplatform delivery is becoming more and more crucial. (While the Corus release didn’t address this, one wonders whether how a show is available is as important, if not more so, than the program itself.)
“The ways in which viewers access our programming is evolving and Corus Entertainment is committed to providing our audiences with convenient and portable options that complement our core television services,” said Corus Television President Paul Robertson in the release. “Whether a series launches on broadcast, broadband, mobile, or on-demand, our goal is to create engaging programming and entertainment experiences that enable us to be everywhere our audiences are.”
A good example is from YTV’s fall schedule, which will air Grossology, a show involving the investigation of crimes too icky for law enforcement to handle, which will be streamed online in synch with its launch on YTV and Discovery Kids. Another one: This Is Emily Yeung will be the first preschool series in Canada to debut on mobile, online, and on-demand—ahead of its broadcast premiere.
On more conventional platforms, Movie Central will also be airing the final season of The Sopranos. W Network will show episodes of Friends, while YTV will air syndicated Malcolm in the Middle episodes. SCREAM will introduce the Triple Thrill—three back-to-back horror flicks starting at 7 every weeknight.
