TORONTO — Corus Entertainment announced Tuesday morning the 2020-21 programming lineup for its specialty channels, which includes 43 new and returning Canadian original series and movies.
(Corus’ Global TV network unveiled its 2020-21 programming slate in a separate announcement.)
For this year, Corus Studios has greenlit seven new series and has 13 series returning across Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada and History. Corus’ kids content producer Nelvana is showcasing three new series and four returning series on YTV and Treehouse.
“While the broader television industry has been hit with unprecedented challenges this year, Corus is in the enviable position of having fall schedules jam-packed with fresh, new content — rich with remarkable storytelling and characters that are set to entertain and inspire viewers across the country,” said Troy Reeb, executive vice-president of broadcast networks, Corus Entertainment, in the news release.
New to Food Network this fall are a number of competition series: Big Time Bake (6 episodes x 60 minutes), hosted by Buddy Valastro; Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart (4X60); and Chopped: Beat the Judge (6×60), a new stunt series where returning winners compete for a chance to face off against Chopped judges. For spring 2021, Food Network is adding two new series from Corus Studios: Cheese: A Love Story (6×60), a documentary series that follows host and cheese master Afrim Pristine as he travels the globe in search of extraordinary cheese and the people who make them; and Bake or Break (10×60), which sees pastry chef Steve Hodge guide struggling bakery businesses, alongside HGTV Canada’s design guru Tiffany Pratt.
Over on HGTV Canada, four new series are scheduled to premiere this fall: Family Home Overhaul (8×60) and Rock Solid Builds (10×60), both from Corus Studios; plus Help! I Wrecked My House (6×60) and Selling the Big Easy (14×30). In winter 2021, another Corus Studios series, Farmhouse Facelift (10×60), will be added to HGTV Canada’s schedule.
Corus’ History channel this fall will premiere Big Timber (10×60), a Corus Studios series which follows the work of loggers on Vancouver Island, plus three other new series: Grant (3×120), executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, outlining the life of Ulysses S. Grant; spin-off series Swamp People: Serpent Invasion (4×60); and The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch (8×60). Coming to History in winter 2021 is the Corus Studios docuseries Backroad Truckers (8×60), featuring the lifestyle of independent truckers in northern British Columbia.
On YTV, three new Nelvana-produced series will premiere this fall: Ollie’s Pack (26×30); The Dog & Pony Show (26×30); and live-action mystery drama The Hardy Boys (13×60). Other series premiering this fall on YTV include: Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan (13×30), starring kid rapper and pint-sized powerhouse Young Dylan; and new animated spinoff Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years (13×30).
Treehouse has the Nelvana-produced musical shorts Toon Bops (20 x 2 minutes) premiering this summer and airing through to the fall, plus two new series making their debuts: The Not-Too-Late-Show with Elmo (13×15), premiering this fall; and Pikwik Pack (26×30), premiering in winter 2021.
Corus also announced its 2020-21 seasons of new and returning series for National Geographic, Slice, W Network, Showcase, Adult Swim, Teletoon, Teletoon La Nuit, Disney Channel Canada, Disney Junior and Disney XD.
For the full details, please see the news release.
