TORONTO – While the actors and directors groups were in Ottawa Monday decrying the state of original Canadian programming in front of the CRTC, CanWest MediaWorks on Monday unveiled details on what it will make and air in 2007.
The production slate includes seven scripted series now in production – including the sophomore return of summertime drama, Falcon Beach and the premiere of The Best Years; 78 hours of factual entertainment currently commissioned and in production; 35 featured documentaries now airing or in production, plus an additional 10 original series (124 hours) of original content across CanWest’s specialty networks, says the company’s press release.
“This new slate of programming provides Canadian TV viewers with the finest in content and choice, combining the momentum of our returning successes Falcon Beach and The Jane Show with strong, engaging new series and documentaries,” said Christine Shipton, vice-president, original programming for CanWest MediaWorks, in the release.
CanWest’s ’07 rollout begins with the second season of Falcon Beach (13 x 60 min), Friday, January 5, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global Television.
Other series in production and set to premiere in Spring 2007 include:
* Season Two of observational workplace comedy The Jane Show (13 x 30)
* The Best Years (13 x 60), a campus-life drama from writer/creator Aaron Martin (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
* Da Kink In My Hair (13 x 30), a series based on the popular stage play
* Love You To Death (13 x 30), a black-comedy anthology starring cult filmmaker John Waters
* Painkiller Jane (22 x 60), a sci-fi series starring Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3) and Rob Stewart
* Durham County (6 x 60), a police drama starring Hugh Dillon and Justin Louis.
Also in production: second seasons of the Debbie Travis-led From The Ground Up, cuisine competition The Next Great Chef and cosmetic surgery exposé Vanity Insanity. New documentary series include Very Bad Men, examining real-life criminals and Pretty Dangerous, which profiles femme fatales who commit crimes for cash.
New content for CanWest’s specialty networks includes commercial culture show Ad Persuasion, TV trivia show Inside The Box, and quirky news of-the-world showcase That News Show.
