TORONTO – Five new Canadian scripted series will join the 2018-19 fall programming slate at CBC, including the reboot of ‘80s legal drama Street Legal, the public broadcaster announced Thursday.
Original Canadian programming will include drama, comedy, factual, arts, music, kids, sports, news and documentary programming across television, radio and digital platforms, the Corp added.
“CBC is thrilled to bring Canadians such a wide range of original programming produced by Canadian creators for Canadian audiences,” said EVP English Services Heather Conway, in the news release.
New CBC original Canadian series confirmed for the 2018-19 season include:
Cavendish – a comedy from the minds of Picnicface comedy troupe founders Mark Little and Andrew Bush, along with Garry Campbell (Kim’s Convenience). Bush and Little star as two bickering brothers who return to their PEI hometown to take care of their grumpy and ailing father, only to collide with the eccentric townsfolk and their even stranger superstitions.
Coroner – a procedural drama based on the best-selling book series by M.R. Hall, the series follows Jenny Cooper, a former ER doctor and newly appointed coroner investigating suspicious deaths. Suffering from anxiety and recently widowed with a teenage son, Jenny is a woman of action driven by an intense desire for the truth.
Diggstown – a legal drama set in the gritty arena of legal aid, Marcie Diggs is a star corporate lawyer who reconsiders her priorities after her beloved aunt commits suicide following a malicious prosecution. Landing at a legal aid office in Dartmouth, Marcie is driven by one thing – to never again allow innocent lives to be destroyed by the justice system. The series is the first original Canadian drama series featuring a black female lead character.
Northern Rescue – a heartwarming family drama starring William Baldwin (MacGyver) and Kathleen Robertson (Bates Motel). After the death of his wife Sarah, John (Baldwin), a Search & Rescue officer, packs up his three children and moves from their hectic urban life to a small northern town, where they all struggle with their new surroundings, new friends, and accepting Sarah’s death.
Street Legal – the iconic character-driven legal drama returns with both familiar faces and new characters, and a focus on how the law is practised in Canada today, including contemporary themes and issues. The series, which first premiered on CBC in 1987, picks up 25 years later with Olivia Novak (Cynthia Dale), now a named partner at a major Bay Street law firm.
CBC also pumped a limited series called Unspeakable about Canada’s tainted blood scandal.
Returning series include Anne With An E, Burden Of Truth, The Detectives, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek, The Stats Of Life, and Workin’ Moms, among others.
CBC Kids new seasons of original Canadian series include Dot, Addison, and Ollie The Boy Who Became What He Ate.
The full release, which includes more of CBC’s returning shows as well as its news, documentary, digital and sports programming, is available here.
