The CBC fall schedule is up Schitt's Creek and that is good news … eventually.
The single camera sitcom features SCTV alumni Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as heads of a wealthy family suddenly poor and forced to live in the town that they purchased as a joke. Chris Elliott also stars in the show.
While "Schitt's Creek" is the keypoint, most of the excitement from yesterday's CBC upfront will be pushed toward winter, including "Schitt's Creek." Let's look at what is new this fall.
-- "Strange Empire" is a dark gothic Western in a town where the men have disappeared. The female-centric drama runs on Monday nights following new episodes of "Murdoch Mysteries."
-- "The Honourable Woman" is one of the international titles coming in the next year. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars in the drama focused on Israeli-Palestinian tensions. The show fills the Tuesday 9 pm slot.
-- "Canada's Smartest Person" tries to "uncover a new definition of smart." The show fills in the "Battle of the Blades" slot on Sunday nights at 8 pm.
-- "CBC Selects" is a great title that you would think would be the best of the CBC. However, the program is a collection of programs from public broadcasters around the world, from drama to comedy to documentaries. So this show could show the Harper government what other public broadcasters can do with larger budgets.
"Republic of Doyle" is returning for the fall schedule but for its final season. The show is going out on its own terms, something a lot of CBC shows don't get to do.
Here is the complete fall lineup (new shows in bold):
Monday
Murdoch Mysteries 8p
Strange Empire 9p
Tuesday
Rick Mercer Report 8p
This Hour Has 22 Minutes 8:30p
The Honourable Woman 9p
Wednesday
Dragons' Den 8p
Republic of Doyle 9p
Thursday
The Nature of Things 8p
Doc Zone 9p
Friday
Marketplace 8p
Rick Mercer Report (encore) 8:30p
The Fifth Estate 9p
Sunday
Heartland 7p
Canada's Smartest Person 8p
CBC Selects 9p
The fall doesn't offer much of a change. 2 of the 4 new shows have no Canadian connection. The Friday post-Marketplace slot is still Mercer reruns. "Canada's Smartest Person" is a kinder, gentler reality TV program. "Strange Empire" has potential to be a nice complement to "Murdoch Mysteries." And a known name such as Maggie Gyllenhaal doesn't hurt, though the show isn't Canadian. While potentially compelling, "CBC Selects" is an example of cheap programming spurred by declining budgets.
After all, the CBC basically came out and implied "Arctic Air" was cancelled due to budget cuts. Also, the network implied that one fewer new show would not get produced this fall.
Saturday nights starting in October, "Hockey Night in Canada" returns but without revenue. We're still waiting to hear what kind of changes Rogers will make to the CBC lineup before and after the hockey games. There will also be no weekday Hockey Night in Canada games, leading potentially to more reruns.
Speaking of Rogers and Hockey Night in Canada, "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" will be replaced in the 7 pm block by reruns of "Murdoch Mysteries" with "Coronation Street" moving to 6:30 pm. "Rick Mercer Report" reruns will run after the local news at 11:30 pm, replacing the encore of "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight."
Winter Schedule
"Schitt's Creek" will be in the Tuesday 9 pm slot on the winter schedule. "Of All Places" features comedian Jonny Harris in an offbeat and celebratory look at small-town Canada. That show will be in the Monday 9 pm slot for the winter.
"The Book of Negroes" is a 6-part miniseries that follows the journey of a woman's return home after being forced into slavery as a child. The drama, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., will fill the Wednesday 9 pm slot in the winter.
Other winter shows without a specific timeslot include "Camp X" (drama set around WWII espionage and covert operations) and "Fool Canada" (improv meets Candid Camera).
"Mr. D" will be on the winter schedule as a returning show, presumably paired with one of the new comedies.
Cancellations
"Arctic Air"; "Cracked"; and "The Ron James Show" had already been cancelled before the upfront.
Analysis
The new shows have a bit of intrigue, but how many of them will survive to Year 2. "The Honourable Woman" could easily be this year's "Crossing Lines." "The Book of Negroes" is a stopgap and not even a Canadian one.
CBC will have to replace "Republic of Doyle" in about 12 months. "Strange Empire" and "Camp X" are the only drama possibilities to get some momentum before the next season.
The comedy front looks much more promising. "Schitt's Creek" has great pedigree with Dan Levy (Eugene's son) in the cast. "Of All Places" seems in the spirit of Rick Mercer with the potential to celebrate Canada and its many small towns. "Fool Canada" sounds a bit lame, but giving Canadian comedians work isn't a bad goal.
In the non-scripted category, "Canada's Smartest Person" is an attempt to celebrate being smart, which makes it better than 99% of U.S. reality shows. We knew Ron MacLean wasn't able to do "Battle of the Blades" because of the City TV Sunday night NHL series. The show might be on hiatus.
Those 2 shows feel more Canadian than "Dragons' Den," the other reality TV show on the CBC schedule. Still, reality TV and CBC shouldn't be a good partnership.
"Balletlujah" was mentioned on the CBC upfront: a one-time film that "celebrates the music of one of Canada's most iconic artists, k.d. lang, and follows the creation of a ballet based on her work."
They could have made this into a reality show series. Ballet and k.d. lang: both very Canadian.
The CBC has a long way to go. We may have to wait another 12 months to see if the upfront pans out. Next week, we have a diagnosis to help out the CBC in the short-term and long-term.
photo credit: CBC
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