Editor's note: This story was updated to include Grace Park starring in a new ABC drama.
The headlines were supposed to be about Hannah Simone, an actor who belongs to the world (Canada included), being cast as the Greatest American Hero on ABC this fall. Even though the update of the early 1980s show got a pilot order, ABC isn't going forward with the reboot.
We do have the wrapup of the U.S. TV upfronts where major networks determine which shows are cancelled, renewed, or might get a new run either as a midseason replacement or on another network. Within that world, we look at where Canadians are in the U.S. TV landscape.
Nathan Fillion is in the lead role of The Rookie on ABC about the LAPD's oldest rookie.
Rachelle Lefevre is the lead in Proven Innocent on Fox this fall. Lefevre plays a woman who is wrongfully convicted who later becomes a lawyer to fight for those who are wrongfully convicted. You might recall Lefevre in many roles but she recently portrayed Olivia Bloom in Mary Kills People.
Athena Karkanis will be one of the actors on Manifest, a new NBC drama about a airline flight where when they land, they discover the world has advanced 5 years. You might know Karkanis from the third season of The Border on CBC.
Tyler Labine is in the cast of the new NBC medical drama New Amsterdam. Labine played a Canadian RCMP officer in the new Super Troopers 2.
There are plenty of Canadians returning on television. Jessica Paré is back for Season 2 of SEAL Team on CBS. Eric McCormack is back in at least 2 more seasons of the reboot of Will & Grace on NBC.
Colin Mochrie, who has been on every single episode of the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway, is back with the show on the CW. The debut of the 14th season (6th for the CW) is June 4.
Kids in the Hall alum Mark McKinney and Lauren Ash will be back for Season 4 of Superstore on NBC. Nazneen Contractor is in the second season of Ransom, an international drama that airs on Global in Canada and CBS in the United States. Dylan Bruce of Orphan Black fame is on Midnight, Texas on NBC for Season 2. Norm Macdonald is back as the voice of Yaphit on The Orville on Fox. Bruce Greenwood is back for Season 2 on The Resident on Fox.
Grace Park is back on network TV on the ABC drama A Million Little Things.
Molly Parker will be back for Season 2 of the Lost in Space reboot on Netflix. We will have to wait for awhile to see if Parker and other Canadians will be on the final season of House of Cards this fall. Season 5 featured Parker, Neve Campbell, Colm Feore, and Campbell Scott.
A few Canadians saw their shows cancelled. Hannah Simone ended her run on New Girl after 7 seasons on Fox. As we noted, Simone was scheduled to be the new Greatest American Hero on ABC but the network did not pick up the show.
Kiefer Sutherland will not be the accidental president on Designated Survivor after 2 seasons on ABC. Honourary Canadian Andrea Martin was on Great News, cancelled after 2 seasons on NBC.
Sandrine Holt was written off of MacGyver on CBS and now The Crossing on ABC has been cancelled. Holt did do 8 episodes of Homeland this year.
Lucifer might find new life somewhere else other than Fox, but otherwise Tricia Helfer will be out of a job. Kandyse McClure and Kim Coates were on Ghost Wars on Syfy but that show was cancelled after a single season.
Samantha Bee and Jason Jones are cruising on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and The Detour on TBS. Bee does more with a single half-hour 2-3 times a month than The Daily Show with Trevor Noah can do with 2 hours each week. The segments are creative and informative. The Puerto Rico special got a bit silly but unlike regular news shows, the show spent a lot of time researching those segments.
The Detour had a really nice Season 3 with Alberta subbing for Alaska. The 4 am settings in broad daylight were really hilarious. Season 2 was a bit bumpy and the Season 3 episode Water was a waste of the viewers time. Every other episode used the outsiders approach rather well. The show gave Tony Award winning actress Laura Benanti more of a presence in Season 3 to the delight of the viewers. The Detour has been renewed for Season 4.
Canadian TV dramas are hot on U.S. television lately
Canadian presence on U.S. TV 2017 upfronts
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Though the documentary won't air on Netflix until 2019, the SCTV cast were reunited at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto on Sunday as part of that Martin Scorsese documentary. Jimmy Kimmel hosted the discussion. The reports of the event were very wonderful.
photo credit: Proven Innocent/Fox
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