Here is our wrapup of the U.S. TV upfronts for the 2019-2020 television season 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.
Cobie Smulders will be the lead in Stumptown on ABC based on the graphic novels. Smulders will play returned home Army vet Dex Parios who becomes a private eye.
Smulders had an impressive 9-year run on How I Met Your Mother and also starred for 2 years on Netflix's Friends From College, which featured Canadian Sarah Chalke in Season 2.
Tantoo Cardinal's "overnight success" continues. Cardinal will play Sue Lynn Blackbird on Stumptown. Her recent films include The Grizzlies, Through Black Spruce, Angelique's Isle, and Falls Around Her.
Kim Cattrall stars as the wife and matriarch in a southern TV evangelical empire when her husband (apparently) dies in a plane crash and they discover 3 new children outside the marriage. Filthy Rich will debut in the midseason on Fox due to film commitments with writer/director/executive producer Tate Taylor.
Cattrall is known for Sex in the City but Cattrall also did 2 seasons of the dark comedy Sensitive Skin for HBO Canada and Netflix in the United States.
Will Sasso is part of the couple with two young kids in the spotlight of United We Fall, a midseason comedy on ABC. They get a lot of flak from their parents as well as others who cross paths in their lives.
Lilly Singh proves a Canadian can host a daily late-night talk show
As we previously noted, A Little Late with Lilly Singh will debut on NBC in September in the 1:35 am Eastern timeslot.
Here are Canadian actors returning to U.S. shows in the fall or winter:
- Kids in the Hall alum Mark McKinney as well as Lauren Ash on Superstore (NBC) for Season 5
- Nathan Fillion in the lead role of The Rookie (ABC) for Season 2
- Norm Macdonald on The Orville (Fox) for Season 3
- Grace Park on A Million Little Things (ABC) for Season 2
- Tyler Labine on New Amsterdam (NBC) for Season 2
- Bruce Greenwood on The Resident (Fox) for Season 3
- Jessica Paré on SEAL Team (CBS) for Season 3
- Athena Karkanis on Manifest (NBC) for Season 2 [midseason]
- Eric McCormack on Will & Grace (NBC) [midseason]
- Kevin O'Leary on Shark Tank (ABC)
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 Season 15 (Season 7 for the CW) is June 17.
A potential Season 3 of Ransom featuring Nazneen Contractor will depend more on Global in Canada rather than CBS in the United States. If Global gives the green light, CBS will likely fit the show in on Saturday nights.
Molly Parker will be back for Season 2 of the Lost in Space reboot on Netflix. She is also in Deadwood: The Movie based on the HBO series from 2004-2006. The film premieres on HBO in the United States on May 31.
Tricia Helfer made a quick return to TV. We last saw Helfer on Lucifer on Fox about a year ago. Though Lucifer got a fourth season on Netflix, Helfer was not part of the cast. Helfer will join Van Helsing in the role of Dracula for Season 4 on Syfy.
The Detour had a really nice Season 3 with Alberta subbing for Alaska. The 4 am settings in broad daylight were really hilarious. 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. Season 4 of The Detour premieres June 18 on TBS.
Jason Jones and Samantha Bee are executive producers for The Detour and the ongoing Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS.
Canadian presence on 2018 U.S. TV upfronts
CanadianCrossing.com television coverage
Here are shows featuring Canadian actors that were cancelled this season:
- Rachelle Lefevre got a chance to shine as Olivia Bloom in Mary Kills People and got a chance to be the lead in Proven Innocent on Fox. The show only lasted a single season. Hopefully. Lefevre made her way back to Season 3 of Mary Kills People.
- Midnight, Texas featured Dylan Bruce of Orphan Black fame and only lived for 2 seasons on NBC.
We also say goodbye to the The Big Bang Theory theme song by Barenaked Ladies, at least in new episodes. The song and reruns continue in syndication.
photos credit: Stumptown/ABC; Filthy Rich/Fox
video credit: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/CBS
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