The 2021 CBC television fall lineup is filled with more familiar favourites than the 2020 version but with a bit of chaos for a lineup at the tail end of a pandemic.
A lot of shows have left the CBC lineup because they called for the end (Baroness von Sketch Show), someone else did the calling (Kim's Convenience) or outright cancelled (Frankie Drake Mysteries). Seeing a British seat filler in the post-Murdoch Mysteries slot is rather depressing.
For the first time in recent memory, This Hour Has 22 Minutes moves out of the 8:30 pm Tuesday slot to the 8 pm slot. Rick Mercer Report was the long-time lead-in with shows such as Still Standing and Kim's Convenience serving that purpose in recent years. Strays, the Kim's Convenience spinoff starring Nicole Power, has 10 episodes starting September 14. Can't recall another Canadian TV show set in Hamilton.
Also for the first time in recent memory, CBC won't have a pure comedy block on Tuesday. Moonshine (picture above) is a dramedy filled with "lust, legacy, and lobster" on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Sort of is about a "fluid millennial who straddles various identities." Moonshine debuts on September 14 with 8 episodes with Sort of debuting on CBC Gem on October 5 and CBC television on November 9 with 4 weeks of back-to-back episodes.
Diggstown is back for Season 3 on Wednesdays in the late timeslot after not being on the entire 2020-2021 CBC schedule. Canadian Screen Awards winner Crystle Lightning (Trickster) and Nicole Muñoz are new Canadian actors to the series. Fox did acquire the first 2 seasons for the United States but has not announced an air date.
Reality shows are not our collective bag but Race Against the Tide is definitely Canadian. Shaun Majumder, formerly of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, hosts a competition of sand sculptors knowing their works will be swept away with the dramatic tides on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. I've seen the tides for myself and they are spectacular. A sand version of Battle of the Blades. Race Against the Tide starts September 9 with back-to-back episodes over 5 weeks on Thursdays in the early timeslot.
Dragons' Den takes over the Thursday early timeslot on October 14 with The Fifth Estate moving into the late timeslot on Thursdays.
.@CBC sets fall schedule and unveils 2021-22 programming slate, including over 35 original series from Canadian creators. Read more here: https://t.co/bA2jpSwjix pic.twitter.com/uoYG08PXZ9
— CBC PR (@CBC_Publicity) June 2, 2021
Marketplace is in the usual Friday night timeslot starting October 1 followed by a British seat filler. The Passionate Eye (September 17) and The Nature of Things (October 22) split the late Friday timeslot.
Hockey Night in Canada runs on Saturday nights.
Heartland and The Great Canadian Baking Show are in their familiar Sunday night timeslots (starting October 17) before the night finishes with a British seat filler.
The British seat fillers War of the Worlds and Victoria are back on the CBC schedule as well as Travel Man: 48 Hours in... and A Suitable Boy.
CBC Fall 2021
Monday
Murdoch Mysteries 8p
Victoria 9p
Tuesday
This Hour Has 22 Minutes 8p
Strays 8:30p
Moonshine/Sort of 9p
Sort of 9:30p
Wednesday
War Of The Worlds 8p
Diggstown 9p
Thursday
Race Against the Tide/Dragons' Den 8p
The Fifth Estate 9p
Friday
Marketplace 8p
Travel Man: 48 Hours in... 8:30p
The Passionate Eye/The Nature of Things 9p
Saturday
Hockey Night in Canada 7p
Sunday
Heartland 7p
The Great Canadian Baking Show 8p
A Suitable Boy 9p
bold indicates new series; ital indicates new timeslot
CBC will have a lot of holes to fill in the 2021-2022 television schedule
Kim's Convenience to end after Season 5; Frankie Drake Mysteries ends its CBC run
Could build an all-star Canadian TV lineup out of shows that are leaving
The CBC winter schedule will feature returning comedies Workin’ Moms (13 episodes) and Tallboyz (8 episodes), returning dramas Coroner (12 episodes) and Pretty Hard Cases (12 episodes), and returning other shows Arctic Vets (10 episodes), Hot Docs on CBC, and Still Standing (10 episodes).
Run the Burbs, co-created by Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience) debuts in the winter with 13 episodes. Son of a Critch looks like a version of Young Sheldon except about the youth version of Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and set in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The Porter is a new drama this winter with 8 episodes. The CBC and BET+ production is about the "railway workers from both Canada and the United States joining together in the fight to give birth to the world’s first Black union."
The winter lineup will factor in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and the Paralympic Winter Games.
The Red is listed but with an uncertain date. The fictional investigative series was created and written by Canadian Métis director, writer and producer Marie Clements (Red Snow) starring Sarah Podemski and Sarah Gadon.
2021 CBC television winter schedule
2020 CBC television fall preview
The new Canadian series sound intriguing. They don't sound boring. There may be an unofficial battle between Strays and Run the Burbs. Strays is the official Kim's Convenience spinoff but the fans may flock to Run the Burbs. We suggest giving both shows a fair shot.
Tuesdays have been the comedy night. We are seeing cutbacks on sitcoms in the U.S. upfronts. There will be enough comedies to fill the block in the winter but there weren't enough in the fall. Even the British seat fillers have been almost exclusively dramas.
The 2021-2022 CBC season marks a transition with a lot of programming holes to fill, relatively normal shooting schedules, and fresh new ideas for programs. We will be curious to see what sticks around in 2022-2023.
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Frankie Drake Mysteries seems like a natural pickup for another Canadian network. CTV, Global, and Citytv likely would say no but CTV Drama Channel would be a nice fit. This is only speculation; we don't have any news. If that changes, we will let you know.
Kim's Convenience Season 5 drops today in U.S. on Netflix
Simu Liu's words yesterday about the Kim's Convenience experience need to be read and absorbed to make sure nothing like that ever happens on another Canadian TV show.
photo credit: Moonshine/CBC
Twitter capture: @CBC_Publicity
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