From CBC:
CBC Television welcomes 2007 with a powerful lineup of new programming
From ground-breaking new comedy, home-grown Canadian specials, original miniseries and film drawn from the pages of Canadian literature to new afternoon lifestyle series, CBC introduces a new slate of programming for 2007.
“We’re excited about the lineup of great new shows we have coming in the new year to entertain our viewers,†said Kirstine Layfield, executive director of network programming, CBC Television.
The year starts with a bang, as viewers are introduced to hilarious antics in the fictional town of Mercy-small town Canada with a little Muslim twist! LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE premieres Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 8:30 p.m. Beginning Monday, Jan. 15, the series moves to its regular timeslot at 9 p.m. (repeating Wednesdays at 8 p.m.). An unabashedly comedic look at a small Muslim community living side by side with the residents of a little prairie town, this entertaining, witty comedy is a humorous look at relationships, family, love, the generation gap and balancing Muslim beliefs and traditions in a prairie setting.
LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE joins a successful lineup of comedy on CBC. RICK MERCER REPORT, ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FARCE and THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES have never been stronger, consistently drawing close to one million viewers each week.
January also brings the miniseries DRAGON BOYS, a high-octane thriller featuring one of the most star-studded Asian-Canadian casts ever assembled. Airing Sunday, Jan. 7 and Monday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m., the gritty drama opens a window onto the world of Asian organized crime on Canada’s West Coast. The all-star cast includes Byron Mann, Steph Song, Eric Tsang, Lawrence Chou and Tsi Ma.
On Sunday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m., Margaret Atwood’s THE ROBBER BRIDE comes to life on screen, starring Mary Louise Parker and Wendy Crewson. The two-hour film adaptation depicts the story of three female friends who are betrayed by a mutual friend, Zenia, (Parker) a glamorous femme fatale who steals their money and their men.
The British invasion comes to CBC with the return of a new two-hour CRACKER, starring Robbie Coltrane, Sunday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m., plus four new MISS MARPLE mysteries, airing Sundays, beginning Feb. 4.
CBC’S HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA seventh annual live telecast kicks off at 12 noon ET on Saturday, Jan. 13, as host Ron MacLean goes rinkside at the Nelson and District Community Complex in Nelson, B.C., along with Don Cherry, Cassie Campbell and Scott Morrison. In what has become an unofficial holiday for Canadian hockey fans everywhere, CBC’S HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA will also feature the traditional NHL all-Canadian tripleheader, starting with Montreal at Ottawa at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Vancouver at Toronto at 7 p.m. ET, and Edmonton at Calgary at 10 p.m. ET.
CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA will have exclusive Canadian coverage of the 2007 NHL All-Star Celebration, kicking off Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. ET with All-Star Tuesday, featuring the NHL Super Skills Competition and Young Stars game. The excitement culminates on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA, Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET, with the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, as the best players from the NHL’s Western Conference take on the cream of the crop from the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
THE HOUR with host George Stroumboulopoulos continues to draw a strong audience, offering provocative guest interviews while exploring hot news issues of the day. THE HOUR returns in January with all-new shows and in the first week welcomes Ed Norton, Cat Stevens and Queen. FASHION FILE: HOST HUNT, with host Michelle Mama (Loving Spoonfuls) will let viewers join in as ten finalists compete to be named the new host of Fashion File, with judges Suzanne Boyd (former editor of Flare magazine), Bronwyn Cosgrave (former editor of British Vogue) and Réjean Beaudin (executive producer of Fashion File).
CBC Television’s flagship investigative program CBC News: the fifth estate returns Wednesday, Jan. 10, following record audience numbers in 2006. On the season premiere of MARKETPLACE, Jan. 10, Wendy Mesley teams up with Mike Holmes to reveal the potential danger of hiring the wrong contractors, and what signs to look out for.
Documentary lovers will enjoy part two of the stunning six-part series PLANET EARTH, beginning Sunday, Jan. 14, as it explores oceans to deserts to jungles. Pop culture junkies will eat up the CONFIDENTIAL series, with fascinating facts about everyday obsessions. The CONFIDENTIAL series runs through January with DIET CONFIDENTIAL airing Thursday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m., HIGH HEEL CONFIDENTIAL on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m., HAIRSTYLE CONFIDENTIAL on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m., and CHOCOLATE CONFIDENTIAL on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m.
On Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m., CBC Television presents THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION. Bob McDonald (CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks) hosts a two-hour special that will count down a list of 50 Canadian inventions, ultimately crowning the winning invention.
On Sunday, March 18 at 7 p.m., an unprecedented all-star ensemble of former prime ministers will join host Rick Mercer when CBC Television broadcasts the second annual special THE NEXT GREAT PRIME MINISTER. At 8 p.m., TEST THE NATION: NATIONAL IQ TEST will test Canadians’ ability to reason, recognize and analyze. In the first-ever Canadian national IQ test, six teams face off against each other on live television, with viewers playing along from home. Live results will determine which area of Canada is the smartest of them all!
CBC Television returns to local daytime programming with a new series that is an entertaining, lighthearted, informative daily half-hour offering a fresh, hands-on approach to city living. Airing 1 p.m. weekdays, and produced by CBC regionally, hosts in cities across the country will bring viewers community stories that celebrate our unique differences and the communities integral to the vibrant lives we live. Your lifestyle guide to the best of our cities, the series will provide useful information, including ‘how to do it’, ‘where to get it’, and ‘who to call’ for viewers living life in our cities nation-wide.
Coming to CBC in 2007 is the wildly popular Emmy Award-winning comedy series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, airing weekdays at 5:30 p.m. The comedy revolves around the hilarious antics of the Bluth family, led by Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the “normal†one in a family of crazies, who is forced to run the family real estate business after his father is sent to prison for shifty accounting practices.
The new slate of afternoon programs includes WHAT’S FOR DINNER?, the long-running cooking show with co-hosts Ken Kostick and Mary Jo Eustace, who return to delight their viewers with a steady diet of biting humour and easy, affordable dishes. It will air weekday afternoons at 1:30 p.m.
Also airing weekday afternoons at 3:30 p.m., LITTLE MIRACLES, a ground-breaking dramatic documentary series, takes viewers inside the walls of the world-renowned Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It opens a window to patients and their families, dedicated healthcare teams, and the great courage and hope of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
