From a media release:

CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, today announced its fall television and streaming schedule and 2021-22 programming slate for CBC TV and CBC Gem, featuring over 35 new and returning original series from Canadian creators, producers and storytellers across all genres.

ORIGINAL COMEDY SLATE

CBC is building on its award-winning comedy slate known for distinct, authentic points of view and heartfelt, inclusive values celebrating family and friendship, with four new original series joining returning favourites.

New Original Series
● SORT OF (Premieres Tues. Oct. 5 on CBC Gem and Tues. Nov. 9 on CBC TV; 8×30, Sphere Media’s Sienna Films) from creators Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me), is a big-hearted dramatic comedy about Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a fluid millennial who straddles various identities from sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family. Sabi feels like they’re in transition in every aspect of their life, from gender to love to sexuality to family to career. When Sabi’s best friend 7ven (Amanda Cordner) presents them with an opportunity to live and find themself in the “queerest place in the galaxy,” Sabi instead makes the decision to stay and care for the kids they nanny after their mom has a serious bike accident. Do they regret it? Sort of. A coming-of-age story, Sort Of is a show about how each and every one of us is in transition.

● STRAYS (Premieres Tues. Sept. 14 on CBC TV and CBC Gem; 10×30, Thunderbird Entertainment) follows Shannon Ross (Nicole Power) from Kim’s Convenience as the new executive director of the Hamilton East Animal Shelter, where she is boss to an eclectic staff. Now in her 30s, Shannon is ready for a change and new challenges. She’s putting Toronto in the rearview to focus on her new job, new relationships, reuniting with family and learning more about herself. Shannon’s trademark positivity is put to the test as she manages an oddball team, including her apathetic cousin Nikki (Nikki Duval), her over-eager animal care manager Kristian (Frank Cox O’Connell), her overly sheltered office manager Joy (Tina Jung) and the building’s maintenance guy Paul (Tony Nappo), whose straight-faced prison humour keeps everyone on their toes.

● RUN THE BURBS (Winter 2022; 13×30, Pier 21 Films) is created by comedian, writer and actor Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience) and his best friend and collaborator, filmmaker Scott Townend (The Secret Marathon). The series follows a young, bold Canadian family taking a different approach to living life to the fullest in the suburbs, featuring Phung as a stay-at-home dad with an entrepreneur wife and two kids.

● SON OF A CRITCH (Winter 2022; 13×30, Project 10 Productions) is based on the award-winning, best-selling memoir from Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), created by Critch and Tim McAuliffe (The Office (U.S.), Last Man on Earth) and produced by Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek). This new original comedy is the hilarious and very real story of 11-year-old Mark coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the 80s. It’s a heartfelt window into the life of a child – much older inside than his 11 years – using comedy and self-deprecation to win friends and connect with the small collection of people in his limited world.

Returning Original Comedies & Festivals
● THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (Season 29 Premieres Tues. Sept. 14; 24×30; IoM Media)
● TALLBOYZ (Season 3 Premieres Winter 2022; 8×30, Accent Entertainment)
● WORKIN’ MOMS (Season 6 Premieres Winter 2022; 13×30; Wolf + Rabbit Entertainment)
● HA!IFAX COMEDY FEST (Season 25; 6×30; Pilot Light Productions)
● NEW WAVE OF STANDUP (Season 2, 4×30, Just For Laughs TV)
● WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL (Season 19, 5×60, Frantic Films)

ORIGINAL DRAMA SLATE

New east coast family dramedy MOONSHINE (formerly Feudal) premieres Sept. 14 as part of CBC’s Tuesday night comedy lineup, with 1920s drama THE PORTER set to premiere this winter.
Audience favourites renewed for fall include HEARTLAND (Oct. 17) and MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Sept. 13) returning for their 15th seasons, and Halifax legal aid series DIGGSTOWN (Oct. 6). CORONER and PRETTY HARD CASES both return this winter, offering unique, female-driven perspectives on the crime procedural.

New Original Dramas
● MOONSHINE (Premieres Tues. Sept. 14; 8×60; Six Eleven Media and eOne) from creator, showrunner and executive producer Sheri Elwood (Call Me Fitz), is a raucous, one-hour dramedy that tells the story of the Finley-Cullens, a dysfunctional clan of adult half-siblings battling for control of the ancestral business, The Moonshine, a ramshackle summer resort on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, two stars on a good day — and that day was in 1979. It’s an epic tale of lust, legacy and lobster, set against the backdrop of financial hardship, insane tourists, small-town intrigue and a long-buried secret that threatens to annihilate the Finley-Cullens once and for all. Featuring an ensemble cast including Jennifer Finnigan (Salvation), Anastasia Phillips (Reign), Emma Hunter (Mr. D), Tom Stevens (Wayward Pines), Alexander Nunez (Avocado Toast), Corrine Koslo (Anne with an E), Peter MacNeill (This Life), Erin Darke (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Farid Yazdani (Suits), Allegra Fulton (The Shape of Water) and Jonathan Silverman (Weekend at Bernie’s).

● THE PORTER (A CBC and BET+ original series; Winter 2022; 8×60; Inferno Pictures and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films) is set in the 1920s and inspired by real events. Co-starring Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Yardie), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases) and Mouna Traoré (Self Made, The Umbrella Academy), the series follows the true story of railway workers from both Canada and the United States joining together in the fight to give birth to the world’s first Black union. In the midst of the struggle there are loves lives and friendships that suffer and thrive. Set primarily in Montreal, Chicago and Detroit as the world rebuilds after the First World War, The Porter focuses on the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal – known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North.” They’re young, gifted, and Black, from Canada, the Caribbean and the U.S., and they find themselves thrown together in an era that boasts anything is possible. If change isn’t coming for them, they will come for it. Originated and created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon, Travelers) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2, Cardinal), and led by showrunners and executive producers Annmarie Morais (Killjoys, Ransom, American Soul) and Marsha Greene (Private Eyes, Ten Days In The Valley, Mary Kills People), and directors and executive producers Charles Officer (Akilla’s Escape, Ransom, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls).

● THE RED (New greenlight, one-hour drama; Eagle Vision and Halfire Entertainment) is a fictional investigative series created and written by Canadian Métis director, writer and producer Marie Clements and inspired by real crimes. The Red follows Payton Thiso (Sarah Podemski) and Gia Jonsson (Sarah Gadon), two women from completely different backgrounds, who find themselves thrown together inside the newly formed Indigenous Task Force, looking for answers while unearthing the systemic racism within the criminal and social justice systems. Can these broken systems be fixed? Or do we need to build new systems from scratch?

Returning Original Dramas
● MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Season 15 premieres Mon. Sept. 13; 24×60; Shaftesbury)
● DIGGSTOWN (Season 3 premieres Wed. Oct. 6; 8×60; Circle Blue Entertainment, Freddie Films Inc. and Waterstar Entertainment Inc.) – Antoinette Robertson (Dear White People), Crystle Lightning (Trickster) and Nicole Muñoz (Van Helsing) join the cast
● HEARTLAND (Season 15 premieres Sun. Oct. 17; 10×60; Dynamo Films and SEVEN24 Films)
● CORONER (Season 4 premieres Winter 2022; 12×60; Muse Entertainment, Back Alley Films, Cineflix Studios)
● PRETTY HARD CASES (Season 2 premieres Winter 2022; 12×60; Cameron Pictures)

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT

New Bay of Fundy sand sculpture series RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (Sept. 9) hosted by Shaun Majumder joins CBC’s factual entertainment slate featuring people and places across Canada and offering a strong sense of community, including returning hits FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Sept. 27) with Gerry Dee, DRAGONS’ DEN (Oct. 14) featuring new Dragon Wes Hall and THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Oct. 17), with ARCTIC VETS and STILL STANDING with Jonny Harris returning this winter.

● RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (Premieres Thurs. Sept. 9 with back-to-back episodes; 10×30; marblemedia) is an original competition series hosted by comedian Shaun Majumder, featuring 10 teams of two world-class, highly skilled sand sculptors competing to create extraordinary works of art made entirely out of sand while avoiding elimination. Not only are these best-in-show duos competing against each other, they are competing against Mother Nature’s unstoppable ticking clock and the world’s highest tide at New Brunswick’s iconic and beautiful Bay of Fundy. The stakes have never been higher in the world of sand sculpting as the competitors’ creations – no matter how impressive – are all destined to be washed away the same day by the tide. In the end, only one team whose skill, creativity and tenacity leaves a lasting impression will be crowned the Race Against the Tide “Champions.”

Returning Factual Formats & Series:
● FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Season 3 premieres Mon. Sept. 27; 102×30; Zone 3/Fremantle)
● DRAGONS’ DEN (Season 16 premieres Thurs. Oct. 14; 10×60) featuring new Dragon Wes Hall
● THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Season 5 premieres Sun. Oct. 17; 9×60; Proper Television/Love Productions)
● ARCTIC VETS (Season 2 premieres Winter 2022; 10×30; eOne)
● STILL STANDING (Season 7 premieres Winter 2022; 10×30; Frantic Films)

DOCUMENTARIES

CBC commissions an average of 80 documentaries each year for CBC, CBC Gem and documentary Channel and also acquires additional documentaries, and CBC Gem offers a library of over 800 documentaries, available to stream for free anytime. This upcoming year, CBC will both commission and acquire one-hour documentaries under the acclaimed banner of THE PASSIONATE EYE, which now moves to the CBC TV schedule this fall. CBC Docs POV documentaries will now be greenlit and broadcast under THE PASSIONATE EYE brand.

● THE PASSIONATE EYE (Premieres Fri. Sept. 17)
● THE NATURE OF THINGS (Season 61 premieres Fri. Oct. 22)
● HOT DOCS ON CBC (Returns Winter 2022)

New original docs this upcoming year include:
● HAROLD BALLARD: POWER PLAYER (Lone Eagle Entertainment, directed by Jason Priestley): Money, headlines and enemies; Harold Ballard made them all. For two decades, Ballard’s exploits put him on the front page of every Canadian newspaper. He led the Toronto Maple Leafs according to his own whims, drawing the ire of sports fans and non-sports fans alike, until his death in 1990. Ballard didn’t seem to care whether the team won or lost as long as the cash register was ringing. During his wild tenure he was convicted of fraud and continued to manage the team while he served his sentence at Millhaven prison in Ontario.

● SPIRIT TO SOAR (Antica Productions, directed by Tanya Talaga and Michelle Derosier)
Between 2000 and 2011, seven First Nations high school students in Thunder Bay died. Five were found in rivers surrounding Lake Superior. All were forced to leave their homes in order to attend school. Anishinaabe/Polish Canadian journalist Tanya Talaga brought international attention to this tragedy through her award-winning non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City. She cannot separate their story from her own, acknowledging, “I cannot pretend to know what it is like for the parents of the seven to lose a child, but I know something about what it’s like to be a bit fractured.” In June 2016, a jury concluded its inquest into the deaths and put forward 145 recommendations. In the years following, Talaga returns to Thunder Bay and her ancestral roots to talk with the family members, Indigenous community leaders and youth whose resilience in the face of unjust colonial systems provide a path forward.

● SUPERFAN (Good Karma Studios, directed by Amar Wala) is the powerful story of how Sikh immigrant Nav Bhatia’s single-minded devotion for his favourite team the Toronto Raptors took him on an incredible personal journey from persecution to inclusion and helped integrate, assimilate and unite Canadians of all races, religions and colours to form the world’s most diverse fan base. Featuring exclusive interviews with Russell Peters, NBA superstar Cory Joseph, Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse, former Raptors legend and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, and many more.

CBC SPORTS

As Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic Network, CBC will provide the compelling coverage and award-winning storytelling that audiences have come to expect, leading up to, during and after the OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020 (July 23 – Aug 8), TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPIC GAMES (Aug 24 – Sept 5), OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES BEIJING 2022 (Feb 4 – 20, 2022) and PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES (Mar 4 – 13, 2022). In addition to the Olympic Games coverage, CBC SPORTS will continue to keep Canadians connected to the world of high-performance sport through weekly staple ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES, available on CBC TV and CBC Gem, as well as live streams of key competitions on cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app.

CBC KIDS

Building on CBC’s ongoing commitment to inspire, entertain and inform young audiences, CBC Kids will launch new programming for kids and tweens across all platforms this upcoming year, including a new season of award-winning tween series DETENTION ADVENTURE (Season 3; Fall 2021; LoCo Motion Pictures Inc./Broken Compass Films) and new original series UKULELE U (Winter 2022; 52×7; Wow Unlimited Media), developed with legendary Canadian music producer Bob Ezrin and inspired by the music of legendary jazz guitarist Les Paul. The series stars musician Melanie Doane along with a group of ukulele-playing kids who will perform “kidified” popular songs with celebrity guest stars. For the preschool audience, CBC Kids will launch GARY’S MAGIC FORT (Fall 2021; 13×11), a live-action puppet show starring Gary The Unicorn, helping kids navigate the world of emotions. CBC Kids will also offer the world premiere of animated series BIG BLUE (Fall 2021; 52×11; Guru Studio), created by Ghanaian Canadian animator Gyimah Gariba. The imaginative series for kids 5-9 follows sibling underwater adventurers Lettie and Lemo who lead a quirky submarine crew to unravel the mysterious secrets of an underwater universe.

CBC NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

CBC News’ trusted, award-winning slate of current affairs, investigative and primetime and weekend news programs continues, including:

● THE FIFTH ESTATE (Season 47 premieres Thurs. Oct. 14; 14×60)
● MARKETPLACE (Season 49 premieres Fri. Oct. 1; 19×30)
● CANADA TONIGHT WITH GINELLA MASSA (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
● THE NATIONAL (Weeknights and Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
● POWER & POLITICS WITH VASSY KAPELOS (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
● ROSEMARY BARTON LIVE (Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)

CBC GEM ORIGINAL SERIES

In addition to offering more than 6500 hours of original Canadian series, feature films and documentaries as well as a curated selection of best-in-class content from around the world,
CBC Gem will continue to offer an extensive, distinct slate of original short-form series this upcoming year that reflect younger audiences and a diversity of new creative voices, including the following:

● FRICK, I LOVE NATURE (YA Comedy; 8×15; Winter 2022; Zipline Productions) is a comedy/nature show hosted by Edmonton-based Filipino Canadian comedian Gordie Lucius. The show uses interviews with experts, beautiful scenery and stellar nature facts to educate, entertain and most importantly, get people STOKED ON NATURE.

● HELLO (AGAIN) (YA Drama; Winter 2022; 100 Dragons Media Inc.) is created by Nathalie Younglai (Coroner) and Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) and follows the complicated romance between chef Jayden and ER resident Avery. On a fateful day, Jayden and Avery bump into each other at a park and immediately fall hopelessly in love. Sparks fly… until they stop. Six months after their unceremonious breakup, a chance encounter will send Jayden back in time to the day that he and Avery met. Will Jayden learn to fix the mistakes of his past and win Avery back…or is history doomed to repeat itself?

● JENSPLAINING (Season 2; 10×10; Unscripted; 2021-22; Peacock Alley Entertainment) is Dr. Jennifer Gunter’s jam packed, bite-sized take down of the exploitative health and beauty myths that are constantly spewed at women (and men), from a culture that is obsessed with celebrity over science.

● NEXT STOP (Season 2; YA Comedy; 6×10, Fall 2021; Scarborough Pictures) is an anthology comedy series chronicling the lives of Black Torontonians struggling to stay sane and afloat in the sprawling city. Energetically paced and richly visual, the show charts a course through chaotic, surreal, and hilarious vignettes of Toronto ‘yutes’ confronting the challenges of life in a competitive, expensive, and rapidly changing city. Created by Jabbari Weekes, Tichaona Tapambwa and Phil Witmer and executive produced by Amar Wala.

● REVENGE OF THE BLACK BEST FRIEND (YA Comedy; 10-min episodes; Winter 2022; iThentic) is an episodic series created, co-written, and co-produced by Amanda Parris that follows Dr. Toni Shakur, a self-help guru whose singular mission is to cancel the entertainment industry’s reliance on token Black characters….before she gets canceled herself.

● TOPLINE (YA Drama; 10-min episodes; Winter 2022; Shaftesbury) is created by Romeo Candido and follows 16-year-old Tala, a reclusive singer/songwriter with an online alter ego: 18-year-old ‘Celestine.’ When she is discovered after one of her songs (as Celestine) goes viral, Tala is invited to join a world-renowned music production team that creates hits for superstars and is faced with presenting as either Celestine, the person she wishes she could be, or as herself. In the process, she just might learn how to find her own voice as well.

● TRUE DATING STORIES (Season 3; YA Comedy; 8×12; Winter 2022; LaRue Entertainment) Who doesn’t love a great dating story? Whether it’s true romance or a night gone horribly wrong, this series offers the greatest real dating stories ever told, reenacted by performers with all the drama, romance and comedy they deserve. These sexy, jaw-dropping comedic re-enactments will make you laugh, cry, and quite possibly swear off dating altogether.

● virgins! (YA Comedy; 10×10; Winter 2022; Miskeen Media Inc.) is created and written by Aden Abebe. Too modest for the big city (Toronto) and too provocative for the African homes they come from, virgins! is a comedic drama that follows four 20-something year-old women awkwardly navigating adulthood, love, and relationships as virgins, while dodging the all-seeing aunties along the way.

● WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? (YA Unscripted; 10×5; Fall 2021/Winter 2022; Canadian Content Studios) features Madison Tevlin, who has spent her whole life being judged at first glance. Maddie has Down syndrome but it has absolutely nothing to do with who she is. Maddie finds connection with other misinterpreted and misperceived people, as she chats one-on-one with extraordinary people misrepresented by their exterior. With every person on the planet, there is so much more to discover and Maddie gets to the heart of who they really are.

FALL 2021 SCHEDULE – CBC TV and CBC GEM

For Newfoundland and Labrador, please add a half hour for all times

MONDAYS
7 PM – CORONATION STREET (weekdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.)
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA Season 3 premieres September 27
8 PM – MURDOCH MYSTERIES Season 15 premieres September 13
9 PM – VICTORIA Season 2 premieres September 13
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

TUESDAYS
7 PM – CORONATION STREET
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA
8 PM – THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES Season 29 premieres September 14
8:30 PM – STRAYS Premieres September 14
9 PM – MOONSHINE Premieres September 14 / SORT OF * launches with back-to-back episodes November 9, following its premiere on CBC Gem on October 5
9:30 PM – SORT OF
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

WEDNESDAYS
7 PM – CORONATION STREET
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA
8 PM – WAR OF THE WORLDS Season 2 premieres October 6
9 PM – DIGGSTOWN Season 3 premieres October 6
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

THURSDAYS
7 PM – CORONATION STREET
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA
8 PM – RACE AGAINST THE TIDE Premieres September 9 with back-to-back episodes / DRAGONS’ DEN Season 16 premieres October 14
8:30 PM – RACE AGAINST THE TIDE
9 PM – THE FIFTH ESTATE Season 47 premieres October 14
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

FRIDAYS
7:30 PM – CORONATION STREET (weekdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.)
8 PM – MARKETPLACE Season 49 premieres October 1
8:30 PM – TRAVEL MAN: 48 HOURS IN… Best of all seasons launches September 17
9 PM – THE PASSIONATE EYE CBC TV premiere September 17 / THE NATURE OF THINGS Season 61 premieres October 22
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

SATURDAYS
Afternoon – ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES

SUNDAYS
Afternoon – ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES
7 PM – HEARTLAND Season 15 premieres October 17
8 PM – THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW Season 5 premieres October 17
9 PM – A SUITABLE BOY Premieres October 17
10 PM – THE NATIONAL