Must Watch Canadian TV Shows in 2023

April 19, 2023 Greg David

Although it’s not often talked about, Canada has produced some of the best TV series in recent years. While they sometimes get overlooked because American and British shows dominate the global market, once you delve deeper, they don’t disappoint.

These TV shows have something to offer just about everyone. Whether you enjoy quirky comedies or gripping dramas, you’ll find something you like. Keep reading to learn about some of the must-watch Canadian TV shows in 2023.

Casino

Whether we’re playing games on our phones or listening to a podcast about our favourite series, entertainment plays an important role in our lives. Casino games are some of the most popular games in the world, so it’s not surprising they also make an appearance on TV shows. One of Canada’s most famous programs is named Casino, and it’s based on a true story guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The main character is tasked with building a new casino, and he has to do so while dealing with various forces, including high-powered officials. It’s so good, most viewers won’t want to stop watching until they’ve finished all of the episodes.

When not watching this series or others, fans may want to test their skills on their own. Smartphones have made it easy to play popular casino titles while on the go or from the comfort of home. Thanks to the arrival of the casino industry in the online world, today you can enjoy classic titles such as roulette or blackjack and their new adapted versions, or delve into any imaginable theme with slots. Undoubtedly, a big step that has allowed to improve the user experience in the sector.

Wong & Winchester

This show debuted on January 17th of this year, making it the newest on this list. It brilliantly mixes crime and comedy and has become one of the most talked-about series this year. The story focuses on a seasoned ex-cop turned private investigator paired with an inexperienced newcomer who tests her patience.

Despite their differing views on just about everything, the two must work together to solve new cases each week. The show covers a variety of themes and has great dialogue that’ll keep viewers both laughing and intrigued.

Run the Burbs

The second season of this sitcom follows a multicultural Canadian family as they build their lives in the suburbs. It features a stay-at-home dad and a mom who runs her own business. Although many think moving to the suburbs will doom them to a life of boredom, this TV show proves that’s not always the case, especially when you’re determined to live life to the fullest.

Comedian, writer, and actor Andrew Phung created the show with his best friend, filmmaker Scott Towsend. Get ready for lots of belly laughs while watching this series.

Plan B

If you like time-travel stories, you won’t want to miss the TV series Plan B. It revolves around the life of Phillip, who sees travel as an escape from his life problems. He travels into the past, hoping to change it for the better and wondering if he can undo the damage he’s done to himself.

The name of the TV show comes from the company that employs the protagonist, which lets people go back in time to fix their mistakes. It’s an adaptation of the French-language sci-fi drama that’s been translated for English-speaking audiences.

Sullivan’s Crossing

A renowned neurosurgeon is forced to leave her medical career behind after a scandal means she has to leave her job and home. That’s the story behind the gripping new drama Sullivan’s Crossing, which follows the life of Maggie Sullivan as she embarks on a new path after her career ends.

She returns to her hometown in Nova Scotia, where she reconnects with her past and tries to navigate her new life. However, the appearance of a mysterious person in the town threatens to disrupt the tranquility she’d hoped to find back home.

Red Ketchup

While this show hasn’t premiered yet, we recommend keeping an eye out for it if you’re a fan of animated series. It follows the story of a rogue FBI agent who’s shipped off to Antarctica on a fake mission. The series is based on the graphic novel series by Pierre Fournier and is sure to be highly entertaining.

Children Ruin Everything

CTV announces third season of original comedy Children Ruin Everything

April 18, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

CTV announced today that Canadian Screen Award-nominated comedy CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is set to return for a third season. Production on 10, half-hour episodes of the CTV Original series from New Metric Media is underway in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont. Meaghan Rath and Aaron Abrams return, alongside Logan Nicholson, Mikayla SwamiNathan, Ennis Esmer, Nazneen Contractor, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Veena Sood, Lisa Codrington, and Darius Rota. CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is created by Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Kurt Smeaton (SCHITT’S CREEK, KIM’s CONVENIENCE).

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING follows parents Astrid (Rath) and James (Abrams), as they raise their three young children and struggle to hold on to their pre-kid life, while discovering all of the little ways that raising kids has reshaped their world. Season 2 of the CTV Original series is the Top Canadian Comedy broadcast year-to-date among key demos A25-54 and A18-49.

The first two seasons of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING are currently available for streaming on CTV.ca and the CTV app, as well as Crave, and are available on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Season two of the series was split into two seasons in the U.S., with season three launching on The Roku Channel on Friday, May 12.

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is from award-winning comedy entertainment studio New Metric Media and is created and executive produced by Smeaton and executive produced by one of television’s premier comedy writers Chuck Tatham (MODERN FAMILY, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), multiple Canadian Screen Award-winner Mark Montefiore (LETTERKENNY, SHORESY, BRIA MACK GETS A LIFE, WHAT WOULD SAL DO?), and Meaghan Rath, with Alyson Richards (The Retreat) serving as Producer.

Bell Media Distribution is the international rights holder for CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, and New Metric Media is the series’ exclusive International Sales Agent. The series is produced by New Metric Media in association with CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and Bell Fund.

Little Bird

From Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch, and Jeremy Podeswa, the Crave and APTN original drama series, Little Bird, premieres May 26

April 17, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Crave and APTN premiere their much-anticipated original limited series, LITTLE BIRD, Friday, May 26, which follows an inspirational journey of self-discovery and truth. From Crave, APTN, Rezolution Pictures,OP Little Bird, and in partnership with global producer and distributor Fremantle, the six-part, one-hour limited series explores universal themes of resilience in the face of trauma and loss. It follows Bezhig Little Bird (Darla Contois) as she embarks on a path to find her birth family and uncover the hidden truth of her family history. The series streams on Friday, May 26 on Crave and APTN lumi, in English and French, with subsequent episodes dropping Fridays.

Removed from her home in Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan, Bezhig Little Bird is adopted into a Montréal Jewish family at age five, becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and is willing to sacrifice everything to find them. Her search lands her in the Canadian Prairies, worlds apart from everything she knows. As she begins to track down her siblings, she unravels the mystery behind her adoption and discovers that her apprehension was connected to a racist government policy, now known as the Sixties Scoop. Bezhig’s sense of identity shatters, and she is forced to reckon with who she is and who she wants to become.

Led by Contois, the character-driven drama features a talented cast of Indigenous actors, including: Ellyn Jade; Osawa Muskwa; Joshua Odjick; Imajyn Cardinal; Braeden Clarke; Eric Schweig; and Michelle Thrush. Rounding out the cast is Lisa Edelstein (HOUSE) who plays Esther’s adoptive mother, Golda Rosenblum.

The recent winner of the Audience Award Prize at the 2023 SERIES MANIA Festival in Lille, France, LITTLE BIRD was filmed in and around Winnipeg and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation on Treaty 1 territory, in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Treaty 2 territory, and in Muscowpetung First Nation on Treaty 4 territory. LITTLE BIRD showrunner Jennifer Podemski was also recently presented with an Academy Board Of Directors’ Tribute Award at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards.

Alongside the final episode on June 30, Crave and APTN lumi are making available COMING HOME, a 90-minute companion documentary providing historical context, about the Sixties Scoop. Directed by Erica Daniels (Run as One), COMING HOME explores the connections between the ground-breaking movement for Indigenous narrative sovereignty and the impact of the child welfare system as experienced through the LITTLE BIRD series’ Indigenous creatives, crew, and Sixties Scoop advisors. COMING HOME provides a structuring through-line, interwoven with interviews with cast, crew, and community members revealing personal connections to the Sixties Scoop.

LITTLE BIRD is a co-production from Crave and APTN, produced by Rezolution Pictures and OP Little Bird with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Manitoba Film and Music, the Rogers Cable Network Fund, the Bell Fund, and the COGECO Independent Production Fund. Additional training funding is provided by Bell Media, the Indigenous Screen Office, REEL Canada and the Director’s Guild of Canada (DGC). Fremantle is distributing the series globally.

Led by an Indigenous creative team, LITTLE BIRD is developed by showrunner Jennifer Podemski and Rezolution Pictures, and created by Podemski and head writer Hannah Moscovitch. The creative team includes directors Zoe Hopkins and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and was written by Hopkins and Moscovitch. The series is executive produced by Christina Fon, Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick (Rezolution Pictures), Kim Todd, Nicholas Hirst (Original Pictures), Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch, Zoe Hopkins, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Jeremy Podeswa, along with Christian Vesper and Dante Di Loreto (Fremantle). Producers are Tanya Brunel and Jessica Dunn (OP Little Bird), Claire MacKinnon and Philippe Chabot (Rezolution Pictures) and Lori Lozinski and Ellen Rutter.

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Spring has sprung! AMI-tv announces new and returning original series and documentaries to celebrate the season

April 13, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Spring is here, and with it comes warmer weather and flowers in bloom. Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is marking the season with new and returning original series and documentaries on AMI-tv to help viewers shake off the cold.

From discussing the misconceptions surrounding the sex lives of people with a disability in That Sex Show to new episodes of the ground-breaking Fashion Dis and Mind Your Own Business, AMI-tv offers a bouquet of programming for all Canadians.

Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming spring programming include:

April

That Sex Show debuts Wednesday, April 19, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Hosted by sex educator Rachele Manett, That Sex Show is a deep dive into the intersection of sex and disability. Join Rachele as she meets with experts and members of the disability community to discuss the myths and misconceptions surrounding the sex lives of people with a disability. That Sex Show is produced by Ocean Entertainment.

May

Disrupt debuts Tuesday, May 2, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Fast-paced, experimental and accessible, Disrupt showcases music, short films, poetry, animation, spoken word, comedy, dance, puppetry and other mediums, with a disability-first punk rock attitude. Produced by Rachel Bower Productions, Disrupt also features members of the disability community working in such key production roles as production manager, writer, assistant editor, assistant director, composer, assistant production designer and camera and sound assistants.

Fashion Dis returns Wednesday, May 3, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Hosted by Ardra Shephard, Season 2 of Fashion Dis celebrates the head-to-toe overhaul of a frustrated style seeker discouraged by an industry that lacks adaptive options. Utilizing innovative fashion design and transformative beauty techniques provided by partner companies, the Fashion Dis expert team reveals the latest in fashion-forward thinking and shows those ready to rock their best body exactly how to do it. Returning experts for Season 2 of Fashion Dis is makeup artist Bella Strange, hair stylist Susan Shipley, style expert Izzy Camilleri and art director Melonie Lawrence; Alkan Emin joins the team as the professional photographer.

Returning partners to Fashion Dis include Guide Beauty, June Adaptive, ByAcre, Rollz, MagnaReady, BILLY Footwear, Liberare, Slick Chicks and Cheekbone Beauty. New Fashion Dis partners include Will & Well, BeedleBug, Consonant Skincare, Elba London, Aille Design, MIGA Swimwear, Blue Dahlia, The Vault By Volpe Beringer, Chamiah Dewey Fashion, It Actually Fits, Auf Augenhoehe, Crease Piece, Deafmetal, Amaterasu Beauty, Sweet LeiLani, Elate Beauty, EazyHold, Roncy Packs, Ambutech and Sahajan. Fashion Dis is produced by Nikki Ray Media.

Womb Envy debuts Wednesday, May 10, on AMI.ca and the AMI-tv App

Created by Toronto drag artist Champagna, the previously announced web series Womb Envy is a story of second chances and inclusion. When a gay party boy’s estranged small-town best friend shows up expecting him to play baby daddy, even a lover who is partially sighted and an imaginary drag queen can’t stop his womb envy. Two episodes will be released weekly on AMI.ca and the AMI-tv App. Womb Envy is produced by Border2Border Entertainment.

Aging in Place airs Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

The original documentary Aging in Place examines the challenges seniors deal with and the path they follow to live comfortably and happily in their own homes. Aging in Place is produced by Mountain Road Productions.

Mind Your Own Business returns Tuesday, May 30, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Hosted by entrepreneur Kevin Shaw, who is blind, entrepreneurs in the disability community aim to take their businesses to the next level with some help from high-profile Canadian mentors. Entrepreneurs and companies featured in Season 2 of Mind Your Own Business include Sawchuk Accessible Solutions, Deafinite Contracting, THG’s Hot Chicken, Zed Cuff, StopGap Foundation, Tru Faces and Kingston Circus Arts. Mind Your Own Business is produced by Apple Orchard Productions.

All AMI-tv originals are available post-broadcast on demand at AMI.ca or the AMI-tv App.

Industry News

The Marilyn Denis Show to end following 13 remarkable seasons on CTV

April 13, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

After 13 incredible seasons on CTV, Marilyn Denis announced live today on THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW that the daytime series will conclude at the end of the current season. Beginning Monday, May 8, the series will celebrate with special guests, audience surprises, and highlights from its more than 2,000 shows, culminating with a memorable farewell episode on Friday, June 9 at 10 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

While Canada’s Queen of Daytime has chosen to conclude THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW following a 34-year career of daily daytime television, the veteran broadcaster will continue as co-host on Marilyn Denis and Jamar weekday mornings on Toronto’s CHUM 104.5. Denis will also remain as host of MARILYN DENIS DOES A PODCAST, available on iHeartRadio.ca, the iHeartRadio Canada app, and everywhere podcasts are found.

“Hosting a national television show has been a career highlight, and such a rewarding and fulfilling chapter in my life, but after more than three decades of balancing my radio show with a daytime series I’m ready to step away and refocus on my family and other projects,” said Marilyn Denis. “While I’m moving on from daytime TV, I’m not saying goodbye and will continue on the CHUM morning show and with my podcast. I want to thank the entire team at THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, who are and always will be family, the incredible experts and guests who have joined me over the years, and most importantly – every studio audience member and the viewers at home for welcoming me into your lives. I’ll be forever grateful for the wonderful years we’ve spent together.”

“Marilyn is a trailblazer with a relatable and authentic approach that has made her a much-beloved figure in Canadian broadcasting and to viewers across the country,” said Dave Daigle, Vice-President, Local TV, Radio, and Bell Media Studios. “While we are truly sad to see THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW end, we are proud to have been the home of this incredible series. We will miss seeing Marilyn on TV every day, but we are happy she’ll remain with the company on CHUM 104.5. I want to thank Marilyn and the production team for their dedication as they made the show a destination for our viewers and guests alike.”

Currently celebrating its 13th season, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW airs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, and 11 a.m. ET on CTV2. The four-time Canadian Screen Award-winning series connects with viewers across the country through a mix of expert and celebrity guests. Denis places fans at the centre of it all, as she provides a unique blend of entertainment and topical lifestyle information, from fashion to food to fitness.

Denis has always balanced her dynamic radio career, which she began in 1976, with her candid television presence. Her career in television started by reporting on sports, weather, and entertainment at CTV Calgary, while also working as a freelance reporter for TSN. Denis also shared hosting duties on Bravo!’s Gemini Award-winning concert series LIVE AT THE REHEARSAL HALL, and was host of the popular daily show CITYLINE for nearly 20 years. Denis is the recipient of The Rosalie Award, honouring Canadian women who have paved the way for others in radio broadcasting. She is also listed as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by WXN, and is the first female recipient of the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award. Denis continues her morning show co-hosting duties weekdays at CHUM 104.5, a position she has held since 1986.

CTV’s new daytime programming lineup, including a new series, will be announced later this year.

THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW is produced by Bell Media Studios. Michelle Crespi and John Simpson are Executive Producers.