TV, eh?

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family, ratings for The Border, Dragons’ Den, Air Farce, Rick Mercer Report, Heartland, The Tudors, Little Mosque on the Prairie, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Sophie, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, and Degrassi, among others:

• Grace Park Behind Border Jump
  “Boosted by the series debut of Grace Park as Homeland Security Agent Liz Carver, The Border jumped to 765,000 viewers across Canada Nov. 10. That made it CBC’s highest-rated off-ice series last week.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family, ratings for the below as well as So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, Degrassi:

• Weekly Ratings in Jeopardy
  The Rick Mercer Report, opposite U.S. presidential election returns, drew 843,000 last Tuesday night. Air Farce Final Flight, still stubbornly resilient, drew 728,000, The Tudors, 652,000, The Border, 643,000, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, 631,000, Dragon’s Den, 617,000, Doctor Who, 547,000, Doc Zone, 515,000, Little Mosque, 514,000, Nature of Things, 455,000, Heartland, 430,000, fifth estate, 289,000 and dead last–below MVP and jPod numbers–poor Sophie at 251,000 viewers.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family, with ratings for Mercer, Dragon’s Den, The Border, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Tudors, Heartland, Air Farce, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Sophie, The Guard, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas and Degrassi:

• Last Week: Mercer’s Back On Top
  “He shoots, he scores: last week’s Rick Mercer Report topped all CBC prime time shows with 1,114,000 viewers, outdrawing even Saturday night staple Hockey Night in Canada (1,021,000).” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Border Holds Despite US Invasion
  “CBC has to be quietly pleased with last night’s numbers for The Border: 560,000 total viewers across Canada. (Overnight estimated based on average minute audience, BBM Canada/Nielsen data.)” Read more.

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

• Dragons’ Den (Sept. 29, CBC)
• The Border (Sept. 29, CBC)
• The Rick Mercer Report (Sept. 30, CBC)
• The Tudors (Sept. 30, CBC)
• Little Mosque on the Prairie (Oct. 1, CBC)
• Sophie (Oct. 1, CBC)
• Heartland (Oct. 5, CBC)
• Corner Gas (Oct. 6, CTV)
• The Guard (Oct. 29, Global)

From a media release:
 
CBC Television announced its Fall 2008 schedule today, offering Canadians more of the homegrown programming they love the most: hot dramas and comedy, powerful documentaries, new movies and mini-series and the best in news and sports coverage.
 
“We have a lot to be proud of,” said Kirstine Layfield, executive director of Network Programming, CBC Television. “We’re bringing our viewers a Fall schedule packed with their favourites—outstanding Canadian television.” 

(more…)

From a media release:

CBC Television announces returning shows for 2008/2009; network achieves record success this season

CBC Television broke viewership records with its 2007-2008 programming lineup. Our season-to-date prime-time share is 7.9, the highest in six years. In addition, Canadian content on the network has increased significantly over the last two years, with drama series increasing 68 per cent and comedy series up 41 per cent. This incredible success heralds the return of several new hit shows from this past season and returning favourites.

“This has been an outstanding year for CBC Television,” said Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV’s executive director of network programming. “These returning shows will be the cornerstone for next season. We’ll be announcing our new shows in the coming weeks.”

Canada’s favourite homegrown drama, The BORDER will be back with James McGowan reprising his role as Major Mike Kessler (right). HEARTLAND, a heart- warming family drama based on the international best-selling novels of the same name is also back after winning the hearts of Canadians. Debuting on CBC to nearly one million viewers, CBC’s hot and steamy co-production THE TUDORS returns for a second season and the drama continues with the marriage of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The charming comedy series SOPHIE, picked up by ABC Family, is also back with star-on-the-rise Natalie Brown returning as the hot-tempered, but loving single mom out to re-balance her life and priorities.

Returning comedy favourites include; RICK MERCER REPORT coming off its best year ever averaging 1 million viewers weekly, LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, AIR FARCE LIVE, JUST FOR LAUGHS, HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL and WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL.

CBC also continues its legacy of award-winning journalism and documentaries with the fifth estate, MARKETPLACE, DOC ZONE and THE NATURE OF THINGS.

Reality fans will see the return of the hit series DRAGONS’ DEN, TRIPLE SENSATION, TEST THE NATION and CANADA’S NEXT GREAT PRIME MINISTER.

THE HOUR with George Stroumboulopoulos is back with A-list interviews and his take on world events. And STEVEN AND CHRIS will continue to add a little bit of fabulous to daytime programming.

Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star has an unusual take on what’s great about Canadian TV:

• Watching TV? Watch your back
  “Why don’t Canadians inflict physical harm on one another over a petty issue like watching TV? Do we have more perspective? Are we simply a kinder, gentler nation? Or could this national shortage of TV rage somehow be related to Canadian TV itself?” Read more.

Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press gives some alternatives to American shows as the writers strike drags on:

• Canadian nights in Canada
  “The U.S. writers strike is providing an opportunity to investigate homegrown TV, and you know what? Some of it is really good!” Read more.

Marise Strauss of Playback reports on the CBC’s winter season and its appeal to advertisers:

• Buyers upbeat on CBC
  “The longer U.S. writers remain on the picket lines, the better for CBC, according to media buyers, who are optimistic about the new offerings on the pubcaster’s winter slate, which were unveiled last week.” Read more.

Photo courtesy CBC. Natalie Brown as Sophie.