Filmed on the Unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, VANCOUVER, B.C. — Sparkly Frog Clan Productions and Brightlight Pictures are pleased to announce the return of the riveting reality business competition Bears’ Lair to APTN. The series made waves last year by feeding the entrepreneurial spirit of hopeful Indigenous businesses across Canada.
Indigenous entrepreneurs are invited to apply to be on Season 2 starting June 15th, 2023 at BearsLairTV.com. Selected contestants will pitch their ideas to the panel of Bears and guest judges, competing for their share of approximately $160,000 in cash prizes. This is a life-changing opportunity for aspiring Indigenous business owners, as prize money will help bring their best business concepts to life.
Season 2 of Bears’ Lair will feature both new and familiar faces on the judges’ panel. Indigenous business moguls Geena Jackson, Tabatha Bull and Dave Tuccaro will return as Bears, and the panel will also welcome an exciting new judge: Clint Davis, former President and CEO of Nunasi Corporation and proud Inuk from Nunatsiavut. With support from the Bears, guest judges and coaches, the contestants will hone their ideas to make them as successful as possible.
“We’re thrilled to announce season two of Bears’ Lair, celebrating the innovation and spirit of Indigenous entrepreneurs. Their inspiring journeys highlight the value of Indigenous entrepreneurship,” says Geena Jackson.
“I’m very excited for season two of Bears’ Lair and to be part of a project that showcases Indigenous entrepreneurs across the country,” says Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business President & CEO Tabatha Bull. “I’m looking forward to meeting this season’s contestants, and I’m sure just like last season, every episode will be full of surprises, inspiring people and fascinating stories.”
Clint Davis adds, “I’m so excited about being a Bear on Bears’ Lair. I can’t wait to work with my fellow Bears and seeing what creativity will emerge from our communities.”
“I am really looking forward to returning as a core judge for season two and am excited to see the innovative and trailblazing businesses that I am about to meet representing Indigenous communities all over Canada,” says Dave Tuccaro.
Indigenous entrepreneurs from across the country are invited to apply to be on Season 2 starting June 15th, 2023 at BearsLairTV.com.
Today, Corus Entertainment announces its upcoming lineup of new and returning premium original content for 2023/2024. This includes a total of 25 new and returning series, with 11 titles from Corus Studios and eight from Nelvana.
With programming sold to more than 150 countries around the globe, Corus Studios has proven itself a leader in original Canadian lifestyle and unscripted content, extending its catalogue with 11 new and returning titles across Top 10 specialty stations*, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, and The HISTORY® Channel. Nelvana maintains its position as a world-renowned international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content, with programming seen in over 180 countries around the world. This year is no exception, with eight new and returning series coming soon to Corus’ leading kids’ networks, Treehouse and YTV.
LIFESTYLE
Food Network Canada A Top 10 specialty network* and the ultimate culinary destination, Food Network Canada’s esteemed culinary competition series Top Chef Canada, a Top 10 specialty entertainment series last year*, makes its epic return for Season 11 (8×60) expected to premiere in late 2024. A new roster of revered chefs will put it all on the line during this fierce and fiery culinary face-off, competing to take home the title of Canada’s Top Chef. During this season’s fast-paced challenges, the chefs must impress Top Chef Canada’s acclaimed judging panel, as well as notable names from the culinary world who will join each week as guest judges and tasters. Top Chef Canada is the homegrown version of the hit Emmy® Award-winning NBCUniversal Series Top Chef.
Corus Studios’ The Big Bake will tantalize taste buds and hype up the holidays this fall with Season 4 (7×60 Halloween and 7×60 Holiday) of the larger-than-life themed baking series. Each episode of this fun-filled baking competition series gives three professional baking teams only five hours to design, bake and decorate a grand-scale cake creation based on a particular theme. In the end, the most ambitious, eye-popping and delicious cake will go home with a $10,000 prize.
HGTV Canada HGTV Canada holds its position as the nation’s destination for all things home. The Top 5 specialty network* has inspiring and heart-warming programming that fits any style. Viewers can look forward to a two-episode tease of the new Corus Studios series, Bryan’s All In (10×60) this fall, with the rest of the season airing in spring 2024. The series sees HGTV Canada star Bryan Baeumler travels off-the-beaten path to help struggling entrepreneurs renovate their businesses. These are ambitious dreamers who are risking it all for their passion projects, making major life changes to become their own boss – just like Bryan did. In each episode, Bryan hits the open road in his RV, spending a week helping a budding business owner through a make-or-break point in their reno. He acts as their coach and mentor, helping them overcome major hurdles, while tackling key builds in a race to open or revive their business.
The network’s #2 program last summer, Corus Studios’ Scott’s Vacation House Rules also returns with new episodes this fall (7×60), with Scott McGillivray using his five rules to turn problem properties into profit. Along with designer Debra Salmoni, Scott unlocks the hidden rental potential of even the most neglected properties, updating and reviving them into unique and buzz-worthy places of paradise. As previously announced, this series has also been greenlit for Season 5, as part of HGTV Canada and Scott McGillivray’s four-year production commitment and exclusivity deal, and will air in the spring of 2024.
The network’s late 2024 schedule is expected to feature a diverse round-up of new and returning Corus Studios series. Hollywood icon Pamela Anderson returns for Season 2 of Pamela’s Garden of Eden (8×60), which ranked within the Top 10 of Canadian original series across specialty television last fall. Also returning for a Season 2 is Gut Job (8×60) following seasoned builder Sebastian Clovis tackling down-to-the-studs renovations; and Hoarder House Flippers (8×60), a Top 10 program on the network last summer, featuring three sets of flippers transforming dilapidated houses. Fan-favourite Rock Solid Builds (8×60), a Top 20 specialty entertainment series last spring**, kicks off Season 3, showcasing even more unique and challenging builds by Randy Spracklin and his crew in Newfoundland. Joining the HGTV Canada lineup in late 2024 is the new series House of Ali (8×60), following no-nonsense luxury home designer Ali Budd and her all-female firm, responsible for designing some of the most bespoke and upscale homes in North America.
The HISTORY® Channel A Top 10 specialty network, The HISTORY® Channel spotlights true stories, big adventures, and a diversity of underrepresented voices with its slate of six new and returning factual and documentary titles. In honour of Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, picking up where Part 1 left off, True Story Part 2 (1×120), examines the painful legacy of the Indian Act and Residential School system on Indigenous peoples, the Sixties Scoop, the rise of Indigenous political movements and the role of Indigenous veterans in Canada’s military. This Remembrance Day, Our War Part 2 (2×60), will shine a light on extraordinary Canadians who made heroic contributions to WWI and WWII. From the descendant of a World War I nurse killed in a war crime to a Japanese Canadian survivor of World War II internment camp, the docu-series follow descendants as they investigate the harrowing secrets their ancestors took to the grave.
Then in winter, the premium limited documentary series Sounds Black (4×60) examines the origins and impact of Black Music in Canada. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Cazhhmere, with contributions from legends including Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Fefe Dobson, Maestro Fresh Wes, Deborah Cox, Keisha Chante and more, the series explores Black Canadian music from its tangled diasporic roots to its international dominance. A Top 10 program on the network last fall, Deadman’s Curse returns for Season 2 (8×60), with more adventures following the diverse team of explorers on their epic search for legendary lost gold in B.C. Ahead of the second season premiering next spring, the Corus Studios series has already been greenlit for a third season. The series is complemented by a previously announced companion podcast from Curiouscast, Deadman’s Curse: Slumach’s Gold. Hosted by series star Kru Williams, the podcast takes listeners deeper into the history of Slumach’s legacy.
Rounding out the spring lineup of Corus Studios series, Rust Valley Restorers (8×60), a Top 5 program on the network last spring***, returns for Season 5, offering classic car fanatics some fresh adventures from Mike, Avery and Connor; as well as Season 2 of Backroad Truckers (8×60) following the wildest band of road runners as they crisscross the unforgiving terrain of Western Canada with bigger jobs, bigger machines, and even bigger feuds.
Hosted Segments Following the success of the short-form content series W Network’s Movie Date, hosted by Sarah Keenleyside, Brittnee Blair, and Noah Cappe, and Showcase’s Watch Party, hosted by Fred Kennedy, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada will introduce their own branded models this fall. HGTV Canada’s DIY Studio will be hosted by Sebastian Clovis, Sarah Keenleyside and Kenny Brain and is designed to grab viewers’ attention with quick tips and fixes for their home renovation projects throughout the network’s linear broadcast. Food Network Canada’s hosted segments will be helmed by Chef Anna Olson who will be serving up all things delicious in snackable broadcast & digital content pieces that help audiences discover their next great recipe.
NELVANA & KIDS
YTV This summer, the mystery continues with The Hardy Boys’ third and final season (8×60) premiering on YTV. Based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon and nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award and seven Canadian Screen Awards, things pick up where the shocking events of Season 2 left off. The Hardy boys and their friends dig up even more secrets, conspiracies, and threats as they piece together their great-grandfather’s long-lost map and race against time to uncover a powerful ancient relic before it falls into the wrong hands.
Best & Bester (6×30) also returns with the pair of hilariously individual twins continuing their adventures living in a weird and wonderful alternate reality where your neighbour could be a pair of disgruntled trousers or your best friend a floating cloud of bottom burp. Up next, based on the best-selling book series and produced by Corus Entertainment’s Aircraft Pictures and WexWorks Media, Popularity Papers (26×30) continues to follow middle-school besties Julie and Lydia on their quest to demystify one of life’s greatest questions: what makes someone popular? Every social experiment they test comes with unexpected lessons about the value of friendship, kindness, and confidence, helping guide our characters through the struggles of middle school with humour and heart.
Treehouse Treehouse original series Builder Brothers Dream Factory gets ready to GEAR UP and GET IT DONE with new episodes (10×11) beginning this fall. Distributed by Nelvana and co-produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment, twin brothers Drew and Jonathan continue to use their extraordinary imagination, creativity, grit, and heart – coupled with a big dose of TWINSPIRATION to help friends and solve problems in the neighbourhood by dreaming big. Fans of Thomas & Friends franchise can look forward to a new special with the beloved engines in Thomas & Friends: The Great Bubbly Build (1×30) airing this fall. The special sees Sandy and Carly set out to make an art project together, but when their ideas clash and the project fails, they learn that it needs the right mix of both ideas to succeed.
Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Season 3 continues (10×30) with more fur-raising adventures on Treehouse this summer and fall. Produced by redknot, a joint venture between Nelvana and Warner Bros. Discovery, P.U.R.S.T. agents Binky, Gracie, Gordon, Loo and Nola are ready to soar into new adventures and protect their human families and the entire world from even more aliens, robots, and the WURST villains. Packed with action, humour, and heart, the third season features fun-themed episodes and missions that are literally out-of-this-world. This fall also sees the premiere of Nelvana short film Jelly (1×13), an inspirational modern fairy tale. The film follows Molly, a fiercely talented artist, debating whether to pursue her creative passion or work a soul-sucking factory job. She can’t decide until she meets a mysterious liquid spirit who takes her on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery and helps make the choice easy.
Next summer, the Nelvana-produced series Millie Magnificent (52×11) premieres, inspired by Canadian author-illustrator Ashley Spires’ popular children’s book, The Most Magnificent Thing, published by Kids Can Press. With a spark of imagination and endless determination, Millie and her Creato-crew friends, Maya and Ben, together with her adorable canine assistant, Wallace, strive to find the most magnificent solutions to their neighbourhood’s challenges.
CITYTV & OMNI TELEVISION ORIGINAL SERIES (PREMIERING ON SUNDAY, JUNE 11):
Premiering on OMNI Television this Sunday, June 11 are two new original series, including the comedy Our Big Punjabi Family and five-part documentary series Katiba Banat: Sisters in Arms, plus an all-new season of Filipino sketch comedy ABROAD.
Starting at 7:30 p.m. ET is Our Big Punjabi Family, a mixed Punjabi and English-language comedy series about a family therapist Sitara (played by Arshdeep Purba) and her family who are forced to move in with her husband’s traditional Punjabi in-laws after they lose their money in a bad investment. Following Our Big Punjabi Family is a new season of ABROAD. Produced in collaboration with Longhope Media Inc., Season 2 of ABROAD – the hit Filipino sketch comedy series – will premiere with eight, all-new 30-minute episodes in English and Tagalog at 8:30 p.m. ET. Co-created by and starring Filipina comedian Isabel Kanaan (Second Jen, Air Farce NYE, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), ABROAD is a Canadian Screen Award-nominated series based on the immigrant experience in Canada. Then, at 9:30 p.m. ET, the premiere of Adhel Arop’s Katiba Banat: Sisters in Arms – a five-part docuseries that uncovers the previously hidden stories of Canadian women who helped to liberate South Sudan.
As announced on Monday, Citytv has greenlit the all-new, one-hour crime drama Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, an adaptation of the legendary Law & Order brand, slated to air on Citytv in Spring 2024.
And, as announced earlier this year, Citytv has greenlit an all-new season of Canada’s Got Talent – Citytv’s most-viewed original series in over a decade – in partnership with McGillivray Entertainment Media Inc., Fremantle, and SYCO Entertainment. New for next season, the winner of Canada’s Got Talent Season 3 will receive $1,000,000 – the biggest cash prize in Canadian television history – courtesy of Rogers. That’s not all! CIBC is awarding each of the six Golden Buzzer recipients next season with $25,000 each, totalling $150,000, to help realize their ambitions. Plus, CIBC will provide the Season 3 winner with financial advice. Applications are open now on Citytv.com.
Viewers can test their knowledge with new CTV Original quiz series BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS, airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning June 19 on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Hosted by award-winning entertainer, philanthropist, actress, producer, and writer, Lilly Singh, each episode features four contestants from different generations – Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z – as they face-off through multiple rounds of pop culture trivia. For a sneak peek of BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS, click here.
Contestants from across the country have to be both tactical and tenacious to be the last player standing, with the goal of entering The Vault, where they have the chance to win a cash prize of up to $25,000. BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS not only asks questions from each contestant’s generation, but from their rivals’ generations too, determining who has what it takes to win it all.
In the series premiere of BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS, airing Monday, June 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, contestants from different generations (including Baby Boomer Jimmy from Calgary, Gen X Marci from Toronto, Millennial Harold from Skidegate, B.C., and Gen Z Zoe from Richmond Hill, Ont.) battle it out for a chance to win up to $25,000.
BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS is produced by Bell Media Studios, in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment and Unicorn Island Productions. Executive Producers include Jennifer Couke and Michelle Crespi for Bell Media Studios, Martin Oxley and Abigail Adams for GroupM Motion Entertainment, and Lilly Singh and Polly Auritt for Unicorn Island Productions.
Citytv today announces the all-new, one-hour crime drama Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, an adaptation of the legendary Law & Order brand, slated to air on Citytv in Spring 2024. Produced by Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Citytv, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent consists of 10 one-hour episodes, with production taking place this fall in Toronto. Based on the classic series created by Dick Wolf for Universal Television, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent will showcase original Canadian stories written and produced by, and starring Canadians. As a psychological thriller wrapped in a criminal investigation, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent follows an elite squad of detectives who investigate high-profile crime and corruption in metro Toronto.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is produced by Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures Inc. in association with Citytv with distribution by Universal Television.
About Lark Productions Lark Productions is an award-winning television production company creating and producing exceptional scripted and unscripted content with the best Canadian talent. Lark enjoys a distribution and development deal with Universal International Studios.
Established in Vancouver in 2010, Lark is currently in production on the original crime drama Allegiance for CBC in association with Universal International Studios as well as Farming for Love for Bell Media based on Fremantle’s international hit format Farmer Wants a Wife. Lark’s productions include legal drama Family Law for Corus/ CW Network Entertainment and eOne, spy drama Fortunate Son for CBC in association with Universal International Studios, CSA-nominated Motive (CTV, USA Network), the hit formats The Real Housewives of Toronto and Vancouver (Slice), Paramedics: Life on the Line (Knowledge Network) and Emergency Room: Life + Death at VGH (Knowledge Network, Discovery Fit).
About Cameron Pictures Inc. Cameron Pictures Inc. is an independent Canadian television production company with a focus on scripted content. Based in Toronto, Cameron Pictures is helmed by sisters Amy Cameron, a television executive, writer, and producer, and Tassie Cameron, an award-winning showrunner and executive producer. The company is managed by the Camerons along with executive producer Alex Patrick, who provides expertise in strategy and business & legal affairs. Among Cameron Pictures’ award-winning series are Mary Kills People (Global/Lifetime, co-produced with eOne) about an ER doctor who moonlights as an underground angel of death performing illegal assisted suicide; the comedy Little Dog (CBC, co-produced with Elemental Pictures) about a washed-up boxer trying to reclaim his life; and the comedic buddy cop drama Pretty Hard Cases (CBC/NBCU) starring Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore.
