CBC announces 2007/08 programming

From CBC:

Building on the success of this season, CBC Television today offered a sneak peek at some of the exciting new programs Canadians can look forward to in 2007/08.

“Today is just the first look at what promises to be an extraordinary season for CBC Television,” says Kirstine Layfield, executive director, network programming. “We’ve got an exciting slate of programming that is distinctly Canadian, that is entertaining, informative and we’re confident will appeal to a broad range of Canadians throughout the country.”

CBC Television will continue to build on the remarkable successes this season of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Test the Nation, Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister, The Greatest Canadian Invention, Dragons’ Den and others.

“Our audiences have responded well to innovative, intelligent and entertaining programming and we’re going to give them more of that this coming year,” Layfield adds.

The Tudors is an Irish-Canadian co-production in which an all-star cast revives the sensational life of Henry VIII in an epic prime-time soap filled with sex, romance, murder, war and rolling heads. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Henry as a strapping, mercurial young king, while Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband) and Canadian Henry Czerny (Mission Impossible, Boys of St. Vincent) play his courtiers;

Drawn from today’s headlines, The Border is a fast-paced, hard-driving series set in Toronto in a paranoid post-Sept. 11 world concerned with security crises, terrorist infiltrations, cross-border police actions and trafficking in everything from enriched uranium to abducted children;

Heartland is a multi-generational family series set in the foothills of Alberta. The series follows the excitement, humour and drama of the Fleming family as members struggle to run a horse ranch–one that teeters on the edge of failure–that has been in the family for years;

Sophie follows the adventures and misadventures of a young, vibrant single mother who inherits a talent agency from her father and then loses her best client–followed soon after by her boyfriend;

No Opportunity Wasted will offer Canadians the chance to seize a life-changing opportunity. Based on the NOW philosophy of Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, NOW will encourage all of us to live each day as if we’ll never have another chance like it.

“Production of these programs will be taking place throughout the country, a reflection of our commitment and mandate to create programming that best captures the range of Canadian stories we can all share,” Layfield says.

Among the returning programs will be perennial favourites The National, Marketplace and Hockey Night in Canada, along with comedy hits This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Rick Mercer Report and Royal Canadian Air Farce, rounding out a comprehensive programming schedule including CBC’s award-winning documentary programming, its world-class sports lineup and its industry-leading news and current affairs.

Later in the year, CBC will unveil an all-new production of The Nutcracker and will continue development of Triple Sensation, which will provide a national showcase for some of the country’s best young talent in the performing arts.

“We will remain the place for Canadians to turn when they’re looking for the finest in arts and entertainment programming and for stories and information by, for and about Canadians everywhere. We’re very excited to be at the beginning of this process and look forward to sharing more information about the new season later this spring,” Layfield says.