From a media release:
Canwest Announces Original Production Slate for 2008-2009
Global Television, E! & Specialty Channels Debut All-New Offerings:
THE LAST TEMPLAR, HOWIE DO IT, XIII,
INSTANT BEAUTY PAGEANT, PRODUCING PARKER,
CHEF ABROAD, OUTLAW BIKERS,
MAKE IT RIGHT: NEW ORLEANS, THE FOUNDATION, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
– AND –
Returning Hit Series Include:
THE GUARD, ‘DA KINK IN MY HAIR, THE BEST YEARS,
THE RE-INVENTORS, KENNY VS. SPENNY, SARAH’S HOUSE AND PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA
Canwest announced details of its original production slate today at their annual Fall Launch Presentation to advertisers and industry in Toronto.
In addition to unveiling an impressive roster of returning original programming across conventional and specialty networks, Canwest proudly revealed its line-up of new Canadian Original series for the 2008-2009 season, including a total of three NBC simulcasts: romantic adventure-drama, THE LAST TEMPLAR starring Oscar® winner Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite) and Canadian Victor Garber (Alias); comedy HOWIE DO IT starring comedian Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal); and political thriller, XIII starring Stephen Dorff (Blade) and Val Kilmer (Wonderland, The Doors).Â
“Building on our strong foundation of compelling storytelling, our new programming is both diverse and distinctively Canadian,†said Barbara Williams, Executive Vice President, Content, Canwest Broadcasting. “We’re also delighted to bring back our home-grown original series featuring a stellar selection of fan-favourites.â€
For conventional networks Global and E! the slate of new programming includes comedy series THE ANIMATED ADVENTURES OF BOB AND DOUG MCKENZIE produced by Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, and Patricia Burn; Canadian reality series INSTANT BEAUTY PAGEANT hosted by Cameron Mathison and Debbie Matenopoulos; animated series PRODUCING PARKER starring the voices of Kim Cattrall (Sex and The City) and Kristen Booth (M.V.P.); hot documentary series E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY CANADA showcasing Canada’s brightest stars, and an all-new season of the fashion inspired PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA. Returning for highly anticipated second seasons are the #1 new Canadian drama series* THE GUARD; the #1 new Canadian comedy series* ‘DA KINK IN MY HAIR and Aaron Martin’s (Degrassi: The Next Generation) creation, THE BEST YEARS, starring Charity Shea.
From the Lifestyle channels comes looks-obsessed reality series BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE; culinary adventure CHEF ABROAD starring Canadian chef Michael Smith; and famed renovation guru Mike Holmes hosting MAKE IT RIGHT: NEW ORLEANS on HGTV. Returning originals include THE MAIN, SARAH’S HOUSE, and TIL DEBT DO US PART.
Across the Dramatic channels, new series include THE FOUNDATION, a comedy series starring Mike Wilmont (It’s All Gone Pete Tong); a behind-the-scenes look at reality television with REALITY OBSESSED; PLANET SOAP; THE RAWSIDE OF… and VICE GUIDE TO FILM. Returning originals will include a fifth season of KENNY VS. SPENNY with even more pain-staking dares and new seasons of BILLABLE HOURS, RENT-A-GOALIE and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?.
From the Factual channels, History Television debuts investigative series OUTLAW BIKERS; a family of demolition experts provide explosive entertainment in BLOWDOWN; Norm Christie re-visits some of history’s most significant battles in BATTLEFIELD MYSTERIES. Returning series include THE RE-INVENTORS; the irreverent series URBAN LEGENDS II; chronicles of the organized crime scene, UNDERWORLD HISTORIES II.
Reaffirming the commitment to develop defining original series, Canwest remains focused on producing the best of Canadian drama, comedy, lifestyle, documentary and more – while integrating these programs into the nation’s most critically acclaimed primetime schedules. Premiere strategic partners include NBC, Movie Central, The Movie Network, The NFB, APTN, The BBC, Lifetime, USA Sci-Fi Network, and ABC Family.
