From a media release:
CBC Television confirmed today the season premiere dates for its primetime broadcast line-up. Anchored by returning fan-favourites and bolstered by five exciting new shows, CBC has a new way to look at smart with CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON, hosted by Jessi Cruickshank and Jeff Douglas beginning September 28; CBC Selects presents JANET KING from Australia’s public broadcaster on Oct. 5, gritty western drama STRANGE EMPIRE on October 6; gripping political thriller THE HONOURABLE WOMAN starring Maggie Gyllenhaal on September 29 and continuing September 30, and the new six-episode, Canadian-produced original space drama ASCENSION,  premiering November 25.
CBC Television kicks-off its fall season with brand new episodes of its flagship daytime lifestyle series STEVEN AND CHRIS, every Monday through Friday at  2 p.m. (2:30 NT) beginning Sept. 22. In primetime it all starts with the season eight premiere of long-running family drama HEARTLAND and the return of popular series MURDOCH MYSTERIES, THE RICK MERCER REPORT, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, DRAGONS’ DEN, REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, THE NATURE OF THINGS, DOC ZONE, MARKETPLACE andthe fifth estate.
See CBC’s primetime schedule below:
SUNDAY
7 P.M. HEARTLAND (Sept. 28)
8 P.M. CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON (Sept. 28)
9 P.M.  CBC SELECTS: JANET KING (Oct. 5)
MONDAY
8 P.M.  MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Oct. 6)
9 P.M. STRANGE EMPIRE (Oct. 6)
TUESDAY
8 P.M.  THE RICK MERCER REPORT (Oct. 7)
8:30 P.M.  THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (Oct. 7)
9 P.M. THE HONOURABLE WOMAN (begins Monday, September 29  at 9 P.M. continues Sept. 30)
*ASCENSION begins airing at 9 P.M. on November 25
WEDNESDAY
8 P.M.  DRAGONS’ DEN (Oct. 15)
9 P.M.  REPUBLIC OF DOYLE (Oct. 15)
THURSDAY
8 P.M. THE NATURE OF THINGS (Oct.9)
9 P.M. DOC ZONE (Oct.9)
FRIDAY
8 P.M. MARKETPLACE (Oct. 17)
9 P.M. the fifth estate (Oct. 24)
Finally the CBC announced their fall premiere dates. I plan to watch Strange Empire, Heartland, The Republic of Doyle, Honourable Woman and Janet King. I’m happy with the direction the network is going in by broadcasting Australian and British dramas along with their Canadian fare. It seems like a much better and satisfactory alternative to putting on American programming. I think the British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand domestic tv industries should co-operate to survive in an American tv dominated industry. I also feel like CBC should strive more towards the British drama model than the American one which has never been really successful.
I’m really interested in the same shows that you are and I’m cautiously optimistic that CBC is on the right track.
Part of the issue is Canadians wants more American programs not less some would go as far and say we should allow many American channels in to Canada so no to say we need to fight off American programs thats not what people want.
What US shows are you thinking of that don’t already air in Canada, that the CBC should pick up?
I agree with Alicia, and I’d prefer a public broadcaster that’s not competing with the private networks to buy US shows we can already get on the US channel. And they’re not likely to buy the premium cable shows both because they don’t have the budget and they don’t have the same primetime latitude with language/nudity that cable has.
Its one thing to say maybe the public broadcaster should be not going head to head with private networks its another thing to say it should just focus on UK type shows.
No, the CBC should first and foremost, focus on telling our own stories but I don’t think its a bad thing for it to share shows with the likes of the BBC in the UK, and the ABC in Australia. Call it a Commonwealth Cooperation of Television Pubcasters if you like. The CBC can’t afford to make shows only for domestic audiences–they need international sales to make things maintainable. That’s why I’ve never really had a problem with CBC airing Coronation Street and I would have had a much bigger problem had they aired Days of Our Lives.