Everything about Children’s Programming, eh?

From a media release:

Award-winning global media company, marblemedia along with broadcast partners BYUtv (US) and TVOkids (Canada) announce their premiere dates for season 5 of the high-octane series All-Round Champion. Season 5 is set to air first on BYUtv on Sunday, January 15 at 5pm PT, followed by TVOkids on Wednesday, February 8 at 5pm ET. This latest season comes at the heels of the series winning Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series at the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards.

For the first time in All-Round Champion history, Season 5 will feature a cast fully comprised of para-athletes—competitors with physical disabilities. However, true to the format, they won’t be competing in their own sports; they’ll be competing in each other’s to see how proficient they can become in a new sport in a short period of time. To reach this goal, they must excel beyond their own expectations. They must learn new skills, persevere, overcome their own physical and mental limits, and most importantly, adapt their abilities to the sport and the sports’ equipment. The athlete with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the All-Round Champion!

The talented athletes and their sports this season are Brayden Butler (Climbing), Bradley Pedrick (Sailing), Dominic Demaio (Rowing), Gurnoor Chouhan (Goalball), Jackson Atwood (Wheelchair Basketball), Lily Brook (Adaptive Boxing), Maggie Manning (Sledge Hockey), Momo Sutton (Swimming), and Samantha Fraser (Track).

The 10-episode, 60-minute series is hosted by Olympian and World Champion Perdita Felicien, who brings mentorship to the young athletes, along with weekly sports stars that coach and encourage the participants through their respective sports. For this fifth season, some of the sports stars include Britain’s most successful Paralympic sailor, Helena Lucas; four-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist, McKenzie Coan; 31-time Canadian track champion, Josh Cassidy; and Matt Scott, a two-time Paralympic champion in wheelchair basketball and the first disabled athlete featured in a Nike commercial.

All-Round Champion is adapted from the wildly successful Norwegian Best i mest (NRK), which won an International Emmy Kids Award for Non-Scripted Entertainment, as well as a Prix Jeunesse. marblemedia was granted North American format rights from Beta Film.

Executive Producers of the series include Matthew Hornburg, Mark J.W. Bishop, Steve Sloan, and co-Executive Producer Donna Luke for marblemedia, Jeff Simpson and Andra Johnson Duke for BYUtv, and Kirsten Hurd for TVO. Perdita Felicien also serves as Producer.

Image courtesy of Mark Owens.

Children's Programming, The Hardy Boys

Nelvana and Lambur Productions start production for third and final season of The Hardy Boys

October 12, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Emmy® Award-winning studio Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, together with Lambur Productions, have started production on the third and final season of their popular live-action series The Hardy Boys (8x60min). Based on the books by Franklin W. Dixon, the Daytime Emmy® nominated mystery drama is produced by Lambur Productions and Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment, and started production in September in Toronto and Southern Ontario.

The third season picks 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.

Bailee Madison (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Just Go with It) guest stars on the final season as ‘Drew Darrow’, a fun but often frustrating new ally with a brilliant mind and appetite for magic and mysteries. Returning cast members of the beloved Hardy gang include Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’, and Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’.

The first two seasons received strong ratings and reviews, winning two Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for ‘Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series’ and ‘Best Direction, Children’s or Youth’, winning a Directors Guild of Canada Award for ‘Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Family Series’ in 2021 and earning a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Young Adult Series’ in 2021. The first season received additional nominations for CAFTCAD’s ‘Best Costume Design in TV Period’ in 2021, DGC’s Craft Award for ‘Best Picture Editing – Comedy or Family Series’ in 2021, Canadian Society of Cinematographer’s Award for ‘Best Cinematography in TV Drama – Non-commercial’ in 2021, and a Canadian Screen Award for ‘Best Photography, Drama’ in 2022. The series also gained a loyal fan following, with Season 2 securing the number one program ranking on YTV this past Spring* and currently the number one YTV show streamed on STACKTV**.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Hardy Boys are currently available to stream on Hulu (U.S.), STACKTV in Canada and Disney+ internationally ( Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Latin America, and coming soon to Europe, Middle East and Africa). The final season will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and YTV and STACKTV in Canada in 2023, with more international networks to be announced.

Season 3 of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur, Suzanne Wilson and Madeleine Lambur, Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, co-showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon ( Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and co-showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Amanda Vaughan will serve as production executive for Corus.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data. SP’22 (Jan 3/22 – May 29/22) – confirmed data, 3+ airings. Total Canada, Mo-Su 2a-2a. Ind.2+ AMA(000). YTV.

**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting

Children's Programming, Featured

Preview: CBC Gem’s Fakes offers up great performances and a unique story

September 1, 2022 Greg David

I never had a fake ID, but I knew plenty of fellow high school students who did back in the day. The thought of having one always intrigued me, but I was scared too. What if I got one and it was discovered? I imagined a months-long grounding. For best friends Zoe and Becca, grounding is the least of their worries.

Kicking off its entire first season for streaming on CBC Gem, Fakes tracks Zoe and Becca as they create a fake ID empire only to see it all come crashing down. Created by David Turko (Warrior Nun), Fakes is notable not just because of its subject matter but for its leads. Emilija Baranac, as Zoe, and Jennifer Tong as Becca serve up standout performances worthy of checking out. These friends have each other’s backs and you cheer them on from Minute 1, even if they’re doing something highly illegal. And, utilizing the popular trope of speaking into the camera only adds to the effectiveness of the storytelling, particularly when we get into who is really responsible for the pair getting caught.

In Episode 1, we’re introduced to Vancouver teens Zoe and Becca, who are in the midst of being collared by the police. Then, we’re transported back in time to Zoe’s first attempt (and success) making her first fake student ID. Impressed by her friend’s handiwork, Becca asks for one of her own. When they’re not growing their fake ID business, the girls are dealing with everyday drama, like Zoe’s thief brother and Becca’s family falling apart. And, in the debut, we’re also introduced to Tryst (hilariously played by Richard Harmon), a bleached-blonde stoner who works at the clothing store the girls frequent.

Fakes is the story of the pair’s ultimate betrayal, a comedy-drama with two unreliable narrators who are both competing for the last word. And, I have to say, it’s pretty great.

Stream Season 1 of Fakes on CBC Gem now.

Image courtesy of CBC.

Children's Programming, Industry News

New animated children’s series, Jeremy and Jazzy, to launch on CBC Kids and CBC Gem

August 31, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Vérité Films, Jeremy Fisher Music, and Hidden Pony Records are proud to announce Jeremy and Jazzy, a new children’s animated television, music, and multi-platform brand about how feelings become songs, songs become stories, and music and friendship create joy. The series brings to life a new collection of children’s music written by three-time JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher. Jeremy and Jazzy is set to debut in Canada on the free CBC Gem streaming service on September 5, 2022, followed by its linear broadcast premiere on CBC Kids beginning September 12, 2022 and then streaming on CBC Kids’ YouTube channel starting on September 19, 2022.

The series stars Jeremy Fisher (Jeremy) and award-winning artist Aiza Ntibarikure (Jazzy). It’s set in Creation Station – a world that comes alive through the magic of music. The first 26 two-minute episodes and one 11-minute special (featuring a guest appearance from musician Joel Plaskett) will be available to stream at launch. A preview of the first short, “Jeremy and Jazzy (Theme),” is available here.

In addition, today Jeremy and Jazzy released the album Say Hello, a collection of 26 new songs via Hidden Pony Records and Universal Music Canada on all streaming services. Fronted by Jeremy and Aiza, the tracks showcase a diversity of styles – from vocal jazz to folky talking blues to funk, hip-hop, pop, and more. The songs are backed by children from the Dixon Hall Music School, the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, and Music For Young Children in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Listen to Say Hello here.

On September 6th, to celebrate the series launch on CBC Gem, the Jeremy and Jazzy song “Paper Heart” will be included in the CBC Canadian Music Class Challenge, and the short will be available here. Classrooms across Canada can submit their own version of the song for a chance to win musical instruments for their school or a chance to win a virtual classroom concert with Jeremy Fisher. Details are available at cbc.ca/musicclass.

September will also see the launch of Jeremy and Jazzy Learn, a free and fun series of educational resources for Junior Kindergarten-Grade 2, developed in collaboration with Sheridan College, that brings music into the home and classroom to help kids with literacy skills. Activities will be available on JeremyandJazzy.com.

More Jeremy and Jazzy shorts and songs are already in production and set to launch with CBC Kids and Universal Music Canada in 2023, alongside touring shows, books, and more Jeremy and Jazzy Learn educational content. Jeremy and Jazzy will inspire kids and parents to sing, dance, create, and learn on JeremyandJazzy.com, YouTube and Facebook.

About Jeremy and Jazzy, Vérité Films, Jeremy Fisher Music, and Hidden Pony Records
Jeremy and Jazzy is created by Jeremy Fisher, Robert de Lint, Mike “Parkside” Renaud, and Virginia Thompson. The project is produced by Vérité Films, the award-winning production company behind the iconic Canadian comedy brand Corner Gas, in association with Jeremy Fisher Music and Hidden Pony Records. Animation is provided by Vérité Films and Smiley Guy Studios with digital production by Vérité Films and Stitch Media. Jeremy and Jazzy Learn is produced by Vérité Films in association with Jeremy Fisher Music and Sheridan College’s Early Childhood Education program.

Children's Programming, Industry News

WildBrain Television announces three more original greenlights from Canadian producers exclusive to Family Channel

August 31, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

WildBrain Television, one of Canada’s most-loved kids’ and family broadcast networks, announces that Family Channel, its flagship broadcast network, has greenlit three new content projects across live-action and animation, in partnership with independent Canadian producers. Exclusive to WildBrain Television in Canada, the new content will begin rolling out across the company’s broadcast and digital channels this September, continuing into 2023. WildBrain has also acquired global distribution rights for all three properties.

Heading up the live-action slate is Life with Luca, the 90-minute spin-off feature film of the beloved franchise, Life with Derek. Produced by Shaftesbury as an original commission by WildBrain’s Family Channel, the movie recently wrapped filming in Southern Ontario and will premiere on the network in early 2023. WildBrain is also now the exclusive worldwide distributor of the classic Life with Derek library (70×22′) and an earlier spin-off film, Vacation with Derek (1×90′).

WildBrain Television’s animation lineup features Slugterra: Ascension, produced in partnership with Epic Story Media. The shorts will premiere exclusively on WildBrainTV in Canada in a sneak peek on September 5 at 2:50 p.m. ET, with new episodes beginning September 18 at 11:45 a.m. ET, before rolling out globally across WildBrain Spark’s Slugterra YouTube channels. Also newly greenlit is an expanded order of five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories, produced in partnership with A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative. Summer Memories debuted on Family Channel this summer, and the new stories will begin airing on Family Channel in 2023.

Life with Luca (1 x 90′) – coming to Family Channel early 2023

Life with Luca is the spin-off of the long-running, beloved franchise Life with Derek. The movie picks up fifteen years later and follows Derek (Michael Seater) and Casey (Ashley Leggat) as they each navigate parenthood and raise distinctly different teenagers. Derek is a successful musician in Paris and the single dad of a 14-year-old girl named Skyler (Isabel Rose Silva) who is smart, funny, and studious and who has recently been testing the boundaries set by her father. Casey is a lawyer and a married mother of three in Toronto and is quite comfortable setting limits, though her eldest, 14-year-old Luca (Marcus Cornwall)—lover of pranks, gaming, and skateboarding—is constantly crossing them. Both Derek and Casey spontaneously decide to surprise their own parents at their recently constructed ‘forever home’ in rural Ontario but encounter each other instead. Casey and Derek are happy to see each other, but the teenaged cousins—who have barely seen each other over the years (and never really liked what they saw)—don’t get along at all, uniting only to get into serious trouble.

The 90-minute live-action film is produced by Shaftesbury, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and Shaw Rocket Fund, as an original commission by WildBrain’s Family Channel. The movie is set to debut on Family Channel in February 2023.

Life with Luca was created by Life with Derek series creator, Daphne Ballon and Life with Derek writer, Jeff Biederman. Ron Murphy (Jann, Trailer Park Boys) directs. Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Liz Levine, and Jennifer McCann are executive producers, and Marek Posival and Alex House are producers.

Slugterra: Ascension (20 x 4′) – coming to WildBrainTV and Family Channel fall 2022

The wait is over! For the first time in six years Eli Shane, Trixie Sting, and the slugs are back with more comedy, action, and exciting escapades in Slugterra: Ascension. After a rockslide leaves them trapped alone with only a few of their slugs, Eli and Trixie have to be smart and strategic to outwit and outrun villainous twins Locke and Lode and their deadly gattler blasters—that is until they find the legendary Universal Slug! At first glance “Uni” looks like any derpy little flopper. But once transformed, this powerful creature can imitate any slug’s strongest move! Too bad it comes with a price Eli and Trixie won’t be happy about paying. The twenty brand-new four-minute CG-animated shorts will join the classic library of Slugterra episodes, the fan-favourite adventure series set deep underground where fierce opponents collect, train and battle it out with their arsenals of fantastical transforming slugs.

Slugterra was created by Asaph Fipke, and Slugterra: Ascension is produced in association with Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier, acting as executive producer, along with showrunner Nancy Lees. The new series was animated at Island of Misfits (IOM) in Halifax. Additional executive producers include WildBrain’s Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts and Anne Loi, and IOM’s Meaghan Clark. The series was directed by IOM’s Don Urquhart and produced by Epic Story Media’s Christine Cote and Marlene Schmidt.

Summer Memories (5 x 30′) – new episodes coming to Family Channel in 2023

Summer Memories adds five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories which launched this summer on Family Channel. The new stories dive further into the world and characters, following the adventures of best friends Jason and Ronnie as Jason looks back on the most pivotal summer of his life (which was just a few weeks ago). This is Jason’s summer of change…and he fears change. Lucky for him, he has charismatic, life adventurer Ronnie at his side. Summer Memories transcends time, space and memory—the good and the bad—as it chronicles Jason and Ronnie’s sweet, fun-filled relationship.

Summer Memories was created by veteran animator/producer Adam Yaniv and produced by A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative, with the financial support of the Canada Media Fund and Shaw Rocket Fund.