Everything about Hudson & Rex, eh?

Proven hits return to Citytv & Citytv+; Hudson & Rex names new lead

From a media release:

Rogers flagship television network Citytv announced its 2025/26 programming slate today, anchored by new seasons of returning hits, buzzy new series and big live events that drove Citytv’s audience growth this season across full day and primetime**.

“Whether it’s original dramas, lifestyle programming or live sports, the focus of our long-term content investments is to give Canadian audiences the premium entertainment experiences they want, and how they want to watch it,” said Colette Watson, President, Rogers Sports & Media.

“We’ve got a powerful lineup this broadcast season that reflects the strength and stability of Citytv, cementing the network as one of Canada’s most desirable entertainment brands,” said Hayden Mindell, Senior Vice President, Television, Rogers Sports & Media. “Citytv is built on viewer-driven programming that advertisers can depend on to offer consistent audience reach week after week.”

CANADIAN ORIGINALS

Come On Down, Canada! Based on the smash-hit global format from Fremantle, The Price is Right Tonight (working title) is an all-new one-hour primetime edition of the iconic brand, hosted by legendary comedian and television personality Howie Mandel. Slated to air in Spring 2026, The Price is Right Tonight (working title) consists of 12 one-hour episodes with production beginning this December in Toronto. The Price is Right is the most successful and longest-running gameshow in TV history.

“I’ve been a fan of The Price is Right my entire life, so stepping into this iconic role is an absolute thrill,” said Howie Mandel, Host, The Price is Right Tonight (working title). “The Price is Right Tonight will bring a fresh, high-energy twist to everything people love about the original – big games, lots of laughs, and fun surprises! I can’t wait to say ‘come on down!’ to a whole new generation of Canadian fans.”

This September, the Toronto International Film Festival presented by Rogers celebrates 50 years as one of the world’s most revered film festivals. Citytv is bringing Canadians closer to the glitz and glam with a live one-hour red carpet special, hosted by Arisa Cox.

Hot off the heels of winning Best Drama Series at the Canadian Screen Awards, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent returns with an all-new season set to debut in midseason, produced in partnership with Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures Inc.

Beloved Hudson & Rex returns for Season 8 with Luke Roberts (Game of Thrones, Ransom) officially joining the cast as Detective Mark Hudson. Production for Season 8 is currently underway in St. John’s, Newfoundland and will premiere this fall. [Editor’s Note: A spokesperson for Citytv confirms John Reardon will not return to the series.]

And, Breakfast Television, Ontario’s #1 morning show***, continues to brighten mornings from 6-10 a.m. with Dina Pugliese, Tim Bolen, and the rest of the Breakfast Television family – Devo Brown, Melanie Ng, Caryn Ceolin, and Tammie Sutherland – for the latest news, entertainment, celebrity interviews, lifestyle content, and more. 

NEW & RETURNING SERIES AND LIVE EVENTS FOR 2025/26:

Citytv and Citytv+ welcome 21 returning hits, three new series, and a slew of iconic special events including:

Hit reality/competition series The Golden Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and On Brand with Jimmy Fallon
Gripping dramas Brilliant Minds, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Hudson & Rex, The Hunting Party, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.

· Animated comedies The Simpsons, Universal Basic Guys, Bob’s Burgers, and Krapopolis

· High-energy game show series The Price is Right Tonight (working title)

· Pre-historic series Surviving Earth

· Newsmagazine series Dateline

· Iconic special events “Making of Wicked” with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve, Hockey Night in Canada, Return to Downton Abbey: A Grand Event, and The 68th GRAMMY Awards

New this fall is unscripted series On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, which follows The Tonight Show host as he starts a premier marketing agency and fills it with the most creative, clever, and competitive go-getters he can find. Marketing titan, author, and entrepreneur Bozoma Saint John (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) stars alongside Fallon to mentor the creatives and evaluate their work. Also coming soon is the eight-episode pre-historic series Surviving Earth, which takes a journey into prehistory to learn the lessons from past mass extinctions.

Plus, Academy Award-nominated stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will lead a one-time only “Making of Wicked” special event from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles this fall.

NEW THIS SUMMER:

Citytv and Citytv+ are heating up this summer with an all-new season of Bachelor in Paradise featuring host Jesse Palmer, bartender Wells Adams, and the newest addition former Bachelorette Hannah Brown, starting Monday, July 7. Then, Steve Harvey hosts a new season of Celebrity Family Feud where teams of celebrities and their families face off to name the top responses to questions posed to 100 people, premiering Thursday, July 10. Plus, don’t miss new episodes of jaw-dropping talent on America’s Got Talent followed by reality competition series Destination X on Tuesdays.

All the newly announced titles and returning hits on Citytv are also available to stream on Citytv+ along with an expansive content library of the latest episodes and past seasons of popular programming from Bravo, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, ID, Cooking, OWN, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, OMNI Television and more.

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Link: Hudson & Rex trainer confirms show’s beloved dog star has ‘passed away,’ new canines have taken over role

From Kelli Bender of People:

Link: Hudson & Rex trainer confirms show’s beloved dog star has ‘passed away,’ new canines have taken over role

Police procedural drama Hudson & Rex is mourning the loss of a crucial cast member.

Diesel vom Burgimwald, the German shepherd who portrayed the titular K9 Rex in the series, “passed away” during the production of Season 7, according to Sherri Davis, the executive producer and dog master for Shaftesbury’s Hudson & Rex. Continue reading.

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Rogers brings more star power to Citytv Canadian hits

From a media release:

Rogers Communications announced today Citytv’s 2024/25 original programming slate, promising to bring even more jaw-dropping and inspiring moments, loads of suspense, and more star power.

“We just wrapped our best season yet for original programming on Citytv, and are excited to build on this success by delivering more compelling stories and familiar homegrown stars to Canadians,” said Hayden Mindell, Senior Vice President, Television, Rogers Sports & Media

They’ve DUN DUN it again…and again! After debuting as the #1 show in Canada earlier this year*, Rogers today announces a two-season greenlight for Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intentin partnership with leading producers Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures Inc. Showcasing original Canadian stories written, produced by and starring Canadians, both seasons are set to premiere on Citytv from early 2025. Filming will commence this July in Toronto. The returning cast includes Aden Young (Rectify, Black Robe) as Detective Sergeant Henry Graff, Kathleen Munroe (City on Fire, Patriot) as Detective Sergeant Frankie Bateman, Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek, Echoes) as Inspector Vivienne Holness, and K.C. Collins (The Cleaning Lady, Clarice) as Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester. Tassie Cameron (Pretty Hard Cases, Mary Kills People, Rookie Blue) is the series developer and showrunner. Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is produced in association with Universal International Studios. It is based on the original US series created by Dick Wolf for Universal Television. The Criminal Intent format is licensed by NBCUniversal and Wolf Entertainment.

Shania Twain and comedian Katherine Ryan join Howie Mandel, Kardinal Offishall and Host, Lindsay Ell for an all-new season of Canada’s Got Talent.

Global Superstar, Celebrated Songwriter, and Style Icon Shania Twain is a five-time GRAMMY winner and one of music and fashion’s most renowned trailblazers. With six albums released and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Twain remains the top-selling female country pop artist of all time. Her hits include “Any Man of Mine,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “You’re Still the One” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”. Shania was the first artist in history to release 3 consecutive diamond-certified albums. Twain’s first album in 15 years, NOW, was released in September 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums, making it the first female country release in over 3 years to top the all-genre chart. The release was followed by a year-long sold-out NOW World Tour. In 2021, Shania kicked off her second residency in Las Vegas called “Let’s Go!” which completely sold out and continued through September 2022. In July 2022, Netflix released “Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl,” a brand-new, career-spanning documentary on Twain’s life and career with an accompanying Highlights album. Most recently, Shania released her sixth full-length album Queen of Me on February 3, 2023, via Republic Nashville/Universal Music Canada, which received glowing reviews from NPR, Rolling Stone, Consequence, Billboard, Variety, and many more.  In April 2023, Shania kicked off her sold-out global Queen of Me tour, which ran through November 2023, and was one of the Top 10 highest-grossing country tours of the year.  This year Shania returned to Las Vegas for her third residency entitled “Come On Over!”.

Twain brings her unparalleled experience, charisma, and knowledge to the judges’ panel as they seek out Canada’s new wave of superstars. 

“Canada!  I’m really excited to discover the amazing talent you have to share,” said Shania Twain, Judge, Canada’s Got Talent.  “Canada is well known for having high calibre creative people and it’s my honour to sit back and see you at your best. Let’s go my fellow Canadians!”

Hailing from Sarnia, ON, comedian and actress Katherine Ryan brings her incisive wit, fearless humor, and commanding presence to the judges’ panel offering perspective from her own journey as a leading figure in contemporary comedy. Canada’s Got Talent Season 4 begins production this fall in Niagara Falls, ON, and premieres in Spring 2025. Auditions for Season 4 are now open on Citytv.com

Canada’s Got Talent, the country’s biggest talent competition, returns for another season of showstopping performances from across the country, announced in partnership with MEM Inc., Fremantle, and SYCO Entertainment, in association with Citytv. Season 4 begins production this fall in Niagara Falls, ON, and premieres in Spring 2025 on Citytv and Citytv+. Auditions for Season 4 are now open onCitytv.com.  

Winning over the hearts of Canadians week after week, Citytv’s favourite cop-and-canine duo Hudson & Rex returns for Season 7, set to premiere on Citytv in early 2025. Produced by Shaftesbury Productions, in association with Citytv, Hudson & Rex begins production this month in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Kickstart mornings with Sid & Meredith on Breakfast Television, weekdays from 6-10 a.m., for a dynamic mix of news, weather, traffic updates, and entertainment, alongside the rest of the BT family – Devo Brown, Tammie Sutherland, Stephanie Henry, and Frank Ferragine. Starting this September, Citytv debuts an all-new national hour of BT from 10-11 a.m. serving up an extra slice of lifestyle entertainment with beloved Canadian media personalities Cheryl Hickey and Tracy Moore. BT with Tracy and Cheryl will feature in-depth conversations that will make you feel seen, life hacks, and tons of fun giveaways, plus fashion, décor, and food content delivered by Canadian influencers you know and love.

Available to stream across Rogers Ignite TV, Amazon Prime Video, and online at CityNews.ca, CityNews 24/7 in Ontario and BC provides in-depth coverage of breaking news stories, and live events, plus exclusive interviews and in-depth insights. Beginning this July, CityNews 24/7 will expand to serve Alberta, building on the company’s commitment to offer Canadians timely local news.  

OMNI Television’s hit satirical sketch comedy series ABROAD has been renewed for a fourth season, in partnership with Longhope Media Inc. Co-created by and starring Filipina comedian Isabel Kanaan, ABROAD Season 4 will feature six all-new 30-minute episodes in English and Tagalog, airing on OMNI Television in Spring 2025. Loosely based on Isabel’s experience immigrating to Canada as a teenager, ABROAD presents a humorous look at how immigrants think, perceive, and deal with living in Canada.  

Over the last 10 years, Rogers has invested $6.9 billion in Canadian content, part of its commitment to bring Canadians the best content.  

*Source: Numeris, Total Canada, 2+, National Conventional English TV, M-S 7-11p, AMA(000), Consolidated (Live+7), Broadcast Year to Date (2023-08-29 to 2024-03-17)

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New and returning Canadian original series to Citytv include Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Hudson & Rex

From a media release:

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.

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Citytv announces winter prime-time schedule, beginning January 1

From a media release:

Citytv is the gift that keeps on giving long after Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday, Dec. 31, with a roster of new and returning hit series on its winter schedule, plus star-studded live events on Citytv, Citytv.com, and Citytv+.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17 is Citytv’s newest addition to its strong original programming slate Wong & Winchester, produced in partnership with Pixcom. Wong & Winchester is a female-driven buddy detective procedural which follows Marissa Wong (played by Grace Lynn Kung), a bitter ex-cop turned private investigator, and Sarah Winchester (played by Sofia Banzhaf), a former career student with ambitious naivety, who form an unlikely partnership. Earlier in the evening, Hudson & Rex’s paw-fect cop-and-canine duo return with new episodes in its new timeslot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Plus, Canada’s Got Talent, Citytv’s most-viewed original series in over a decade, returns with an all-new season this March.

2022 WINTER PREMIERE DATES

All dates are subject to change. All times ET. (s) = simulcast

Tuesday, Jan. 17
8 p.m. Hudson & Rex New Episodes – Citytv Original
9 p.m. Wong & Winchester NEW – Citytv Original

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