Corus announces a slate of premium Canadian original programming debuting next year on Home Network and Flavour Network

October 22, 2024 Greg David

From a media release:

Following the recent announcement of Corus Entertainment’s two new lifestyle brands launching December 30, 2024, the company shares further details on Home Network and Flavour Network’s upcoming originals slate. With 14 new and returning Canadian original titles, audiences can look forward to schedules packed with premium content and big-name talent, including series starring Pamela Anderson, Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, Scott McGillivray, Anna Olson, Andrew Phung, Eden Grinshpan and more. Viewers can learn more about these new brands by visiting HomeNetwork.ca and FlavourNetwork.ca.

Home Network

Home Network brings viewers the very best in renovation and home design with nine new and returning Canadian original titles. Audiences will feel at home with the familiar faces of Canada’s favourite and established home renovation stars, plus the introduction of talented new personalities ready to make their mark.

Three brand-new series are currently in production. In Beer Budget Reno (10×60 – Proper Television), lifestyle expert Kristen Coutts delivers life-changing renos for people who are told they can’t afford them, transforming tired outdated spaces into something fresh and functional. For Rentovation (13×30 – Nikki Ray Media Agency), designer Natalie Chong helps renters transform transient spaces with nonpermanent solutions that give forever-home vibes without forever-living commitments. Then, Building Baeumler (10×60 – Si Entertainment) sees fan-favourites Bryan and Sarah Baeumler give viewers an inside look at their lives as they tackle a resort renovation in the Florida Keys, expand their Bahamas property and invest in a new project in the area, and tackle a personal renovation back home in Canada.

Additionally, three returning titles have wrapped production and are expected to premiere in Winter/Spring 2025. This includes Renovation Resort, Season 2 (8×60 – MEM) with Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray, Scott’s Vacation House Rules, Season 6 (8×60 – MEM) with Scott and co-host Debra Salmoni, and Season 2 of Pamela Anderson’s home-renovation show Pamela’s Garden of Eden (8×60 – Fireworks Media Group).

Come 2025, three additional series will be in pre-production or development. The all-new Life is Messy (8×60 – Scott Brothers Entertainment) with Kortney Wilson and Kenny Brain follows the duo as they work with families facing unique life changes that have put a strain on both their relationships and their homes. Titles in development include new seasons of Rock Solid Builds (8×60 – Cineflix Productions), and House of Ali (8×60 – Nikki Ray Media Agency).

Flavour Network

Flavour Network turns up the heat in the food space, with three returning hits and three upcoming new Canadian originals packed full of flavour, fresh perspective and star power.

Winter 2025 will see the premiere of Pamela’s Cooking with Love (8×60 – Fireworks Media Group) hosted by Hollywood icon Pamela Anderson as she welcomes world-renowned chefs to Vancouver Island, creating beautiful plant-based meals for family and friends. Next year will also see the premiere of new seasons of Great Chocolate Showdown (8×60 – Nikki Ray Media Agency) with Anna Olson, Cynthia Tooley and Steve Hodge putting 10 home bakers to the ultimate test in the indulgent world of chocolate for a grand prize, and Carnival Eats (13×30 – Alibi Entertainment), where Noah Cappe brings viewers along on a food-frenzied roller coaster of culinary delights.

Meanwhile, comedian Andrew Phung heads into production this fall on Big Burger Battle (6×60 – Nikki Ray Media Agency). With judges George Motz and Connie DeSousa, the newly greenlit series will see seven burger-obsessed cooks and chefs come together to crown the world’s best Burger Master. Then, with a fresh season of Top Chef Canada on air now with Season 11, the most prestigious culinary competition in the country will return for Season 12 (8×60 – Insight Productions Ltd.), heading into production next year.

Currently at MIPCOM, Corus Studios is proudly presenting many of these titles for international distribution including Big Burger Battle, Building Baeumler, Life is Messy, Rentovation, Great Chocolate Showdown, House of Ali, Pamela’s Cooking with Love, Pamela’s Garden of Eden, Renovation Resort, Rock Solid Builds, and Scott’s Vacation House Rules.

Additional details on Home Network and Flavour Network’s programming will be unveiled in the coming weeks, along with the launch of the brands’ supporting social channels.

The new HomeNetwork.ca offers a fresh take on real estate, DIY projects, home decor and more, delivering inspiring articles, expert tips and the latest decor trends to help audiences create beautiful, functional living spaces. The new FlavourNetwork.ca will be a reflection of Canada’s vibrant food culture, from honest reviews to delicious recipes, ranging from comforting classics to quick and easy meals and international cuisines, all tailored to the tastes and trends Canadians are searching for.

Flavour Network and Home Network will replace the current channel position of Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada on December 30, 2024. Customers can contact their service provider for more details. Flavour Network and Home Network will be available for free preview for two months, from January 3 – February 28, 2025. Viewers will also be able to stream full episodes from both networks on STACKTV.

Featured, Underbelly

Crave announces new original crime drama series Underbelly, starring Stephen Amell, Hamza Haq, Tamara Podemski and Minnie Driver

October 22, 2024 Greg David

From a media release:

Crave announced today the new, six-episode, one-hour crime drama UNDERBELLY. Also announced today are the series’ stars Stephen Amell (ARROW) as Officer Henry Roland, Hamza Haq (TRANSPLANT) as Tommy, and Emmy^® and Academy Award^®-nominee Minnie Driver (THE SERPENT QUEEN) as May, the residents of a tranquil riverside town in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario, who are caught up in a dark, twisted mystery centred around an international drug ring.

In a quiet riverside town in the Thousand Islands, Officer Henry Roland (Amell) finds evidence linking a case of missing illegal substances to his childhood best friend, Tommy Hawley (Haq), with whom he shares a dark secret. As Henry embarks on a mission to save his friend, a ruthless British crime family, led by matriarch May Ferguson (Driver), is also on the hunt for the drugs and Tommy.

A tragic accident sets off a chain of events involving international drug trafficking, and Henry faces the concerns of his police chief father-in-law (Christopher Heyerdahl, VAN HELSING), and suspicions from rival officer Erica Ross (Tamara Podemski, RESERVATION DOGS). As Henry digs deeper, he uncovers unexpected ties between the crime, his friend’s daughter Ruby (Katia Edith Wood, 8-Bit Christmas), and her partner Miles (Jeremy Watson, SURREALESTATE), pulling him further into the chaos. Henry must confront his friend’s betrayals as they face an epic, life-changing showdown.

Produced by Shaftesbury in partnership with Crave, with global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON co-financing and handling worldwide rights (excl. Canada), UNDERBELLY began filming in the Thousand Islands, and is continuing production on location across Southern Ontario, including Grimsby, Brantford, Cobourg, and Bowmanville. Filming will move to Toronto in the coming weeks. All episodes are directed by Robert Budreau (Stockholm). The writing team is led by Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin (SLASHER).

Children's Programming, Featured

Blue Ant Studios announces Season 2 greenlight of Nippon TV’s Old Enough! with TVO

October 21, 2024 Greg David

From a media release:

Old Enough!, the hit series, based on the wildly popular Japanese format from Nippon TV, is back for another season with six brand new 30-minute episodes. Co-produced by TVO and Blue Ant Studios, the new installment will premiere on TVO across Canada in 2025. The news was jointly announced at MIPCOM today by Matthew Hornburg, Co-President of Blue Ant Studios, Natasha Negrea, Head of Programming at TVO and Akane Alex Inoue, Global Format Licensing, Nippon TV.

Building on the success of its first season, Old Enough! returns with a fresh cast of children aged 3-5. This time you can expect more precocious kids getting their first taste of independence while embarking on even more impressive errands than before.

Matthew Hornburg, Mark J.W. Bishop and Donna Luke from Blue Ant Studios are Executive Producers for the series. Stefanie Haist is the Supervising Producer. Mitch Burman (Undercover High, Extreme Babysitting) serves as Series Producer and Showrunner. For TVO, Natasha Negrea is the Head of Programming, Kirsten Hurd is the Commissioning Editor, TVOkids and Alexandra Roberts is the Commissioning Editor, TVO Docs. For Nippon TV, Naoko Yano and Akane Alex Inoue are Executive Producers. Kiyotaka Tokunaga (Masquerade) is the Chief Director and Ayaka Isshiki is the Producer for the original Japanese series. Tom Miyauchi (Sokkuri Sweets/Eye Candy, Mute it!) is the Format Producer and Yuko Nakano is the Flying Producer. Blue Ant Studios oversees the international tape distribution of the Canadian version. Old Enough! was produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Production begins on Season 2 of APTN’s Red River Gold

October 18, 2024 Greg David

From a media release:

Saxon de Cocq, Hannah Hermanson and Ell McEachern of 3 Story Pictures are pleased to announce that filming has started on Season 2 of the 13x 30 min documentary series, Red River Gold.

Production commenced on September 10, 2024, and will continue through to the end of October. The series will air on APTN (in English), APTN Languages (in Michif) and be available on APTN lumi in both English and Michif at a later date.

In 1870, a trove of gold coins worth $1,000,000 disappeared without a trace. The coins were on their way to fund a British military force marching across Canada to stop Louis Riel and the Métis during the Red River Resistance. The gold has never been recovered and the Royal Mint of England still considers it lost or stolen. And now, a group of Métis treasure seekers want to find it!

After returning from the bog, the team waits for the ice to thaw and mosquitos to reappear before heading to the very start of the Dawson Road, at the edge of the Northwest Angle. Here, they discover the evidence of an old Métis village, that was used as a trading and transportation hub. With rumors of the gold being hidden by an old building, this has the team excited to start digging, knowing full well there are other historical treasures to find.

Red River Gold is directed by Saxon de Cocq (Treaty Road Season 1 & 2, Red River Gold Season 1, The Other Side), Berkley Brady (Dark Nature, The Secret History of: The Wild West), Sam Karney (Going Native, Nation Untamed) and Lisa Unrau (Staying Wild Seasons 1,2,3, Landing: Stories from the Cultural Divide), written by Saxon de Cocq, and is produced by Hannah Hermanson (Treaty Road Season 1 & 2, Red River Gold Season 1, Staying Wild Season 1,2 & 3, Zarqa Season 2), Ell McEachern (Treaty Road Season 1 & 2, Red River Gold Season 1, Staying Wild Season 1,2 & 3, Zarqa Season 2), Saxon de Cocq and Sam Karney. The series will be executive produced by Doug Cuthand (Guardians: Evolution, Van Life, Searchers, Big Bear).

Red River Gold will be filmed in rural Manitoba for the searching (Ste Anne, Richer, Falcon Lake, Northwest Angle, Lake of the Woods), as well as the Mint in Whales and at the Tower of London. Cinematography by Sam Karney and editing by Kolby Kostyniuk (Staying Wild, Treaty Road, Dirt Farmers).

Red River Gold was commissioned by APTN and produced with additional financial support from Canada Media Fund and Creative Saskatchewan.

Children's Programming, Featured

CBC Kids and CBBC original series Gangnam Project returning for Season 2

October 18, 2024 Greg David

From a media release:

Lights, camera, K-pop! Canadian prodcos Pillango Productions and Academy Award® and Emmy Award® nominated Aircraft Pictures announced today that the coming-of-age, original series GANGNAM PROJECT (10×30) is set to return for a second dynamic, high-stakes season. The series, co-commissioned by CBC Kids and CBBC, recently wrapped production on Season 2 in Hamilton, Ont. and Seoul, South Korea.

The 10-episode season follows the young stars from Season 1 as they transition from One Mile Entertainment trainees through the excitement and make-or-break journey of becoming professional K-pop idols. But while the highs are high, the lows can be even lower – it’s not easy suddenly being in the spotlight. With pressure from OME, expectations from the fans, and dealing with creative differences as a group, friendship and commitment are tested like never before.

Joining the cast this season is newcomer Ryan Jacob Kong as Young-Jae, alongside returning cast members Julia Kim Caldwell as Hannah, Taran Kim (“Rock of Ages”) as Leo, Brianna Kim (So Help Me Todd) as Chan-Mi, Joshua Lee (XO, Kitty) as Supreme, Angela Son as Sun Hee, Kylie Haasz (The Next Step) as Mina, Sean Baek (Reacher) as Ken Yoon, Paul Seungbin Lee as Auzzy, Zeboria Peters (The Haunted Museum) as Rook, and M.J. Kang (The Bequeathed) as Sandra.

Recording artist, songwriter, producer, and musician August Rigo returns with a fresh and infectious new original soundtrack for Season 2. Rigo has written songs for global K-pop sensations BTS (“Black Swan” and “On,” amassing over 1 billion views combined on YouTube), “U Smile” for Justin Bieber and “Gotta Be You” for One Direction.

GANGNAM PROJECT is co-commissioned by CBC Kids and CBBC and produced by Pillango Productions and Aircraft Pictures with the financial participation of Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canada Media Fund. Series creator Sarah Haasz serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside head writer Jennica Harper and Aircraft Pictures’ Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, with Justin Wu, Gloria Kim, and Samantha Wan directing.

Federation Kids & Family is handling worldwide sales, with Season 1 acquisitions thus far including France Télévisions (France), ABC (Australia), YLE (Finland), TV3 Group (Baltics) and NRK (Norway), to name a few.