Tag Archives: CBC Gem

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

The Assembly returns for Season 2, November 1 on CBC and CBC Gem

Leave a comment

From a media release:

CBC today announced the six celebrities who will be in the hot seat in season two of the groundbreaking, award-winning unscripted series THE ASSEMBLY (6×30): actor Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry), three-time Olympic gold medalist Marie-Philip Poulin, actor Jay Baruchel (This Is the End), Miss Universe Canada Ashley Callingbull (North of North), singer-songwriter Lights and actor Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover). THE ASSEMBLY premieres on CBC Gem and CBC TV beginning Sunday, November 1 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT). Special extended “Producer’s Cuts” will be available exclusively on CBC Gem the same day starting at 9 a.m. ET.

Season two of THE ASSEMBLY features the cast of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers audiences loved from its first season and welcomes additional new interviewers. Each episode sees a different celebrity take part in an ask-anything interview complete with unpredictable and direct questions. THE ASSEMBLY is a global sensation that delivers profound revelation, authentic conversations, some tears and a lot of laughs.

“The response to The Assembly’s first season was incredible,” says Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content, CBC. “Our interviewers bring such a fresh, honest energy to the traditional talk show, and we’re excited to showcase more engaging conversations with some of the most well-known national and international celebrities.”

“This season of The Assembly is full of surprises and promises to deliver even more of the heart, humour and authentic conversations that can only happen on a show like this,” says executive producer Stephen Sawchuk. “It has been such a great journey for Small Army Entertainment, our interviewers, crew and guests,” continues executive producer Sean De Vries. “Being back for a second season shows that the series is resonating with audiences. It’s heartening to have a hit show that thrives on authentic human connection.”

THE ASSEMBLY has won numerous awards since its debut last fall, including a Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction, a Golden Sheaf Award at Yorkton Film Festival, three Telly Awards and it was nominated for the prestigious Banff Rockie Award. The show’s format is an adaptation of French series Les Rencontres du Papotin, which launched in 2022 on France 2 with guests including Killing Eve star Camille Cottin and President Emmanuel Macron. Now a global hit, other iterations of THE ASSEMBLY have featured guests including Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Sir Stephen Fry and Sam Neil, among other major international stars.

THE ASSEMBLY is produced by Small Army Entertainment for CBC, with executive producers Sean De Vries and Stephen Sawchuk.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Son of a Critch

Son of a Critch gets ready to graduate as cameras roll on the final season of the coming-of-age comedy

From a media release:

As production begins on Season 5 of Son of a Critch (12×30), co-creator, executive producer and star Mark Critch announced today that the upcoming season will be the series’ last.

Critch shared a video and the following statement on social media:   

To all of you who’ve been watching along, we’ve officially started filming Season 5 of Son of a Critch. 

We’re heading back to 1992 – the year I graduated high school –  so you can expect all the awkwardness and growing pains that come with it.

And since it’s the last year of high school, it will also be our final chapter. Growing up is hard to do – but it sure is fun to watch.

We hope you’ll join us this fall as we go back to school one last time on CBC and CBC Gem.

Class dismissed, 

Mark Critch

In its final season, Son of a Critch finds Mark in his last year of high school just as Newfoundland’s cod moratorium crisis turns his world upside down. While the adults scramble and the future feels suddenly uncertain, Mark is more determined than ever to chase his dream of becoming an actor—whether anyone’s ready for him to grow up or not. As friendships evolve, first love gets complicated, and the family faces changes they can’t outrun, this season captures the messy, funny, and deeply human moment when everything ends and begins at the same time. After five seasons of growing up together, it’s a heartfelt goodbye to Mark’s childhood—and to the Critch family we won’t soon forget.

“Son of a Critch has formed a deep bond with audiences who have watched young Mark grow up through his most formative years,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, CBC. “We have been there for every laugh and tear along with Mark and the incredible cast and crew, and  look forward to celebrating with them and the loyal audiences as we head into this final chapter.” 

Production on the fifth and final season is now underway in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with filming set to continue until June 18. 

Since its debut, the series has garnered widespread recognition, including a recent 2026 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Comedy Series and winning the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards. 

Season 5 will premiere Fall 2026 on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Seasons 1-4 of Son of a Critch are available to stream now on CBC Gem. 

Son of a Critch stars Mark Critch portraying his own father, Mike Sr., while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Legend of Zelda, Everything’s Going to Be Great) plays young Mark. Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Entourage) is his grandfather, Pop; Claire Rankin (Stargate Atlantis) plays his mother Mary; Colton Gobbo (Ginny & Georgia) as his older brother Mike Jr.; Mark Ezekiel Rivera (Son of a Critch) is his best friend Ritche; and Sophia Powers (Murder in a Small Town) is Fox, Mark’s girlfriend. Returning cast members include Richard Clarkin (Memory of a Killer) as Dick, Nicole Underhay (Hudson & Rex) as Fox’s mom Suzanne, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll (Doc) as Father Garcia, and Nora McLellan (Strays) as Sister Rose. Guest stars this season include Shawn Doyle (Star Trek: Discovery)asMr. Kevin Lewis, Mark’s former theatre teacher, Susan Kent (The Snake) as Linda Lahey, and Rick Mercer (The Mercer Report)as station ownerMr. Bartlett. 

Son of a Critch was created by showrunners Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Tim McAuliffe (The Office, Last Man on Earth), and is produced by Project 10 Productions and Hawco Productions in association with CBC and Lionsgate Television.

Executive producers are Critch, McAuliffe, Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning producer Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek), and Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle). Perry Chafe and Amanda Joy serve as co-executive producers, Janine Squires, Erin Sullivan and John Vatcher are producers, and Shelby Bronstine is series producer. Series directors this season are John Vatcher (Caught), Deanne Foley (Son of a Critch) and Renuka Jeyapalan (Wayward).

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Three-part docuseries Our Ocean Table launches in May

From a media release:

Jugaad Sisters Inc and Plankton Productions announced today that Our Ocean Table, the three-part TELUS original series, will launch nationally on Friday, May 1, available to watch free on demand on TELUS Optik TV channel 8, and to stream on TELUS Stream+ and CBC Gem. The docuseries is hosted by marine biologist and filmmaker Sonya Lee and former MuchMusic host Hannah Sung – friends who connected over their love of Korean pop culture. 

At a time when everything Korean is experiencing a global surge of popularity, Sonya and Hannah dive into their personal and professional experiences, and into the Pacific Ocean, to learn more from the natural world.

To celebrate the broadcast and streaming launch of the series, there will be special screening events across the country in honour of Asian Heritage Month. Our Ocean Table begins its national launch event series in Toronto on May 1, 2026 at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Additional screenings will take place on May 2, 2026 in Calgary as part of FascinAsian Film Festival, and on May 7, 2026 in Vancouver, bringing the series to audiences across the country.

In Our Ocean Table, marine biologist and filmmaker Sonya Lee sets out to rediscover her Korean roots through the ocean that has always called to her. Together with journalist Hannah Sung, she explores how traditional Korean seafood dishes carry an intimate reverence for the sea. From sustainable prawn fishing, oyster farming, to the quiet power of kelp, their journey uncovers the deep links between cultural identity and ocean conservation. Over spicy meals and simmering stories, Our Ocean Table connects the generations through taste, tradition, and a call to protect our waters.

“Our Ocean Table is the most personal thing I’ve ever made. It’s a love letter to the Korean immigrant experience, to our food, to the ocean,” says Lee. “It’s an honest conversation about what it means to care for both our culture and our planet at the same time. I spent years telling other people’s ocean stories without understanding where my own love for the ocean came from.”

Co-director and co-host of the series Sonya Lee is a Korean-Canadian filmmaker based in Victoria, BC. She is a National Geographic Explorer dedicated to stories that intersect science, nature, people and culture. Her work can be seen on CBC, NFB, PBS, National Geographic Channel, Disney+, Hulu, ARTE, Love Nature and TELUS Optik TV. Lee directs alongside Jon Chiang an award-winning Chinese-Peruvian filmmaker based in Vancouver whose first feature film, Spring After Spring launched to sold out screenings in 2026 and is currently streaming on Knowledge Network. Rounding out the creative trio is Hannah Sung, a culture journalist based in Toronto who started her career at MuchMusic and has written about arts and culture for the New York Times, Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. 

“The experience of making this series was such a dream. Being Korean Canadian, our food and culture is very specific but universal at the same time. I loved exploring themes of family, food and culture with everyone we met,” says co-host Hannah Sung. Chiang continues, “Having the chance to release Our Ocean Table during Asian Heritage Month is especially wonderful. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our stories, pioneers and of course, foods that shape the fabric of this country.”

Each episode of Our Ocean Table features Korean-Canadian chefs, sustainable harvesters and community leaders including: Fraser McDonald (Spot Prawn Fisher, Good Fish Co.), Chef John Lim (Horang Restaurant), Chef Jinhee Lee (JinBar), Anna Ko (President, Korean Women’s Association & Calgary Korean Cultural Centre), Spencer Serin (Scientist, Spoitz Enterprises, Cascadia Seaweed Technical Advisor), Rob Hamilton (Hamilton Farms), Chef J (Jinmi), Alex Munro (Fanny Bay Oysters). The series was shot in Vancouver, Nanaimo and Calgary. 

Our Ocean Table is created, co-directed, co-hosted and produced by Sonya Lee (Jawsome), co-directed by Jon Chiang (Spring After Spring), co-hosted by Hannah Sung, produced by Priyanka Desai (Not Your Butter Chicken) and Joanna Wong (House Special), edited by Milk Ritland-Tam (Violet and June) and director of photography is Kate Smith (The Interceptors).

The Toronto event at CBC Glenn Gould Theatre is presented by Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, and supported by the Korean Consulate in Toronto and Ocean Wise alongside community partner RepresentASIAN Project™ a media platform covering the stories, culture and issues shaping the Asian diaspora. The Vancouver event is presented by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. 

This project was developed with the support of Creative BC, certified by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO), and produced with the assistance of the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC tax credit.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, The Nature of Things

CBC’s “Cluck! Chickens Exposed” cracks open the mysterious world of those feathered friends

1 Comment

I live in a community, just north of Ottawa in Quebec, where chickens are allowed. If I want to, I can build/construct a chicken coop—to community regulations, of course—purchase a handful of chickens and reap the benefits. I’ve jokingly thought about doing it, but I know that it would be a lot of work—I’m a lazy sort—though this new documentary has piqued my interest again.

Airing Thursday at 9 p.m. as part of The Nature of Things, “Cluck! Chickens Exposed” heads to the barnyard to uncover some facts and fictions about the feathered beasts.

Living where I do, I’ve visited quite a few farms and, therefore, learned about the variance in breeds and personalities. I knew chickens were descendants of dinosaurs (does that mean when we say, “It tastes like chicken,” we really should be saying, “It tastes like dinosaur?”), but had no clue about their intelligence, sensory powers and social pecking order (pun intended).

There are more chickens on the planet than people, says host Sarika Cullis-Suzuki off the top of “Cluck!” A visit to the Hillpoint Estate Farm flock in B.C., with 50 egg-laying hens and a handful of roosters, reveals some interesting facts about chickens. The pecking order is indeed a hierarchy, defined by males and females, that shifts based on age, health, strength, comb size, and companions. At Hillpoint Estate, top dog, er, chicken is Maximus, a rooster whose size and spurs keep everyone in line. Will Maximus’ reign be usurped by Hercules? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

The episode, produced by Invert Films, illustrates how chickens spot and defend themselves against predators both on the ground and in the air, how each eye has a specialized use, and if these flock animals have the ability to recognize themselves as individuals.

You’ll never look at chickens the same. Through either eye.

“Cluck! Chickens Exposed” airs as part of The Nature of Things on Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Canada’s National Bobsleigh team looks to rebuild in three-part Redemption Run

With the Winter Games in Italy just weeks away, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton is sliding onto CBC Gem and CBC with the exciting, engaging three-part documentary series Redemption Run.

The first episode brings viewers to Whistler, B.C., 16 months before the Games, as members of Canada’s National Bobsleigh program walk along the ice track, observing angles and the ice surface itself. Then, we’re given the facts: Canada dominated bobsleigh for years, capturing medals on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Then, it all fell apart.

In 2022, 60 athletes signed a letter alleging a culture of fear and safety concerns, superstar Kallie Humphries left Team Canada to join the U.S. team, and Christine de Bruin was suspended for three years for an anti-doping violation. Add to that the dismantling of the track in Calgary, poor podium results, and things didn’t look good for the team.

But this series is called Redemption Run for a reason, providing interviews with pilots, team members and coaches, as well as stunning visuals both inside and outside the sleigh, to tell how the team is bouncing back to be contenders, and perhaps medal winners, in Italy.

It’s not an easy task, and the producers do an excellent job telling the team’s story through intimate, honest and raw interviews, sport explainers and truly emotional moments. You can’t help but pull for Canada on their road to redemption.

Redemption Run premieres January 23 on CBC Gem and airs February 1 at 7 p.m., with back-to-back episodes on CBC. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail