Tag Archives: Macy Murdoch

CBC unveils new slate showcasing Canadian storytelling and stars

From a media release:

CBC today announced its 2026-27 programming slate featuring over 50 original series from Canadian storytellers. From hockey and hospitals to the Wild West and the world of international diplomacy and espionage, CBC’s new original Canadian greenlights include the following shows: 

  • The stories behind Canada’s national pastime come to life in coming-of-age drama series Junior, inspired by P.K. Subban’s experience in the high-pressure world of junior hockey; plus docuseries Power Play, offering exclusive access to the stars of the PWHL and Barnburners, following a fierce and funny senior hockey league in Saskatchewan.
  • Cold Country stars Sarah Podemski, Chaske Spencer and Michael Greyeyes in a prestige limited series from creators Shane Belcourt and Tasha Hubbard. 
  • Samantha Bee stars as Canada’s unorthodox ambassador to Bulgaria in new original comedy The Ambassador from the creative talent behind such shows as Son of a Critch and Call Me Fitz. 
  • Created by and starring Kathleen Robertson, medical drama Blessed Sacrament follows three sisters as they work to save lives at the hospital that is their family’s legacy.
  • From the executive producer of Cardinal and Snowpiercer, dramedy The Service is set in the world of Canadian espionage, where national security collides with office politics, prickly egos and decidedly unglamorous tradecraft.  
  • From the creators of Norsemen and producers of Lilyhammer and Letterkenny, Canada/Norway absurdist comedy The Posse follows a clueless and privileged Norwegian in the 1800s who embarks on an unexpected journey to the Wild West. 
  • The astonishing journey of Olympian and alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding is chronicled in new docuseries Snow King: From Olympian To Narco and investigative podcast The Most Wanted Olympian.
  • New kids series include a reimagined Clifford the Big Red Dog, animated show Butterfly Academy and live-action comedy On Track with Andre De Grasse, as the Olympic track champion travels back in time to give advice to his 10-year-old self.

Acclaimed BBC series Lord of the Flies, adapted by Emmy-winner Jack Thorne (Adolescence) from William Golding’s Nobel Prize-winning novel, will make its exclusive Canadian premiere on CBC and CBC Gem this fall. 

Returning entertainment and documentary series include Allegiance, The Assembly, Dragons’ Den, Family Feud Canada, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Must Love Dogs, The Nature of Things, North of North, The Passionate Eye, Saint-Pierre, Still Standing, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Wild Cards, plus the final season of Son of a Critch and the landmark 20th seasons of hit series Heartland and Murdoch Mysteries. 

CBC News’ trusted slate of news and investigative programming continues with About That with Andrew Chang, The Fifth Estate, Marketplace, The National, Power & Politics with David Cochrane, Hanomansing Tonight and Rosemary Barton Live.

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Additional details for CBC’s 2026-27 programming slate:

NEW SERIES

Original Dramas:

  • Cold Country (Winter 2027, 6×60, Sphere Media, a CBC/APTN co-production)

A new prestige limited series starring Sarah PodemskiChaske Spencer and Michael Greyeyes, from creators/showrunners Shane Belcourt and Tasha Hubbard, who also direct alongside Danis Goulet.

  • Junior (2027, 8×60, Conquering Lion Pictures, Heavy Lifting Productions and Lionsgate Canada) 

At 16, Marcus Hill is an electrifying, fiercely confident Black hockey player with one goal: making it to the NHL. Hungry to get there fast, he leaves home for the ruthless world of junior hockey, where brutal competition, relentless pressure, and the cutthroat business of the sport threaten to break him as his star rises under a growing and unforgiving spotlight. Inspired by P.K. Subban’s experience in this world, Junior is a gritty coming-of-age drama where friendships fracture, romances ignite, and every shift could change a life forever. In hockey’s high-stakes machine, talent gets you noticed… but only the strongest survive.  

The series is created by Kyle Hart. Executive producers include P.K. SubbanDamon D’Oliveira and Clement Virgo (Conquering Lion Pictures), Michael Rotenberg and Trevor Rotenberg (Heavy Lifting Productions), and Jocelyn Hamilton and Kerry Appleyard (Lionsgate Canada). Lionsgate Television will handle international distribution. 

  • Blessed Sacrament (2027, 10×60, Sphere Media and Debut Content) 

Fusing compelling intergenerational family drama with the chaotic intimacy of medical series, Blessed Sacrament follows the Blessing sisters—surgeon Peg, nurse Brie (Kathleen Robertson), and administrator Amelia — as they save lives at the hospital that is their family’s legacy under the watchful eye of their formidable mother, hospital CEO Margaret.

Each episode intertwines the sisters’ professional world with their private lives as personal demons, familial conflict, and sibling rivalry are put under pressure by high intensity medical cases, shifting power balances, and buried family secrets.  United, the Blessing sisters are a force to be reckoned with; but at Blessed Sacrament, saving strangers is easier than saving each other.

From creator, showrunner, executive producer and star Robertson with executive producer Chris Cowles

Original Comedies: 

  • The Ambassador (Winter 2027, 10×30, Amaze Film & Television Inc.) 

The Ambassador is a half-hour workplace comedy set at a scrappy Canadian diplomatic embassy in Bulgaria, deep in Eastern Europe. Olivia Winters (Samantha Bee), a former actor turned savvy yet unorthodox diplomat, and her childhood best friend Andrea Taylor (Allana Harkin), a sharp, policy-driven Chargé d’Affaires, are sent to the hinterland of global diplomacy to uncover new business opportunities for Canada in a rapidly shifting world. Tasked with doing more with less, and operating far from the polished centers of power, Olivia and Andrea rely on bold instincts, chaotic brilliance, and uniquely Canadian workarounds to punch far above their weight. Under constant scrutiny from Ottawa, the duo turns diplomatic afterthoughts into surprising wins, even while skating on very thin ice. From showrunner Tim McAuliffe (The Office, Last Man on Earth, Son of a Critch), who serves as executive producer alongside Teza Lawrence and Michael Souther.

  • The Posse (2027, 8×30, a Canada-Norway treaty co-production for CBC and NRK – New Metric Media and Rubicon TV)

When a spoiled Norwegian factory heir from the 1800s forces a group of reluctant underlings to the American Wild West to gather material for his novel, their journey quickly turns into something far more dangerous than expected. After accidentally landing themselves in serious trouble, the posse finds themselves on the run from the law. Forced to rely on a charismatic but untrustworthy Canadian guide, they must fight their way across the wilderness toward Vancouver, and what they hope will be a way back home to safety.  

Created by Jon Iver Helgaker & Jonas Torgersen, creators of the hit series Norsemen and Captain Fall, who also serve as directors and executive producersFor New Metric Media, Mark Montefiore serves as executive producer and Lana Maclin and Max Wolfond are producers. For Rubicon, Ivar Køhn serves as executive producer and Gudny Hummelvoll as producer. Sarah Babineau and Kent Alterman will also executive produce through Good Walk Entertainment. New Metric Media is handling worldwide distribution for The Posse, with Rubicon representing the series in Scandinavian territories.    

  • The Service (2027, 8×30, Sphere Media) 

The Service is a dramedy set in the world of Canadian espionage, where national security collides with office politics, prickly egos, and decidedly unglamorous tradecraft.  

Drew is an idealist with big dreams and low status, convinced that if he puts his head down and works hard, someone other than his mother will recognize his greatness. Mia is a realist with a restless spirit, keen to put some order to the world as she contends with the slow unraveling of her marriage.  Alongside the strivers, wonks, and gearheads who staff the Toronto office of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Drew and Mia spend their days watching and listening, but neither has quite noticed the obvious truth – they’re falling in love.

Balancing real stakes with dry humour, The Service is a sharp, warm-hearted half-hour series about purpose and connection in a world of half-truths and double lives. From creator, showrunner and executive producer Aubrey Nealon (Cardinal, Snowpiercer). 

  • Committed ( Winter 2027, 10×30, Cameron Pictures and Fabel Productions in association with BBC Northern Ireland ) *Previously announced.*

Committed follows Canadian Peter Hooley (Dustin Milligan), a recently divorced accountant, who falls head over heels for Northern Ireland woman Julie Johnston (Diona Doherty) after a whirlwind weekend in Toronto, and crosses the Atlantic to declare his love—only to discover he’s landed in an old-fashioned and eccentric rural Northern Ireland village that’s nothing like he imagined. It’s a romantic comedy about what happens in a relationship after the grand gesture, when real life barges in. At its core, the series explores what it means to step outside your comfort zone—and how people who are very different from you can make life far more interesting than you planned. Committed is produced in association with BBC Northern Ireland by Cameron Pictures Inc. and Fabel Productions Ltd. under the UK/Canada Co-Production Treaty, and global distribution is handled by FOX. The series was co-created by Keith Martin, Gerry Dee and Tim Loane, who is showrunner. 

Documentary Series:

  • Doula: A True Crime (Fall 2026, 3×60, Muse Entertainment)

Over the course of nine months in 2022, Kaitlyn Braun—a 24-year-old woman from Brantford, Ontario—reached out to over 40 doulas with the same devastating story: she had been sexually assaulted and was in her third trimester, carrying a stillborn child. The doulas responded with unwavering empathy, stepping in without hesitation, many offering their services pro bono. Some supported her from a distance, through phone calls and video calls. Others showed up in person, providing round-the-clock support, and, in some cases, bearing witness to an excruciating labour.  Except that, over time, the narrative began to fracture. As the doulas began to question themselves and their experiences, they uncovered something far more complex.  It’s a real life saga that is hard to believe – one that launched a desperate search for answers, a campaign to get the attention of the authorities, a TikTok counter-offensive, 53 criminal charges, and a complex mental health diagnosis.

With unparalleled access to all sides of the story, this series elevates a sensationalist media story to an uncommon examination of empathy and the controversial question of its limitations. Written and directed by Nathalie Bibeau, and executive produced by Jonas Prupas, Courtney Dobbins, Michael Kronish, Allyson Luchak, Michael Cameron and Jeremy Shell. Produced by Bibeau and Aren Prupas, with supervising producer Isabelle Couture. 

  • Barnburners (2027, 10×30, Omnifilm Entertainment)

Barnburners is an all-access docuseries that laces up with the big-hearted, larger-than-life characters of the Big Six, capturing a full season inside one of Canada’s fiercest and funniest senior hockey leagues – where bragging rights mean everything and age-old rivalries are settled on the ice. 

Tucked between the oil fields, mines, and farms of southeastern Saskatchewan, eight prairie towns – Redvers, Carlyle, Oxbow, Carnduff, Wawota, Kipling, Midale, and Moosomin – battle week in and week out for the coveted Big Six title. 

In these barns, chirps fly, word spreads like wildfire, and everyone gets their news… whether they asked for it or not. Barnburners is produced by Omnifilm Entertainment, executive produced by Brian Hamilton, Cathy Schoch, Daniel Wan & developed by Sam Halpern. 

  • Burger Month (2027, 4×60, Cream Productions)

Welcome to Nelson, B.C. In this quirky mountain town with more restaurants per capita than San Francisco or Manhattan, an annual high stakes burger competition brings together nearly 50 locally owned restaurants in a battle for culinary supremacy. This is a story populated by intense chefs, eccentric front-of-house staff, driven restaurant owners, exhausted dishwashers, hungry locals and one exotic dancer turned influential food critic whose opinion can make or break a burger’s reputation. It’s just burgers. It’s just a small town contest. And yet…it means everything. Directed by Jeremy Grant and produced by Michael Smith, with story producers Carlo Alcos and Carla Sinclair. 

  • Power Play (2027, 5×60, Blink49 Studios)

Power Play is CBC’s premium documentary series featuring exclusive access to the Professional Women’s Hockey League as it continues its meteoric rise and expands across North America, following the world’s most elite athletes through the 2026-27 season. 

Combining high-stakes game action with the stories of the players – from rookies to stars –  on and off the ice, Power Play gives viewers an inside seat at the table as the PWHL continues to make sports history, transforming the landscape of women’s sports. Starring Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, Jayna Hefford, Natalie Spooner, Taylor Heise and Jayna Hefford, EVP of PWHL Hockey Operations. Allyson Luchak is attached as Showrunner. 

  • Snow King: From Olympian To Narco (Winter 2027, 3×60, Visitor Media) 

Snow King, which draws from the comprehensive investigative reporting of Rolling Stone and the Toronto Star, charts the astonishing journey of Ryan Wedding – a former Olympic snowboarder who became one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives, accused of running a violent, billion-dollar drug empire under the protection of one of Mexico’s most notorious cartels. Directed by Chelsea McMullan (Swan Song, Ever Deadly), the documentary series takes viewers inside the hunt to capture Wedding, and tracks his transformation from national hero to alleged drug lord and international fugitive. 

  • Running Smoke (Winter 2027, 3×60, Muse Entertainment in association with Campside Media) 

Running Smoke is the thrilling true story about a NASCAR driver, the biggest tobacco-smuggling bust in North American history, and quite possibly the future of Indigenous rights. 

Derek White, a Mohawk from Kahnawà:ke was the first Indigenous driver to compete in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series. Less than a year later, Derek’s dream disintegrates after he was arrested in the largest cross border police sting of its kind. He was charged with smuggling and defrauding the government and indefinitely suspended from NASCAR. Derek is faced with an existential choice: take a plea deal or fight the charges and the constitution. Contemplating the rich history of his people and the future of his family, Derek makes a daring decision to risk it all. 

Running Smoke is directed by award-winning filmmaker Alexandra Lazarowich. Producers include Lazarowich, Chad Charlie, Kaniehtiio Horn, Michael Kronish, Jonas Prupas and Joe Tuck. Produced by Muse Entertainment in association with Campside Media.

Original Kids Series:

  • Butterfly Academy (Fall 2026, 26×11, CarpeDiem Film & TV and AgentDouble Productions for CBC, and French version L’Académie des monarques for Radio-Canada and TFO in Canada and RTBF in Belgium)

The Monarchs have returned from their migration and butterflies Patrick, Marty, Jennifer and Lily are fulfilling their ultimate dreams of being instructors at Butterfly Academy! Sparks fly and misunderstandings run amok when these four try teaching for the first time. With Patrick’s outside-the-box thinking, Marty’s tall tales, Lily’s caring nature and Jennifer’s impatient manner, the trainees better buckle up! Butterfly Academy’s instructors are always coming up with outrageous and comical ways to teach how to avoid predators, flying skills, milkweed tracking and so much more. Butterfly Academy is a great place to work and especially to make lifelong friends!

  • Cool Indigenous Stuff (Fall 2026, 13×6, Kejic Media Inc.) *Previously announced.*
  • On Track with Andre De Grasse (Fall 2026, 10×5, Windy Isle Entertainment)

In this live-action comedy series for kids, Olympic Champion Andre De Grasse travels back in time to give advice to his 10-year-old self. The sprint star must keep his younger version on track. But Young Andre’s got other ideas, and they don’t necessarily include accepting life coaching from his future self. Hugo Assad makes a delightful comic turn as the scrappy Young Andre, and De Grasse proves he’s got acting chops and charm to spare, ditching his racing gear for a metallic time travel suit. A fun buddy show in short-format, teaching life lessons through sport. 

  • Clifford the Big Red Dog (Winter 2027, 26×22, 9 Story Media Group Inc. and Brown Bag Films for CBC, PBS Kids and Sky Kids) 

The reimagined buddy comedy centers around Emily Elizabeth, a kid with big-hearted ideas, and her giant best friend Clifford, who turns small problems into gloriously oversized adventures – literally! The series is inspired by the importance of community and will introduce important foundational social skills, including understanding how to engage in social problem-solving, joining groups, making friends, and including others, as well as modeling how even young children can play a contributing role in their communities.

Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell was first published in 1963 by Scholastic and now boasts more than 135 million books in print in 20 languages distributed worldwide. 

  • Little Margo Stories (Winter 2027, 50×3, Lightcatcher Media Inc. for CBC/Radio-Canada and Disney Jr.) *Previously announced.*

CBC Podcasts: 

  • Personally: Agent Layla (Fall 2026)

When she was 20 years old, something terrible happened to Vienna Luke. And for more than a decade, the truth of that night remains buried. But when Vienna becomes a mother, she realizes she must confront the past and uncover the truth – whatever the consequences for her family. Her sister Shawnessy comes aboard in the role of dogged detective and Vienna plays the secret agent in a relentless search for answers and justice. Agent Layla is a gripping true story about memory, family and how far one woman must go to set the record straight. Hosted by Jodie Martinson.

  • Split Screen: The Swan (Fall 2026)

Early 2000s reality show and cultural phenomenon The Swan raised questions around beauty, self-worth, and an obsession with glowing up. But behind the glamour of working with high profile surgeons and personal trainers, the women who signed up for the show were navigating complex emotions, trauma, and fighting an inner battle with their self-image. What happened once the cameras stopped rolling and the contestants had to face life after their televised metamorphosis? Is The Swan an outrageous relic of reality TV’s past – or a blueprint for the culture of self-optimization we live in today? Host Josh Gwynn investigates. 

  • The Most Wanted Olympian (Late Fall 2026)

Olympian. Fugitive. Kingpin. How a Canadian snowboarder allegedly built a deadly global drug empire. He represented Canada at the Olympic Winter Games, then he became one of the world’s most wanted fugitives. Michelle Shephard andthe Toronto Star’s Calvi Leon investigate how Ryan Wedding, a boy from Thunder Bay, Ont., became an alleged cartel boss accused of ordering ruthless murders from the shadows. A collaboration between CBC’s Uncover and the Toronto Star’s Suspicion podcast feeds.

  • Uncover: Cult Wars (Spring 2027)

In 1991, 18-year-old Jason Scott was kidnapped – all because of what he believes. For days, a deprogrammer named Rick Ross tries to convince him to leave his church. But that fateful abduction sets off an unlikely chain of events, thrusting the two men onto opposite sides of a growing cultural and legal battle between advocates for religious freedom and the emerging anti-cult movement. Cult Wars is hosted by Jonathan Hirsch. 

International Series: 

  • A Very Modern Odyssey (Late Summer 2026, 4×60, Travelogue) takes viewers on a breathtaking journey around the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean. Host Richard E. Grant recreates the route of Odysseus’ 20-year voyage to discover what’s fact and what’s fiction in Homer’s enduring masterpiece.
  • Lord of the Flies (Fall 2026, 4×60, Drama) In the first television adaptation of William Golding’s landmark dystopian classic Lord of the Flies, innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys become desert island castaways. Written by Emmy-winner Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and directed by Marc Munden (The Mark of Cain) for BBC.
  • You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution… (Late Fall 2026, 98min, Documentary) reveals how a humble Toronto run of the hippie musical Godspell became an historic incubator for modern comedy. Directed by Nick Davis and featuring comedy legends including Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin and Martin Short. 

CBC Sports:

This summer, Canada’s Olympic Network sets the stage for LA 2028 with live streaming and broadcast coverage of the biggest competitions from the world of high performance sports. Featured events include: the 2026 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Jul. 23 – Aug. 2), the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships (Budapest, Sep. 12-13), the 2026 UCI Road World Championships (Montreal, Sep. 20-27), and new seasons of Diamond League, Volleyball Nations League, and Canadian Elite Basketball League.

CBC Sports continues to deliver the action into fall and winter with new seasons of the Northern Super League and Canadian Premier League, the Vanier Cup and a variety of USPORTS championships. For a complete schedule, visit cbcsports.ca

RETURNING SERIES

Original Comedies & Festivals:

  • North of North (Season 2 premieres Fall 2026, 8×30, Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, a CBC/APTN/Netflix co-production)
  • Son of a Critch (Season 5 premieres Fall 2026, 12×30, Project 10 Productions and Hawco Productions in association with Lionsgate Television)
  • This Hour Has 22 Minutes (Season 34 premieres Fall 2026, 24×30, IoM Media)
  • Halifax Comedy Fest (Season 30 premieres 2026/27, 6×30, Pilot Light Productions)
  • Just For Laughs Galas (Season 22 premieres 2026/27, 4×60, Just For Laughs) 
  • Winnipeg Comedy Festival (Season 25 premieres 2026/27, 5×60, Frantic Films)
  • The New Wave of Standup (Season 7 premieres 2026/27, 4×30, Just For Laughs and Northwest Comedy)

Original Dramas:

  • Allegiance (Season 4 premieres Winter 2027, 10×60, Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios)
  • Heartland (Season 20 premieres Fall 2026, 10×60, Dynamo Films and SEVEN24 Films)
  • Murdoch Mysteries (Season 20 premieres Fall 2026, 21×60, Shaftesbury in association with ITV Studios and UKTV and distributed by Shaftesbury Sales Company and ITV Studios)
  • Saint-Pierre (Season 3 premieres Winter 2027, 12×60, Hawco Productions and distributed by FIFTH SEASON)
  • Wild Cards (Season 4 premieres Winter 2027, 10×60, Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures and Piller/Segan distributed by FIFTH SEASON)

Factual Entertainment:

  • The Assembly (Season 2 premieres Fall 2026, 6×30, Small Army Entertainment)
  • Dragons’ Den (Season 21 premieres Fall 2026, 12×60)
  • Family Feud Canada (Season 8 premieres Fall 2026, 64×30, Zone 3/Fremantle)
  • The Great Canadian Baking Show (Season 10 premieres Fall 2026, 9×60, Blue Ant Studios)
  • Must Love Dogs (Season 2 premieres Winter 2027, 10×30, Omnifilm Entertainment)
  • Still Standing (Season 12 premieres Winter 2027, 8×30, Frantic Films)

Documentaries: 

  • The Passionate Eye (Premieres Fall 2026, 10×60 + 1×120)

The Passionate Eye returns this fall with a new season of fascinating stories. New documentaries include The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony (Akelo Media, Chicken and Egg Films and Mighty Entertainment, directed by Habiba Nosheen and from executive producers Malala Yousafzai and Mariska Hargitay), a coming-of-age documentary about three Pakistani teenage girls whose passion for gymnastics clashes with deeply rooted expectations of girls’ role in society; and Bot Love (Grand Scheme, directed by Tyler Funk), exploring how more people are turning to AI to fill the void of loneliness, desire, and grief, but can it truly replace human connection?

  • The Nature of Things (Season 66 premieres Winter 2027, 14×60)

CBC’s flagship science and nature series The Nature Of Things heads into an awe-inspiring 66th season, as hosts Anthony Morgan and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki continue to spark curiosity and a sense of wonder about the living world. In the new season, learn about the earliest moments of the planet’s most ferocious predator, tyrannosaurus rex, in Ancient Baby Beasts (Rotating Planet Productions); embark on an epic quest across Africa to find a trafficked chimpanzee in Finding Juba (a Canada/UK co-production from Infield Fly Productions and Mara Media); and understand the true nature of Mean Gulls (River Road Films) before it’s too late. 

Kids: 

  • Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures (Fall 2026, 39×22, 9 Story Media Group/Brown Bag Films/PBS Kids)
  • Macy Murdoch Season 3 (Winter 2027, 8×11, Shaftesbury)

CBC NEWS

From breaking stories to in-depth coverage, CBC News delivers trusted 24-hour news and information on 15 CBC News streaming channels, CBCNews.ca, the CBC News App and the #1 Canadian news channel CBC News Network. CBC News continues to bring audiences the latest news from across Canada and around the world, in addition to an award-winning slate of current affairs, investigative and primetime and weekend news programs available to broadcast and stream, live and on-demand, across multiple CBC platforms. 

  • The Fifth Estate (Season 52 premieres Fall 2026, 17×60)
  • Marketplace (Season 54 premieres Fall 2026, 16×30) 
  • The National (Weeknights and Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
  • Power & Politics with David Cochrane (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
  • Hanomansing Tonight (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
  • About That with Andrew Chang (Weekdays on the CBC News streaming channel)
  • Rosemary Barton Live (Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
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Robina Lord-Stafford talks Season 2 of CBC’s Saint-Pierre

When we last left Saint-Pierre‘s Arch (Josephine Jobert) and Fitz (Allan Hawco), things were dire straits. The duo—he a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector and she a Parisian Deputy Chief—faced off against smuggler-all-around-bad guy Gallagher (James Purefoy) in a graveyard. The final scene, set up beautifully using Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” was capped off by several gunshots, leaving viewers to wonder who lived and who didn’t.

Thankfully, we’ll learn all that right off the bat in the Season 2 debut. Airing Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem, we spoke with Saint-Pierre co-creator and co-showrunner Robina Lord-Stafford (Macy Murdoch) about all that and more.

How was it filming this second season? Was there a lot more comfort because you and Allan, and everybody worked together and got a full season under your belt on location filming? Did it feel like you got the characters going into the second season, and was maybe a little easier?
Robina Lord-Stafford: 100 per cent. And I would say that even working with the actors and the first season, I was there every single day on set with the actors and just even listening to their cadence, the way they speak, the way they delivered the line.

When we were writing for them in Season 2, it was like I had Josephine in my head when I was writing it. And I had obviously Allan and all the others, especially our core cast, I just feel like I know them all so well. And it was definitely easier, smoother. And then when they were delivering them on the floor this time, it was like they would look at me. It was really sweet. They’d read the scripts, and they’d say, ‘Thank you. You see us!’ They all too understand who their characters are. So we all grew after a season, like getting to know who they are and what the special flavours they each bring and how distinct their voices are.

It underscores how difficult it is when you’re creating a show from scratch and you don’t have a cast yet because you are literally trying to figure out what the voices of these people are with no human being attached to them yet.
RLS: It is. And it’s like we’re creating out of nothing, and then you get surprises along the way. For instance, when we first crafted the character Renuf [played by Jean-Michel Le Gal], we imagined him being this kind of gruff guy who clocked in, clocked out, was just kind of going through the motions and we gave a taste of that in Season 1, but then as we got to know the actor playing him and as he brought this different kind of nuance to the character, it’s like his character really evolved through Season 1. In Episode 107, he took initiative, and then Arch and Fitz kind of went, ‘Way to go, you did a great job.’ And it almost seemed like this was the first time Renuf had ever been given kudos for his work as a cop. And then it was almost like a dopamine hit for him. And it’s like, ‘You know what? I want to be a better cop. I can learn from these two. I’m not going to be that guy who’s going to be questioning Arch’s authority anymore. I can learn from her.’ And so we really saw an evolution of his character.

And in Season 2, it goes even further. You can see that he is eager to be a good police officer, and he also reflects on things he may have done in his past because we kind of weave in that he was a customs officer in the past, and he let things slide, or he looked the other way, and it’s a bit of a redemptive arc from his past.

Robina Lord-Stafford

Any other characters that kind of made an evolution that way as we go into the second season?
RLS: Definitely Patty [played by Erika Prevost], we get to see a little bit of edge to Patty. We kind of established that she and Arch are kind of really good friends, and so there’s going to be a little sand put into that oyster. We’re going to convey this analogy, and then you’re going to see the pearl that will emerge by the end of the season. Erika’s such a great actress, and she plays Patty so delightfully. So it’s really nice to see her have a little grit and a little edge and a little friction between her and Arch. And you’ll see why, but you also see a beautiful resolution to that in their friendship. So that’s cool. And of course, Arch and Fitz, we get to know a little bit more about Fitz’s backstory, including why Fitz sleepwalks.

I wanted to ask about Maxim Roy because she was posting on Instagram a lot while she was in the middle of filming. What can you tell me about her character and how she impacts the team?
RLS: Well, Maxim’s character is the prefect, and the prefect in Saint-Pierre is basically the person who is the President’s eyes, arms, ears, their head of law enforcement.

In Season 1, we kind of referenced the prefect in one of the episodes, and then as we were reflecting, we were like, ‘Well, that could be a really cool person to bring a little bit of friction because we’re used to Marcus being the boss.’ What happens if we meet Marcus’ boss? And who is that person going to be? So the writers and our writers room came up with Prefect Charlotte Diard and that she’s originally from Saint-Pierre, but because she solved this huge crime back in the day, she kind of got a boost to become chief and it was quite a thing because it was a woman in the role and she was the first woman to have be the chief of police in our lore of Saint-Pierre Police. And then from there she got promoted to go to Paris, and now she’s back as the prefect of the island. And she steps in because we ended our finale with a bit of a shootout in the graveyard.

She is there to say, ‘I need to know what exactly went down. This is a big thing, this is making news.’ She’s a bit of a pebble in an artistic shoe this season.

Speaking of the season finale, I loved how you used Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” as Arch and Fitz were driving to the graveyard, in a nod to Miami Vice.
RLS: I had my sister and my nephew-in-law reaching out, going, ‘Did you guys do this on purpose?’ I’m like, ‘Of course we did this on purpose.’ We’re kids of the ’80s who grew up watching Miami Vice, and we were like, ‘How cool. And if we can get that song…’ And actually, because I wrote that sequence, and as I was writing it, I was playing in my ear to just to make sure the beats were tied out down to the gunshots and everything. And our music supervisor, who’s also our post producer, Wayne Warren, we said, ‘What are the chances?’ And so initially we were thinking we’d have to get a cover or something, but we’re not going to get Phil Collins. And he said, ‘Well, can you write me up a little something about why you want this song?’ I wrote what scene would be that we were going to be playing as much of the song as we possibly could. It was going to go over a number of sequences, and it’s culminating and all that exciting stuff. And then his people said yes. And we were like, ‘What?’ So yeah, we were thrilled to get that song.

We’ve got some incredible needle drops this season, too. Allan and I love music, and it’s really a part of the soul of Saint-Pierre that we can have some really cool, recognizable songs.

Saint-Pierre airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Show image courtesy of CBC. Robina Lord-Stafford image courtesy of Derm Carberry.

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CBC Gem’s Macy Murdoch is worthy of the Murdoch moniker

Murdoch Mysteries is a worldwide brand. With it comes expectations, so a spinoff associated with it leads to extra scrutiny. Thankfully, Macy Murdoch not only meets but exceeds those expectations.

Available now on CBC Gem, the Murdoch spinoff web series Macy Murdoch stars Canadian Screen Award winner Shailyn Pierre-Dixon as Macy, the great-great-great granddaughter of Detective William Murdoch. Set in the present day, Macy and her pals Zane (Beau Han Bridge) and Billie (Raffa Virago) travel back in time after a villain uses a time machine to frame William for murder, the trio goes back to 1910 to find the real perpetrator of the crime. Along for the ride in 1910 are Murdoch Mysteries‘ Constable Henry Higgins-Newsome (Lachlan Murdoch) and Mrs. Violet Hart (Shanice Banton), who help the kids with the case.

Initially developed by JP Larocque and Jessica Meya, we spoke with executive producer/showrunner Jennifer Kassabian (Frankie Drake Mysteries, Carter) and co-executive producer Robina Lord-Stafford (Frankie Drake Mysteries, Moonshine) about the project.

Jennifer, can you tell me how Macy Murdoch came to you?
Jennifer Kassabian: JP and Jess developed it with Shaftsbury before my time. I finished working with Jennifer McCann, who’s one of the series executive producers on Ruby and the Well. Around July, she reached out to me to say that Jess and JP were moving on to other opportunities and would I be interested in this project that she had because we had worked so well together. I said, ‘Well, let me just read everything,’ because I didn’t know if I wanted to keep my foot in the kids’ world, but then the bible that Jess and JP created blew me off my feet. I’ve never read a bible that good. It was so rich, and it was so interesting. I said yes, I’m in. I want to run the show. We didn’t have the money for a writers’ room. It was freelance scripts that were half assigned and half to be assigned, but I could have a No. 1, someone to help me shepherd the show through. 

Robina was the only name on my mind from the time we met on Frankie Drake. Sometimes those relationships on a show make you friends off a show. We were friends in real life, I already had a shorthand with her and I said, ‘Would you come on as the No. 2, and will we do this together?  

Obviously, anything with the word Murdoch in it is going to come with extra scrutiny. Robina, any nervousness on your part about it having the Murdoch name and William Murdoch involved in it? 
Robina Lord-Stafford: I didn’t really have enough time to think about it. I was on Pretty Hard Cases and Jen was like, ‘You’ve got to come and do the show with me.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ Once I was in it, it was like, ‘OK, we really have to make sure we’re doing the Murdoch world justice. We were lucky enough to get two characters from the world, so that was super exciting. Getting to shoot on the Murdoch lot was super exciting and that all kept elevating the production value of the show. We did consult with Murdoch writers to make sure that when we were going back into 1910 and creating a world for our characters to be in, that seemed authentic and real. We also binged a ton of Murdoch because we wanted to make sure that Henry Higgins-Newsome and Violet Hart’s voices were really authentic to what the Murdoch world has created already. 

Robina, when it came to the writers’ room, is it different to write for the web as opposed to an episode of broadcast television? Does each web episode represent story beats in a larger project?
RLS: Great question. We did have all those beats already. When Jen and I got onto the project, there were already, I think, two scripts written by previous writers. And so it was like, ‘OK, let’s continue this on,’ and then we had another writer that joined us. One of the things that we did maybe a little bit differently than what I’m used to doing in one hour is that we knew what the beginning, middle, and end of the whole series was going to be. We could then break it down into different episodes on how we were going to then achieve all of that to make sure that we were getting all the juice that we needed and the great cliffhangers at the end of each episode. 

You really pack a lot into each 11-or-so-minute episode.
JK: I think there is a misconception that when you hear 11 minutes it’s easy peasy and not that much content. You can get the story in when it was our primary goal and character development for sure. 

The young cast was simply amazing.
JK: We had a full day of chemistry reads between people’s favourite casting picks. We had already had Shailyn cast when we went out to cast Billie and Zane. Raffa and Beau sparkled in their solo auditions and then when we partnered up Raffa and Beau we had the magic of the Billie and Zane friendship right off the bat. This is Raffa’s first thing that she’s ever been on screen. She’s such a special talent. They did become fast friends on set, just good people who just really wanted to bring their A-game. 

Macy Murdoch is available now on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of Shaftesbury.

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TV, Eh? Podcast Episode 254: Production on Murdoch Mysteries spinoff, Run the Burbs and The Hardy Boys

Welcome back to another bi-weekly (ish) chat about the latest news in Canadian TV! First, Greg and Amy go through debuts and returns on the Canadian TV calendar.

Then, we cover the latest Canadian TV news, which includes production beginning on a Murdoch Mysteries spinoff; Season 2 of Run the Burbs; the final season of The Hardy Boys; casting for CBC’s new series, Essex County; and David Suzuki retiring from The Nature of Things. We finish the podcast by getting into the Halloween spirit with Are You Afraid of the Dark?

This podcast brought to you by Candy Corn Cocktails and Pommies Cider.

[Editor’s Note: Greg erroneously said that Anthony Q. Farrell was the showrunner for Diggstown. Anthony Q. Farrell was the showrunner for Overload and the Underwoods, The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker and the upcoming Shelved. He apologizes for the error.]

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Production begins on new tween Murdoch Mysteries spinoff Macy Murdoch for CBC Gem

From a media release:

Shaftesbury announced today that production is now underway on Macy Murdoch (8×11), a new CBC Gem original tween series that follows the adventures of Detective William Murdoch’s time-travelling great-great-great-granddaughter. A spinoff of Shaftesbury and CBC’s hit long-running drama Murdoch Mysteries based on novels written by Maureen Jennings, the series is currently shooting in Toronto and will debut on CBC Gem in spring 2023.

Sixteen-year-old Macy is a forensic wunderkind who unravels a century-old mystery with the help of her two friends Zane and Billie. When a villain uses a time machine to frame famous Edwardian-era Detective William Murdoch for murder, Macy and her friends travel back in time to find the real perpetrator of the crime. Not only are the teens trying to crack a difficult case, but the trio are undercover, trying to solve a mystery in 1910 without the help of modern technology.

Macy Murdoch captures the playful, mystery-loving spirit of Murdoch Mysteries with Canadian Screen Award-winner Shailyn Pierre-Dixon (Pretty Hard Cases, The Book of Negroes) co-leading the series with Beau Han Bridge who plays Zane, and Raffa Virago as Billie. The series will have a special guest appearance by Spencer West, while Shanice Banton (“Mrs. Violet Hart”) and Lachlan Murdoch (“Constable Henry Higgins-Newsome”) from the beloved CBC series will appear in the series as guides to help the young detectives absolve Murdoch of a crime he did not commit.

The digital series is directed by Laurie Lynd with showrunner Jennifer Kassabian and Co-EP Robina Lord Stafford.  The series was initially developed by JP Larocque and Jessica Meya. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Marie McCann is Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids; and Lisa Cinelli is Executive in Charge of Production, Children’s and Youth Programming.

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