With the new winter television season less than two months away, it’s time to reflect back on the fall Canadian TV season, which saw a ton of new programming hitting the airwaves.
From comedies like Kim’s Convenience, Second Jen and The Beaverton to dramas Shoot the Messenger, Frontier and Travelers, kids fare in Ride, Tricked and Ranger Rob, and reality offerings like Bryan Inc., Moving the McGillivrays and Holmes + Holmes, there’s been plenty to like.
But which are your three favourite new shows of the fall? Let us know via the following poll and spread the word so your friends can weigh in too. We’ll reveal the top vote-getters next Friday. (Make your three choices and then click on the grey box—it turns blue when you hover over it—to the lower right of Wild Archaeology to tabulate the results.)
Which three shows are your favourite new Canadian series of the fall?
Now that the Canadian Upfronts are wrapped, we’ve got a complete list of the new homegrown series set to debut during the 2016-17 television season. Some will be on the air this fall, while others will debut during midseason.
What we want to know is, which five have got you the most interested in checking out this season? If you’ve got more than five you’re planning to watch, put them in the comments at the bottom of the page. Can’t quite remember the synopses behind each? We’ve got you covered there too: a one-line description for each is listed below the poll.
Which five new Canadian TV shows are you planning to watch this coming season?
Mary Kills People, Global (15%, 84 Votes)
Kim's Convenience, CBC (15%, 82 Votes)
Russell Peters is the Indian Detective, CraveTV (8%, 45 Votes)
Cardinal, CTV (8%, 44 Votes)
Shoot the Messenger, CBC (7%, 37 Votes)
The Beaverton, The Comedy Network (6%, 34 Votes)
Pure, CBC (5%, 30 Votes)
Frontier, Discovery (5%, 29 Votes)
Travelers, Showcase (5%, 28 Votes)
Ransom, Global (4%, 21 Votes)
The Disappearance, CTV (3%, 19 Votes)
True North Calling, CBC (3%, 17 Votes)
Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story, City (3%, 17 Votes)
Real Housewives of Toronto, Slice (2%, 11 Votes)
Holmes and Holmes, HGTV Canada (2%, 11 Votes)
Workin’ Moms, CBC (2%, 11 Votes)
Second Jen, City (2%, 10 Votes)
Bryan, Inc., HGTV Canada (2%, 9 Votes)
This is High School, CBC (1%, 8 Votes)
Heavy Rescue: 401, Discovery (1%, 7 Votes)
Moving the McGillivrays, HGTV Canada (1%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 217
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Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story, City
Limited event drama telling the real-life story of underworld figure Vito Rizzuto.
Bryan, Inc., HGTV Canada
A behind-the-scenes peek at Bryan and Sarah Baeumler’s workdays at the office.
Cardinal, CTV
Based on the book Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt, a small-town cop chases a serial killer.
Frontier, Discovery
Historical drama telling the story of Canada’s growing fur trade.
Heavy Rescue: 401, Discovery Highway Thru Hell spinoff about the police, firefighters and tow trucks who keep Ontario’s busiest highways safe.
Holmes and Holmes, HGTV Canada
Mike Sr. and Jr. renovate the latter’s bachelor bungalow into a two-storey home.
Kim’s Convenience, CBC
Television adaptation of Ins Choi, about a Korean-Canadian family who run a convenience store.
Mary Kills People, Global
An emergency room doctor helps the terminally ill end their lives.
Moving the McGillivrays, HGTV Canada
Cameras follow Scott and his family as they build and prepare to move into a new home.
Pure, CBC
A newly-elected Mennonite pastor finds himself drawn into the drug trade.
Ransom, Global
Hostage drama based on the life of negotiator Laurent Combalbert.
Real Housewives of Toronto, Slice
Reality cameras follow socialites around Canada’s biggest city.
Russell Peters is the Indian Detective, CraveTV
A Toronto cop of Indian heritage becomes embroiled in a local case when he visits his father in Mumbai.
Second Jen, City
A coming-of-age comedy about two second-generation Chinese and Filipino-Canadian millennials.
Shoot the Messenger, CBC
A young journalist is caught in a web of urban gangs, the political class and the police while working her first murder case.
The Beaverton, The Comedy Network
A spoof of TV news shows.
The Disappearance, CTV
A family is devastated when their son goes missing during a treasure hunt.
This is High School, CBC
Documentary series capturing the education system at a British Columbia high school.
Travelers, Showcase
Future humans go back in time to save the world from a horrible fate.
True North Calling, CBC
Documentary series following the lives of Canadians who call the North home.
Workin’ Moms, CBC
In this comedy, four urban moms juggle love, careers and parenthood.
UPDATE: Thanks for voting—the poll has closed. Congratulations to the winners.
With just a few more days until the end of 2015, TV, Eh? brings back The TV Ehwards, where readers and fans of Canadian TV can cast their votes in several well thought-out categories.
This year’s nominees are broken down into 10 categories named after several iconic homegrown series from the past, something Anthony and Greg explained in our most recent podcast.
You’re allowed one vote per category, so make it count. Voting is open until Sunday, Jan. 3, upon which time we’ll inform the winners—likely via tweet—and encourage acceptance speeches. (Vote by selecting one choice per category and then clicking the “Vote” button down and to the right of the last show option.)
The Police Surgeon Award for Best Canadian Medical Drama
Saving Hope (62%, 686 Votes)
Open Heart (15%, 160 Votes)
Remedy (13%, 145 Votes)
Hard Rock Medical (10%, 107 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,098
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The Seeing Things Award for Best Canadian Crime Drama
Blackstone (41%, 715 Votes)
Rookie Blue (38%, 673 Votes)
19-2 (9%, 150 Votes)
Motive (6%, 106 Votes)
The Romeo Section (3%, 58 Votes)
Blood and Water (3%, 50 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,752
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The Quentin Durgens, MP, Award for Best Canadian Historical Drama
X Company (46%, 1,700 Votes)
Murdoch Mysteries (41%, 1,493 Votes)
Vikings (6%, 214 Votes)
The Book of Negroes (5%, 190 Votes)
Strange Empire (2%, 76 Votes)
Total Voters: 3,673
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The Beachcombers Award for Best Canadian Family Drama
Heartland (72%, 1,637 Votes)
This Life (15%, 341 Votes)
When Calls the Heart (14%, 311 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,289
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The Starlost Award for Best Canadian Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series
Lost Girl (49%, 3,634 Votes)
Dark Matter (31%, 2,307 Votes)
Orphan Black (12%, 884 Votes)
Killjoys (4%, 293 Votes)
Bitten (2%, 121 Votes)
Haven (2%, 119 Votes)
Continuum (1%, 109 Votes)
Total Voters: 7,467
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The King of Kensington Award for Best Canadian Comedy Series
Young Drunk Punk (41%, 698 Votes)
Schitt's Creek (21%, 349 Votes)
Spun Out (16%, 278 Votes)
Mr. D (11%, 188 Votes)
Mohawk Girls (11%, 181 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,694
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The Wayne & Shuster Award for Best Canadian Sketch Comedy Series
Still Standing (50%, 1,161 Votes)
Mercer Report (17%, 390 Votes)
22 Minutes (16%, 363 Votes)
Sunnyside (15%, 346 Votes)
Tiny Plastic Men (2%, 48 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,308
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The Bastard Offspring Award for the Crossover You Most Want to See
Saving Hope-Motive (32%, 298 Votes)
Continuum-Orphan Black (29%, 277 Votes)
Vikings-X Company (22%, 210 Votes)
Mr. D-Schitt’s Creek (17%, 156 Votes)
Total Voters: 941
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The Reimagination Award for The Show You’d Like to See Brought Back
Due South (31%, 297 Votes)
The Beachcombers (24%, 235 Votes)
Mr. Dressup (17%, 170 Votes)
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (13%, 126 Votes)
The Friendly Giant (8%, 81 Votes)
King of Kensington (6%, 63 Votes)
Total Voters: 972
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Shows that you SHOULD watch, but you DON’T watch, but you still don’t want them to go away
Fans of Canadian television shows certainly are a passionate lot, and they’re not confined to our borders either. Of the over 25,000 who voted for their Top 5 shows of 2015, dozens voiced their support from around the world.
Yes, the voting for a few shows took a suspicious jump over the last couple of days, but we’ll chalk that up to super-fans who simply love their programs … and know how to use technology to their advantage. (The voting wasn’t affected that much in the end.)
By the time the tally was taken, the Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2015 are:
Dark Matter (27%, 7,269 Votes)
Lost Girl (25%, 6,777 Votes)
Killjoys (21%, 5,766 Votes)
Heartland (20%, 5,384 Votes)
Murdoch Mysteries (10%, 2,632 Votes)
Orphan Black (8%, 2,147 Votes)
Tornado Hunters (8%, 2,080 Votes)
Rookie Blue (6%, 1,634 Votes)
When Calls the Heart (6%, 1,557 Votes)
Rick Mercer Report (5%, 1,486 Votes)
Aside from the Top 10 vote-getters, I was pleased to see several new programs perform well in the poll. Clearly, viewers love seeing three guys tooling around in a truck capturing wacky weather on film, as Tornado Hunters placed No. 7, not bad at all for a show that debuted late in the year and veteran The Liquidator finished just out of the Top 10.
Thanks again to everyone who voted. Check out the final results; you can still name your favourites in the Comments section at the bottom of the page.
What are your five favourite Canadian TV shows of 2015?
Earlier this month, we asked which three Canadian television series you were most excited about returning—congratulations Murdoch Mysteries fans—and now it’s time to gauge interest in the rookies stepping up to bat over the next two months.
From Canadian comfort food to spies, from Tornado Hunters to Ice Racers, which three (3) new programs are you planning to watch? We’ve included summaries of each series below the choices to help you decide; check out our handy calendars to see when they debut.
(Vote by clicking the box next to your three choices and then selecting the Vote box to the right of Tornado Hunters.)
Which new Canadian fall TV shows are you planning to watch?
Tornado Hunters, CMT (54%, 344 Votes)
Crash Gallery, CBC (10%, 66 Votes)
The Romeo Section, CBC (8%, 48 Votes)
Ice Racer Showdown, CMT (7%, 42 Votes)
This Life, CBC (6%, 41 Votes)
Keeping Canada Alive, CBC (6%, 38 Votes)
Great Canadian Cookbook, Food Network (5%, 33 Votes)
Incredible Food Race, Food Network (4%, 24 Votes)
Total Voters: 482
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Crash Gallery In this competition program, a trio of Canadian artists have just minutes to create an original piece of art using outrageous mediums in front of an audience who vote for the best piece. Hosted by the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Sean O’Neill.
Great Canadian Cookbook
Celebrity chef Lynn Crawford and Carnival Eats host Noah Cappe travel across the country, meeting Canadians who are passionate about the local dishes they prepare and celebrating the cultural mosaic of those recipes.
Ice Racer Showdown
Five drivers risk life and limb race vehicles through an icy obstacle course. Hosted by The Road Hammers’ Clayton Bellamy.
The Incredible Food Race ET Canada‘s Rick Campanelli and celebrity chef Corbin Tomaszeski star in this culinary competition where two Canadian families compete to create a kid-approved meal.
Keeping Canada Alive
Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, this documentary series spotlights a 24-hour period in Canada’s health care system.
The Romeo Section
Created by Chris Haddock (Intelligence, Da Vinci’s Inquest), The Romeo Section explores the life of Wolfgang McGee (Andrew Airlie), a professor who secretly manages a group of spies. Jemmy Chen, Juan Riedinger, Stephanie Bennett and Eugene Lipinski also star.
This Life
Adapted from the French series, Nouvelle Adresse, This Life stars Torri Higginson as Natalie Lawson, a lifestyle columnist and single mother whose cancer diagnosis affects her and her family. Lauren Lee Smith, Christopher Turner, Rick Roberts, Rachael Crawford and Peter MacNeill also star.
Tornado Hunters
Cameras capture Greg Johnson, Chris Chittick and Ricky Forbes as their put their lives in danger to capture study North America’s tornadoes.
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