Shaw Lines Up 15 New Canadian Dramas

TORONTO: Bulking up its slate of homegrown content, Shaw Media has 15 new scripted dramas planned for the next year, including a second season of Rookie Blue as well as The Firm.

For Global, the lineup includes Combat Hospital, launching June 21 in simulcast with ABC in the U.S.; a second season of Rookie Blue, launching June 23, also in simulcast with ABC; and The Firm, premiering midseason 2012 in tandem with NBC. The series Bomb Girls is set for Global’s winter 2012 schedule. Shaw Media, along with ABC, ITV Studios and Lookout Point presents the epic four-parter Titanic. The mini-series is to premiere in simulcast on Global and ABC, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the tragic event.

For Showcase, a second season of Lost Girl is in the works, along with season two of King. A second season is also on the way for Haven, co-commissioned by Shaw Media with the Syfy channel in the U.S. World Without End, based on Ken Follett’s best-seller of the same name, will air in 2012.

"We’re extremely proud of the role we’ve played in championing original Canadian dramas," said Barbara Williams, the senior VP of content at Shaw Media. "This past year proved to be a real turning point for our local productions attracting record Canadian audiences and unprecedented attention from the U.S. And with four U.S. network simulcasts scheduled over the next 12 months, the future is only looking brighter for homegrown productions."