CBC Slates 40-Plus New & Returning Original Series

The 2023-24 programming slate for CBC TV and CBC Gem features more than 40 new and returning original series from Canadian creators, producers and storytellers and 4,000-plus hours of fresh programming spanning all genres.

New original drama series include BlackBerry, which follows the story of Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, the two men who charted the course of the rise and demise of the world’s first smartphone. Bones of Crows is about a musical prodigy and her siblings who are removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system—plunged into a struggle for survival. Allegiance, from creator Anar Ali (Transplant), is a character-driven police procedural about identity and belonging, policing and politics and finding new paths to truth and justice. Wild Cards is a crime-solving procedural with a comedic twist that follows the unlikely duo of a gruff, sardonic cop and a bubbly, clever con woman.

The original comedy slate includes One More Time, from creator and stand-up comedian D.J. Demers (The Tonight Show, Conan) and showrunner Jessie Gabe (Workin’ Moms, Mr. D).

In the way of factual entertainment, there’s the new original The Great Canadian Pottery Showdown, in which Canada’s most talented potters compete to be crowned best at the wheel.

New original docs include Black Life: Untold Stories, which reframes the rich and complex histories of Black experiences in Canada; Swan Song, a character-driven series following Karen Kain’s final year with the National Ballet of Canada; Telling Our Story, featuring the 11 First Peoples in Quebec, Canada; and For the Culture with Amanda Parris, a space for urgent and provocative conversations that center Blackness and Black folks.

For CBC Gem, originals on the slate include The Bannocking, about a journalism student who returns home to uncover the truth about the abandoned residential school, but chaos ensues when residents of Bent Creek First Nations begin to show bizarre and violent behavior, leaving everyone to ask: “What’s in the bannock?” An adaptation of Vivek Shraya’s hit play and subsequent book, How To Fail as a Popstar answers this question with comedy, vulnerability, a healthy dose of imagination and music. The offbeat comedy I Hate People, People Hate Me explores queer identity in a time when queerness has not only been mainstreamed but commodified.

CBC Kids will continue to share new programming for kids and tweens across all platforms, including more than 500 hours of ad-free programming on CBC Gem. New live-action series for preschoolers include Bestest Day Ever with My Best Friend!, celebrating the relationships children have with their pets, and Aunty B’s House, about a foster home full of heart, humor, music and unconditional love.

New animated series for preschoolers include CBC/Radio-Canada original Mini-Jon and Mini-Maple, based on the books by author and cartoonist Alex A. and a sibling series to Super Agent Jon Le Bon!, and Dylan’s Playtime Adventures, about a stripey dog who takes on a new pretend career in each episode and invites his friends and viewers to play along with him.

CBC and CBC Gem will continue to offer a curated selection of international series. Titles coming soon to CBC Gem include the exclusive Canadian premiere of the comedy-drama series Dreaming Whilst Black from Adjani Salmon, who also stars as an aspiring filmmaker trying to succeed, as well as the second season of adult animated comedy Ten Year Old Tom from Steve Dildarian featuring Jennifer Coolidge, John Malkovich and David Duchovny, and the fourth season of the war drama Das Boot.

“As we announce our new slate of remarkable storytelling, we remain focused on serving Canadians on the platform of their choice and offering what no other media company in this country can: the essential information audiences rely on each and every day and authentic entertainment that reflects the changing face of Canada,” said Barbara Williams, executive VP of CBC. “We’re different. We stand apart from others, just as strong and just as significant. We want all Canadians to see CBC as their thing—as a Canada thing that makes everyone feel they belong, regardless of their age, background or location.”