CBC Unveils 2022-23 Programming Slate

CBC has revealed its 2022-23 programming slate for CBC TV and CBC Gem, featuring more than 40 new and returning original series and specials from Canadian creators, producers and storytellers.

Barbara Williams, executive VP of CBC, said: “As Canada’s national public broadcaster, we’re proud to be number one in what matters most—and that’s being Canadian. No other media company in Canada offers the remarkable range of homegrown storytelling that we do, fulfilling the opportunity for people in communities across the country to see themselves represented in new ways. No one else does and no one else will tell the stories that we tell, reaching an audience that is inclusive and reflective of the changing face of Canada.”

New comedies include Comedy Night with Rick Mercer, a Canadian comedy event featuring eight one-hour specials presented by the titular comedy icon and TV personality. The CBC Gem original Fakes offers an unconventional rollercoaster ride of teen drama. Created by David Turko and a co-production with Netflix, it follows two best friends who accidentally build one of the largest fake ID empires in North America. Returning comedy programming includes Sort Of, Strays, Run the Burbs and Son of a Critch, alongside Workin’ Moms and the 30th anniversary of This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

This summer sees the debut of the new medical drama SkyMed, which weaves stories around a diverse ensemble of young First Responders in the remote North, where help, and survival, are literally thousands of miles away. The fall sees the return of Heartland and Murdoch Mysteries, and east coast tales Moonshine and Diggstown, as well as a journey to the Arctic in The North Water, in which BAFTA winner Jack O’Connell (Seberg, Godless) plays a ship’s surgeon, hoping to lose himself in the tough physicality of an Arctic whaling trip set in 1859. The winter lineup features the new family drama Essex County, a five-part limited series based on the graphic novel trilogy by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Moon Knight), as well as a new English-language adaptation of the Radio-Canada series Plan B. The female-driven procedural Pretty Hard Cases returns for a third season. CBC also unveiled Bones of Crows, coming in 2023-24, a five-part drama told through the eyes of Cree matriarch Aline Spears as she survives Canada’s residential school system to continue her family’s generational fight in the face of systemic starvation, racism and sexual abuse.

CBC’s factual-entertainment slate includes Race Against the Tide with host Maestro Fresh Wes coming this summer, with Dragons’ Den, Family Feud Canada and The Great Canadian Baking Show returning this fall. Best in Miniature and Still Standing with Jonny Harris are featured in the winter schedule. Joining the lineup is Bollywed, about the Singh family, who have been operating the iconic bridal shop Chandan Fashion in Toronto’s Little India for the last 37 years. The competition series Canada’s Ultimate Challenge sees six coaches guide and mentor teams of everyday Canadians at site-specific physical and mental challenges in a unique competition structure. Stuff the British Stole is a new six-part series for the ABC and CBC based on award-winning journalist Marc Fennell’s acclaimed podcast. The fall also brings the inaugural edition of The Legacy Awards from The Black Academy, as well as the CBC Gem original Lido TV, a variety show hosted by Colombian-Canadian musician and artist Lido Pimienta.

CBC and CBC Gem will continue to offer audiences a curated selection of series from around the world, including a new season of War of the Worlds this fall. The international lineup also features Ridley Road, a four-episode drama set in 1962 London, a colorful but tumultuous time, based on Jo Bloom’s acclaimed novel. North One Television’s Travel Man is slated for the fall.

The schedule for CBC and CBC Gem sees Mondays led by Coronation Street and Family Feud Canada, followed by Murdoch Mysteries, then new series The North Water and Ridley Road hold down the 9 p.m. slot. Tuesdays feature Coronation Street and Family Feud Canada, followed by This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Strays, with Comedy Night with Rick Mercer and Sort Of following. Wednesdays again feature Coronation Street and Family Feud Canada, followed by Summit ’72 and Diggstown at 8 p.m., then War of the Worlds at 9 p.m. After Coronation Street and Family Feud Canada on Thursdays, there’s Dragons’ Den and The Fifth Estate. Fridays see Coronation Street lead into Marketplace, followed by Travel Man and The Passionate Eye. Saturdays are for sports, and Sundays are led by Heartland, then The Great Canadian Baking Show and Moonshine.