Upfronts 2015: Global adds The Code, Houdini & Doyle

Fall as usual is light on Cancon on Shaw Media's conventional while acquisition stars are heavy on the "super." (Supergirl pictured.)

Fall is never a Cancon-heavy affair on Canada’s conventionals and 2015-16 is proving no different.

Mid-season, however, is a different story and Global TV has greenlit two new Canadian series there: Jason Priestley’s The Code, which he will star in and executive produce, follows an ex-hockey player who uses his celebrity status and reputation as an enforcer in his new career as a private investigator. And Shaftesbury’s previously announced coproduction Houdini and Doyle, a supernatural series inspired by the friendship between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, will also air on the main net mid-season.

The channel has also greenlit a fourth season of Big Brother Canada.

Overall, Shaw Media’s fall slate takes a more female-skewing approach to the superhero trend but is going deep on the genre as a whole.

copied from media in canada - supergirlThe net has added Supergirl and Heroes: Reborn, part of the five dramas and three comedies that the broadcaster has purchased for the upcoming 2015/16 season. Supergirl from DC Comics, the show stars Melissa Benoist (Glee, Whiplash), as an assistant whose life takes a turn when she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities. Following Supergirl at 9 p.m. is Minority Report. The show picks up 10 years after the end of the Steven Spielberg film, where a “Precog” and detective work together to stop the future he sees before it happens.

Tuesdays at 10 p.m. see the introduction of Limitless. Based on the 2011 Bradley Cooper-starring thriller, the show follows Brian Finch (Jake McDorman, American Sniper), as he discovers the brain-boosting power of mysterious drug NZT, and is coerced into using his cognitive abilities to solve FBI cases.

New drama Heartbreaker will bow Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on Global. The show stars Melissa George (The Slap) as Dr. Alex Panttiere, a surgeon who pushes the boundaries of medical science.

Thursdays at 8 p.m. see the introduction of Heroes: Reborn, which is based on the original Heroes series.

Fridays are stacked with comedies, adding Angel from Hell in November at 8 p.m. and People are Talking at 8:30 p.m. Angel from Hell stars Jane Lynch (Glee), as a guardian angel who inserts herself into Allison’s (Maggie Lawson, Two and a Half Men) life. People are Talking stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Franklin and Bash, Saved By the Bell), as one half of two pairs of divorced couples, who talk about everything.

Rounding out the weeknight schedule on Global is the addition of new talk show, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35 p.m.

Sunday night’s animation-heavy schedule is being reduced on Global, with Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy moving to City. Global will continue to air The Simpsons, with a one-hour block starting at 7 p.m.

Coming to Global mid-season are the Jennifer Lopez-starring cop drama Shades of Blue, event series Containment and Chicago Med.

From Media in Canada