Scripted series from Allan Hawco (Sullivan’s Crossing), Jennifer Podemski (Little Bird), Vance Banzo (TallBoyz) and Baroness von Sketch Show alums Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill are among the new shows coming to CBC for the 2024-25 broadcast season.

The pubcaster kicked off the Canadian upfronts on Thursday (May 23) with a slate of more than 40 original scripted and unscripted series and specials, as well as an expanded roster of FAST channels for CBC News.

Among the newly announced titles is the scripted drama Saint-Pierre (10 x 60 minutes), created by Hawco, Robina Lord-Stafford and Perry Chafe. The police procedural sees an inspector (played by Hawco) exiled to the French territory Saint-Pierre et Miquelon just off the coast of Newfoundland, where he butts heads with a local officer, played by French actor Josephine Jobert.

Hawco and Lord-Stafford are co-showrunners and executive producers. The series is produced by Hawco Productions in association with international distributor Fifth Season. Additional EPs are Chafe, Erin Sullivan, Janine Squires and John Vatcher. It will debut on CBC in winter 2025.

CBC also confirmed a number of renewed dramas for the broadcast season, including second seasons of Allegiance (10 x 60 minutes; Lark Productions; pictured right) and Wild Cards (13 x 60 minutes; Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures; distributed by Fifth Season) for winter; season three of SkyMed (9 x 60 minutes; Piazza Entertainment) and 18th seasons of Heartland (10 x 60 minutes; Dynamo Films, SEVEN24 Films) and Murdoch Mysteries (22 x 60 minutes; Shaftesbury).

Also part of the drama lineup is the previously confirmed second season of the anthology series Plan B (6 x 60 minutes; KOTV), starring Vinessa Antoine (Diggstown).

On the comedy front, CBC has announced two new greenlights for 2025: Snotty Nose Rez Kids (8 x 30 minutes) and Small Achievable Goals (10 x 30 minutes).

Snotty Nose Rez Kids is inspired by the Haisla Nation hip-hop duo Quinton Nyce and Darren Metz and how they chased their music dreams in Vancouver. The series is co-created by Nyce, Metz, Banzo and Matt Kippen, with Podemski serving as showrunner and executive producer.

The comedy is produced by Snotty Nose Productions, Grand Scheme Productions and Reality Distortion Field in association with Redcloud Studios. Additional EPs include Metz, Nyce, Banze, Kippen, Michael Tanko Grand, Stephen Hegyes, Simon Barry and Bhavika Mantri. Amber-Sekowan Daniels serves as co-executive producer.

Small Achievable Goals is created by Whalen and MacNeill, who star as an odd couple who are paired to produce a podcast, and discover they can relate over their shared experience of menopause. Produced by Sphere Media, the series EPs include Whalen, MacNeill, Jennifer Kawaja, Bruno Dube and Elise Cousineau.

Previously announced for the comedy slate is North of North (8 x 30 minutes; Red Marrow Media, Northwood Entertainment), the Nunavut-set series about a young Inuk mother trying to forge a different path for her future. The series is a co-commission from CBC, Netflix and APTN and is created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

The returning CBC comedies include the fourth season of Son of a Critch (13 x 30 minutes; Project 10 Productions, Hawco Productions; pictured left); the 32nd season of This Hour Has 22 Minutes (24 x 30 minutes, IoM Media), including a one-hour U.S. election special; and the second season of CBC Gem series You’re My Hero (6 x 15 minutes; Longhope Media).

The broadcast season will also see the return of comedy festivals and stand-ups such as the Halifax Comedy Fest (6 x 30 minutes; Pilot Light Productions); Winnipeg Comedy Festival (5 x 60 minutes; Frantic Films) and The New Wave of Standup (12 x 10 minutes),executive produced by Bruce Hills and Heather Wallace.

CBC has two newly announced factual and documentary productions for the 2024-25 season, starting with four-part docuseries The Knowing from journalist Tanya Talaga. Produced under her Makwa Creative Banner, the series follows Talaga as she searches for her family matriarch and uncovers ties to Canada’s residential school system. It is based on Talaga’s book of the same name, and is written and directed by Talaga and Courtney Montour.

The new factual series is Locals Welcome (10 x 30 minutes; Artifactual Media), hosted and executive produced by food expert Suresh Doss, about hidden food gems in various communities.

Rounding out the new titles is the previously announced docuseries Paid in Full, a co-commision with BBC. The series is narrated by Canadian singer Jully Black and examines the history of how Black artists have been exploited in the music industry. It is produced by Supercollider, Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel in association with Julie Bristow’s Catalyst.

Returning factual series include third seasons of Bollywed (8 x 30 minutes; HeartHat Entertainment) and Canada’s Ultimate Challenge (Insight Productions, The Gurin Company; pictured right); season six of Family Feud Canada (64 x 30 minutes; Zone 3, Fremantle); season eight of The Great Canadian Baking Show (8 x 60 minutes; Proper Television); season 10 of Still Standing (8 x 30 minutes; Frantic Films); season 19 of Dragons’ Den (10 x 60 minutes); and the previously announced second season of Stuff the British Stole (8 x 30 minutes; Wooden Horse, WildBear Entertainment, Cream Productions).

Returning docuseries include Canada’s a Drag (6 x 7 minutes, CBC Arts), and the long-running documentary strands The Passionate Eye (8 x 60 minutes) and The Nature of Things (13 x 60 minutes).

CBC Kids has announced the commission of the preschool series Go Togo (27 x 5 minutes), produced by Toronto-based prodco Gazelle Automations. The series uses animatronic characters based on public transit vehicles to teach kids about math and logic. Kim’s Convenience actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is among the voice actors.

Returning kids shows include second seasons of Mini-Jon and Mini-Maple (Happy Camper Media), Jeremy & Jazzy (Verite Films) and spinoff Playing With Stu, Bestest Day Ever With My Best Friend (Lopii Productions), Macy Murdoch (Shaftesbury) and The Bravest Knight (Big Bad Boo Studios).

Returning awards shows for the broadcast season including the Inspire Awards, the Polaris Music Prize, the Legacy Awards, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Juno Awards and the Canadian Screen Awards.

CBC is also expanding its FAST channel offerings with 14 new CBC News channels, starting with CBC News BC and CBC News Toronto. More local channels will be launched thorough the year, serving consumers in Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the North, Nova Scotia, Ottawa, P.E.I., Quebec, Saskatchewan and Windsor, Ont.

Returning news and current affairs shows are The Fifth Estate, Marketplace, The National, Power & Politics, Canada Tonight, About That with Andrew Chang and Rosemary Barton Live.

“Our wide-ranging slate of original Canadian programming for the coming year embodies our promise to reflect more people, places and perspectives from across the country in new ways,” said CBC EVP Barbara Williams in a statement.” As Canada’s storyteller, we are continuing to step up and stand apart from other media choices by serving audiences with more local coverage and stories from their own communities, across both news and entertainment.”

Images courtesy of CBC; Pictured above (L-R): Allan Hawco (photo by Tim Leyes), Jennifer Podemski and Meredith MacNeill