CBC has renewed five of its original dramas, which includes seasons three and four of the blue sky procedural Wild Cards (Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures, Piller/Segan).
Wild Cards, with 10 x 60-minute episodes ordered for both seasons, follows a by-the-book cop and a conwoman partnered together to solve crimes. It stars Ottawa-born Vanessa Morgan (pictured left) and Italian-Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti (pictured right).
The series airs on the CW in the U.S. where it was the No. 1 new show on the network in 2024, according to Nielsen. Fifth Season handles global distribution.
Hawco Productions’ Saint-Pierre has also been renewed for a 12 x 60-minute season two. The series is made in association with Fifth Season, which also handles distribution on the series. Shooting will begin in the spring in Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon.
The series follows a St. John’s cop who is exiled to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon – the French territory nestled 20 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he works with a Parisian transplant detective. It stars French actor Josephine Jobert and Hawco as well as British actor James Purefoy.
Saint-Pierre premiered on Jan. 6 and is also available to stream on CBC Gem. Citing Numeris figures, CBC states it was the most-watched new series of the year and one of the most-watched dramas nationwide.
Trish Williams, CBC’s executive director, scripted content, previously told Playback Daily in a statement that CBC was attracted to the procedural aspect of the series for both domestic and international audiences as well as its “visually stunning landscape” and “unique culture.”
Lark Productions’ Allegiance is set to return for a 10 x 60-minute season three. The Surrey, B.C.-set police drama is produced in association with Lark’s minority shareholder Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handles global sales.
Created by Anar Ali, the series follows a rookie police officer fighting to clear her father’s name. It stars Supinder Wraich and Enrico Colantoni.
Both the prairie drama Heartland (SEVEN24 Films, Dynamo Films; 10 x 60 minutes) and period procedural Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury, 21 x 60 minutes) will each return for a respective season 19 as well.
Wild Cards, Heartland and Murdoch Mysteries are all nominated for the 2025 Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, the winner of which will be announced on June 1.
Image courtesy of CBC