CBC’s 2025-26 programming slate features more than 50 new and returning series, according to the pubcaster, including a number of new unscripted originals across both factual and documentary strands.

This marks an increase from the 40 series announced last year. Notably, none of the newly announced titles are scripted comedies or dramas, instead boosting new factual, documentary and children’s programs at today’s (June 4) presentation at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. Hosted by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and Tom Power, the presentation featured appearances from Mark Critch (Son of a Critch, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), North of North star Anna Lambe and Small Achievable Goals‘ Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill.

“Over the past year, CBC channels on YouTube have garnered a staggering one billion views, and that’s a 66% increase compared to last year,” said CBC EVP Barbara Williams (pictured) during the presentation. “The number of hours that Canadians have streamed on CBC Gem is up 42% over last year. Canadians have streamed over 30 million hours of content on CBC Gem in the last eight months.”

Factual series

CBC’s factual greenlights include Small Army Entertainment’s 6 x 30-minute The Assembly, based on the France 2 format Les Rencontres du Papotin and executive produced by Sean De Vries and Stephen Sawchuk.

The series premieres this fall and features Canadian celebrities and public figures facing a group of 30 autistic interviewers. The Canadian version will feature Jann Arden, Allan Hawco, Howie Mandel and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, with more celebrities to be announced.

Radio-Canada has also greenlit a French-language version of The Assembly called Facteur A, which will premiere sometime in 2025-26.

Artifactual Media’s 10 x 30-minute Locals Welcome (premiering next fall) explores Canada’s hidden food scene with food writer Suresh Dosh, who hosts and executive produces the series.

Omnifilm Entertainment’s 10 x 30-minute Must Love Dogs, set to premiere in 2026, follows CFL All-Star and two-time Grey Cup winner Brady Oliveira and realtor rescuer-influencer Alex Blumberg as they find homes for dogs across Manitoba with the volunteers of K9 Advocacy. The series is produced by Cheryl Binning (Bush Wreck Rescue).

Dragon’s Den returns for season 20 (16 x 60 minutes) this fall, featuring Property Brother Drew Scott as a guest dragon. Other returning series include Family Feud Canada season seven (64 x 30 minutes, Zone3, Fremantle), The Great Canadian Baking Show season nine (8 x 60 minutes, Proper Television) and Still Standing season 11 (8 x 30 minutes, Frantic Films).

Documentaries

On the docuseries front, CBC has greenlit Pixcom’s 4 x 60-minute Diamonds and Plastic. The series, set to release in the fall and produced by Alexandra Cliche-Rivard, follows the empire of Maria Meriano, one of the top Tupperware sellers on the planet.

Cineflix Productions’ Cirque Life (5 x 60 minutes) is set to premiere winter 2026 and features a behind-the-scenes look at Cirque du Soleil’s performance of “Luzia,” in Montreal.

The 3 x 60-minute Running Smoke, produced by Muse Entertainment in association with Campside Media, tells the story of Derek White, the first Indigenous driver to compete in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, who was arrested in a cross-border police sting. Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich, producers include Chad Charlie, Kaniehtiio Horn, Michael Kronish, Jonas Prupas and Joe Tuck. The series is set to premiere in 2026.

Other returning documentary series include the previously announced 6 x 60-minute second season of For the Culture with Amanda Parris from CBC with OYA Media Group and Noble Television; the 14 x 60-minute season 65 of The Nature of Things; and 9 x 60-minute, plus 1 x 120-minute season of The Passionate Eye, which has been running for more than two decades. This season of the long-running series will feature the documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, which tells the story of Sarah MacLachlan’s all-female music festival of the same name, directed by Ally Pankiw.

Kids and tweens

Alongside previously announced series, CBC has greenlit 8 x 12-minutes of The Unstoppable Jenny Garcia from Apartment 11 and Avenida Productions. Set for a fall premiere from Scarborough author Catherine Hernandez, the series follows a 13-year-old hip-hop dancer whose life is disrupted by a leukemia diagnosis.

Other previously announced additions include the 39 x 7-minute Toopy and Binoo revival from Echo Media and Huminah Huminah Animation; Industrial Brothers’ 26 x 22-minute Dino Ranch: Island Explorers; and the 40 x 7-minute Australia/Canada copro Andrew the Big Big Unicorn (Pirate Size Productions, Mainframe Studios, Infinite Studios).

Returning kids’ series this fall are Mini Jon and Mini-Maple (36 x 4 minutes, Happy Camper Media), Jeremy and Jazzy (22 x 2 minutes, Verite Films), Playing with Stu (11 x 1 minute, Verite Films) and Go Togo season two (31 x 5 minutes, Gazelle Automations).

Dramas and comedies

CBC’s 2025-26 drama and comedy slate is full of previously announced renewals, including second seasons of North of North (8 x 30 minutes, Red Marrow Media, Northwood Entertainment) and Small Achievable Goals (8 x 30 minutes, Sphere Media). The former is set for a winter/spring 2026 premiere, while the latter premieres that winter.

Season five of Son of a Critch (12 x 20 minutes, Project 10 Productions, Hawco Productions and Lionsgate Television) is also on deck, along with season 33 (21 x 30 minutes) of This Hour Has 22 Minutes (IoM Media).

The original drama slate mainly consists of the five series renewed in May: 10 x 60-minute seasons three and four of Wild Cards (Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures, Piller/Segan); a 12 x 60-minute season two of Saint-Pierre from Hawco Productions in association with Fifth Season; as well as seasons 19 of Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury, 21 x 60 minutes) and Heartland (Dynamo Films, SEVEN24 Films, 10 x 60 minutes).

CBC Gem’s Plan B (KOTV, 6 x 60 minutes) will premiere August 8 on the streamer.

International series

The pubcaster’s international acquisitions include the 10 x 60-minute Hungarian-Austrian period drama Rise of the Raven (working title) from Beta Films, a series on the 15th century regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, Janos Hunyadi, which has Hungarian-Canadian Robert Lantos on board as executive producer.

Other international series include season two of Australian dramedy Colin from Accounts (8 x 30 minutes, Easy Tiger Studios, CBS Productions) and the 6 x 60-minute second season of Tannadice Pictures’ crime drama The Gold.