Several days ahead of its formal Upfront, Corus Entertainment has unveiled its fall and midseason slate with 40 Canadian original series, including two new scripted dramas set.

Departure and Nurses have been set for the midseason lineup, with premiere dates to the announced. Departure was commissioned by Global in late 2018 and is a Canada/U.K. coproduction by Shaftesbury and Red Arrow Studios International. Nurses is produced by ICF Films and Entertainment One (eOne), in association with Piazza Entertainment. Big Brother Canada has been renewed for an eighth season as well and eOne’s Private Eyes has been renewed for season four in the summer.

Specialty originals

Food Network Canada is adding four new culinary competitions: Chocolate Masters and holiday-themed The Big Bake in the fall, and Junior Chef Showdown and Wall of Chefs in midseason. Iron Chef Canada will also return for fall, as will Carnival Eats. Spring will see the return of Fire Masters, Big Food Bucket List and Top Chef Canada.

HGTV Canada will feature 12 new and returning series. New fall series include Hot Market, a behind-the-scenes look at the real estate market in the ever-changing Toronto landscape. Original series Big Home Overhaul (working title) is a “feel-good” renovation series featuring the network’s top contractors and designers delivering whole-home renovations. Home to Win: For the Holidays will add a holiday theme to the Canadian renovation favourite, and Jonathan and Drew Scott will help homeowners climb the real estate ladder in Property Brothers: Buying and Selling. The flagship Property Brothers series will drop in fall and continue into midseason. Also coming to midseason is the second season of the Bryan Baeumler-fronted Island of Bryan, the third season of Save my Reno (stylized as “$ave My Reno”) and the third season of Backyard Builds, as well as new (previously announced) series Farmhouse Facelift, Make Your Move, Vacation House Rules and Big Timber (slated for 2020 without a time of year specified).

Also coming this summer is Property Brothers: Forever Home.

History will bow the second series if History Erased in the fall, as well as a new season of Vikings and new series Salvage Kings, which covers family business Priestly Demolition and explores all the treasures that can be found before the wrecking ball moves in. In midseason, Breaking Wild, the story of a real-life Western, will debut.

Teletoon will see the return of Hotel Transylvania: The Series in the fall, and Total Dramarama will return for a second season in winter 2020. Preschool network Treehouse will usher in three new series, two of which are coming in fall. Agent Blinky: Pets of the Universe will feature a group of small pets protecting their human families from aliens, robots and other such threats, and The Remarkable Mr. King will star a well-meaning, short-sighted lion. In midseason, Pikwik, an animated series starring a hedgehog, a raccoon, cat and hippo working together to help the citizens of Pikwik Cove. Esme & Roy will also return for its second season in the fall.

Conventional picks

Fresh from the L.A. screenings, new pickups for Global include crime thriller Prodigal Son, single-camera comedy The Unicorn, sitcom Carol’s Second Act and more.

It’s also nabbed family comedy Modern Family, which previously aired on Citytv. The long-running comedy, which has won numerous Golden Globes, is entering its final season. Also snatched from Citytv is the second season of comedy Single Parents, starring Gossip Girl alum Leighton Meester.

Global has unveiled more of its scheduling details than Bell Media and CBC, which announced their pickups earlier this week. Coming to Mondays is Prodigal Son, which will sit in the 9 p.m. slot between longer-running favourites 9-1-1 and Bull.

Tuesdays will remain intact with returning heavyweights NCIS: New Orleans at 8 p.m., NCIS at 9 and breakaway hit New Amsterdam at 10.

On Wednesdays, powerhouse Survivor will lead the primetime schedule at 8 p.m., followed by comedy duo Modern Family and Single Parents. Action drama S.W.A.T. will close out the night.

With Big Bang no longer a major competitor, Global is now positioning its Thursday night as a comedy night. The two-hour block will begin with quirky comedy Superstore, followed by The Unicorn. That will be followed by cult darling The Good Place and the new Carol’s Second Act. But at 10 p.m., the night will do a stark pivot to deep psychological thriller, with the drama Evil.

Fridays will bring returning favourites Hawaii Five-O followed by crime drama The Blacklist and military drama SEAL Team.

On weekends, Saturday Night Live will return for a 45th season, and Sundays will see a revival of Kids Say the Darndest Things hosted by Tiffany Haddish at 8 p.m. Also on Sundays are NCIS: Los Angeles and the final season of Madam Secretary.

For nightly and daily programming, Entertainment stalwart Entertainment Tonight Canada will return for its 15th season and continue with its 7:30 weeknight timeslot. Additionally, Global has signed a new, as-yet-titled daytime talk show with Tamron Hall, while late-night weeknights will feature a familiar, Canadian face (albeit starring in a U.S. series). A Little Late With Lilly Singh will see the Toronto-bred YouTuber-turned-TV-star leading a lineup of guests every night at 1:35 a.m.

New U.S. pickups for midseason include the new police drama Tommy starring veteran TV star Edie Falco, new comedy Broke starring Jane the Virgin’s Jaime Camil and FBI: Most Wanted, a spinoff of last year’s breakout success FBI.

Returning midseason series include Will & Grace and Man With a Plan.

Specials and events

As previously announced, the 37th Annual Canadian Country Music Association Awards are moving to Global in September 2019. History will air the Remembrance Day special Holocaust – The Last Survivors (working title), sharing the stories of survival among some of the remaining survivors as they travel back to Europe.

On YTV, Nelvana’s award-winning short film, The Most Magnificent Thing (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) will have its broadcast premiere on YTV in the fall.

Pictured: Canada’s Lily Singh temporarily took over the host chair earlier this year while NBC’s Jimmy Fallon sat in the guest seat. She’s set to permanently host A Little Late With Lilly Singh, which will air on Global this fall.

From Media in Canada