Wednesday, April 15, 2026

CBC’s Current Affairs and Documentary Programming: Jan 11-22, 2019

Marketplace

Plastic Waste:  The Supermarket Challenge

Friday, January 11 , 2019 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem

Plastic packaging out of control at your supermarket?  We challenge two families to help us uncover why supermarkets are not doing more to reduce plastic waste.

 

The Fifth Estate

Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem

Kickbacks: Caught on Camera (Mark Kelley)
It is illegal in Ontario and drives up the price of generic drugs across Canada. So why are pharmacists engaging in it? They are asking for what are called ‘rebates’, which are like kickbacks, from some of the the largest drug suppliers in the world. How much more are you paying for your generic prescription drugs than you should be? The Fifth Estate went undercover to find out.

Polygamy in Canada: An Open Secret (Habiba Nosheen)
Polygamy is against the Canadian Criminal Code, yet some Imams are openly willing to do it for men who want second wives, including one of the most prominent Imams in the country.

 

CBC Docs POV

Pugley

Friday, January 11, 2019 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and available to stream from 12noon ET the same day on CBC Gem

Pugly: A Pug’s Life tells the story of Gunner, a two-year-old pug in the care of Pugalug Pug Rescue, a Toronto network led by self-professed “crazy dog lady” Blanche Axton. As Axton prepares Gunner for adoption we also meet a growing community of squishy-faced dog devotees with big personalities, following their stories of triumph, humour and heartbreak.

 

The Passionate Eye

Dying for Help

 

Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network (repeats Sunday, January 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Wednesday January 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network)  

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK, causing more deaths in this group than car accidents, and even more than cancer. In Dying for Help, Dr. Van Tulleken reveals why people develop suicidal thoughts, and what can be done to help them. The documentary speaks with suicide attempt survivors, parents, and doctors and researchers working in suicide prevention, and explores the interventions which aim to save people’s lives.

For decades, researchers have tried to accurately predict who will die by suicide. Dying for Help shows how a powerful new technique, using algorithms, can predict a suicide death with up to 90% accuracy up to two years before it happens. The film explores physical solutions such as safety nets on bridges that can give emergency services time to intervene. It also tells the story of a group of doctors in Detroit whose prevention program in patients at the Henry Ford Health System reduced suicides to zero.

 

Marketplace

DNA Ancestry Kits

Friday, January 18 , 2019 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem

Marketplace investigates the marketing of popular DNA Ancestry kits. Just how accurate are they? Charlsie Agro tests the top five brands…and we’re sending in the saliva of her identical twin sister, Carly Agro, too.

 

CBC Docs POV

To The Worlds

Friday, January 18, 201p at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and available to stream from 12noon ET the same day on CBC Gem

Funny, irreverent and poignant, To The Worlds is a feel-good story about crazy dreams and second chances. The documentary follows a team of ‘mature’ figure skaters (aged 46-77) as they push past heartbreak and through injuries and family crises to go for geriatric gold.

Watch the screener: https://vimeo.com/305869886/27187bed5b

 

The Passionate Eye

The Truth About Obesity (repeat)

Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network (repeats Sunday, January 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Wednesday January 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network)  

By the year 2025, one-third of people on earth will be obese, according to a recent report by the World Obesity Federation. Canadians are no exception — more than 20% of us are obese. We have always been told the solution is just to eat less and move more but the latest scientific research is turning that assumption on its head. What can science can tell us about why we’re getting bigger and how we might stop it? We discover why our genes make it harder for some of us to control our weight and how easy it is to trick our brains into healthy eating. We also learn what we can do to change our gut bacteria to help keep us thin and we follow the trial of an injection that could cure obesity.

 

The Nature of Things

The Power of Play

Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC and available to stream Friday, January 18 from 5 p.m. ET on CBC Gem

It’s easy to tell when humans are playing, but how can you tell when an animal is at play, especially if that animal is a lizard, a goat, or a wasp? Far more species engage in this seemingly purposeless activity than anyone suspected and scientists are now discovering some of the reasons for play.  Play matters for human animals, too, and there is a growing movement promoting the benefits of “dangerous play” for children.

 

Related Articles

TV Series News

NETWORK

Alert: Missing Persons Unit (FOX / CTV) has been cancelled after 3 seasons.

The Cleaning Lady (FOX / CTV) has been cancelled after 4 seasons.

All American (The CW / Showcase) has beeen renewed for an 8th and Final Season.

Scrabble & Trivial Pursuit (The CW) have been renewed for a Second season.

SPECIALTY

The Chi (Showtime / Crave) has been renewed for an Eighth season.

Yellowjackets (Showtime / Crave) has been renewed for a Fourth season.

Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime / Paramount+ Canada) Premieres July 11, 2025.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX / FXX Canada) Season 17 Premieres July 9, 2025.

The Gilded Age (HBO / HBO Canada) Season 3 Premieres June 22, 2025.

STREAMING

Bad Thoughts (Netflix) has been renewed for a Second season.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) has been renewed for a Fifth and Final season.

The Diplomat (Netflix) Season 3 Premieres Fall 2025.

SkyMed (Paramount+ / CBC) has been renewed for a Fourth season; it will air exclusively on Paramount+.

Slow Horses (Apple TV+) Season 5 Premieres September 24, 2025.

Harry Wild (Acorn TV) has been renewed for a Fifth season.

Laid (Peacock / W Network) has been cancelled after 1 season.

The Morning Show (Apple TV+) Season 4 Premieres September 17, 2025.

The Terminal List (Amazon Prime Video) Season 2 Premieres August 27, 2025.

Hacks (Max / Crave) has been renewed for a Fifth season.

The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime Video) has been cancelled after 3 seasons.

Women in Blue (Apple TV+) has been renewed for a Second season.

Platonic (Apple TV+) Season 2 Premieres August 6, 2025.

The Bondsman (Amazon Prime Video) has been cancelled after 1 season.

Lupin (Netflix) has been renewed for a Fourth Season.

My Life with the Walter Boys (Netflix) has been renewed for a Third season.

Survival of the Thickest (Netflix) has been renewed for a Third and Final season.

The Diplomat (Netflix) has been renewed for a Fourth season.

Forever (Netflix) has been renewed for a Second season.

The Four Seasons (Netflix) has been renewed for a Second season.

Bridgerton (Netflix) has been renewed for 5th & 6th seasons.

The Bear (FX on Hulu / Disney+ Canada) Season 4 Premieres June 25, 2025.

Peacemaker (Max / Crave) Season 2 Premieres August 21, 2025.

Foundation (Apple TV+) Season 3 Premieres July 11, 2025.

Acapulco (Apple TV+) 4th and Final Season Premieres July 23, 2025.

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video) 3rd and Final season Premieres July 16, 2025.

Wednesday (Netflix) Season 2, Part 1 Premieres August 6, 2025; Part 2 Premieres September 3, 2025.

The Sandman (Netflix) Season 2, Part 1 Premieres July 3, 2025; Season 2, Part 2 Premieres July 24, 2025.

The Buccaneers (Apple TV+) Season 2 Premieres June 18, 2025.

What's On?

What’s On? June 15 - 28:

SERIES PREMIERE
Countdown
Hell Motel
Inside
Ironheart
Long Bright River
Smoke
We Were Liars
The Veil
The Waterfront

SEASON PREMIERE
The Bear
The Buccaneers
The Chosen
The Gilded Age

SEASON FINALE
Adults
Leverage: Redemption
Scrublands
Sullivan's Crossing
The Walking Dead: Dead City

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