Marking the most robust lineup of original Canadian programming the network has ever produced, City today announced seven original series – five new and two returning – join the network’s 2013-14 prime-time schedule.
The announcement was made today as part of Rogers Media’s 2013 Upfront presentation.
“Our strategy for the past two years has been to grow our slate of original Canadian programming. We have invested in great Canadian series, both scripted and non-scripted, on City and OLN, and it has resulted in our strongest and most robust Canadian lineup ever for the networks,” said Scott Moore, President of Broadcast, Rogers Media.
Scripted original comedy Package Deal is part of City’s winning comedy block on Mondays this fall, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET. Three all-new original reality series, Storage Wars Canada, The Project: Guatemala, and the newly commissioned Meet the Family, also air on City in prime time this fall, as does OLN’s hit returning original series The Liquidator. Beginning mid-season, new original animated adult comedy series Mother Up!, starring and executive produced by Eva Longoria, will air exclusively on North American television on City.
Along with the new schedule, City announced today it has greenlit Season 2 of its original single-camera, sperm-donor comedy Seed, with an additional 13 half-hour episodes from Vancouver-based Force Four Productions. Premiering to critical acclaim this past February, Seed returns to Halifax this summer to begin production. Recognized for its rich characters, quick-wit, and edgy writing, Seed has been nominated for an international 2013 Banff Rockie Award in the category of Best Sitcom.
For all its originals, City will have a strong digital presence with live chats, blogs, bloopers, and exclusive video content for web that will engage and enhance the viewing experience.
“Our investment in Canadian content and the increase in the number of original series is a testament to our belief that City’s original content can go head-to-head with any programming on television today,” said Claire Freeland, Director of Original Programming, Rogers Media. “City is committed to developing, creating, and airing compelling content that resonates specifically with our younger-skewing and urban-oriented audiences.”
In addition to these seven original series, The Bachelor Canada – the #1 new Canadian show and a top 10 new show in Canada for last fall* – begins production on Season 2 in 2014. A guilty pleasure for all women, the show is slated to air in fall 2014 and will engage across multiple platforms with more co-viewing and dual-screen experiences, becoming the talk of social yet again in 2014.
All original series are commissioned and developed by City’s original content team. For Rogers Media, Claire Freeland is director of original programming, Malcolm Dunlop is executive vice president, programming and operations, and Scott Moore is president of broadcast.
New Original Series Descriptions
PACKAGE DEAL
30-minute comedy
Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT
Produced by Thunderbird Films
Package Deal is the story of three overly close brothers and the woman who comes between them. Danny is the smart, good looking, and successful lawyer brother; Sheldon is the stubborn, politically incorrect, and bossy salesman older brother; and Ryan is the sensitive, slightly metrosexual, and former house-husband brother. Sharing more than just a last name, they are overly involved in each other’s lives – until Kim, a beautiful, smart, and funny woman, begins dating Danny and finally cuts his umbilical cord from his brothers.
ALL CANADIAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Andrew Orenstein (Malcolm in the Middle, 3rd Rock from the Sun), Tim Gamble (Mr. Young, The Funny Pit), Michael Shepard (Mr. Young, Endgame)
ALL CANADIAN CAST: Danny (Randal Edwards, The Killing, Degrassi: The Next Generation), Kim (Julia Voth, I), Ryan (Jay Malone, Monk), and Sheldon (Harland Williams, There’s Something About Mary)
THE PROJECT: GUATEMALA
60-minute reality competition
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Produced by Buck Productions
Hosted by ultra-marathon runner and adventurer Ray Zahab, The Project: Guatemala follows nine privileged young adults who believe they’ve been selected for a reality adventure in an exotic location. However, when they arrive at their destination in Tecpan, Guatemala, they quickly learn what they’ll be doing has little to do with sand, surf, and luxury. Instead, they are enlisted to give back and help a local Guatemalan charity organization build a structure for The Project Somos Children’s Village.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Canadian Sean Buckley (Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, Saw Dogs), Peter Tortorici (3rd Rock from the Sun, Chicago Hope, Murphy Brown, Cosby)
CAST: Canadian Ray Zahab (Host, Running the Sahara)
STORAGE WARS CANADA
30-minute reality series
Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Produced by Proper Television
Storage Wars Canada is a modern-day treasure hunt, as six professional buyers use their knowledge, expertise, and wit to bid on the contents of abandoned, repossessed, and forgotten storage containers. With mere minutes to scan the contents of a locker using only the beam of a flashlight, the high-stakes fun begins when the buyers have to out-bid each other for the locker, which could be full of trash – or treasure.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Guy O’Sullivan (Come Dine With Me Canada), Allison Grace (Tribute Bands), Claire Freeland, Director of Original Programming, Rogers Media (The Bachelor Canada)
ALL CANADIAN CAST: Don Reinhart (Auctioneer), Roy Dirnbeck (“The Instigator”), Ursula Stolf (“The Knock Out”), Cindy Hayden and Rick Coffill (“The Veterans”), Paul Kenny and Bogart Kenny (“High Roller and The Kid”)
MEET THE FAMILY
60-minute reality series
Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT
Produced by Frantic FilmsProduced by Frantic films and based on the successful UK series, Meet the Parents, each episode of this original reality series features one couple with one challenge: can a new love interest last an entire evening when he or she has to ‘Meet the Family’? Meet the Family turns a normally mundane encounter into an excruciating test of resolve and commitment as the new love interest becomes an unwitting participant in a totally fake and entirely outrageous family gathering. Unaware that they’ve been set-up by their partner, they enter the parents’ house filled with actors whose task it is to make their encounter as uncomfortable as possible, as multiple hidden cameras record their every move. If the new partner sticks around for long enough and successfully completes every “endurance challenge,” he or she will win a luxury holiday for the couple.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Canadian Jamie Brown (Til Debt Do Us Part)
MOTHER UP!
30-minute animated comedy
Mid-season; Date and time TBC
Produced by Breakthrough Entertainment and Bardel Entertainment, in association with Mass AnimationStarring Eva Longoria, Mother Up! is an animated adult comedy series about a former street-smart – but now disgraced – big-city music executive-turned-suburban supermom with one catch: she is not a very good parent.
SHOWRUNNER/HEAD WRITER: Canadian Greg Lawrence (Crash Canyon, Kevin Spencer)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Michael Shipley (American Dad), Yair Landau (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), Susan Purcell (Live Music), Fred Fuchs (Transporter: The Series), Ira Levy (Less Than Kind), Peter Williamson (Kenny vs. Spenny), Barry Ward (Bob’s Burgers), Delna Bhesania (Bob’s Burgers)
CAST: Rudi Wilson (Eva Longoria, Desperate Housewives), Dick (Canadian Jesse Camacho, Less Than Kind), Sarah (Canadian Gabrielle Miller,Corner Gas), 2Bit (Canadian Cle Bennett, Flashpoint), Jenny (Canadian Helen Taylor), Apple (Canadian Rebecca Husain), and Greg (Canadian Scott McCord)
Rogers Media issued more releases today concerning City’s new season:
– The GRAMMY Awards® Return to City
– City Unveils Prime-Time Schedule for 2013-14 Season
Discuss City’s Fall Schedule in this thread on the Channel Canada Forums.
