Tom Powers and Elamin Abdelmahmoud
CBC presented its new 2025/2026 content slate on its Upfront event, which took place at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, hosted by Q’s Tom Powers and Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud. "For generations, CBC has been here for Canada, and that's a privilege we never ever take for granted. CBC is woven into the very fabric of our lives, our culture, and the moments that matter the most, and right now, being here for Canada has never been more important," said CBC executive VP Barbara Williams. "Our content leaders are always looking for new ways to bring people together and share their stories with a strong sense of purpose, and a place, from communities large and small across this big, beautiful country of ours," she added.
RETURNING SCRIPTED SHOWS
Williams announced the second seasons of beloved shows like "Saint Pierre", as well as Netflix co-commission "North of North", "Small Achievable Goals". "They're all very different programs appealing to very different demos, but with very similar results, the show's connected," she admitted.
She also mentioned the returning of the two most watched Canadian comedies in the country, "22 Minutes" (S5) and "Son of a Critch" (S33) as well as "Heartland", "Allegiance", "Wild Cards" that now are all produced out of Canadian west. Williams also highlighted the hit drama "Murdoch Mysteries" which is celebrating the incredible milestone of 300 episodes.
FACTUAL AND DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The pubcaster announced the local adaptation of French factual format "The Assembly", which will foster authentic and surprising conversations between Canadian celebrities and a group of interviewers on the autism spectrum, as well as titles like "Must Love Dogs"; "Locals Welcome"; and returning series like "Family Feud Canada", "The Great Canadian Baking Show", "Still Standing" and "Dragons’ Den", which celebrates its 20th anniversary season. "We're always looking for those buzzy stories that haven't yet been told," said Williams. "Our purpose and place is to develop and nurture new voices and new stories and that means going where the audience is, to find out what engages them, what matters to them, makes them lean forward," she said.
The new original doc series coming this year include "Diamonds & Plastic" from Pixcom; "Cirque Life" (5×60) from Cineflix Productions; and "Running Smoke" (3×60) from Muse Entertainment in association with Campside Media.
KIDS' CONTENT NEWS
CBC announced the new live-action short-form series "Hey Joojo!" for kids aged 4-6 from CBC Kids Studios, the reboot of the iconic Canadian preschool buddy comedy reboot "The Adventures Of Toopy & Binoo" ("39×7) from Echo Media and Huminah Animation. It has also renewed kids titles "Mini-Jon and Mini-Maple" (36×4’) from Happy Camper Media, "Jeremy & Jazzy" (22×2’) from Verite Films, "Playing with Stu" (11×1’) also from Verite Films and "Go Togo" (31×5’) from Gazelle Automations.
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