CBC announces 2016-2017 television lineup with new series ‘Shoot The Messenger’ & ‘Pure’

by W. Andrew Powell
Shoot The Messenger

CBC held their annual Upfront television event this morning in Toronto to announce their new fall and winter schedule, from 2016 into 2017, which features a range of new programming from daytime series to fall primetime, and original digital content.

Highlights of the new schedule include an as-yet untitled one-hour weekday lifestyle series starting in October, which will be hosted by Steven Sabados and Jessi Cruickshank; nine new original series and 25 returning series, including the shot-in-Toronto crime-thriller Shoot The Messenger, and Pure, a miniseries about drug-trafficking.

“This season, we are building on our commitment to invest in more original, premium content by offering our most ambitious, diverse programming slate ever, focused on authentic voices, unique perspectives and character-driven stories that inspire, challenge, empower and entertain on all our platforms,” Heather Conway, executive vice-president of English Services at CBC said.

Other new series include the comedies Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms, factual series This Is High School, which looks in on a real British Columbia high school, and
the documentary series True North Calling set at the edge of the Arctic. Additionally, Kids’ CBC has added the new animated series Dot, and a photography competition series called Snapshots.

Original digital programming that has been added, as a way of bringing in online millennials, include Coming In, My 90-Year-Old Roommate, The Amazing Gayl Pile, The Whole Truths, This Is That, and That’s What Sheena Said!.

Returning series include Schitt’s Creek, This Life, Canada’s Smartest Person, Crash Gallery, Dragons’ Den, Heartland, Hello Goodbye, and X Company.

Select Series Synopsis

Shoot The Messenger follows Daisy Channing (Elyse Levesque), a young reporter trying to balance a messy personal life with a burgeoning career. Things begin to go sideways for Daisy when she witnesses a murder she thinks is gang-related, only to find herself slowly drawn into an interconnected web of criminal and illicit sexual activity that reaches into the corridors of corporate and political power. It’s the kind of story that will destroy lives, including those of her own family. With help from lead homicide detective Kevin Lutz (Lyriq Bent), her editor Mary Foster (Alex Kingston) and co-worker Simon Olenski (Lucas Bryant), Daisy uncovers a cover-up so scandalous it could bring down the government.

Pure, from Big Motion Pictures, tells the story of Noah Funk, a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers by betraying a fellow Mennonite to the police. But instead of solving the problem, Noah’s actions trigger an ultimatum from Menno mob leader Eli Voss: in order to protect his family he must get involved in the illegal operation. Noah decides that if he must work for the mob, he will secretly gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization.

Kim’s Convenience is the funny, heartfelt story of The Kims, a Korean-Canadian family, running a convenience store in downtown Toronto. Mr. and Mrs. Kim (‘Appa’ and ‘Umma’) immigrated to Toronto in the 80’s to set up shop near Regent Park and had two kids, Jung and Janet who are now young adults. However, when Jung was 16, he and Appa had a major falling out involving a physical fight, stolen money and Jung leaving home. Father and son have been estranged since.

Workin’ Moms is an original comedy series created by and starring Catherine Reitman that tests the modern ideal that women really can have it all. When longtime friends Kate and Anne, meet Jenny and Frankie in a judgmental mommies’ group, the four quickly band together and form an unlikely friendship. The series follows the struggles of these four urban moms, providing a raw and honest look at how they juggle love, careers, and parenthood. Whether it be dealing with terrible coworkers, insatiable babies, postpartum depression, or sexual awakenings – they make it to the end of each day with humour and sometimes even a drop of grace.

This Is High School is a six-part series set in an extraordinary, ordinary school — where teachers, led by a passionate principal, go the distance to prepare their students for adult life. But when you’re dealing with teenagers, nothing is ever straightforward.

True North Calling will reveal the North to audiences in an entirely new, modern and surprising way. The series follows one season in the lives of several young, dynamic Northern dwellers carving out a life for themselves and their families. Follow daily dramas as each deals with unforgiving terrain, unpredictable weather, hunting, guiding, fishing and farming, travelling by snowmobile and dog sled, and mixing traditional ways with modern technology, while living in Canada’s most spectacular and treacherous environment.

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