CHANNEL CANADA :: Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Programming Highlights for 2003/2004

Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Programming Highlights for 2003/2004
Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 02:41 PM
Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting today released highlights of its 2003/2004 broadcast schedule. This comes on the heels of last night's announcement that season one of HBO's highly acclaimed series Six Feet Under is coming to Showcase on August 24, 2003. Six Feet Under is the latest HBO series to come to Showcase. Season three of the critically acclaimed Curb Your Enthusiasm - starring Larry David, co-creator and co-executive producer of Seinfeld - will launch in February 2004, followed by season one of Mind of the Married Man. The final season of the prison drama OZ begins airing June 6, 2003. Other highlights of the 2003/2004 broadcast year include a new reality- based series from popular British chef Jamie Oliver on Food Network Canada; a look at history's naughtier side with histories of mistresses and strippers; the expanded format of Debbie Travis' design series on HGTV; a new Life Network series documenting Doctors Without Borders; a series examining human terror when it comes to sharks, snakes and other fearful animals on National Geographic; and a three-part documentary which examines the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. "Canadians are in for another stellar year of programming from Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting," says Phyllis Yaffe, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting. "We continue to bring the world's best entertainment to our channels by strengthening our relationships with our programming partners and acquiring great series like HBO's Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mind of the Married Man as well as investing in the production of new, original Canadian programs, such as Trailer Park Boys, to ensure that viewers get the best of both worlds." The following is a channel-by-channel look at some of the programming highlights for the upcoming broadcast year. For a more detailed list of new and returning programs and series, please contact Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting's Communications Department. Showcase Six Feet Under - Season One (Network Premiere) One of the most acclaimed shows on television, HBO's Six Feet Under is a compelling look at the Fishers, a dysfunctional family who own and operate an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. Patriarch Nathaniel Fisher is no longer living - except in the hearts and visions of his family - so his wife Ruth, sons Nate and David, and daughter Claire are left to cope with the routine and not-so-routine aspects of life in the grief-management business. What emerges is the quirky, sometimes disturbing, but ultimately life- affirming story of a resilient American family. Six Feet Under stars Peter Krause, Rachel Griffiths, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Mathew St. Patrick and Freddy Rodriguez, and was created by Oscar-winning writer Alan Ball (American Beauty). Curb Your Enthusiasm - Season Three (Network Premiere) Lauded as the "best sitcom since Seinfeld" by the New York Daily News, Showcase presents season three of the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The series features verité-style footage of Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld (playing himself) as he gets into predicaments with fictional and real-life characters. This season won the 2003 Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series. Mind of the Married Man - Season One (Network Premiere) This comedy series explores the challenges - real and imagined - of modern-day marriage from a decidedly male perspective. Mind of the Married Man revolves around three friends and co-workers who share the experiences of being married, but who have very different opinions about how to make their marriages work. Red Cap (Canadian Premiere) This powerful and well-written series from the BBC focuses on the elite plain-clothes detective unit of the Royal Military Police that investigates serious crimes committed by members of the armed forces. Red Cap stars Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders). The Associates (Network Premiere) Five young, intelligent and ambitious lawyers live a daily battle working for a prestigious Toronto law firm. But the business world sometimes demands behaviours that go against their personal ethics. In addition to great series, Showcase - Television Without Borders - is the number one destination for the best uncut movies. This year's movie line-up includes Academy Award(R)-nominated Traffic and Memento. History Television The History of Mistresses (North American Broadcast Premiere) Throughout history, powerful men have had mistresses. This three-part series offers a definitive guide to the age-old story of mistresses and their impact on history. From Cleopatra to Monica Lewinsky, The History of Mistresses examines their decline from a position of influence and respect to that "other woman." From A Place Called War (Broadcast Premiere) This four-part series tells stories of the Second World War through the simple and heroic words of the people who witnessed the war first-hand. Using personal letters, humorous anecdotes and poignant last words, From a Place Called War provides unique insight into the harsh conditions Canadian soldiers faced during the War. This series makes its world broadcast debut as part of History Television's annual Week of Remembrance. History of Burlesque (Broadcast Premiere) This is a fun and furious romp through the history of burlesque, as told by those who practice, own, enjoy and abhor the form. Through the voices and writings of strippers, old-time burlesque performers, and patrons, the series explores the survival and re-invention of burlesque from its dawn to its dusk. Food Network Canada Jamie's Kitchen (North American Premiere) Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef, Oliver's Twist) proves he can stand the heat with the reality-based, U.K. series chronicling the nine months he spent transforming 15 unemployed 16- to 24-year-olds into chefs. The seven-part series follows Oliver and his trainees - who have virtually no cooking experience - from the audition stage and tumultuous training period, onwards. While all this is underway, Oliver simultaneously scouts for and sets up Fifteen, the new restaurant in East London that will eventually be staffed by his trainees, and prepares to become a dad. The Cookworks (Canadian Premiere) Hosted by successful chef/restaurateur Donna Dooher (Mildred Pierce Restaurant), each episode of this 13-part series features Dooher coaching an enthusiastic group of six to eight adult students with a focus on specific ingredients, techniques and tools. Set in a teaching kitchen, students work together on everything from main courses and comfort foods to fish and pastry, enjoying the fruits of their labour when they sit down to test how it all turned out. Date Plate (Canadian Premiere) Take two eligible singles, give each a $50 shopping budget, ask them to plan and cook a meal and you've got the recipe for Date Plate. Produced by the creators of Trading Spaces this 13-part series challenges two romantics to put a new spin on the blind date, relying on the old adage that the way to the heart is via the stomach. Working within budget and against the clock contestants attempt to woo a man or woman they've never met by cooking the person a meal. Meanwhile, the potential date must be persuaded, and choose a date based solely on the meal he or she prepares. HGTV Trash to Treasure (Broadcast Premiere) Twenty hours. Six people. Two teams. One mission: To buy trash, turn it into treasure, and sell it for as much as possible. The name of the game is Trash to Treasure and the team that makes the most money wins in each episode of this 13-part series. This three-stage competition follows two teams - each armed with $400 - with six hours to hit garage sales, consignment shops, flea markets, second hand stores and content sales, and spend all their money. In stage two, each team has eight hours to clean, fix, paint, polish and refurbish their finds. And finally, in stage three, the two teams set up competing tables at a local flea market and have six hours to sell all their wares. Buy Me! (Broadcast Premiere) If walls could talk! From the production team behind Debbie Travis' Facelift, this 13-part series follows the real-life drama of real estate. Told from the perspective of the house, each episode chronicles the history of a different home, from former owners and renovations to the cosmetic upgrades made in preparation for being put on the market. The house comments on the real estate agents, the home inspectors and the parade of prospective buyers until someone finally makes an offer to call this house their home. Debbie Travis' Facelift (New Season, New Format) More design, more drama, more Debbie. Relaunching in an expanded one-hour format, as a result of viewer demand, Debbie Travis' Facelift returns for a second season with 13 episodes. In this series that combines reality television with creative design, Travis renovates and redecorates spaces of unsuspecting homeowners. Overhauling everything from bedrooms and basements to garages and kitchens, Travis conspires with spouses, colleagues and family members, employs hidden cameras, and covertly transforms the room of an absent homeowner. Life Network Crisis Zone (Canadian Premiere) From Cambodia to Angola, this 13-part series travels to more than 20 developing countries around the world with doctors and nurses from the international medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders. Dropped into geographical and political hot spots, this series follows the organization's treatment and rehabilitation efforts in areas where supplies and equipment are rudimentary at best, and every day presents another life and death challenge. It also offers a unique look at the lives of humanitarian workers facing their own fears and struggling to make a difference. Life Network's returning series include Matchmaker, with host Andrew Anthony, Out in the City, Trading Places and Weird Weddings. BBC Canada Servants (North American Premiere) Behind every great house is a great story. Exclusive to BBC CANADA, Servants is a contemporary drama, in period costume, revealing the secret lives, dreams and ambitions of servants in an 1850s English country house. While the servants are silent and obedient in front of their employers, life below stairs is a hive of activity, rife with romance, intrigue, rivalry, and dirty laundry - ever vulnerable to the whims of the masters of the house. Swiss Toni (North American Premiere) Look out ladies. Super-suave car salesman, Swiss Toni, is on the prowl in this six-part series exclusive to BBC CANADA. With his silver pompadour and moustache, Swiss is an old-fashioned guy, though he'd like everyone to think he is a man of the world. Secretly terrified of women, Swiss is hopeless at selling cars without the help of Geoff, his smooth but alcoholic salesman; or Paul, a naive trainee who looks up to Swiss as a mover and shaker. Life Laundry (North American Premiere) In this BBC CANADA exclusive, Dawna Walter helps the hopeless take control of their lives by tackling clutter, junk and time-management in this tough-love series about simplifying and streamlining domestic life. BBC Kids The Basil Brush Show (North American Premiere) He's the number one fox on the box! Exclusive to BBC Kids, this fast- paced, energetic sitcom-style show stars Basil, a cheeky, irreverent and charming fox who lives with 22-year-old Stephen, and garners over 1.4 million viewers each week in the U.K. Trouble, hi-jinx and madcap adventures abound as Stephen, uncle and guardian of Molly and Dave, looks after his niece and nephew while their parents bicycle around the world. My Parents Are Aliens (North American English Premiere) Most kids think their parents are from another world. Imagine the shock of the three Johnson kids when they find out that their adoptive parents are really aliens masquerading as humans. Winner of the Banff Rockie Award for Best Children's Program in 2001, this live-action comedy series follows the adventures of the Johnson household as they learn that in order to stay together, this family is going to have to reinvent the traditional rules of the house. The Raven (North American Premiere) Part game show, part drama, The Raven has a single goal: Avoid being eliminated by The Raven and remain the "last one standing." In this innovative series exclusive to BBC Kids, each week's adventure involves a series of games and tests undertaken by six players who compete to survive the challenges and stay in play. Discovery Health Channel Medical Secrets (Broadcast Premiere) Was Marilyn Monroe's psychiatrist responsible for her death? Did Hitler have Parkinson's disease and did that influence the outcome of the Second World War? Was murder to blame for the tragic demise of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? This six-part series uses modern forensics to explore the lives and deaths of celebrities and historical figures. Each episode is a forensic biography that explores how a medical condition changed a renowned individual's life and, in turn, changed history. Adoption Stories (Broadcast Premiere) Each half-hour episode of this series tells an intimate story of adoption. Get to know the family/couple and the child/children being adopted as they go through the adoption process, and join them for the emotional moment when they unite to form a family. The series features international adoptions from all over the world, including Russia, Haiti, Guatemala and Korea. Adoption Stories also explores different kinds of families, including an episode which tells the story of a lesbian couple from Winnipeg who adopt Native children. Another episode tells the story of a couple who has adopted more than 20 children, all with different disabilities. Genius Sperm Bank (Broadcast Premiere) In 1980, before Dolly and the talk of human cloning, an eccentric multimillionaire devised a controversial plan to guarantee a more intelligent population. Collecting semen from top scientists and other "geniuses," he made it available to women looking to produce smart children. Twenty years later, meet three children who were created in this social experiment as they search for their unknown fathers and the truth of who they are. Genius Sperm Bank poses the explosive question: can you make smarter babies? IFC - The Independent Film Channel A Decade Under the Influence (Network Premiere) This three-part documentary examines the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of the time, including Robert Altman, Peter Bogdanovich, Milos Forman, Pam Grier, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese and Jon Voight. Dinner for Five (Returning Series) Originally conceived by Jon Favreau, and loosely based on the famed Algonquin Roundtable, Dinner for Five seats screen legends next to a variety of personalities from film, television, music and comedy, resulting in an unpredictable free-for-all. With no prepared topics for discussion, the show's guests discuss life, work, and whatever else comes to mind, giving viewers a ringside seat to some of their favourite personalities. Shot at different restaurants around Los Angeles and New York, the meal is filmed in its entirety and then edited down to a half-hour episode. New episodes will air this fall. Fargo (Network Premiere) In this Minnesota-bound black comedy from the Coen brothers, a none-too- successful car salesman hires a pair of thugs to kidnap his wife in order to extort money from his wealthy but stingy father-in-law. When the plan goes awry and three people wind up murdered, the local, pregnant police chief methodically picks up the investigation. The film stars William H. Macy and Frances McDormand. National Geographic Channel Through the Lens (Canadian Premiere) This feature documentary takes some of the most riveting adventure photographs of the last decade and tells the stories behind the lens - quests filled with excitement, pain, danger and triumph - where split-second timing can spell the difference between exhilarating success and devastating failure. From base-jumping the highest waterfall on Earth, to trekking across Arabia by camel, ten featured photographs will plunge viewers into a thrill-seeking, heart-stopping world of action and edge-of-your-seat exploits. Inside Mecca (World Broadcast Premiere) This film follows three pilgrims as they embark on their journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj in 2003. Woven through the personal stories of the pilgrims, Inside Mecca examines the city itself and its historic importance to Muslim and non-Muslim populations alike. Combining live action with history, the film provides a timely political and religious context for the Hajj. Animal Nightmares (Canadian Premiere) Everyone is afraid of something, and the animal kingdom is responsible for many of those fears. Sharks, snakes and spiders are some of the world's most feared animals. This series examines these fears and what lies behind the paralyzing terror some feel when they encounter a seemingly harmless bird or cat. Each of the 13 episodes focuses on a specific animal and is told from the point of view of someone in the grip of fear, balanced by an expert who can show them the animal as it really is, not as they imagine it to be. Showcase Action Showcase Action brings viewers uncut, explosive and steamy action 24 hours a day with spies and tough guys, adventurers and Kung Fu masters. Movies on Showcase Action this year include: Lethal Weapon 1, 2 and 3, Enter the Dragon, On Deadly Ground and Tango and Cash. Is Harry On the Boat? (Canadian Premiere) A sexy, hip drama that focuses on the life of a holiday representative in the hedonistic heart of Europe: Ibiza. First-time rep Robbie heads to Ibiza with dreams of bronzed beauties and boozing to the max. Within a few hours of his arrival on the island, he's met his fantasy woman emerging wet and suntanned from the sea - and he's hooked. Walker, Texas Ranger (Network Premiere) Chuck Norris stars as Cordell Walker, a contemporary Texas Ranger who believes in dealing with criminals the old-fashioned way - by beating them up. Despite the rules that govern the way law-enforcement officers are supposed to act, Walker's approach closely resembles the "eye-for-an-eye" school of crime-fighting. Showcase Diva Kath and Kim (Canadian Premiere) See Australia like you have never seen it before. Kath is a forty- something mother who is very proud of her home and how she looks. Kim is her spoiled twenty-something daughter whose glass of Diet Coke is always half empty, and never half full. They have an opinion on all important issues: politics, homosexuality, Mariah Carey's breakdown.... Together with Kath's new fiancé Kel, Kim's second-best friend Sharon and her estranged husband Brett, they love to make mountains out of molehills, mangling syntax in an attempt to find virtue in the mundane. If they weren't so funny, they'd be laughable. Returning series include Bad Girls and Footballer's Wives. The award- winning U.K. prison drama series, Bad Girls, airs exclusively in Canada on Showcase Diva and depicts the grim reality of a women's prison and the shocking situations faced by female prisoners every day as they attempt to survive the system. Set in south London, Footballer's Wives follows the lives of several young couples as they deal with life in the celebrity spotlight. Showcase Diva delivers star-studded movies and series with a bold female attitude twenty-four hours a day. This year's movie include: Pelican Brief, The American President and Arthur.
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