Streaming This May On CBC Gem (May 15-30, 2020)

DRAMAS

LINE OF DUTY (Drama, 5×60, United Kingdom) 

Season 1 begins streaming Friday, May 15

Set in the fictional police anti-corruption unit AC-12, LINE OF DUTY is a cat-and-mouse thriller that takes a probing look into modern policing and corruption. The 2018 BAFTA Award nominated drama series is created by Jed Mercurio (Bodyguard, Bodies, Cardiac Arrest) and stars Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen, Red Road), Vicky McClure (This is England ‘86, Broadchurch), Adrian Dunbar (Blood, Hear My Song) and Stephen Graham (White House Farm Murder, Boardwalk Empire). 

NORMAL PEOPLE (Drama, 12×30, United Kingdom, USA) 

*Exclusive Canadian Premiere* Begins streaming Wednesday, May 27

NORMAL PEOPLE tracks the complicated relationship of Marianne (Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Mescal) from the end of their school days in a small-town west of Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. At school, he’s well-liked and popular, while she’s lonely, proud and intimidating. But when Connell comes to pick up his mother from her cleaning job at Marianne’s house, an indelible connection grows between them – one they are determined to conceal. A year later, they’re both studying in Dublin and Marianne has found her feet in a new social world but Connell hangs at the side lines, shy and uncertain. The pair weaves in and out of each other’s lives as they explore the complicated worlds of intimacy and young love.

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COMEDIES

THE RELUCTANT LANDLORD (Comedy, 7×30, United Kingdom) 

*Exclusive Canadian Premiere* Season 2 begins streaming Friday, May 15

Based on a true story, Romesh (Romesh Ranganathan, Funny Valentines) has reluctantly inherited the pub of his late, much more exuberant, positive father who relished the role of landlord. After nearly losing the pub at the end of the first season, Rom is now at the end of his probation period at The Seven Swans. This season sees Rom struggle with a health problem; money issues; his marriage; being a boss; being a parent; and being a Son to a Mother who is dating.

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TWEEN AND YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT 

CHICKEN GIRLS (YANA Drama, 10×22, USA) 

Seasons 1-4 begin streaming Friday, May 22

CHICKEN GIRLS tells the story of middle school student Rhyme McAdams (Annie LeBlanc, A Girl Named Jo) and her friends – known as “The Chicken Girls” – who have been dancing together forever. The show follows the girls through dance, friendship, crushes, and learning how to grow up.

MIGHTY MUSTANGS (Tween Drama, 13×30, Australia) 

Season 3 begins streaming Friday, May 29, with new episodes available weekly

MIGHTY MUSTANGS is a comedy drama about a group of young girls who abandon the sidelines and start their local football club’s first all female teams. In Season 3, the merger is on, but how can the Mustangs stand united in a team that now includes the Wildcats? And how are they going to kick goals in the A league when they’ve also got to handle the complicated business of friendships and feminism?

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ARTS, MUSIC & LIFESTYLE

THE MOVE (Arts, 9×5, Canada) 

Season 3 begins streaming Friday, May 15

THE MOVE Season 3 features nine extraordinary young dancers, aged 8 to 18. Each episode is a showcase of signature dance styles, personal stories and practical instruction, from ballet to hip hop to pow wow.

JUNOS 365 SONGWRITERS’ CIRCLE (Live stream, Part 2 of 5, CBC Music)

Begins streaming Friday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Presented by SOCAN in association with Music Publishers Canada, CBC Music’s JUNOS 365 SONGWRITERS’ CIRCLE is a series of five virtual events featuring some of Canada’s best songwriters telling the stories behind the songs and performing their work from their homes. Adapted from the popular JUNO Week event that was cancelled due to COVID-19, the second episode of the series will feature Halifax-based, JUNO award winner Rose Cousins bringing together stories and songs from Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), JUNO award winner William Prince and 2020 JUNO award Songwriter of the Year nominee Tenille Townes.

ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU: DESIGNING THE DREAM (Lifestyle, 1×60, United Kingdom) 

*Exclusive Canadian Premiere* Begins streaming Friday, May 15

ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU: DESIGNING THE DREAM celebrates husband and wife duo Dick and Angel Strawbridge’s exquisite creativity. Dick and Angel give their inside take on how they went about designing the Chateau into a magical home and fairy tale wedding venue. This special follows the daring couple as structural walls are smashed through, cleverly designed rooms brought back to life, and stunning bathrooms installed.

MY BIG FAMILY FARM (Lifestyle, 4×60, United Kingdom) 

*Exclusive Canadian Premiere* Season 1 begins streaming Friday, May 15

Hill shepherds Amanda and Clive Owen live on one of the most remote farms in Britain, where they are raising their nine children. This four-part series follows them over a year of the most extraordinary and extreme weather they’ve ever faced. Each episode spans a single season in the farming calendar as audiences discover how this unique family copes with the challenges of their remarkable life by working together.

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DOCUMENTARIES

CHARLES: 50 YEARS A PRINCE (Documentary, 1×60, United Kingdom) 

Begins streaming Friday, May 15

Fifty years ago in Caernarfon, Prince Charles embarked on a unique relationship with a country that has shaped his life and work. While acknowledging a sometimes troubled and turbulent history, this will be a celebration of Wales through the eyes of a Prince who has made the role his own.

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Hot Docs at Home on CBC:

IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES (Short Doc, 1×20, directed by Anne Koizumi, Canada, Official 2020 Hot Docs selection) 

Now streaming

In this animated short, the filmmaker explores her upbringing with her Japanese immigrant dad, who was also the janitor at the elementary school she attended. The film explores the idea of shame and how it can shape and define us while also concealing who we can truly become.

STAGE: THE CULINARY INTERNSHIP (Documentary, 1×90, directed by Abby Ainsworth, Canada) 

Begins streaming Friday, May 15

They come from all over the world: a mere 30 plucked from a field of 1,500 applicants, for the honour and privilege of spending nine grueling months as unpaid kitchen interns, or stagiaires. Yet for this batch of young, fresh-faced hopefuls, the chance to learn their craft under the watchful eye of Andoni Luis Aduriz, owner and executive chef of Spain’s legendary Michelin-starred Mugaritz restaurant, means more than simply learning a profession. In one of the most acclaimed and adventurous kitchens on the planet, where challenging, provocative dishes are created from the molecular level up, nerves are frayed, friendships are born and budding careers are established. Only ten will be chosen to continue and develop the following year’s menu. From a nerve-shredding seasonal dress rehearsal to a breakneck opening day, Stage: The Culinary Internship is a lively look at camaraderie, self-discovery and above all perseverance.

INFLUENCE (Canada/South Africa, documentary Channel Original, directed by Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, Official 2020 Hot Docs selection)

Exclusive Canadian Premiere begins streaming Thursday, May 21

Investigating the rise and fall of the world’s most notorious public relations and reputation management firm, the film charts the recent advancements in weaponized communication.

THE WALRUS AND THE WHISTLEBLOWER (Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Nathalie Bibeau, Official 2020 Hot Docs selection)

Exclusive Canadian Premiere begins  streaming Thursday, May 28

A whistleblower is sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus and falls down the rabbit hole of a personal quest against the backdrop of a movement to end marine mammal captivity.

SHEKINAH RISING (documentary Channel Original, 1×90, directed by Abbey Neidik, Canada) 

Begins streaming Friday, May 29

Shekinah Rising offers a rare opportunity to understand the lives of largely misunderstood orthodox women and the challenges they face in their early years of womanhood. The film brings us to Ste. Agathe, Quebec, to a seminary for young Hasidic women; to Crown Heights, New York, to hear a hasidic alternative-rock girl band; to Jerusalem for an orthodox-Jewish-feminish spoken word performance; to Paris where four Jewish hostages were murdered in a kosher grocery; to London to revisit a seminary student who is considering whether she should remain in the fold; and to a gathering of over 3000 community leaders, teachers, artists and pioneers committed to bringing peace and tolerance to Earth for all people. The Jewish mystics say the Shekinah is rising. The times are changing and these women are taking their rightful place in the new era.

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ALSO NEW TO  CBC GEM THIS MONTH 

• TIMEWASTERS (Comedy, 6×30, Big Talk Productions, United Kingdom)

• GOOD PEOPLE (Documentary, 5×20, VICE Studios, Canada) 

• YOUNG AND PROMISING (Drama/Comedy, 6×30, Monster Scripted, Norway)

• THE EXISTENCE OF MAGIC (Comedy, 1×10, Visionary Hag Productions, Canada) 

• BOLLYWOOD: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FILM INDUSTRY (Documentary, 2×60, Raw TV, United Kingdom) 

• SMART DRUGS (Documentary, 1×90, directed by Ann Shin, Canada) 

• THE DIVIDED BRAIN (Documentary, 1×90, directed by Manfred Becker, Canada)

• GAME CHANGERS (Documentary, 1×90, directed by J. Craig Thompson, Canada) 

• JUNOS 365 SONGWRITERS CIRCLE (CBC Music live stream, Part 1 of 5, host Brett Kissel)

• HELLO SPRING Collection will stream spring-themed content from across CBC’s programming offerings, including The Nature of Things The Wild Canadian Year: Spring, Jamie’s Thirty Minute Meals Spring Lamb, and the world premiere of CBC Short Docs Toad People.