Corus Entertainment applauds its production partners and celebrates its exceptional slate of original content, as recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards. Announced earlier today, Corus-owned properties have earned a total of 73 Canadian Screen Awards nominations, representing Corus’ commitment to excellence in creating and delivering Canadians premium, high-impact original content across genres.
“On behalf of Corus, I am proud to congratulate our esteemed and valued production partners on today’s nominations for the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards,” said Lisa Godfrey, Vice President of Original Content, Corus Entertainment. “The nominations across all categories are a testament to the exceptional original content from talented visionaries and creators across the industry, and those stories that continue to shape the country’s cultural landscape.”
Corus Entertainment’s conventional network Global garnered 22 nominations across scripted and non-scripted original series, including entertainment powerhouse ET Canada and Global News programming. Among the nominations for original series, the final season of the acclaimed drama Mary Kills People received 11 nominations including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Actress, Drama Series, Caroline Dhavernas. Star of Canada’s favourite detective series, Jason Priestley, captured a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy series for Private Eyes, and smash hit reality series Big Brother Canada received three nominations including Best Reality/Competition Program or Series.
Meanwhile, ET Canada earned three nods including Best Entertainment News Program or Series, and Best Host, Web Program or Series, Graeme O’Neil and Carlos Bustamante. Rounding out Global’s nominations, Global News was recognized as one of the nation’s best news broadcasters, garnering four nominations across the country within the Non-Fiction Awards categories.
The company’s robust portfolio of specialty brands earned a combined 42 nominations. HISTORY’s Original hit series Vikings leads with eight nominations for its monumental final season, including Best Drama Series and two nominations for Best Direction in a Drama Series, while the captivating documentary D-Day in 14 Stories garnered four nominations including Best History Documentary Program or Series and Best Picture Editing, Documentary. Corus Studios’ top-rated original series Rust Valley Restorers* and factual series History Erased were also recognized for their outstanding direction with nominations for Best Direction, Factual and Best Direction, Documentary respectively. Based on real-life events, Showcase’s Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey received six nominations including Best TV Movie and Best Lead Performance, TV Movie, and No One Would Tell earned Best Direction, TV Movie.
Corus’ Lifestyle content dominates the Best Lifestyle Program or Series category with HGTV Canada landing three of the five nominations including fan-favourite series Property Brothers, Corus Studios’ original series Home to Win and HGTV Canada’s most-watched series of the past 10 years Island of Bryan**. Corus takes four of the five nominations for Best Host, Lifestyle, which includes HGTV Canada’s Bryan and Sarah Baeumler of lsland of Bryan, Drew and Jonathan Scott of Property Brothers: Forever Home, Sangita Patel of Home to Win and John Catucci of Food Network Canada’s Big Food Bucket List. Food Network Canada’s culinary elite get a taste of victory with five nods for Iron Chef Canada including Best Direction and Best Writing in the Reality/Competition category, while Top Chef Canada picks up three nominations including Best Reality/Competition Series, Best Writing and Best Direction – Reality/Competition. Carnival Eats gets a nod for Best Direction, Lifestyle or Information and fiery grilling competition series from Corus Studios Fire Masters is nominated for Best Photography, Lifestyle or Reality/Competition.
Corus’ popular Kids portfolio of brands received nine nominations for beloved animated kids content across YTV, Treehouse and TELETOON. TELETOON’s Cupcake & Dino: General Services received nods for Best Performance, Animation and Best Animated Program or Series, joining Total Dramarama in the Best Animated Program or Series category. YTV’s Go Away Unicorn! garnered two nominations for Best Writing, Animation and Treehouse’s Rusty Rivets scooped up nominations in both the Best Original Music, Animation and Best Pre-School Program or Series categories.
Corus’ Nelvana, a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content, received two nominations within the Best Performance, Animation category, including Patrick McKenna for its original animated series Esme & Roy, produced in association with Sesame Workshop. Paul Braunstein also picked up a nomination for Best Performance, Animation for Nelvana’s 3D animated series Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, presented by redknot, a joint venture between Nelvana and Discovery Inc. and based off the books from author-illustrator Ashley Spires, published by Corus’ Kids Can Press, the largest Canadian-owned children’s book publisher. Both preschool series air on Treehouse.