On September 1, W Network, the #1 specialty channel for women, kicks off a fall schedule packed with more of the programming women want – the hottest blockbuster films, new hands-on design shows, life-enhancing romance, gripping drama and compelling documentaries. In addition, W Network brings nine new commissioned Canadian series and 14 returning original Canadian series to its fall schedule.
“In just one year since re-launching WTN as W Network, the service has grown to become the #1 network for women. We’ve done it by listening and responding to our viewers. Women want programming that lets them relax, escape and be entertained so for fall we are scheduling five movies a week. Design shows are one of the hottest television genres going and we have two new additions to our strong Thursday night design lineup. Plus we have commissioned ambitious new Canadian drama and documentary series to launch this fall,” said Wendy Montgomery, Vice President and General Manager of W Network.
Building on the success and appeal of the network’s strong design lineup, Me, My House & I, With Brigitte Gall, Arresting Design and Completely Hammered provide viewers with top-notch design tips and repair ‘tricks of the trade’.
Comedian Brigitte Gall makes it, fixes it and decorates it, converting her newly acquired house into a comfortable family home in Me, My House & I, With Brigitte Gall (September 4 at 10 p.m.) Arresting Design hosts Tammy Schnurr and Jeffrey Fisher tackle the worst of design crimes in a brand new series combining the fast-paced drama of top cop shows with top-notch design (September 4 at 10:30 p.m.) Premiering on September 3 at 10:30 p.m., Completely Hammered offers an engaging ‘how to’ of house repairs with the help of four gorgeous contractors Anthony, Dylan, Jaran and Matthew.
Romance (or lack of) in all of its forms is close to W Network viewers’ hearts. Jonathan Torrens (Trailer Park Boys) and Ramona Milano (Due South) host W Network’s new magazine show Living Romance, which launches September 5 at 8 p.m. From romantic getaways to fun, fresh dating ideas, from luxurious lingerie to wonderful weddings, Living Romance provides an essential A-Z guide to romantic living.
Two new documentary series The Ex Factor and Tell It Like It Is tap into personal stories and life-changing experiences. Women recount their most intimate, funny and outrageous stories in the new 13-part documentary series Tell It Like It Is (September 6 at 11:30 p.m.) Each episode of The Ex Factor (September 1 at 10:30 p.m.) follows one person as they open their little black book to begin a physical and emotional journey back in time, tracking down significant old flames from the first crush to the present day.
W Network expands its movie schedule this fall to five movies each week. As part of the network’s blockbuster feature film presentation, Bridget Jones’s Diary (Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant) and Legally Blonde (Reese Witherspoon) make their North American broadcast premiere. W Network showcases the best of international movies on Tuesdays, beginning September 2 at 9 p.m. and continues with a night of romance movies on Fridays at 9 p.m.
New acquisitions from the UK include the exclusive Canadian premieres of the BBC series Cash In The Attic (September 3 at 10 p.m.) in which forgotten treasures are traded in for cash and the reality show Most Haunted (September 6 at 8 p.m.) in which 11 individuals have just 24 hours to determine whether ghosts really do exist.
New dramas for fall on W Network include Caroline In The City, Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy and Providence. Touched By An Angel returns with new episodes.
The premiere of the drama series The Shields Stories, based on the short stories by internationally renowned Canadian author Carol Shields and from the producers of The Atwood Stories, is slated for winter ‘04 broadcast. The smart, no-holds barred sketch show Listen, Missyshowcases the talents of Kathryn Greenwood and Diane Flacks and Get Me To The Wedding is a revealing look at the modern day wedding through the eyes of a wedding planner. The Naughty Bits, a new six-part documentary series, takes a fun and provocative look at how our body parts (the naughty bits) have been represented in the media, art, literature and music.
Series returning to W Network with new episodes include: Animal Magnetism, Decorating Challenge, Divine Design, eLOVE, Family Secrets, Get Growing, A Guy And A Girl, The Right Fit, The Shopping Bags, Stories Of Mothers & Daughters, Style VIP, Stylin’ Gypsies and Sunday Night Sex Show.
NEW PROGRAMMING:
Me,My House & I, With Brigitte Gall
Premiere Date: September 4th
Me,My House & I, With Brigitte Gall,is more than a fix-it show.Each week comedian Brigitte Gall (World’s Greatest Spas),invites viewers into her newly acquired house as she creatively tackles a series of projects to transform it into a comfortable and fully functional family home.Brigitte makes it,fixes it and decorates it,sharing her hilarious brand of humour as well as great tips and design ideas.
Arresting Design
Premiere Date: September 4th
The Design Squad of Jeffrey Fisher and Tammy Schnurr hit the streets to solve crimes of the home furnishing kind,investigating how home décor affects our relationships and our bond to the spaces we live in. Homeowners are turned in by informers,a.k.a.their spouses,lovers, relatives, or friends for committing decorating misdemeanors. A “surprise bust”sentences the unsuspecting homeowner to a night of luxury (in the finest hotel),as the design team moves in to solve the case of bad space. They’ve got only 24 hours (consecutive)and a modest budget to solve the
design crime scene.
Completely Hammered
Premiere Date: September 3rd
From the producers of Debbie Travis’Painted House, Completely Hammered is a fix-it program that presents home repairs by real handymen, fixing real home repair problems.Starring four sexy
handymen,each episode features the skilled men visiting three homes of women in need.From fixing leaky faucets to replacing bathroom tiles, this
entertaining how-to show for women gives practical guidance to solving many of the odd-job problems around the home.
Living Romance
Premiere Date: September 5th
Living Romance on W Network invites viewers to experience life as a romantic adventure.Hosted by Jonathan Torrens (Jonathan Cross’s Canada, Trailer Park Boys)and Ramona Milano (Due South), the show celebrates romance from the first date to the golden wedding anniversary. The series explores various ways to find romance,from traditional matchmakers to modern-day speed dating.Viewers learn how to put the romance back into relationships and be inspired by stories of enduring love.From romantic getaways to fun,fresh dating ideas,luxurious lingerie to wonderful weddings,Living Romance offers the essential A-Z for romantic living.
Cash in the Attic
Premiere Date: September 3rd
Do you know what hidden treasures are hidden in your home?We all have junk in our attics…and garages and bottom drawers.Much of it is sentimental and not worth any money,but some of it is valuable.Cash In The Attic is the show that helps find these precious possessions and sells them at auction.In each program viewers meet a family who needs something,be it a new fridge,or a holiday or a second-hand car, and with the help of Cash In The Attic,find forgotten treasures and
turn them into gold.
Most Haunted
Premiere Date: September 6th
Do ghosts exist?That’s the question this 18-part series is determined to answer.With a team that includes a scientist and parapsychologist as well as Britain’s most eminent spiritual medium,Derek Acorah, Most Haunted sets out to provide viewers with an honest account of paranormal activity in some of Britain’s most documented and infamous locations.
Stylishly and energetically shot,the program opens in daylight with a description of the location’s history and its inhabitants and ends in the
claustrophobic world of night,where the crew plays a critical role revealing their prejudices, expectations and fears.Monitoring the night’s events with scientific equipment,viewers share the crews’experiences with the many manifestations of ghosts from poltergeists and apparitions to doppelgangers.Prepare to have your preconceptions challenged.
The Ex Factor
Premiere Date: September 1st
Have you ever wondered what happened to your very first great love or the ‘charmer’who left you
behind in search of more amorous admirers? Each episode of the new documentary series The Ex Factor follows one person as they open their little black book to begin a physical and emotional journey back in time,tracking down three significant old flames from the first crush to the present day.But as viewers discover,once this Pandora’s box of secrets is opened, there is no going back.
Tell It Like It Is
Premiere Date: September 6th
Tell It Like It Is is an innovative 13-part documentary series that embraces the basic human desire to share stories.The series highlights
real women telling their own intimate, embarrassing, somber and thrilling stories in their own voices.
Created by some of Canada’s most established and up-and-coming talent including series creator Scott McLaren,Ric Bienstock (Ms.Conceptions),
Robin Bicknell (A Time To Live),and David Sutherland (Eating the Bones), each story is told straight to camera, establishing a raw intimacy with the audience.Through a stylized editing process the stories are woven together to produce a visually vibrant and engaging series of episodes,which are greater than their powerful, individual whole.
NEW MOVIES:
MOVIES ON W NETWORK FALL 2003
This fall,W Network will add an additional movie night to its broadcast schedule,airing movies of
the week from around the world.As part of W Network’s ‘blockbuster’feature film presentation,
Bridget Jones’s Diary and Legally Blonde make their North American broadcast premiere in
the fall.W Network’s schedule will include five movies each week from fall 2003.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger)is an average woman struggling against her age,her weight,her job,her lack of a man,and her many imperfections. As a New Year’s resolution,Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth.The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss (Hugh Grant)takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones and the ups and downs of their ill-fated relationship prove hilarious and touching at once.Thrown into the mix are Bridget’s band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance (Colin Firth)
who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive.
Legally Blonde
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon)has it all.She’s the president of her sorority,a Hawaiian Tropic girl,Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all,a natural blonde.She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs.Warner Huntington III. But,there’s just one thing stopping Warner (Matthew Davis)from popping the question:Elle is too blonde.So,when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school,Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard,determined to win him back.Elle must wage the battle of her life,for her guy,for herself and for all the blondes who suffer endless indignities everyday.
