Streaming This September on CBC Gem

September 1, 2021

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Critically acclaimed CBC Gem original series NEXT STOP (Sept. 24) from Jabbari Weekes, Tichaona Tapambwa and Phil Witmer and executive producer Amar Wala returns with a second season chronicling the lives of Black Torontonians struggling to stay afloat in the sprawling city.

CBC Gem will offer new programming in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, including Tanya Talaga’s SPIRIT TO SOAR: MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIMAADIZIWIN (Sept. 24), a powerful film that examines the hard truths around the deaths of seven First Nation high school students in Thunder Bay, ON; and WE WERE CHILDREN, recounting the experiences of two residential school survivors.
Additional programming for Sept. 30 will be announced soon.

Marking 20 years since 9/11, CBC Gem will offer new documentaries 9/11: UNFINISHED BUSINESS (Sept. 10), a CBC News special presentation with Peter Mansbridge;
and SURVIVING 9/11 commissioned by BBC (Sept. 10), offering a deeply personal look at the events of September 11, 2001

Acclaimed international series coming to CBC Gem include the first season of SHERLOCK (Sept. 10) starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, that puts a modernized spin on the legendary character; and new UK comedies STATH LETS FLATS (Sept. 3), which tells the story of a desperate real estate agent, and the second season of highly acclaimed GHOSTS (Sept. 10), about a cash-strapped young couple that inherits a mansion with needy ghosts.

CBC Gem’s Film Fridays return with new Canadian features including THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT (Sept. 10) directed by Kim Nguyen and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård; and Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ acclaimed film A COLONY (Sept. 17), starring Émilie Bierre as an insecure girl starting high school.

CBC’s fall 2021 season kicks off in September with the premieres of RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (Sept. 9), STRAYS (Sept. 14) and MOONSHINE (Sept. 14) and new episodes from returning favourites MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Sept. 13), THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (Sept. 14) and FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Sept. 27), all of which will be available on CBC Gem concurrently with their premieres on CBC TV.

CBC GEM ORIGINAL SERIES

DOUNIA (6×7, Kids animated series, created by Marya Zarif, Canada, 2020)
Begins streaming Saturday, September 4
Forced to leave their country, Dounia and her grandparents set off in search of a new home. As she travels around the world in search of asylum, Dounia encounters many people and lives many great adventures. And when she encounters an obstacle that seems insurmountable, the wisdom of the ancient world comes to her rescue in the form of the nigella seeds of her grandmother.

NEXT STOP Season 2 (6×10, YA Comedy, Scarborough Pictures, Canada)
CBC Gem Original
New season premieres Friday, September 24
An anthology comedy series chronicling the lives of Black Torontonians struggling to stay afloat in the sprawling city. Continuing its rise from a community-based YouTube show, Next Stop charts a course through chaotic, surreal, and hilarious vignettes of ‘yutes’ confronting the challenges of life in a competitive, expensive, and rapidly-changing city. Created by Jabbari Weekes, Tichaona Tapambwa and Phil Witmer and executive produced by Amar Wala.

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ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL SERIES

RIPPER STREET Season 1 (8×50, Drama, Tiger Aspect Productions, UK, 2012)
Begins streaming Friday, September 3
Haunted by the failure to catch London’s most evil killer, Jack the Ripper, Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen, Pride & Prejudice) now heads up the notorious H Division – the toughest police district in the East End. Charged with keeping order in the blood-stained streets of Whitechapel, Reid and his men find themselves fighting to uphold justice and the rule of law; but always in the background lurks the fear of the Ripper – is he back for another reign of terror? Rich episodic storylines meld with the intrigue of a criminal underworld festering on the hard streets of Victorian London, following the battle of the men whose job it is to bring the law to the lawless.

STATH LETS FLATS (6×30, Comedy, Roughcut Television, UK, 2018)
Begins streaming Friday, September 3
Stath (Jamie Demetriou, Fleabag) is a lettings agent, working at the family business in North London. His eccentric dad Vasos (Christos Stergioglou, Dogtooth) is desperate to retire – and Stath is desperate to prove he can run the business when that happens. As he shows his bemused clients properties, it becomes clear he’s more likely to accidentally set fire to an apartment, or break everything in it, than he is to actually let one. With high-end real estate agents next door, can Stath earn his dad’s trust and finally take over the business?

GHOSTS Season 2 (6×30, Comedy, Monumental Television & Them There, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, September 24
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
A cash-strapped young couple inherit a rickety country mansion, only to find it teeming with needy ghosts. Starring Lolly Adefope (Shrill, Miracle Workers), Mathew Baynton (Vanity Fair, The Wrong Mans) and Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Detectorists), this multi-character sitcom was created by and stars the writer-performers from the award-winning Horrible Histories and Yonderland, and feature film Bill.

SHERLOCK Season 1 (3×90, Drama, Hartswood Films, UK, 2010)
Begins streaming Friday, September 10
John Watson (Martin Freeman, The Hobbit) is a doctor, soldier, war hero and lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange), a loner, detective genius. The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect coupled with John’s pragmatism soon forge an unbreakable alliance. Across three thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly entertaining television movies, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth. The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, this is Sherlock for a new generation.

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DOCUMENTARIES

THE STORY OF LATE NIGHT (6×60, Docuseries, Cream Productions, 2021)
Begins streaming Friday, September 3
Carson, Leno, Letterman – legendary hosts that changed late-night television. Through good times and bad, they gained America’s trust and kept the country laughing. But it wasn’t all laughter all the time. From secret deals to broken promises, some of the most dramatic stories were the ones that didn’t play out in front of the television cameras.

TOPPING OUT: RACE TO THE 2021 OURAY ICE CLIMBING CHAMPIONSHIP (1×23, Citizen Pictures, USA, 2021)
Begins streaming Friday, September 3
The remarkable story of one of the premier ice climbing venues in the world and the race to re-imagine a 2021 event — with all the history, tradition, personalities and back-stories of the organizers, founders and competing athletes.

9/11: UNFINISHED BUSINESS (1×60, CBC News, Canada, 2021)
Begins streaming Friday, September 10; also premiering on CBC TV at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on September 10 and at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on September 11 on CBC News Network
Twenty years after the worst terrorist attack in US history, one question remains: Did the Saudi government help the hijackers? The families of 9/11 victims search for justice. Peter Mansbridge asks the questions and tracks down surprising new answers in this CBC News special presentation.

SURVIVING 9/11 (1×90, Top Hat Productions, UK, 2021)
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Begins streaming Friday, September 10, also premiering on CBC TV at 8 p.m. on September 11 2021
The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 is perhaps the defining historical event of the post war era. But what was it like to actually live through and how easy is it to move on from a day that society wants to go on remembering? Twenty years on, SURVIVING 9/11 brings together 13 ordinary people who were caught in an event they weren’t able to fully comprehend at the time and that they are still working through with the benefit of hindsight. The deeply personal film is told from multiple perspectives – survivors, first responders and family members of victims. Blending powerful testimony from American and British interviewees and personal and public archive the story of the day unfolds almost in real time.

SPIRIT TO SOAR: MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIMAADIZIWIN (1×60, Antica Productions, 2021)
Available in English and Anishinabemowin Friday, September 24; also premiering on CBC TV at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT)
Directed by Tanya Talaga and Michelle Derosier, SPIRIT TO SOAR: MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIMAADIZIWIN examines the hard truths around the deaths of First Nations students in Thunder Bay, truths Canada continues to ignore: racism kills, especially when it presents as indifference. It’s a look at how families and communities struggle to carry on while pursuing justice for their loved ones and equity for their people, and it follows Tanya Talaga’s personal journey as she explores her own Indigenous identity. At its heart, this is a story of the strength and bravery of First Nations youth who everyday walk out the front door and head to high school in a country that has tried to erase them. This is a story about resilience that says, we’re still here and we are thriving.

WE WERE CHILDREN (1×90, Docudrama, directed by Tim Wolochatiuk, Canada, 2012)
Now streaming
WE WERE CHILDREN shows the profound impact of the Canadian government’s residential school system conveyed through the voices of two survivors. As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in church-run boarding schools, where they suffered years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives. This true story gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit. The film won a Banff Rockie Award and received four Canadian Screen Award nominations and two wins.

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CANADIAN FEATURE FILMS

THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT (1×90, Drama, directed by Kim Nguyen, Canada, 2018)
Begins streaming Friday, September 10
Cousins Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård, The Legend Of Tarzan) are players in the high-stakes game of high-frequency trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream is to build a straight fibre-optic cable line between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions, but nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to the breaking point with their daring adventure. Also starring Salma Hayek.

A COLONY (1×90, Drama, directed by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Canada, 2018)
Begins streaming Friday, September 17
Mylia (Émilie Bierre, Jenny), a timid 12-year-old child, is about to leave her native countryside to begin high school. Lost in this new hostile environment, she copes as well as she can, sometimes awkwardly, dealing with the absurdities, discomforts and small victories of adolescence. Along the way she encounters Jimmy (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie, District 31), a young Indigenous outsider from the neighbouring reserve, who will help her stand her ground and embrace who she really is.

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LIFESTYLE

GRAND DESIGNS NEW ZEALAND Season 5 (8×60, Lifestyle, Imagination Television, Fremantle Australia, NZ)
Begins streaming Friday, September 10
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
GRAND DESIGNS features striking architecture, brilliant personal documentary, outstanding design and engaging stories, as celebrated architect, designer, urbanist and philosopher Chris Moller meets the brave Kiwis building their own extraordinary homes all over the country, following them from start to finish.

ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY Season 25(B) (35×60, Boundless Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, September 17
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY returns with a new season to find the perfect home for families seeking to get away from city living. Each episode features one couple or family who are looking to make the escape and relocate to the country.

JUNIOR BAKING SHOW Season 6 (15×60, Love Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, September 24
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
JUNIOR BAKE OFF returns! Selected from thousands of applicants, sixteen talented junior bakers enter the iconic white tent and battle it out in the most challenging and exciting contest to date. Host Harry Hill brings warmth and humour as Liam Charles is joined by a new judge: professional pastry chef Ravneet Gill. Together they take on the tough task of finding Britain’s best junior baker.

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CBC FALL 2021 SEASON:

CBC’s fall 2021 season kicks off in September with the premieres of RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (Sept. 9), STRAYS (Sept. 14) and MOONSHINE (Sept. 14) and new episodes from returning favourites like MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Sept. 13), THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (Sept. 14) and FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Sept. 27), all of which will be available on CBC Gem concurrently with their premieres on CBC TV. Details of CBC’s fall schedule are available here.

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THE BEST OF CBC:

Past and current seasons of CBC series including BURDEN OF TRUTH, THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW, FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES, HEARTLAND, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, STILL STANDING, TALLBOYZ, KIM’S CONVENIENCE, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, and SCHITT’S CREEK; and classic CBC hits like BEING ERICA.