CBC original competition series CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (Season 2 hosted by Brandon Gonez) and RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (Season 4 hosted by Maestro Fresh Wes) return on Sunday, April 28, also airing on CBC TV
International series include Emmy-winning Renaissance-era drama THE BORGIAS (April 5) starring Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, plus the final seasons of YOUNGER (April 7) and MASTERS OF SEX (April 19)
Feature films debuting in March include comedy C’MON C’MON (April 12) starring Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix; César Award-winning ALINE (April 5) directed, written by and starring Valérie Lemercier; humorous social satire THE MIDDLE MAN (April 19), and A SMALL FORTUNE (April 26) starring Stephen Oates, Liane Balaban and Andrea Bang
New Canadian series include short-form comedy-drama GET UP, AISHA (April 10), touching on the complexities of mental health and the pursuit of perfection, and critically acclaimed ICI TOU.TV drama AFTER (APRÈS) (April 19) starring Karine Vanasse and recounting the aftermath of a tragic event in a small town
Joel McHale returns to the scene of the tasty crime with Season 2 of baking competition series CRIME SCENE KITCHEN (April 3) and JAMIE’S COMFORT FOOD (April 12) celebrates simple, delightful guilty pleasures
New CBC Kids originals include DYLAN’S PLAYTIME ADVENTURES (April 1), following an imaginative puppy who takes on different careers, and LET’S GO, BANANAS! (April 19), about three sweet and silly families who share each other’s lives, loves, triumphs and tantrums
Inspiring documentary THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (April 10) follows the successes and failures of a couple determined to live in harmony with nature
CBC ORIGINAL SERIES
RACE AGAINST THE TIDE Season 4 (10×30, Lifestyle, marblemedia, Canada)
Begins streaming Sunday, April 28 on CBC Gem as of 9 a.m. ET and premieres at 7 p.m. (7:30NT) on CBC TV with back-to-back episodes
RACE AGAINST THE TIDE Season 4 brings 10 world-class sand sculpting teams to the shores of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick to test their skills in the toughest outdoor art competition on the planet. They’ll dig, pound, carve and sculpt to create extraordinary works of art – entirely made from sand! But here, they must battle each other and Mother Nature. Each week, the artists will have just six hours to create their epic sand sculptures, before the highest tide in the world rips them back out to sea. Ultimately, only one team will reign supreme and walk away with the grand prize of $10,000. Canadian music icon Maestro Fresh Wes returns to host, alongside expert judges, five-time World Champion Karen Fralich and Master Sculptor Rusty Croft.
CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE Season 2 (7×60, Reality Competition, Insight Productions and The Gurin Company, Canada)
Begins streaming Sunday, April 28 on CBC Gem as of 9 a.m. ET and premieres at 8 p.m. (8:30NT) on CBC TV
The original reality competition format that transforms Canada into a giant obstacle course returns for a second season. Hosted by Canadian broadcaster Brandon Gonez, season two features 20 fierce competitors divided into five teams of four taking on spectacular challenges that put their physical and mental skills to the test. Plenty of unpredictable twists and turns stun the Players and will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Beginning in St. John’s, NL and stopping in Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC, Ottawa, ON, Hamilton, ON, Canmore, AB, Revelstoke, BC and Vancouver Island, each episode takes place at an awe-inspiring location that showcases the beauty and grandeur of Canada.
FINDING DIAMONDS (6×15, Docu-series, Farpoint Films, Canada)
Begins streaming Saturday, March 23 – National Puppy Day
When filmmaker Ian Bawa’s life came crashing down with the unexpected death of his father, he turned to fostering dogs to help distract him from his grief. But then he met Diamond, a one-eyed yellow Labrador/Husky and the two have been inseparable ever since. Diamond is Ian’s constant companion that has helped him process the grief of losing his father. FINDING DIAMONDS is a docu-series that follows Ian and Diamond as they travel across Canada and meet other people and pets like them, exploring the special relationship between humans and their support animals – tales of grief and redemption found in the love of the smallest confidantes.
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ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL SERIES
THE BORGIAS Season 1 (9×60, Period Drama, Showtime Networks, Take 5 Productions and Octagon Films, USA, Canada, Hungary and Ireland)
Begins streaming Friday, April 5
Rodrigo Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI: the most venerated position in Italy, perhaps the Western world. A Renaissance-era crime drama of intrigue, corruption, and murder, THE BORGIAS is a story about power, loyalty and family. It centres on a brilliant, conflicted man bearing the burdens of religious responsibility, whilst trying to make the papacy the dynastic possession of his children. Created by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Greta) and starring Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers, House of Gucci), François Arnaud (Blindspot, I Killed My Mother), and Holliday Grainger (Cinderella, Great Expectations).
YOUNGER Season 7 + one-hour special (11×30 + 1×60, Comedy/Drama, Hudson Street Productions, USA)
Begins streaming Thursday, April 7
In the final season, Liza’s (Sutton Foster, Bunheads) personal life is on shaky ground as she tries to stay true to herself. After a setback at work, Kelsey (Hilary Duff, How I Met Your Father) doubts her career decisions and discovers a new creative outlet, and Maggie (Debi Mazar, Entourage) gets cancelled.
MASTERS OF SEX Season 4 (10×60, Period Drama, Round Two Productions, Sony Pictures Television and Timberman-Beverly Productions, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, April 19
As the late ’60s become the early ’70s, the world and our characters are all about revolution. Bras are burning, sex is everywhere, and William Masters (Michael Sheen, The Queen, Midnight in Paris) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan, Fleishman is in Trouble, Party Down) reap the benefits and the pressures of the revolution they’ve let loose in the world. Personally, they begin the season at odds and burdened by lies, only to slowly switch roles in both their work and the bedroom, as they slowly, painstakingly, and surprisingly find their way back to one another.
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NEW CANADIAN SERIES
GET UP, AISHA (6×15, Comedy/Drama, Rabiya Mansoor, Nisha Khan, and Marushka Jessica Almeida, Canada)
Begins streaming Wednesday, April 10
From show creators Rabiya Mansoor, Nisha Khan and Marushka Jessica Almeida comes a new compelling dramedy series following the intricate life of Aisha Rehman (Sana Asad, The Boys, Montreal Girls), a Pakistani-Canadian student who grapples with her compulsive need for control as she deals with depression. GET UP, AISHA follows Aisha’s story as she is diagnosed with depression after living through a suicide attempt and applies a checklist approach to curing the incurable.
AFTER (APRÈS) (6×60, Drama, Duo Production, Canada – commissioned for ICI TOU.TV)
Begins streaming Friday, April 19
AFTER recounts the aftermath of a tragic event that hit hard the villagers of Lac Sabin, a small town in the Upper Laurentians. Our story begins within seconds of the fatal event and depicts the physical, psychological and social consequences of this tragedy that no one could have foreseen or avoided. Nothing will ever be the same in this quiet village anymore. Everyone now has to face fear, mourning, incomprehension. We follow the victims, the survivors and the rest of the community in their first year following this event as they try to understand what really happened and why. Starring Karine Vanasse (Polytechnique, Plan B) David Boutin (Riders, The Broken Line) and Madeleine Péloquin (True North, Pour l’amour de Dieu).
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FEATURE FILMS
ALINE (126min, Musical/Comedy, directed and written by and starring Valérie Lemercier, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, April 5
Quebec, the 60s. Sylvette and Anglomard welcome their 14th child, Aline. In this modest family, music is king. When a producer discovers Aline and her golden voice, he has only one idea in mind: to make her the greatest singer in the world. Supported by her family, guided by Guy Claude’s experience and budding love for her, Aline will create an extraordinary destiny for herself. Official Selection at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it had its world premiere, and winner of Best Actress (Valérie Lemercier) and nominated for nine awards at the 2022 César Awards.
C’MON C’MON (108min, Comedy, directed by Mike Mills, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, April 12
Johnny (Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, Joker) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together in this delicate and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future, from writer-director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners). Also starring Gaby Hoffman (Winning Time, Girls).
THE MIDDLE MAN (95min, Comedy, written and directed by Bent Hamer, Norway, Canada and Germany)
Begins streaming Friday, April 19
THE MIDDLE MAN is a darkly humorous social satire which takes place in a small town that is experiencing an epidemic of accidents and deaths. The town is run by “The Commission” – the Sheriff, the Doctor and the Pastor – who decide to hire a ‘Middle Man’ whose sole responsibility will be to inform the family when an unfortunate incident occurs. Frank Farrelli is a quiet, thoughtful man who proves perfect for the job. He takes on his new role with gusto and quickly becomes the town’s beacon of bad news. But the pressures of the job and a budding new romance overwhelm Frank. To ease his burden, he calls in a ‘favour’ that ends up in a horrifying yet oddly amusing murder. Starring: Pål Sverre Hagen (In Order of Disappearance, What Happened to Monday), Nicolas Bro (Riders of Justice, Adam’s Apples) and Trond Fausa (The Bothersome Man, Gone with the Woman)
A SMALL FORTUNE (91min, Drama, written and directed by Adam Perry, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, April 26
When a desperate man finds a bag of lost money off the shores of Prince Edward Island, his decision to keep it from authorities is complicated after a mysterious body washes ashore. Starring Stephen Oates (Under the Weather, A Fire in the Cold Season), Liane Balaban (Definitely, Maybe, One Week) and Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience, A Million Little Things).
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DOCUMENTARIES
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (91min, Documentary, directed by John Chester, USA)
Begins streaming Wednesday, April 10
The successes and failures of a couple determined to live in harmony with nature on a farm outside of LA are lovingly chronicled by filmmaking farmer John Chester, in this inspiring documentary. Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 2019 Palm Springs International Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary and Feature Length Film at the Boulder International Film Festival.
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LIFESTYLE
CRIME SCENE KITCHEN Season 2 (10×60, Factual Entertainment, Fox Entertainment, USA)
Begins streaming Wednesday, April 3
Joel McHale returns to the scene of the tasty crime with baking competition series CRIME SCENE KITCHEN, a culinary guessing game in which bakers are tasked with decoding what type of dessert was made, when all that’s left are the crumbs, flour trails and a few elusive clues. They must then recreate the recipe for celebrity judges, chef Curtis Stone and cake artist Yolanda Gampp, who will determine how closely their sweet treat matches the missing dessert – and how good it tastes! New this season, the bakers are divided into two groups – self-taught and classically trained – and the rivalries are fierce!
JAMIE’S COMFORT FOOD (6×60, Lifestyle, Jamie Oliver Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, April 12
Jamie’s brand new six-part Comfort Food series is all about those simple, delightful guilty pleasures we all love. It celebrates nostalgic memories, traditions, and childhood favourites. It embraces the ritual of cooking and dishes that will pick you up and raise your spirits.
GRAND DESIGNS UK Season 21A (8×60, Lifestyle, NakedTV, UK)
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Begins streaming Wednesday, April 17
Presenter Kevin McCloud follows the building of five extraordinary new projects along with revisiting three former builds – he travels the country from rural East Yorkshire to metropolitan Hackney Downs as intrepid self-builders push the boundaries of modern architecture.
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CBC KIDS ORIGINALS
DYLAN’S PLAYTIME ADVENTURES (26×22, Kids, 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films, Canada)
Begins streaming Monday, April 1
DYLAN’S PLAYTIME ADVENTURES follows Dylan, a stripey puppy who lives in a stripey lighthouse in Buttercup Meadow. In every episode, Dylan takes on a new career – Doctor, Pizza Chef, Hair Stylist, Sea Captain – and invites his friends Ozzy, Daisy, Bitsy, and the viewers at home to play along with him. Ready with a regular household object, his trusty wagon, and his signature imagination, Dylan and his glowing stripes transform the meadow into anything from a hotel to a space station! Who wants to play? Everyone! Based on the book series by bestselling author/illustrator Guy Parker-Reese.
LET’S GO, BANANAS! (26×22, Kids, 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, April 19
Three sweet, silly, diverse families share each other’s lives, loves, triumphs and tantrums in relatable tales told by their five funny and fabulous kids. It’s a feel-good celebration of the realities of family life; messy, joyful, chaotic, wonderful, and, of course, completely BANANAS! Created by award-winning writer and producer Tim Bain, creator of action-comedy series Kangaroo Beach and writer on hit children’s series including Bluey, PJ Masks, Thomas the Tank Engine and Aardman’s Epic Adventures of Morph.
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THE BEST OF CBC
The Canadian streaming home of hit CBC original series including THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW, HEARTLAND, KIM’S CONVENIENCE, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, SCHITT’S CREEK and WORKIN’ MOMS, plus BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, BLACKBERRY, BONES OF CROWS, MR. D, PRETTY HARD CASES, THE PORTER, RUN THE BURBS, SKYMED, SON OF A CRITCH, SORT OF, STILL STANDING and TALLBOYZ, and classic CBC hits like BEING ERICA.
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COMING IN MAY
ANIMAL CONTROL Season 2
BETTER DATE THAN NEVER
BOYHOOD
PARASITE