CBC’s summer season includes the exclusive English Canada premiere of 2023 Hot Docs Audience Award-winning docuseries LAC-MÉGANTIC – THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT (July 6 and 7) from Oscar™-nominated director Philippe Falardeau, as well as the third seasons of competition series RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (July 16) and east coast family drama MOONSHINE (July 16), and season 13 of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW (July 16)
July sees the debut of acclaimed international titles including the second season of animated sitcom TEN YEAR OLD TOM (July 5) from creator Steve Dildarian featuring Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus) and David Duchovny, the first season of Emmy™-nominated drama THE MISSING (July 14) and the exclusive English Canada premiere of critically acclaimed Quebec drama AVANT LE CRASH | BEFORE THE CRASH (July 28)
On July 1, the daytime CBC NEWS SPECIAL: CANADA DAY 2023 broadcasts live from Lebreton Flats in Ottawa, hosted by David Cochrane and showcasing the country’s remarkable creative talents, while Isabella Racicot hosts the evening CANADA DAY: A PLAYLIST TO CELEBRATE from Ottawa featuring performances from across the country by Jann Arden, Roxane Bruneau, Jojo Mason, Madison Violet, Aysanabee, Preston Pablo, Tegan and Sara, Dear Rouge and more. Full details on how and where to watch CBC’s Canada Day programming will be available at CBC.ca/CanadaDay
Documentaries include the exclusive Canadian premiere of DODI AND DIANA: THE PRINCESS AND THE PLAYBOY (July 3) and Oscar™-winner AMY (July 23), chronicling the short but electrifying life of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse
Original kids shows coming to CBC Gem include season 2 of cute animal overload MITTENS & PANTS (July 3), BESTEST DAY EVER WITH MY BEST FRIEND (July 31), celebrating kids’ special relationships with their pets, and MINI-JON AND MINI-MAPLE (July 31), based on the books by popular cartoonist Alex A, as well as UK preschool animated series HEY DUGGEE (July 7) about a big dog and his group of friends
As high-performance athletes prepare for Paris 2024, CBC Sports presents FIVB Volleyball Nations League (now through July 23), World Para Athletics Championships (July 8 – 17), World Aquatics Championships (July 14 – 30) and World Volleyball Beach Pro Tour Elite16 (July 5 – 9 and July 26 – 30)
CBC’S SUMMER SEASON
LAC-MÉGANTIC– THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT (4×60, Documentary Series, directed by Philippe Falardeau, Canada)
*Exclusive English Canada Premiere*
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, two episodes debut each day on Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7
The night of July 6, 2013, changed the small, picturesque town of Lac-Mégantic in Quebec’s Eastern Townships in unfathomable and horrifying ways. In a matter of minutes, 47 people were killed instantly, and more than 2,000 were displaced when an unattended train derailed nearby. What exactly transpired that night? Now a decade later, Academy Award™-nominated director Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) revisits the event, offering viewers a detailed post-mortem of the events leading to one of Canada’s worst rail disasters. Through interviews with the families of those who died, former and current town officials and the men held responsible, this riveting and carefully crafted four-part series details the shocking sequence of decisions that ultimately led to a spill of more than 7.7 million litres of crude oil, irreversibly changing the lives of everyone in town. A true-crime docuseries with lessons for the future. Winner of the 2023 Hot Docs Audience Award.
RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (10×30, Lifestyle, marblemedia, Canada)
Begins streaming Sunday, July 16
RACE AGAINST THE TIDE season three is about to make the world’s toughest sand sculpting competition even tougher. Twelve world class sand sculpting teams will compete in a head-to-head tournament on the shores of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. Divided into two groups of six, the teams will dig, pound, carve and sculpt through four qualifying rounds. The top two teams from each group will face off in a sand flying semifinal. In the end, only one team will reign supreme and walk away with the grand prize of $10,000…and the beach bragging rights of being crowned Race Against the Tide champions.
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW Season 13 (10×60, Lifestyle, Love Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Sunday July 16
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW is the ultimate baking battle where passionate amateur baking fans compete to be crowned the UK’s Best Amateur Baker. Over the course of 10 hour-long episodes, the series follows the trials and tribulations of the competitors, young and old, from every background and every corner of Britain, as they attempt to prove their baking prowess. Each week the bakers tackle a different baking skill, which become progressively more difficult as the competition unfolds.
MOONSHINE Season 3 (8×60, Comedy, Six Eleven Media and Entertainment One, Canada)
Begins streaming Sunday, July 16
Season 3 sees plans for a mega resort next to The Moonshine… is this sudden death for our beloved campground or… a cool job opportunity for Lidia? This is a true David and Goliath story, further complicated when Sammy develops a romantic relationship with the resort’s sexy lead investor, and Lidia doubles down on reviving her architectural career at the risk of losing everything – and everyone – she loves. As her decision causes seismic rifts within the family, Rhian and Nora navigate the challenges of being modern women, balancing ambition, motherhood and love, while Ryan loses himself in the grip of a self-empowerment group and Ken struggles with Bea’s decision to take time off from her complicated family – possibly for good.
ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL TITLES
TEN YEAR OLD TOM Season 2 (10×30, Animated Comedy, Work Friends, USA)
Begins streaming Wednesday, July 5
Can a kid grow up these days without being corrupted by the world around him? Tom grapples with this dilemma each day just by waking up and leaving his house, where bad influences seem to lurk around every corner… stressed out parents, shady bus drivers and teachers who long for the glory days. Tom is just trying to be a good kid, but when the grown-ups around him engage in such questionable behavior, it’s up to him to determine right from wrong. From Steve Dildarian and featuring Jennifer Coolidge, John Malkovich and David Duchovny.
THE MISSING Season 1 (8×60, Drama, New Pictures and Company Pictures, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, July 14
When five year-old Oliver disappears while on holiday in France, it sets off a manhunt that will last for years and years to come. THE MISSING takes you inside the mind of a father, Tony, desperate to find his lost son. Told through a delicate and complex narrative that reflects the fractured and frantic battle for a lost child, THE MISSING is a thrilling and heart-breaking drama of a life consumed by hope, love, truth and obsession. A gripping puzzle with twists and turns at every stage, Tony’s exhaustive search fractures his marriage to Emily and threatens to destroy his life. Julien, the French police detective who launched the initial search for the child,
also finds himself drawn back into the hunt that he was never able to resolve when Oliver first disappeared. Exploring the emotional cost of a child’s adduction, this gripping relationship thriller is told over two time frames, simultaneously, in two countries.
AVANT LE CRASH | BEFORE THE CRASH (10×45, Drama, Sovimage, Canada)
*Exclusive English Canada Premiere*
Begins streaming Friday, July 28
Marc-André is a non-conformist who got out of the rat race and is living the simple life. He claims it’s by choice. All his friends, including François, Evelyne and Patrick, have incredibly successful careers in finance at Stratégie Investissement Québec, except for Vincent, who retreated to a 9-to-5 government job after burning out. For Marc-André’s birthday, François offers him the opportunity to return to the banking world… but at the bottom of the ladder, where he can prove himself again. Evelyne, a financial bigwig herself as well as François’ wife and Marc-André’s best friend since university, encourages the latter to accept, reminding him that he’s not living up to his potential. She has been on maternity leave for five months and is feeling the pressure to return to the office, both to maintain her position and to get the most out of her studies and professional experience. Will he accept the offer? Will he return to a job he left four years earlier, promising himself never to go back? A job he was good at, but that got the better of him?
DOCUMENTARIES
DODI AND DIANA: THE PRINCESS AND THE PLAYBOY (90 min, Documentary, directed by Luke Korzun Martin, UK)
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Begins streaming Monday, July 3
DIANA AND DODI: THE PRINCESS AND THE PLAYBOY goes beyond the image of a pampered playboy portrayed by the media, to reveal how an isolated, lonely boy had to deal with his parents’ divorce at a young age, built a career in Hollywood and ended up dating the most famous woman in the world. Until now, the narrative of their doomed romance has only been told from one side – Princess Diana’s. This feature-length documentary reveals the untold story and life of the other passenger in the car, Dodi Al-Fayed. With unprecedented access to Dodi’s former girlfriends, closest friends and Dodi’s inner circle, the film charts Dodi’s life from his early days as a child caught up in his parents’ separation, through a stint at Sandhurst at the behest of his father, and a career in Hollywood – to his final weeks in France.
BERNIE LANGILLE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO BERNIE LANGILLE (78 min, a documentary Channel original, directed by Jackie Torrens, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, July 7
Bernie Langille never met his grandfather, a corporal in the military who died 15 years before Bernie was born. However, Bernie grew up hearing from family members about the bizarre circumstances of his namesake’s death – along with the painful conviction held by the Langilles that a military cover-up is to blame for their loved one’s demise and is also keeping them from attaining justice. Determined to see if he can bring healing to his family before the fourth generation of Langilles is born, Bernie sets out on an existential investigation to find answers as to what happened on that snowy night in 1968. He begins by visiting Bernie Sr.’s grave. An unexpected excavation leads to the discovery of a series of numbers etched on the gravestone, which turn out to be Bernie Sr.’s SIN number. Believing his late grandmother must have put the numbers there for future family to unearth the truth, Bernie uses the SIN number to follow a paper trail that leads him to medical experts, former friends and neighbours, duelling family perspectives and a difficult secret that exposes the troublesome legacy of a complicated man.
AMY (128 min, Documentary, directed by Asif Kapadia, UK)
Begins streaming Sunday July 23
A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse became an international sensation with her unforgettable voice and intimate lyrics. But with her meteoric rise to fame came invasive media attention that, coupled with her troubled relationships and addictions, led her into a cycle of self-destruction. Featuring extensive unseen archival footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly beautiful film invites audiences to remember and celebrate Amy as a brilliant artist rather than the tabloid fodder she sadly became. Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the the 2016 Academy Awards™, BAFTA Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
LIFESTYLE
ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY Season 29 A Episodes 15-28 (28×60, Naked Television, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, July 7
When homeowners are reviewing their quality of life and questioning the need to live in expensive and polluted urban spaces, ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY’s satisfying journeys of rural property searches and lifestyle changes have never felt more relevant. Having been on screen for twenty years, this heritage brand now focuses on escaping to the countryside in its broadest sense, presenting practical lifestyle content and constructive suggestions for the viewer, all the while capturing the seasonal beauty of the British landscape. A warm and knowledgeable cast of presenters helps a broad range of property hunters with differing budgets and wish lists.
THE DOG ACADEMY Season 1 A (4×60, Lifestyle Five Mile Films, UK)
*Exclusive Canadian Premiere*
Begins streaming Friday, July 21
A new dog training series for some of the most uncontrollable canines and their overwhelmed owners. With a crack team of top specialist trainers on hand with guidance on dog management skills and dog psychology, the series offers help to the most difficult dogs and their desperate owners.
SPORTS
SOCCER NORTH Season 2 (CBC Sports)
First episode streaming now, new episodes released weekly
Hosted by CBC Sports Presents’ Andi Petrillo, SOCCER NORTH is a CBC Sports digital show covering the biggests storylines within Canadian soccer, on and off the pitch, and featuring analysis and interviews with athletes, coaches and experts. In the first episode, Petrillo reacts to the Canadian men’s performance in the CONCACAF Nations League final and begins to look ahead to the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup.
FIVB VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE
Streaming now through Sunday, July 23
This summer, Volleyball Nations League takes centre stage, as the world’s best senior women’s and men’s national teams compete for the top prize. The Preliminary Phase features three competition weeks, with each of the 16 teams playing a total of 12 matches. The eight best-ranked national teams will qualify for the Finals, with the women’s being held in Arlington, Texas (July 12-16), and the men’s in Gdansk, Poland (July 19-23). This is a pivotal campaign for the Canadian women’s team who hope to use the competition as a springboard to Paris 2024.
WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Streaming from Saturday, July 8 – Monday, July 17
After a three-year hiatus, the World Para Athletics Championships return this summer, with the Canadian team motivated to make their mark on the Paralympic track and field. More than 1,330 athletes from 107 countries, including 25 from Canada, are expected on the track of Charléty stadium in Paris, France for 10 days of events. Athletes with disabilities and adapted sports will participate for the chance to win one of the 217 gold medals, and qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Streaming from Friday, July 14 – Sunday, July 30
Hosted every two years, the World Aquatics Championships are second only to the Olympic Games in terms of importance in the world of aquatic sports. Athletes compete across six different disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming. This year’s tournament will be held in Fukuoka, Japan on the northern shores of Japan’s Kyushu Island.
GOLF’S GREATEST HOLES Season 2 (7×30, Boulder Creek International, UK)
Begins streaming Monday, July 24
Presented by former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and broadcaster Chris Hollins, this series explores the best golf holes that Portugal has to offer. Spanning the sunny Algarve, to the wonderful Cascais region and Portugal’s Silver Coast, this series highlights the very best of golf, and Portugal in all its majestic beauty.
WORLD VOLLEYBALL BEACH PRO TOUR ELITE16
Streaming Wednesday, July 5 – Sunday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 26 – Sunday, July 30
The Elite16 is the highest level of the Beach Pro tour, where the top 16 men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams in the world compete. The competition is held in four pools of four teams followed by a Round of 12, quarterfinals, semifinals and matches for gold, silver and bronze. Audiences will be captivated by the on-court action and festival-like atmosphere surrounding the event, and catch all the excitement from Gstaad, Switzerland (July 5-9) and Montréal, Quebec (July 26-30).
KIDS
MITTENS & PANTS Season 2 (42×7, Kids, Windy Isle Entertainment, Canada)
Weekly episodes begin streaming Monday, July 3
Mittens, Pants and all your favourite characters are back for more adventures this season, and joining in on the Kibble Corners fun are Chef Noodles, Radish the Recycling Hamster and more!
HEY DUGGEE (52×7, Kids, Studio AKA, BBC Studios, UK)
All episodes begin streaming Friday, July 7
An animated preschool series that promotes exercise and learning. Duggee is a big dog and he’s the leader of an afterschool club called the Squirrels which consists of Tag the sweet-natured rhino who is quite clumsy and often bumps into things, Betty the intelligent and imaginative Octopus, Roly the hyper-active hippo who is wildly enthusiastic about everything, Happy the small crocodile who loves splashing around and Norrie, a thoughtful and clever mouse.
MINI-JON AND MINI-MAPLE (24×3.5, Kids, Happy Camper Media, Canada)
All episodes begin streaming Monday, July 31
Based on the books by popular author and cartoonist Alex A. and a sibling series to Super Agent Jon Le Bon!, featuring a mini-clone of Jon Le Bon living in a top-secret spy agency and embarking on adventures with his best friend Mini-Maple.
BESTEST DAY EVER WITH MY BEST FRIEND (20×7, Kids, Lopii Productions,Canada)
All episodes begin streaming Monday, July 31
BESTEST DAY EVER WITH MY BEST FRIEND is a show all about giving the perfect day to your pet. In every episode, a proud pet owner brings their bestie to tell everyone how important they are and what makes them special. Whether furry, fuzzy, feathered, scaly or slimy, our host Lisette is always ready to give our guests of honour the Bestest Day Ever!
THE BEST OF CBC
The Canadian streaming home of past and current seasons of hit CBC series including HEARTLAND, KIM’S CONVENIENCE, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW, SCHITT’S CREEK and WHEN CALLS THE HEART, plus ARCTIC VETS, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, 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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