TORONTO – With its competing broadcasters Citytv opting for a schedule loaded with comedies and Global going with more dramas, CTV has chosen what it says is “the most even ratio” of the two genres.
At its ‘upfront’ presentation Thursday in Toronto, Bell Media unveiled 13 new series that will be split between CTV and sister network CTV Two. New comedies beginning this fall on CTV include the Charlie Sheen-helmed series Anger Management, The New Normal, about a gay couple and their baby mama, and The Neighbors in which a couple discover that their new neighbors are aliens masquerading as suburbanites. The network’s sole new drama, The Mob Doctor, is about a young surgeon split between her new medical career and her ties to Chicago’s Southside mob. CTV Two is adding three new dramas to its primetime lineup – Nashville, Arrow and Emily Owens, M.D.
Mid-season programming include dramas The Following, Zero Hour, Do No Harm and Golden Boy, as well as comedy The Family Tools. CTV has also commissioned an original Canadian procedural drama series called Motive (working title) from Vancouver-based Foundation Features and Lark Productions. The 13 episode series follows a feisty female Vancouver homicide detective who matches wits with killers in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.
"Our schedules are not heavy on comedy, nor are they heavy on drama. What they are heavy on is hits, in every genre, on every night of the week," said Phil King, president of CTV programming and sports. "For 10 years running now, our powerhouse lineup has been continually refreshed, resulting in the most stable and balanced schedule out there. It's a programming depth and scheduling breadth that is unparallelled, making CTV a sure bet for both advertisers and viewers, year in and year out."
Returning primetime shows on CTV include Dancing With The Stars, Criminal Minds, The X Factor, CSI, The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, The Amazing Race and the final season of homegrown police drama Flashpoint. CTV Two is sticking with The Voice, The Mentalist, Law & Order: SVU and The Vampire Diaries, among others.
Click here for more on the two networks' new schedules and shows.
– Lesley Hunter
