Corus Studios Confirms 11 Premium Titles to Premiere Across Lifestyle and Factual Networks

Food Network Canada Prepares for the Red-Hot Return of Top Chef Canada for Season 11

HGTV Canada's Stacked Slate of Programming Includes New Bryan Baeumler Series, Bryan's All In, Season 5 of Scott's Vacation House Rules, and More

The HISTORY® Channel Spotlights Black, Asian, and Indigenous Stories with Deadman's Curse, Our War, True Story, and New Limited Series Sounds Black

Nelvana Delivers Eight Series to Cherished Kids Networks Treehouse and YTV

TORONTO, June 7, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Corus Entertainment announces its upcoming lineup of new and returning premium original content for 2023/2024. This includes a total of 25 new and returning series, with 11 titles from Corus Studios and eight from Nelvana.

"Corus continues to produce the best Canadian content for our great channels and to delight audiences around the world. Our ever-growing slate of original content entices viewers with diverse scripted and unscripted series, which showcase real-life experiences, engaging storylines, and Canadian talent who are leaders in their industries," said Colin Bohm, Executive Vice President, Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment. "Through Corus Studios, Nelvana, Aircraft Pictures, Waterside Studios, and our esteemed production partners, we are proud of our upcoming slate of new titles and tried-and-true formats, sure to delight audiences." 

With programming sold to more than 150 countries around the globe, Corus Studios has proven itself a  leader in original Canadian lifestyle and unscripted content, extending its catalogue with 11 new and returning titles across Top 10 specialty stations*, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, and The HISTORY® Channel.

Nelvana maintains its position as a world-renowned international producer and distributor of children's animated and live-action content, with programming seen in over 180 countries around the world. This year is no exception, with eight new and returning series coming soon to Corus' leading kids' networks, Treehouse and YTV.

LIFESTYLE

A Top 10 specialty network* and the ultimate culinary destination, Food Network Canada's esteemed culinary competition series Top Chef Canada, a Top 10 specialty entertainment series last year*, makes its epic return for Season 11 (8x60) expected to premiere in late 2024. A new roster of revered chefs will put it all on the line during this fierce and fiery culinary face-off, competing to take home the title of Canada's Top Chef. During this season's fast-paced challenges, the chefs must impress Top Chef Canada's acclaimed judging panel, as well as notable names from the culinary world who will join each week as guest judges and tasters. Top Chef Canada is the homegrown version of the hit Emmy® Award-winning Bravo series Top Chef. The format is licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Corus Studios' The Big Bake will tantalize taste buds and hype up the holidays this fall with Season 4 (7x60 Halloween and 7x60 Holiday) of the larger-than-life themed baking series. Each episode of this fun-filled baking competition series gives three professional baking teams only five hours to design, bake and decorate a grand-scale cake creation based on a particular theme. In the end, the most ambitious, eye-popping and delicious cake will go home with a $10,000 prize.

HGTV Canada holds its position as the nation's destination for all things home. The Top 5 specialty network* has inspiring and heart-warming programming that fits any style.

Viewers can look forward to a two-episode tease of the new Corus Studios series, Bryan's All In (10x60) this fall, with the rest of the season airing in spring 2024. The series sees HGTV Canada star Bryan Baeumler travels off-the-beaten path to help struggling entrepreneurs renovate their businesses. These are ambitious dreamers who are risking it all for their passion projects, making major life changes to become their own boss - just like Bryan did. In each episode, Bryan hits the open road in his RV, spending a week helping a budding business owner through a make-or-break point in their reno. He acts as their coach and mentor, helping them overcome major hurdles, while tackling key builds in a race to open or revive their business.

The network's #2 program last summer**, Corus Studios'Scott's Vacation House Rules also returns with new episodes this fall (7x60), with Scott McGillivray using his five rules to turn problem properties into profit. Along with designer Debra Salmoni, Scott unlocks the hidden rental potential of even the most neglected properties, updating and reviving them into unique and buzz-worthy places of paradise. As previously announced, this series has also been greenlit for Season 5, as part of HGTV Canada and Scott McGillivray's four-year production commitment and exclusivity deal, and will air in the spring of 2024.

The network's late 2024 schedule is expected to feature a diverse round-up of new and returning Corus Studios series. Hollywood icon Pamela Anderson returns for Season 2 ofPamela's Garden of Eden(8x60), which ranked within the Top 10 of Canadian original series across specialty television last fall*. Also returning for a Season 2 is Gut Job (8x60) following seasoned builder Sebastian Clovis tackling down-to-the-studs renovations; and Hoarder House Flippers (8x60), a Top 10 program on the network last summer**, featuring three sets of flippers transforming dilapidated houses. Fan-favourite Rock Solid Builds (8x60), a Top 20 specialty entertainment series last spring***, kicks off Season 3, showcasing even more unique and challenging builds by Randy Spracklin and his crew in Newfoundland. Joining the HGTV Canada lineup in late 2024 is the new series House of Ali (8x60), following no-nonsense luxury home designer Ali Budd and her all-female firm, responsible for designing some of the most bespoke and upscale homes in North America.

A Top 10 specialty network*, The HISTORY® Channel spotlights true stories, big adventures, and a diversity of underrepresented voices with its slate of six new and returning factual and documentary titles.

In honour of Canada's National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, picking up where Part 1 left off, True Story Part 2 (1x120), examines the painful legacy of the Indian Act and Residential School system on Indigenous peoples, the Sixties Scoop, the rise of Indigenous political movements and the role of Indigenous veterans in Canada's military. 

This Remembrance Day, Our War Part 2 (2x60), will shine a light on extraordinary Canadians who made heroic contributions to WWI and WWII. From the descendant of a World War I nurse killed in a war crime to a Japanese Canadian survivor of a World War II internment camp, the docu-series follow descendants as they investigate the harrowing secrets their ancestors took to the grave.

Then in winter, the premium limited documentary series Sounds Black (4x60) examines the origins and impact of Black Music in Canada. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Cazhhmere, with contributions from legends including Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Fefe Dobson, Maestro Fresh Wes, Deborah Cox, Keisha Chante and more, the series explores Black Canadian music from its tangled diasporic roots to its international dominance.

A Top 10 program on the network last fall*, Deadman's Curse returns for Season 2 (8x60), with more adventures following the diverse team of explorers on their epic search for legendary lost gold in B.C. Ahead of the second season premiering next spring, the Corus Studios series has already been greenlit for a third season. The series is complemented by a previously announced companion podcast from Curiouscast, Deadman's Curse: Slumach's Gold. Hosted by series star Kru Williams, the podcast takes listeners deeper into the history of Slumach's legacy.

Rounding out the spring lineup of Corus Studios series, Rust Valley Restorers (8x60), a Top 5 program on the network last spring***, returns for Season 5, offering classic car fanatics some fresh adventures from Mike, Avery and Connor; as well as Season 2 of Backroad Truckers (8x60) following the wildest band of road runners as they crisscross the unforgiving terrain of Western Canada with bigger jobs, bigger machines, and even bigger feuds.

Following the success of the short-form content series W Network's Movie Date, hosted by Sarah Keenleyside, Brittnee Blair, and Noah Cappe, and Showcase's Watch Party, hosted by Fred Kennedy, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada will introduce their own branded models this fall. HGTV Canada's DIY Studio will be hosted by Sebastian Clovis, Sarah Keenleyside and Kenny Brain and is designed to grab viewers' attention with quick tips and fixes for their home renovation projects throughout the network's linear broadcast. Food Network Canada's hosted segments will be helmed by Chef Anna Olson who will be serving up all things delicious in snackable broadcast and digital content pieces that help audiences discover their next great recipe.

NELVANA & KIDS 

This summer, the mystery continues with The Hardy Boys' third and final season (8x60) premiering on YTV. Based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon and nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award and seven Canadian Screen Awards, things pick up where the shocking events of Season 2 left off. The Hardy boys and their friends dig up even more secrets, conspiracies, and threats as they piece together their great-grandfather's long-lost map and race against time to uncover a powerful ancient relic before it falls into the wrong hands.

Best & Bester (6x30) also returns with the pair of hilariously individual twins continuing their adventures living in a weird and wonderful alternate reality where your neighbour could be a pair of disgruntled trousers or your best friend a floating cloud of bottom burp.

Up next, based on the best-selling book series and produced by Corus Entertainment's Aircraft Pictures and WexWorks Media,Popularity Papers (26x30) continues to follow middle-school besties Julie and Lydia on their quest to demystify one of life's greatest questions: what makes someone popular? Every social experiment they test comes with unexpected lessons about the value of friendship, kindness, and confidence, helping guide our characters through the struggles of middle school with humour and heart.

Treehouse original series Builder BrothersDream Factorygets ready to GEAR UP and GET IT DONE with new episodes (10x11) beginning this fall. Distributed by Nelvana and co-produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment, twin brothers Drew and Jonathan continue to use their extraordinary imagination, creativity, grit, and heart – coupled with a big dose of TWINSPIRATION to help friends and solve problems in the neighbourhood by dreaming big.

Fans of Thomas & Friends franchise can look forward to a new special with the beloved engines in Thomas & Friends: The Great Bubbly Build (1x30) airing this fall. The special sees Sandy and Carly set out to make an art project together, but when their ideas clash and the project fails, they learn that it needs the right mix of both ideas to succeed.

Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Season 3 continues (10x30) with more fur-raising adventures on Treehouse this summer and fall. Produced by redknot, a joint venture between Nelvana and Warner Bros. Discovery, P.U.R.S.T. agents Binky, Gracie, Gordon, Loo and Nola are ready to soar into new adventures and protect their human families and the entire world from even more aliens, robots, and the WURST villains. Packed with action, humour, and heart, the third season features fun-themed episodes and missions that are literally out-of-this-world.

This fall also sees the premiere of Nelvana short film Jelly (1x13), an inspirational modern fairy tale. The film follows Molly, a fiercely talented artist, debating whether to pursue her creative passion or work a soul-sucking factory job. She can't decide until she meets a mysterious liquid spirit who takes her on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery and helps make the choice easy.

Next summer, the Nelvana-produced series Millie Magnificent (52x11) premieres, inspired by Canadian author-illustrator Ashley Spires' popular children's book, The Most Magnificent Thing, published by Kids Can Press. With a spark of imagination and endless determination, Millie and her Creato-crew friends, Maya and Ben, together with her adorable canine assistant, Wallace, strive to find the most magnificent solutions to their neighbourhood's challenges. 

As part of Corus' expansive distribution strategy, its originals portfolio extends to streaming with the latest episodes available on STACKTV, a portal to hit TV including scripted and unscripted series, and news programs. STACKTV features 16 of Canada's top TV networks, all on one platform. All series, movies and specials that air on Global Television, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, The HISTORY® Channel, Adult Swim, Slice, Showcase, National Geographic, Lifetime, TELETOON, Treehouse, YTV, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior.

Select series from Corus' iconic lifestyle catalogue are also available live and on demand on a selection of the company's 45 FAST (free ad-supported television) channels on Pluto TV in Canada. Viewers can tap into Corus' popular lifestyle series – for free – on Pluto TV with channels like Reno & Flip (Masters of Flip), Reno Rehab (Home to Win, Tackle My Reno, Holmes Makes it Right), Reno Duo (Property Brothers, Property Brothers: Forever Home), Fixers and Flippers (Love It or List It, Love It Or List It Vancouver) and so much more. In addition to Corus content, the popular FAST service is home to over 140 channels featuring hit movies, shows, local news, weather and so much more. Pluto TV is available for free, with no registration or subscription required. Canadian users can watch Pluto TV via web at www.pluto.tv, via the Pluto TV app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Samsung and LG devices, and via mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play.

Sources:
^{*Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, Fall'22 (8/29/22 - 1/1/23) – confirmed data, A25-54, AMA(000), M-Su 2a-2a, CDN SPEC COM ENG, program rankers exclude sports and are based on 3+ airings,
** Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SM'22 (May 30 – Aug 28/22), 3+ airings, A25-54, AMA(000), CDN SPEC COM ENG excluding sports
***Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP'22 (Jan 3 - May 30/22), 3+ airings, A25-54, AMA(000), CDN SPEC COM ENG excluding sports}

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Corus Studios is a division of Corus Entertainment.

About Corus Studios
Established in 2015, Corus Studios, a division of Corus Entertainment, is a premium content studio that develops, produces and distributes a wide array of original lifestyle, unscripted and factual content globally. Offering dynamic programming that entertains, informs and drives audiences across platforms, Corus Studios content is featured across Corus' suite of channels, including HGTV Canada, The HISTORY® Channel, Food Network Canada, and SLICE™. To date, Corus Studios content has been sold in over 150 territories worldwide. 

About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming services, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada, leading 2D animation software supplier Toon Boom and children's book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Magnolia Network Canada, The HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service. For more information visit www.corusent.com.

About STACKTV
STACKTV is Corus Entertainment's premium multi-channel television streaming service that offers thousands of hours of exclusive hit content from 16 of Canada's top TV networks, all on one platform. All series, movies and specials that air on Global Television, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, The HISTORY® Channel, Adult Swim, Slice, Showcase, National Geographic, Lifetime, TELETOON, Treehouse, YTV, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior are available to stream on STACKTV live and on demand with new content added daily. STACKTV is available via Amazon Prime Video Channels, FuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming. For more information, visit stacktv.ca.

About Pluto TV
Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, is the leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience of 79 million monthly active users. The Emmy ® award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels, in partnership with over 400 international media companies, offering a wide array of genres, languages and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids and much more. Pluto TV can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web and connected TV devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV's growing international footprint extends across three continents and over 35 markets.

SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.