Showcase
#FIRSTLOOK: SHOWCASE AND W NETWORK FALL 2024 PREMIERES
Corus Entertainment’s drama networks Showcase and W Network announced today the highly-anticipated fall premiere dates for new and returning programming. As the exclusive home of marquee Peacock Original content in English Canada, these networks feature top-tier talent, and compelling stories, fan-favourite returning series, and heartwarming Hallmark Channel movies. Corus’ drama networks are set to deliver another must-watch lineup of premium entertainment, which will also be available to stream on STACKTV.
“This fall, Showcase and W Network are set to captivate audiences with an array of fresh premium content, from star-powered dramas and edge-of-your-seat thrillers to laugh-out-loud comedies and heartwarming stories,” said Jennifer Abrams, SVP, Programming and Multiplatform, Corus Entertainment. “With a carefully curated lineup of compelling captivating storylines and standout characters, our premier drama networks offer a standout slate for viewers to enjoy, along with exclusive streaming flexibility for STACKTV subscribers.”
Showcase
The Showcase fall programming begins on Sunday, September 8 at 9 p.m. ET as the star-studded, limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist makes its Canadian debut. Featuring Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard, the series is based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast and follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca”. When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
Then slam dunk mockumentary comedy series Mr. Throwback, starring NBA legend Stephen Curry and Adam Pally, kicks off the network’s hottest new comedy block on Thursday, September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. The series tells the story of a down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer (Adam Pally) who seeks redemption by reuniting with his sixth-grade teammate, NBA legend Steph Curry.
Following next is Mr. Bigstuff, a Sky Original series, airing on Thursday, September 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The six-part comedy explores broken families, fragile masculinity and carpet sales, and tells the story of two estranged brothers; Glen (Ryan Sampson), a nervy perfectionist striving to live in the suburban ideal and Lee (Danny Dryer), an alpha male with a prescription drug addiction and a biscuit tin full of their dad’s ashes. Glen and his fiancée Kirsty share a perfect, perfectly mundane life together. Sure, Glen’s got crippling erectile dysfunction and Kirsty has a secret shoplifting habit, but they’re happy. That is until Lee comes crashing into their lives, whilst on the run from a past that’s quickly catching up with him. The trio are forced together: a perfectionist, a fantasist and an anarchist all living under the same roof in an Essex cul-de-sac. It’s not long before their ‘perfect’ lives start to unravel faster than a cheap carpet.
Premiering Tuesday, October 22 at 9 p.m. ET is new pop-horror thriller Hysteria! starring Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis and Nikki Hahn. When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.
Lastly on the Showcase fall slate is the highly anticipated Sky and Peacock Original series The Day of the Jackal, premiering Sunday, November 10 at 9 p.m. E.T. An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, (Academy & BAFTA award winner Eddie Redmayne) makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (BAFTA award winner Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.
Plus, new episodes of Season 3 of the hit series Bel-Air, the modern-day reimagining of the iconic culture-defining ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, air Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and available to stream on STACKTV.
W Network
Hallmark Channel’s Fall into Love programming event returns to W Network on Saturday, September 7, ushering in fall with six brand new movie premieres for audiences to cozy up to and enjoy all season long, including:
Saturday, September 7: His and Hers (starring Lacey Chabert & Brennan Elliott)
Saturday, September 14: The Heiress and the Handyman (starring Jodie Sweetin & Corey Sevier)
Saturday, September 21: Falling Together (starring Ashley Williams & Paul Campbell)
Saturday, September 28: The Real West (starring Kimberley Sustad, Lucas Bryant & James Denton)
Saturday, October 5: Autumn at Apple Hill (starring Erin Cahill & Wes Brown)
Saturday, October 12: Haunted Wedding (starring Janel Parrish & Dominic Sherwood)
Then in October, the biggest event of the year returns, as Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas kicks off on W Network. This non-stop holiday extravaganza features more movie premieres and beloved festive favourites than ever before. More information coming soon.
Celebrating its landmark 10th year anniversary, the highly anticipated return of Outlander, Season 7 premieres on W Network on Monday, November 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. As W Network’s #1 rated program last Summer*, the series picks up from the harrowing events of Season 6, when Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Young Ian (John Bell) race to rescue Claire (Catriona Balfe) before she’s tried and wrongfully convicted for the murder of Malva Christie. However, their mission is complicated by the beginning of a geopolitical firestorm: The American Revolution has arrived. In the seventh season of Outlander, Jamie, Claire, and their family are caught in the violent birth pains of an emerging nation as armies march to war and British institutions crumble in the face of armed rebellion.
The land the Frasers call home is changing – and they must change with it. In order to protect what they’ve built, the Frasers have to navigate the perils of the Revolutionary War. They learn that sometimes to defend what you love, you have to leave it behind. As the conflict draws them out of North Carolina and into the heart of this fight for independence, Jamie, Claire, Brianna (Sophie Skelton), and Roger (Richard Rankin) are faced with impossible decisions that have the potential to tear their family apart.
Matthew B. Roberts, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Luke Schelhaas, Andy Harries, Jim Kohlberg, Caitríona Balfe, and Sam Heughan serve as executive producers on “Outlander,” which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Left Bank Pictures and Story Mining & Supply Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Showcase is available on National Free Preview from October 1-31, and W Network is available on National Free Preview from November 1-30.
Showcase and W Network can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Bell Fibe TV app, Fubo, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including: Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel.
*Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, Summer’23 (May 29 – Aug 27/23), 3+ airings, A25-54, AMA(000), CDN SPEC COM ENG excluding sports
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW SUMMER 2023 PROGRAMMING LINE UP ON SHOWCASE AND W NETWORK
Corus Entertainment’s top specialty networks Showcase and W Network announced today a blockbuster lineup of summertime staples featuring the premieres of buzzworthy Pete Davidson-led series Bupkis, subversive comedy Everyone Else Burns, and family drama Dreamland. In addition to these new series, viewers will be treated to familiar favourites including crime-fighting comedy Code 404, beloved supernatural mystery series and top 20 specialty entertainment program Nancy Drew, and the highly anticipated Season 7 premiere of top 10 specialty entertainment program Outlander.
SHOWCASE
Premiering Thursday, May 25 at 9 p.m. ET, Bupkis, a half-hour comedy, follows Pete Davidson as he attempts to work through unique family dynamics and the complexities of fame to form meaningful relationships. The raw, semi-autobiographical series stars Davidson, Emmy® Award-winner Edie Falco, and Academy Award®-winner Joe Pesci alongside a star-studded supporting cast in a show that straddles reality and absurdity to best represent what it is to be Pete Davidson. Guest stars include Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I Want You Back), Emmy® Award-winner Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond, Fargo), Simon Rex (Red Rocket, P Island), Emmy® Award-winner Ray Romano (Get Shorty, Made for Love), Emmy® Award-winner Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), and Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, City on Fire). This prolific list also includes newly announced guest stars La La Anthony, Charlamagne Tha God, Colson Baker (Machine Gun Kelly), Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Philip Ettinger, Al Gore, Paul Walter Hauser, Sunita Mani, John Mulaney, Oona Roche, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Jon Stewart, and Marissa Jaret Winokur. Lorne Michaels serves as executive producer for Broadway Video, Judah Miller (showrunner) and Dave Sirus serve as writers and executive producers alongside executive producers Andrew Singer and Erin David. Directed by co-executive producer Jason Orley, the series comes from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Broadway Video.
Following the premiere of Bupkis, a new arresting third season of crime-fighting comedy, Code 404, premieres Thursday, May 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET. On limited duties pending an investigation into their last case, Detective Inspectors Major (Daniel Mays) and Carver (Stephen Graham) find themselves at an all-time low. So, when one of their own within SIU is murdered, Major and Carver become hellbent on solving the case and proving their worth. But it’s bigger than they thought… They discover they’re dealing with a twisted serial killer whose sights are now set on them. With lives at stake, they need to work together, but tensions run high and fractures in their partnership begin to worsen.
W NETWORK
It’s heating up on W Network with the premiere of Everyone Else Burns on Monday, May 29, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Blessings be upon the Lewises: a strictly religious family who believe the world will end within the decade. ‘Patriarch’ David (Simon Bird), who strives for the church to promote him as an Elder, long-suffering Fiona (Kate O’Flynn) hungers for a life beyond sermons and squash. Aaron (Harry Connor) is a model young believer – except his drawings feature the rest of the family burning in hell and anxious 17-year-old Rachel (Amy James-Kelly) is about to fall for someone who could save her social life, but also damn her soul. Everyone Else Burns is a subversive, authentic and bitingly funny exploration into what it feels like to balance faith, family and identity in a world that could end tomorrow (but probably won’t).
Fans of the romantic, time-traveling drama Outlander won’t want to miss the highly anticipated Season 7 premiere on Sunday, June 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The extended 16-episode season will be split into two parts, with the second half airing in 2024. Loyal fans will recognize Graham McTavish reprising his role as “Dougal MacKenzie,” Nell Hudson as “Laoghaire Fraser,” Steven Cree as “Old Ian Murray,” Andrew Whipp as “Brian Fraser,” Layla Burns as “Joan MacKimmie,” and Lotte Verbeek as “Geillis Duncan.” Several new actors will be joining the cast for Season 7, including Gloria Obianyo as “Mercy Woodcock,” a free Black woman navigating the hardships of life in Colonial America; Rod Hallett as “Benedict Arnold,” the notorious Revolutionary soldier turned traitor; Chris Fulton as “Rob Cameron,” a new acquaintance of Roger and Brianna; Diarmaid Murtagh as “Buck MacKenzie,” the illegitimate son of Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan, and Roger’s ancestor, a role previously played by Graham McTavish in Season 5, and Kristin Atherton as “Jenny Murray,” Jamie’s sister and Young Ian’s mother, a role originated by Laura Donnelly in Seasons 1 through 3. This rich list of talent joins the previously announced new additions to the “Outlander” family, Charles Vandervaart as “William Ransom,” Izzy Meikle-Small as “Rachel Hunter” and Joey Phillips as “Denzell Hunter,” who join returning fan-favourites Caitríona Balfe as “Claire Fraser,” Sam Heughan as “Jamie Fraser,” Sophie Skelton as “Brianna MacKenzie,” Richard Rankin as “Roger MacKenzie,” John Bell as “Young Ian,” David Berry as “Lord John Grey,” Caitlin O’Ryan as “Lizzie Beardsley” and Paul Gorman as “Josiah” and “Keziah Beardsley.” The Outlander television series, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, is inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling books, which have sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, with all nine of the books gracing the New York Times best-seller list. The Outlander television series has become a worldwide success with audiences, spanning the genres of history, science fiction, romance and adventure in one amazing tale. Outlander is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Left Bank Pictures and Story Mining & Supply Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
The bone-chilling, teeth-chattering fourth and final season of Nancy Drew premieres on Sunday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Season 4 begins as legendary teen detective Nancy launches a new investigation to find a group of missing bodies from Horseshoe Bay’s cemetery that have been dug up and stolen – or have possibly risen. As Nancy is drawn into this ghostly case, a string of unexplained paranormal crimes leads the Drew Crew to believe that the literal sins of the town’s past have returned to haunt the living. Meanwhile, Nancy struggles with yearning for Ace, the man she loves. But when a slow-burning attraction begins between Nancy and the son of Ryan Hudson’s newest enemy, Nancy must decide whether this love interest is worth the ire of both her father and Ace – whose own heart may also be tempted by a new relationship. Nancy’s exploits this season will bring the Drew Crew numerous standalone cases, stunning twists, humour, and unexpected romances as they are drawn into a season-long mystery unlike any they have had to solve before.
Then, it’s all sun, sea, and secrets in the vibrant new comedy-drama, Dreamland, premiering on Monday, July 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Dreamland is a big-hearted drama about secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters. Eldest sister Trish (Freema Agyeman) is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence (Kiell Smith- Bynoe). And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl. Her two sisters Clare (Gabby Best) and Leila (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) rally around her with their mum (Frances Barber) and their Margate-legend nan (Sheila Reid), “manifesting” a little girl at Trish’s ‘mani-festival’. But when their other sister, Mel (Lily Allen), makes an unexpected reappearance back into their lives, her return threatens to destabilize the entire family. A knock on their door and their ‘Dreamland’ is no more. Set in the sundrenched British seaside town of Margate, the series is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics.
W Network and Showcase can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, FuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming. The networks arealso available through all major TV distributors, including Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus and Videotron.
#SPOTTED: CHRIS MELONI IN TORONTO FOR “HAPPY!”
Primetime EMMY Award nominee Chris Meloni currently is in Toronto and today he got a quick break from filming Season Three of The Handmaid’s Tale to promote Season Two of HAPPY! Known best for his outstanding work on Series like Oz, True Blood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, HAPPY! is a more comedic departure from what we are used to for him, starring as a corrupt ex-cop who moonlights as a Hitman to make ends meet.
Meloni arrived in style for a morning of Press for HAPPY!. Visits included Entertainment Tonight Canada, The Morning Show and more. He appears to have forgotten his glasses, but all is well as his driver saved the day, retrieving them for him in
HAPPY! Season Two premieres Thursday, March 28, 2019 on Showcase in Canada at 10 PM ET.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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