It was always expected that of all the Canadian networks Citytv would have the most imported programming and that they do live up to. What is totally screwed up is their having repeats of Murdoch Mysteries when CBC also has it. For some dumb reason CBC will be showing repeats of season 5 in September with the new season to follow. Citytv will be showing season 5 starting in a few days and then come September will be repeating it as a way to meet the basic CanCon requirements. One show, it’s fifth season, on two networks in prime time. Just makes you want to shake your head and say you could programme it better doesn’t it?

Speaking of repeats, Less Than Kind started on Citytv and then moved to HBO. Will this be repeats of season 1 which was on in 2007 or broadcast network premiere of season 3? The show averages a new season every two years so new episodes aren’t expected until 2013, should there be any more.

Early evenings on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,  Friday, and Sunday are all comedys. They are 2 hour, 2 hours, 90 minute, 1 hour, 1 hour, and 1 hour blocks. Then come the dramas and a reality show or two. It looks as though they have programmed their schedule such that they won’t be needing to move shows over to OMNI this season, which is nice for those who enjoy the multicultural programming there and because OMNI is even less widely available than Citytv is.

Don’t Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23 is on a day earlier in Canada while Parks & Recreation is on 30 minutes earlier than on NBC. Happy Endings is on 5 days later than ABC. It looks like Citytv will be showing the  new series Malibu weeks or months before it is on ABC – how strange.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shaw has played it fairly safe this year with their schedule and there isn’t too much that couldn’t have been predicted some weeks ago. A little treat for fans of Parenthood is that it is on a day earlier in Canada. Here’s hoping that this year Shaw doesn’t start shuffling shows around on any given week. That totally messed with NCIS and with glee the last two years. Have they learnt from that mistake. Even when NCIS was on early in Canada the ratings sucked; put NCIS on at the same time as it is in the US and the ratings are far better than they are when glee had that time slot. Survivor is still there and likely will be when your grandchildren are in their 70s but thankfully there are no other stupid singing contest or other reality shows.

Read the rest of this entry »

The CTV two schedule offers little that is unexpected. CTV two had avoided the non-supernatural Hart Of Dixie last season so when they did take it’s new partner on The CW, Emily Owens, M.D., that came as a bit of a surprise. Bell Media appears to still not have first-run of Supernatural but likely will have 2nd-run national availability of the show on SPACE (first-run has been on CHCH and CHEK in recent years).   ANTM being on Sundays is a bit out of the ordinary. It is on Fridays in the US so likely it is a 2-day delay rather than 5 days early in Canada. The Mentalist repeats are reduced to 2 days per week. Saturdays are ‘original series catch-up’ with four hours of repeats of Bell Media original series that were shown on CTV, MuchMusic, and Bravo!, some of which were not available in HD in their first showing in some cities.

If you miss the final season of Flashpoint Thursdays on CTV you can catch a repeat the following Mondays on CTV two so that is nice.

Read the rest of this entry »