Best Canadian TV Shows Finding Audiences Outside of Canada
-
Loading... - Justin Black
- 26 May 2022
- 279 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Craig Ferguson once said, “To be honest, Canadians are just happy to be included. It’s just like, 'he’s talking about us.'” Truer words have never been spoken. Whenever a Canadian person, place or thing is mentioned on TV outside of our borders, you can be assured that in Canada there’s hosers pointing at the television with their beer-free hand going, “that’s us!” That said, Canadian TV shows have never had a wider audience than they do now. Whether it’s the advent of streaming services desperate for content, or wildly popular shows like Schitt’s Creek or Orphan Black that draw attention to what else Canada has to offer, Canadian television is growing past its borders. With a new series featuring The Kids in the Hall streaming on Amazon Prime, it’s a great opportunity to see what other Canuck shows are on the global radar.
Heartland (Premiered 2007)
Heartland is a family dramedy series, based on the Heartland book series by Lauren Brooke. Set on an Alberta-based family ranch, Heartland follows the trials and tribulations of Amy Fleming (Amber Marshall), her older sister Louise aka 'Lou' (Michelle Morgan), grandfather Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston), and their dad, Tim (Christ Potter). The show fills a programming gap that often gets overlooked or misunderstood: a show that the whole family can watch together. It's inoffensive, heartwarming, and displays age-old values of hard work and family, without coming across as corny or melodramatic.
Workin’ Moms (Premiered 2017)
Workin' Moms is a sitcom about a group of friends who support, challenge, and remain objective with one another as they deal with the ups and downs of being working mothers. The series begins with four working moms: Kate (Catherine Reitman) is a PR executive freshly returned from maternity leave, and the heart of the series; Anne (Dani Kind), a mother of two, is a psychiatrist that shoots from the hip; Frankie (Juno Rinaldi) is a bright, charming and quirky realtor; and Jenny (Jessalyn Wanlim) is an IT specialist and new mom. Like Sex and the City, except much funnier and realistic, tackling issues like post-partum depression and the angst of separation from one's child.
Coroner (Premiered 2019)
Coroner is a police procedural crime drama, inspired by the series of books by M.R.Hall, about a widowed Toronto coroner, Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan), who investigates suspicious, unnatural, or sudden deaths. She also suffers from clinical anxiety, and deals with her own grief while trying to help her teenage son Ross (Ehren Kassam) with his own grieving over the loss of his father. The diversity of the Toronto area is utilized effectively in the series, and the character of Cooper is developed well, using intellect, intuition and hear to solve crimes.
Transplant (Premiered 2020)
A medical drama television series centering on Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq), a Syrian doctor refugee who is rebuilding his way back to practicing medicine as a medical resident. Transplant is a fairly standard medical show, but what sets it apart is how the series highlights the struggles that immigrants have in being accepted by their new country, and the frustration of having to start from the bottom despite years of training and a natural set of skills. Transplant benefits from not falling into the soap-opera moments of shows like Grey's Anatomy, with its supply room flings and competition between doctors. Read More…
