COMEDY, DRAMA, REALITY
New Comedy Series Include: Modern Family, Community, Accidentally on
Purpose, How I Met Your Mother, Cougar Town, The Jay Leno Show, Better
Off Ted, 100 Questions, Dramas Include: Trauma, Parenthood and New
Reality Series Include: My RONA Home, Biggest Loser, Supernanny and
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Returning Series Pickups Include: 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Chuck,
Ugly Betty, Less Than Kind and NFLTORONTO, June 1 /CNW/ - Citytv is appointment television this Fall with a
bold new schedule featuring some of the most anticipated and buzzed about
scripted comedy, drama and reality series of the season.
"Citytv's line up this Fall is unprecedented with over 16 hours of US
network simulcasts in prime time," commented Malcolm Dunlop, Executive Vice
President, Programming, Rogers Media Television. "We've taken our star-driven
strategy with hits like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, and we've created an
impressive prime time schedule with the hottest new shows like Modern Family,
The Jay Leno Show, Parenthood, Trauma and Cougar Town. It's a good mixture of
comedy, drama and reality."
"We are really pleased with the quality of the network's development for
the upcoming 2009/2010 season and we are thrilled that Rogers/Citytv
appreciated it as well," says Ron Suter, EVP, NBC Universal TV Distribution.
"We look forward to launching both 'Trauma' and 'Parenthood' with them this
Fall."
NEW PRIMETIME PROGRAMS THIS FALL:
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE - (s/CBS)
Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg) stars in Accidentally on Purpose as
Billie, a woman who finds herself "accidentally" pregnant after a one night
stand with a much younger guy, and decides to keep the baby... and the guy. A
newspaper film critic, Billie is barely surviving a humiliating break up with
her jet-setting, charming boss who's still trying to resume their
relationship. Suddenly expecting a child with her "boy toy" Zack (Jon Foster,
Judging Amy), the pair make an arrangement: to live together platonically.
Billie's party girl best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen, Ugly Betty), and Abby
(Lennon Parham, Confessions of a Shopaholic), her conventional, younger
married sister, eagerly look forward to the new addition and offer their own
brands of advice and encouragement. But when Zack and his freeloading friends
turn her place into a frat house, Billie isn't sure if she's living with a
boyfriend, a roommate, or if she just has another child to raise.
THE BIGGEST LOSER - Season 8 (s/NBC)
Not your average make-over show, The Biggest Loser - hosted by Alison
Sweeney (Days of Our Lives) focuses on exercising the right way, losing weight
naturally and promoting positive and healthy living. After years of failed
diets and unsuccessful exercising, sixteen overweight people will begin a
journey together under the supervision of trainers Bob Harper and Jillian
Michaels, in hopes of reaching their goal of weight loss, getting in-shape and
being healthy. Through thirteen episodes, this cast of diverse and dynamic
individuals will get the chance to compete for a grand prize of $250,000,
once-in-a-lifetime experiences and most importantly, their opportunity to be
self-confident about their accomplishments and physical appearance.
COMMUNITY (s/NBC)
From Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Arrested
Development) comes Community, a smart comedy series about higher education --
and lower expectations. The student body at Greendale Community College is
made up of high-school losers, newly divorced housewives, and old people who
want to keep their minds active. Within these not-so-hallowed halls, Community
focuses on a band of misfits, at the centre of which is a fast-talkin' lawyer
whose degree has been revoked (Joel McHale, The Soup), who form a study group
and end up learning a lot more about themselves than they do about their
course work. In addition to McHale, the series also stars: Gillian Jacobs (The
Book of Daniel); Yvette Nicole Brown (Rules of Engagement); Danny Pudi
(Greek); Alison Brie (Mad Men); and comedy legend Chevy Chase ("Saturday Night
Live"). Community is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap and
Russo Brothers production in association with Sony Pictures Television and
Universal Media Studios. Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist), Dan Harmon (The Sarah
Silverman Program), Joe Russo (Arrested Development), Anthony Russo (Arrested
Development) and Gary Foster (The Soloist) serve as executive producers. Joe
and Anthony Russo directed the pilot that was written by Dan Harmon.
CONVICTION KITCHEN - A Citytv Original Production
World-renowned executive chef, Marc Thuet, and his wife and business
partner, Biana Zorich, put their reputations on the line with a high-stakes
challenge that will push them - and their charges - to the limit. In
Conviction Kitchen, Marc and Biana have just three weeks to train a staff of
former bank robbers, thieves and minor offenders, completely outfit a brand
new business, and create an Italian menu around fresh and seasonal
ingredients... But the real challenge will be making it beyond opening night -
Because once the eatery opens, the restaurant's motley crew have only three
months to turn a profit - or their bosses will pull the plug, and they'll lose
their second, and for many - the last chance to turn their lives around.
COUGAR TOWN (s/ABC)
Co-executive produced by Courteney Cox and Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), Cougar
Town is a single-camera comedy that dares to tell the truth about dating after
divorce. In a small Florida town, the centre of high society is the Cougars
high school football team...which is wildly appropriate since this town is the
natural habitat for over-tanned, under-dressed divorcees prowling for younger
men. Jules (Courteney Cox, Friends) doesn't want to be one of them, but with
an ugly divorce behind her and 40 staring right back at her, she's longing for
a little more action in her life. The available men her own age, like her
silver fox of a neighbor, Grayson Ellis (Josh Grayson, Private Practice), only
seem interested in dating barely legal hotties. Egged on by her very married
and very irreverent best friend Elle (Christa Miller, Scrubs) and her
determined assistant Laurie (Busy Phillips, ER), Jules reluctantly dips her
toe back into the dating pool. To her surprise, she hits it off with a nice
young guy named Bobby (Brian Van Holt, John from Cincinnati) - emphasis on the
young - and discovers this gal still has the goods.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - Season 7 (s/ABC)
Put together one very run-down house, a deserving family, several
opinionated designers, seven days and what do you get? The answer is Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition. Each episode of the award winning unscripted program
is a self-contained race against time on a project that would ordinarily take
at least four months to achieve, involving one lucky and deserving family
along with a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who
have just seven days to totally rebuild an entire house every single room,
plus the exterior and landscaping. The design team includes team leader Ty
Pennington, with designers Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed
Sanders, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, John Littlefield, Rib Hillis and Didiayer
Snyder.
FORD MODELS SUPERMODEL OF THE WORLD CANADA - A Citytv Original Production
Hosted by Dina Pugliese of Breakfast Television Toronto and Laura
Lanktree, Editor of Teenflare.com, the nationwide search for the next face in
fashion will air this September on Citytv. Ford Models Supermodel of the World
Canada is a four part series including the exciting live broadcast finale from
Citytv's new state-of-the-art production facility in the heart of downtown
Toronto. The winner will represent Canada in the global final of FORD Models
Supermodel of the World competition.
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Season 5 (s/CBS)
How I Met Your Mother is a comedy about Ted (Josh Radnor, Judging Amy)
and how he fell in love. It all started when Ted's best friend, Marshall
(Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), dropped the bombshell that he was
going to propose to his long-time girlfriend, and now wife, Lily (Alyson
Hannigan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), a kindergarten teacher. At that moment,
Ted realized that he had better get a move on if he too hopes to find true
love. Helping him in his quest is Barney (Neil Patrick Harris, Stark Raving
Mad), a friend with endless, sometimes outrageous opinions, a penchant for
suits and a foolproof way to meet women. When Ted met Robin (Cobie Smulders,
The L Word), it was love at first sight, but when things didn't work out, Ted
realized destiny must have something else in store. The series is narrated
through flashbacks from the future.
THE JAY LENO SHOW (s/NBC)
The Jay Leno Show will be the first-ever entertainment program to be
stripped across primetime on broadcast network television and will showcase
many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more
than a dozen years.
LESS THAN KIND - Season 2 - A Citytv Original Production
Picking up where season one left off - Sam Blecher (Maurie Chaykin,
Blindness) is knocking on Death's door. Anne's (Wendel Meldrum, Queen of the
Lot) anxiety is ratcheted up as she tries to be matriarch, nurse, entrepreneur
and housewife. Josh (Benjamin Arthur, That One Night) is torn between his
duties to his family, himself, his girlfriend - but mostly himself. Clara
(Nancy Sorel, Cashing In) is the only somewhat sober, somewhat sane family
member holding it together. Sheldon (Jesse Camacho, 12 and Holding) deals with
further changes at school as his best friend Miriam (Brooke Palsson) is
becoming more than just a friend. Sheldon and Miriam inherit a feral new
partner to navigate the baffling maze of adolescence: Danny Lubbe (Tyler
Johnston, Smallville).
MODERN FAMILY (s/FOX)
This engaging new comedy offers a 'mockumentary' view into the
complicated, messy, loving life of three unique families. Jay Pritchett (Ed
O'Neill, John from Cincinnati) met the stunning Columbian Gloria (Sofa
Vergara, Dirty Sexy Money) when she bartended in a bikini at the pool party he
threw for himself the day his wife left him. Now married, Jay tries hard to
keep up with his much younger and hotter wife and her passionate teenage son,
Manny (Rico Rodriguez, Navy NCIS: Naval Crime Investigative Service). Claire
Delgado (Julie Bowen, Boston Legal) is having a hard time raising her own
family. Her husband Phil (Ty Burrell, Back to You) is great, except for the
fact that he thinks he's "down" with their teenage kids, much to their
embarrassment. Mitchell Dunphy (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Do Not Disturb) and his
enthusiastic partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet, CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation) have just adopted Lily, a precious little baby girl from
Vietnam.
MY RONA HOME - A Citytv Original Production
Hosted by Elissa Lansdell, My RONA Home, follows two families as they
compete to design, construct and decorate brand new homes over the course of
just ten weeks. With the help of a team of experts and friends, each family
must complete one room per episode and the public votes on who did the best
job each week. After the intensity and stress of fierce competition and the
back breaking labour of building the homes, the family that receives the most
votes per episode wins their home, with everything inside.
PARENTHOOD (s/NBC):
From the executive producers of the box-office hit Parenthood -- Ron
Howard and Brian Grazer (Oscar winners for A Beautiful Mind), and
writer/executive producer Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights) -- this
contemporary re-imagining of the blockbuster film depicts the colourful and
imperfect Braverman family -- four grown siblings sharing the headaches,
heartaches and joy of being parents. The star-studded cast includes Peter
Krause, Maura Tierney, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica
Potter, Erika Christensen and Sarah Ramos. When Sarah Braverman (Tierney, ER),
a financially strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings
in Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her
two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman, In Treatment) and Drew (Miles
Heizer, ER), she is greeted by her opinionated father, Zeek (Nelson, Family
Stone, Coach), and strong mother, Camille (Bedelia, Heart Like a Wheel), who
are privately dealing with their own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with
her siblings -- sister, Julia (Christensen, Traffic), and brothers Crosby
(Shepard, Baby Mama) and Adam (Krause, Six Feet Under) -- all struggling with
issues of their own, it's clear that the Braverman reunion is just what they
need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life. Parenthood is a
production from Imagine Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. Emmy winner
Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing) directs the pilot.
SUPERNANNY - Season 6 (s/ABC)
Supernanny Jo Frost can tame the wildest toddler, soothe the savage
six-year-old and get the most difficult child to overcome problems with
behaviour, sleep, mealtime, potty training and other challenges that have
vexed parents around the world for centuries. Jo's practical, no-nonsense
backed by over 20 years of nannying experience has kept audiences of
frustrated parents on the edge of their seats since 2005 as an international
phenomenon.
TRAUMA (s/NBC):
Executive producer Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) delivers Trauma, the
first high-octane medical drama series to live exclusively in the field where
the real action is. Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, Trauma is an
intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions
in the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the trauma
team from San Francisco General is first on the scene, traveling by land, by
sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the heights of the city's
Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San Francisco Bay, these heroes must
face the most extreme conditions to save lives -- and give meaning to their
own existence in the process. Starring in Trauma are Derek Luke (Notorious),
Cliff Curtis (10,000 B.C), Anastasia Griffith (Damages), Aimee Garcia (George
Lopez), Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights) and Jamey Sheridan (Law & Order:
Criminal Intent). "Trauma" is a production of Universal Media Studios and Film
44. Berg, Sarah Aubrey (Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights), Dario Scardapane and
Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) serve as executive producers. The pilot
was written by Scardapane and directed by Reiner.
RETURNING PRIMETIME PROGRAMS THIS FALL:
30 ROCK - Season 4 (s/NBC)
Multiple award-winning comedy series 30 Rock is told through the comedic
voice of Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tina Fey (SNL) as variety show producer
Liz Lemon and features Emmy and Golden Globe winner Alec Baldwin (The
Departed) as top network executive Jack Donaghy and Tracy Morgan (The Tracy
Morgan Show) as Tracy Jordan, the unpredictable star of Lemon's hit variety
show, "TGS with Tracy Jordan." Lemon constantly has her hands full, juggling
corporate interference from Donaghy and off-the-handle star antics from
Jordan, all while attempting to salvage her own personal life.
NFL FOOTBALL (s/NBC)
The premier prime time game of the week kicks off regular season coverage
each Sunday at 7 p.m. Joining Al Michaels and John Madden, the most honored
NFL broadcaster of all time, are Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, the
controversial Keith Olbermann, Tiki Barber, a three-time NFL Pro Bowler for
the New York Giants, and Jerome Bettis, one of the most popular players in
recent NFL history. Coverage includes sideline and feature reporter Andrea
Kremer, whom the Los Angeles Times has called the best TV interviewer in the
business of covering the NFL.
PARKS AND RECREATION - Season 2 (s/NBC)
Parks and Recreation is a hilarious mockumentary series set in the ever
exciting world of local Government - from the Emmy Award-winning producers of
The Office. The cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, Saturday Night
Live), a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of
Pawnee, Indiana as she attempts to beautify her town and advance her career.
Leslie's job is to help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, The Office)
take on defensive bureaucrats, selfish neighbours, real estate developers, and
single-issue fanatics - whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes,
and the very democratic process that Leslie loves so much. Leslie is
alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz
Ansari, Scrubs), and thwarted by her boss. Leslie hopes to inspire her
uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza, Mayne Street) all the while
moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female
president of the United States.
UGLY BETTY - Season 4 (s/ABC)
Start spreading the news! The fashion world's beloved and terminally
style-challenged not "it" girl, Betty Suarez (America Ferrera, The Sisterhood
of The Travelling Pants 2), is back! The award winning series returns for a
fabulous fourth season this fall. This season expect more fashionista
rivalries and romance, confidences and betrayals, grudges and alliances
broken, while secrets are unraveled through the eyes and ears of Mode's best
buds -- receptionist Amanda (Becki Newton, Law & Order: SVU), and Willie's
loyal assistant, Marc St. James (Michael Urie, WTC View). The "besties" are
always keeping tabs on everyone's moves, often finding themselves in the
middle of the drama and always fabulously dressed, of course. With a little
help from her co-worker and friend, Christina (Ashley Jensen, Extras), Betty
must prove to her family and the catty ego-centric fashionistas who await her
every misstep that she's all grown up and not the naive young girl from Queens
anymore.
NEW MID SEASON PROGRAMMING LINE UP:
100 QUESTIONS (s/NBC)
Emmy winner James Burrows (Will & Grace, Friends) directs 100 Questions,
a new comedy series written and executive-produced by Christopher Moynihan
(For Your Consideration) that provides hilarious answers to 100 questions
about love. Charlotte Payne (Sophie Winkleman, Peep Show) is looking for love
and has rejected multiple marriage proposals -- but she has yet to meet Mr.
Right. When she joins a popular online dating site, she gets a little help
from her dating counselor Ravi (Amir Talai, The Ex List) - who requires her to
take a 100-question compatibility test. The questions aren't easy for
Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant and
humorous time in her life with friends Leslie (Elizabeth Ho, Women's Murder
Club), Jill (Joy Suprano, Law & Order), Mike (Christopher Moynihan, For Your
Consideration) and Wayne (David Walton Quarterlife). The test becomes a
journey of self-discovery for Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly
wants in a relationship. Ron West (Psych), Kelly Kulchak (Psych) and Michelle
Nader (King of Queens) join Moynihan as executive producers. The series is
produced by Universal Media Studios and Tagline.
BETTER OFF TED - Season 2 (s/ABC)
Better Off Ted is a satirical office comedy about a successful good guy,
Ted (Jay Harrington, Private Practice) who runs research and development at
the morally questionable Veridian Dynamics. A single dad to his seven-year-old
daughter, Ted loves his job, but he's starting to take a closer look at the
company's extremely dubious practices. Ted's also fighting an attraction to
co-worker Linda (Andrea Anders, The Class) but he holds back about his true
feelings. He's already had his self-imposed "one office affair" with uberboss
Veronica (Portia De Rossi, Arrested Development). Veronica lets nothing get in
her way when it comes to serving Veridian's needs... even if it means doing
something like cryogenically freezing an employee for testing purposes. And
after all, the employee, research scientist Phil, survived...after he thawed
out.
MERCY (s/NBC)
Mercy, a new medical drama with a unique point of view, portrays the
lives of the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who
know it best -- its nurses. Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, Dark
Matter) returns to Mercy from a military tour in Iraq -- and she knows more
about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with fellow nurses
Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner, Rescue Me) and Chloe Payne (Michelle
Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl), Callahan navigates through the daily traumas and
social landmines of life and love both inside the hospital and out in the real
world. The cast also includes: James Tupper (Men in Trees) as Dr. Chris Sands,
a new doctor at the hospital who complicates Veronica's life; Diego
Klattenhoff (Supernatural) as Mike Callahan, Veronica's husband; and Guillermo
Diaz (Weeds) as Nurse Angel Lopez. "Mercy" is a production from Universal
Media Studios and Berman Braun. Joining writer/executive producers Liz Heldens
(Friday Night Lights) and Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts (Pushing Daisies,
Pepper Dennis) are executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. Emmy Award
winner Adam Bernstein (30 Rock, Rescue Me) is the director.
RETURNING MID SEASON PROGRAMMING:
THE BACHELOR - Season 14
One lucky man gets the opportunity to find the woman of his dreams--and
hopefully his bride-to-be--in this one-hour prime time reality series. Hosted
by Chris Harrison, The Bachelor embarks on a romantic journey meeting 25
women, then selecting 15 as potential mates. After getting to know each one,
he continues to narrow the field, from 10 to 5, and ultimately to the one
woman to whom he proposes marriage in the series' dramatic finale. At the end
of the journey, he will have had an unforgettable experience and, quite
possibly, found true love. But the big mystery is: If he pops the question,
will she accept?
CHUCK - Season 3 (s/NBC)
Created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and Chris Fedak, this high-concept
action comedy follows a regular 26-year-old everyman whose life is thrown into
disarray after his friend, a CIA agent, sends him an e-mail that results in
the world's secrets becoming embedded in his mind. Chuck Bartowski (Zachary
Levi, Less Than Perfect) is just an ordinary guy who spends his days solving
problems at an electronics store with a band of nerdy cohorts and longing to
find a woman who can appreciate him. He never asked to become the government's
most powerful weapon -- but suddenly the fate of the country lies in his
unlikely hands!
MURDOCH MYSTERIES - Season 3 - A Citytv Original Production
Set in 1895 Toronto, Murdoch Mysteries explores the intriguing world of
William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson, Sue Thomas F.B. Eye), a handsome young
detective using radical forensic techniques, like fingerprinting and trace
evidence, to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders. Though his
unconventional approach elicits ridicule from fellow officers and scepticism
from his boss, Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, Coronation Street),
Murdoch is often the only one who can crack the case. Murdoch's small circle
of confidantes includes pathologist Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy, Durham County), a
staunch ally who shares the detective's fascination with forensic science, and
Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris, Hatching, Matching and Dispatching),
Murdoch's eager but inexperienced right-hand man. Both are valuable allies who
help Murdoch solve his varied cases and traverse the many stratums of
Victorian society.
SCRUBS - Season 9 (s/ABC)
Scrubs focuses on the strange experiences of Dr. John Dorian, or "J.D."
(Zach Braff, Garden State), a medical attending, as he continues on his
healing career in a surreal hospital crammed full of unpredictable staffers
and patients -- where humour and tragedy can collide at any time. Joining the
rumpled J.D. at Sacred Heart Hospital are fellow attendings Chris Turk (Donald
Faison, Saturday Night Live) -- J.D.'s college buddy who is part of the elite
surgical group -- and the beautiful but socially awkward Elliot Reid (Sarah
Chalke, How I Met Your Mother). Former chief of medicine Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken
Jenkins, The X Files) has taken up residence at the hospital coffee shop,
where he can keep a watchful eye on the attendings and Turk's wife and
no-nonsense head nurse, Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes, Law & Order). Meanwhile,
the caring Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley, Spiderman) struggles with an
identity crisis as he reevaluates his career, and the hospital janitor --
J.D.'s nemesis -- never seems to miss an opportunity to harass his target.
Citytv, with stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and
Winnipeg, broadcasts intensely-local, urban-oriented, culturally-diverse
television in its own unique, interactive style. With its strong local voice,
Citytv offers a distinct alternative to other conventional television
offerings. Its instantly recognizable 'look' and 'sound' are the product of
refreshingly different on-air personalities, unique program formats and high
television style. Citytv is a division of Rogers Media Inc., a division of
Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified
Canadian communications and media company.