2021 in Canadian television

The following is a list of events affecting Canadian television in 2021. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and rebrandings.

Events

March

Date	Event	Source
11	Following its acquisition of the French-language V network, now branded as Noovo, in 2020, Bell Media announces the relaunch of dedicated news division Noovo Info. The network has had only a barebones news presence since former owner Remstar imposed major staffing cutbacks in 2008; under Bell Media's new plan, the network's news division will relaunch a twice-daily newscast titled Le Fil on March 29.	[1]

June

Date	Event	Source
16	The journalism division of the CBC — News, Current Affairs, and Local — are to turn off commenting on their Facebook posts for four weeks. The move was in response to written attacks on staff, and moderation levels described as "not sustainable."	[2]

Programs

Programs debuting in 2021

Start date	Show	Channel	Source
January 5	Humour Resources	CBC Television	[3]
January 6	Sans rancune	TVA	[4]
January 10	Big Brother Célébrités	Noovo	[5]
January 13	Entre deux draps	Noovo	[6]
January 15	Anyone's Game	CBC Television	[7]
February 4	Project Bakeover	Food Network	[8]
February 7	Holmes Family Effect	CTV	[9]
February 13	Gespe'gewa'gi: The Last Land	APTN	[10]
February 18	Rock Solid Builds	HGTV	[11]
February 23	Pretty Hard Cases	CBC Television	[12]
February 26	Arctic Vets		[13]
March 4	For Heaven's Sake	CBC Gem	[14]
March 6	This Is Pop	CTV	[15]
March 22	Shine True	OutTV	[16]
March 29	Le Fil	Noovo	[1]
April 30	Cam Boy	OutTV	[17]
May 7	Way Over Me (Sortez-moi de moi)	Crave, Super Écran	[18]
May 8	Yukon Harvest	APTN	[19]
May 17	Gabby's Farm	TVOntario	[20]
June 1	Querencia	APTN Lumi	[21]
July 16	SurrealEstate	CTV Sci-Fi Channel	[22]
August 25	Motel Makeover	Netflix	[23]
August 27	Undisrupted	CBC Gem	[24]
September 6	Mary Makes It Easy	CTV Life Channel	[25]
September 9	Race Against the Tide	CBC Television	[26]
September 10	Unsettled	APTN	[27]
September 13	Qui sait chanter?	Noovo	[28]
September 14	Moonshine	CBC Television	[26]
	Strays		[26]
September 15	Virage	Noovo	[29]
September 17	Family Law	Global	[30]
September 18	Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go	Treehouse TV
September 19	Chanteurs masqués	TVA	[31]
October 11	Roast Battle Canada	CTV Comedy Channel	[32]
October 12	British Columbia: An Untold History	Knowledge	[33]
October 20	Vollies	TV1	[34]
October 25	Call Me Mother	OutTV	[35]
October 29	Overlord and the Underwoods	CBC Gem	[36]
November 9	Sort Of	CBC Television	[26]
November 22	The Missus Downstairs	TV1
December 9	1 Queen 5 Queers	Crave	[37]
Unknown date	Happy House of Frightenstein	Family Jr.	[38]
	Pink Is In	TV1	[39]

Programs ending in 2021

End date	Show	Channel	First aired	Status	Source
February 8	Les Pays d'en haut	Ici Radio-Canada Télé	2016	Ended	[40]
March 8	Frankie Drake Mysteries	CBC Television	2017	Canceled	[41]
March 18	Burden of Truth		2018	Ended	[42]
April 13	Kim's Convenience		2016		[43]
November 1	Corner Gas Animated	CTV Comedy Channel	2018		[44]

Television films and specials

Airdate	Show	Channel	Source
April	Faith Heist	Super Channel
April 30	Catching a Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur		[45]
May 25	The Face of Anonymous	TVOntario	[46]
June 6	Juno Awards of 2021	CBC Television	[47]
July 5	Fresh Water	Crave	[48]
August 1	FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special	CBC Gem	[49]
September 18	2021 TIFF Tribute Awards	CTV	[50]
September 30	We Know the Truth: Stories to Inspire Reconciliation	CBC Television	[51]
November 7	43rd Félix Awards	Ici Radio-Canada Télé	[52]

Networks and services

Network launches

Network	Type	Launch date	Notes
Uvagut TV	Cable and satellite	January 18	An Inuktut language channel. Translates as "Our TV."[53]

Network conversions and rebrandings

Old network name	New network name	Type	Conversion date	Notes
HIFI	BBC First		March 16

Network closures

Network	Type	Closure date	Notes
BookTelevision		February 21
Fashion Television

Station closures

Market	Station	Affiliation	Closure date	Notes
Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec	CKRT-DT	Ici Radio-Canada Télé	August 31

Deaths

• May 26 – Paul Soles, actor and television personality (The Marvel Super Heroes, Spider-Man) (born 1930)^[54]
• July 24 – Alfie Scopp, English-born actor (Tales of the Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) (born 1919).^[55]
• September 14 - Norm Macdonald, comedian and actor better known for his work in American television (born 1959)^[56]

References

1. "Bell Media introduces new French-language news service". The Suburban, March 11, 2021.
2. Fenlon, Brodie (15 June 2021). "Why CBC is turning off Facebook comments on news posts for a month". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
3. Dana Gee, "A resourceful comedy". The Province, January 5, 2021.
4. Natalie Slight, "Tout ce que vous devez savoir sur Sans rancune, la nouvelle émission de Pier-Luc Funk". 7 Jours, January 6, 2021.
5. Lysandre Dolbec, "Big Brother Célébrités: deux nouvelles participantes dévoilées!". En Vedette, December 7, 2020.
6. Élizabeth Lepage-Boily, "Entre deux draps : Le « Un gars, une fille » de 2020". Showbizz, January 6, 2021.
7. Greg David, "CBC docuseries Anyone’s Game to premiere January 15". TV, eh?, December 11, 2020.
8. Jordan Pinto, "Corus slates eOne’s Project Bakeover for winter 2021". Playback, December 18, 2020.
9. Mark Daniell, "Mike Holmes makes it right with 'Holmes Family Effect'". Toronto Sun, February 6, 2021.
10. Eric Dicaire, "New docuseries opens a window into the lives of eastern Mi'kmaw fishers". CBC News Montreal, February 14, 2021.
11. Greg David, "Preview: HGTV’s Rock Solid Builds is a party on The Rock". TV, eh?, February 16, 2021.
12. Victoria Ahearn, "CBC reveals fall/winter lineup including 'Battle of the Blades,' 'Lady Dicks'" Archived 2020-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. CKGL, May 27, 2020.
13. "CBC's 'Arctic Vets' brings viewers up close with polar bears, seals and muskox". Kelowna Daily Courier, February 24, 2021.
14. Bruce Head, "Docuseries about 86-year-old Minden mystery premieres on CBC Gem and Paramount+ on March 4". Kawartha Now, February 26, 2021.
15. Greg David, "The power of pop music is uncovered in new CTV original series This is Pop". TV, eh?, March 1, 2021.
16. Greg David, "OUTtv and Fuse announce premiere date and cast for Shine True". TV, eh?, February 11, 2021.
17. Dino-Ray Ramos, "OUTtv Media Group Teams With Producer Entertainment Group Launch First LGBTQ+ Apple TV Channel". Deadline Hollywood, March 29, 2021.
18. Karl Hardy, "Sortez-moi de moi : voyez la première bande-annonce avec Sophie Lorain!". En Vedette, March 11, 2021.
19. Paloma Pacheco, "New series Yukon Harvest examines the meaning of hunting to Indigenous people". The Globe and Mail, May 14, 2021.
20. Greg David, "BGM Sphere announces new pre-school series 'Gabby's Farm' to debut on TVOkids on May 17". TV, eh?, April 22, 2021.
21. Craig Takeuchi, "APTN series Querencia follows romance between two Indigiqueer women". Now, May 31, 2021.
22. Greg David, "SurrealEstate haunts CTV Sci-Fi Channel, July 16". TV, eh?, June 16, 2021.
23. Brent Furdyk, "Two Toronto Women Transform A Decrepit Motel Into A Boutique Vacation Destination In Netflix Reality Show ‘Motel Makeover’". ET Canada, July 28, 2021.
24. Marsha Lederman, "National Arts Centre Orchestra’s eclectic new CBC Gem series showcases Canadian talent". The Globe and Mail, September 1, 2021.
25. Greg David, "Award-winner Mary Berg is back on TV with Mary Makes it Easy". TV, eh?, September 3, 2021.
26. Greg David, "CBC sets fall schedule and unveils 2021-22 programming slate, including over 35 original series from Canadian creators". TV, eh?, June 2, 2021.
27. Greg David, "An Indigenous woman returns to her birth family in APTN’s Unsettled". TV, eh?, September 15, 2021.
28. Nolin, Stéphanie (March 11, 2021). "Julie Snyder produit l'adaptation québécoise de I Can See Your Voice". Showbizz (in French). Happy Geeks Media.
29. Annabelle Caillou, "«Virage»: après le sport, le néant?". Le Devoir, September 8, 2021.
30. "'Departure', 'The Equalizer' and 'neXt' All Coming to the Global TV Fall 2020 Lineup". ET Canada, June 23, 2020.
31. Jean Philippe Angers, "Des chanteurs masqués, danseurs et politiciens à la télé". La Presse, September 14, 2021.
32. Dave MacIntyre, "Roast Battle Canada showcases the northern brand of vicious comedy". Cult MTL, October 11, 2021.
33. Greg David, "Preview: British Columbia: An Untold History is a crash course in the province’s diverse story". TV, eh?, October 11, 2021.
34. John Doyle, "Four fun or powerful shorts from the fringes of TV". The Globe and Mail, November 3, 2021.
35. Mr. Wavvy, "Time Out Market Montreal is hosting a Halloween Drag Brunch". Cult MTL, October 6, 2021.
36. Greg David, "Exclusive first look at the new trailer for CBC Gem’s Overlord and the Underwoods". TV, eh?, October 21, 2021.
37. Greg David, "Brooke Lynn Hytes presides over a panel of her queers in the Crave Original Series 1 Queen 5 Queers". TV, eh?, November 8, 2021.
38. Tyler Evans, "Company taps into 50th anniversary nostalgia of Hilarious House of Frightenstein". Newmarket Today, October 11, 2021.
39. "Pink Is In". Burlington Post, January 26, 2021.
40. Marc-André Lemieux, "Les pays d’en haut: une finale plus sombre était initialement prévue". Le Journal de Montréal, February 9, 2021.
41. "CBC'S FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES ENDS AFTER FOUR SEASONS". tv-eh.com. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
42. Grobar, Matt (March 18, 2021). "'Burden Of Truth' Canceled; CBC Drama To End With Season 4". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
43. White, Peter (March 8, 2021). "Canadian Comedy 'Kim's Convenience' To End With Fifth Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
44. "'Corner Gas Animated' to end after 4th season". Global News. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
45. John Doyle, "Unnerving: The Bruce McArthur case as true-crime story". The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2021.
46. Courtney Small, "The Face of Anonymous Review: The Complexity of Online Activism". Point of View, April 29, 2021.
47. Breanne Doyle, "Star-studded 50th annual JUNO Awards is this weekend—until then, CBC has you covered for live music entertainment". The Georgia Straight, June 2, 2021.
48. Mackenzie Patterson, "Fresh Water documentary spotlights Brazilian native finding refuge in Great Lakes surfing community". Streets of Toronto, July 19, 2021.
49. "FreeUp!: This Sunday, join artists across Canada to celebrate Emancipation Day 2021". CBC Arts, July 27, 2021.
50. Victoria Ahearn, "Alanis Obomsawin, Denis Villeneuve to get TIFF Tribute Awards at Toronto film fest". Toronto Star, July 22, 2021.
51. John Doyle, "Stop, listen and watch: Stories to take in on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation"]. The Globe and Mail, September 30, 2021.
52. Stéphanie Nolin, "Gala de l'ADISQ 2021 : La soirée de Roxane Bruneau et FouKi". Showbizz, November 7, 2021.
53. "New Uvagut TV to feature all programming made in Inuktut language". The Globe and Mail, January 14, 2021.
54. Perine, Aaron (May 28, 2021). "Spider-Man Original Voice Actor Paul Soles Dies at 90". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
55. Langan, Fred (August 13, 2021). "Versatile character actor Alfie Scopp never stopped working". The Globe and Mail.
56. Evans, Greg (September 14, 2021). "Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian And Former 'SNL' Weekend Update Anchor Was 61". Deadline. Retrieved September 14, 2021.

External links

• List of 2021 Canadian television series at IMDb