Remember: What are the most popular TV shows in Canada?

This is the second article in a two-part series about Canadian TV shows. This time, we’ll look at some of the most popular and longest-running shows. Some of them might surprise you.

Let’s start with some of Canada’s longest running TV shows.

• “Heartland” has currently aired for 16 seasons and 232 episodes since 2007, making it Canada’s longest-running drama series.
• The first was Street Legal, which ran for 124 episodes from 1987 to 1994.
• Murdoch Mysteries is Canada’s longest running scripted hour-long drama series (239 episodes). Heartland aired first, but Murdoch Mysteries has more episodes.
• The Beachcombers (1972-1990) is one of Canada’s longest-running drama series, having aired for 19 seasons and 387 episodes.
• “Hockey Night in Canada” has been broadcasting NHL games since 1952, making it Canada’s longest-running television sports program with 70 seasons.
• Other long-running Canadian TV shows include “The Nature of Things” (1960-present, 62 seasons), “The National” (1954-present, 68 seasons), and “The Rick Mercer Report” (1993-2018, 15 seasons). For me, I watch TV to watch the news. The longest-running news show in Canada is “The National,” which has been broadcast on CBC Television since 1954 and has a history of 70 seasons.

Canada’s longest-running investigative news program is W5, which has been on CTV for 56 years, from 1966 to this year, making it older than 60 Minutes and Dateline, both of which are broadcast in the United States.

My family has been watching the news together ever since I was a “puppy”. Some additional information about The National that may interest you is the fact that it premiered on CBC Television on November 1, 1954 and is one of the longest running news programs in the world. The show has had several title changes over the years (e.g. The CBC National News, The National News, etc.).

First airing on CTV on September 10, 1966, W5 has had a number of hosts over its 56 years, including Jim Reid, Pamela Wallin and Victor Malarek. Sadly, the show’s final episode is scheduled to air on June 21, 2024.

CBC has its own long-running investigative journalism show, “The Fifth Estate,” which premiered on September 6, 1975 (49 seasons) and has won numerous awards over the years.

I was a faithful watcher of a political news show called “Question Period” that has aired every Sunday since 1967 (57 seasons).

Canada has a huge audience for comedy, with the longest running comedy series being “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” now in its 32nd season and the longest running TV comedy series in Canadian history.

It premiered in 1993 and has become a staple of CBC’s primetime lineup, winning numerous awards over the years, including an Academy Icon Award at the Canadian Screen Awards and a Canadian Comedy Award for Best TV Program.

Canada has several other long-running comedy shows such as Corner Gas and SCTV (my favorite is SCTV), but in terms of total number of seasons aired, This Hour Has 22 Minutes is number one with 32 seasons.

While many argue that the linchpin for quality Canadian programming is the Canadian government’s quota of “Canadian content,” I believe that you can only hone your craft by competing with the best.

In Part 1 we talked about the first show to air on Canadian television. Some of you may remember the CGE show hosted by Elwy Yost that first aired on CBLT Toronto on September 8, 1952. Others may remember Yost from his appearances on TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies.

Other early CBC shows that began in 1952 included “The Big Revue,” “Detective Quiz,” “Hockey Night in Canada,” “Crossword Quiz” and “The Wayne and Shuster Hour.”

The first French-language program to air on Montreal’s CBFT was “Let’s See,” which premiered on September 6, 1952. “Let’s See” was a 15-minute bilingual puppet show, Canada’s first television broadcast, airing two days before the Toronto station launched.

Canada’s first variety television show is considered to be “The Big Revue,” which premiered as CBC Television’s first program on September 9, 1952. It was directed by Norman Jewison and written by John Aylesworth and Frank Peppiatt. The cast included performers such as Joel Aldred, Dave Broadfoot, Robert Goulet, and Donald Harron.

Aylesworth and Peppiatt produced other early CBC variety shows such as “After Hours” and “On Stage” before making their way to American and US television in the 1950s.

Although “Let’s See,” a 15-minute puppet show, technically aired on Sept. 6, “The Big Revue” is considered Canada’s first full-scale variety show.

While researching this article, I was asked what the most popular and successful Canadian TV shows of the past 72 years have been. I would have picked a sports show like “Hockey Night in Canada,” but apparently the consensus was that “Schitt’s Creek” was number one.

Here are some key points that support why Schitt’s Creek is Canada’s most popular TV show.

• Schitt’s Creek was voted number one in a ranking of the top 25 Canadian TV shows of all time by voters.
• The article noted that “Schitt’s Creek” is “an incredibly successful series that has been a hit not only in the U.S. but around the world, winning dozens of trophies, including major awards like the Emmys.”
• Created by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek is said to have “a perfect cast, fantastic characters and a fantastically original story.”
• With its international popularity and top rankings in opinion polls, “Schitt’s Creek” has seemingly earned its place as Canada’s most popular and successful TV show.
• IMDb’s list of the top 20 best Canadian TV series ranks Schitt’s Creek at number 7.

The poll showed “Schitt’s Creek” surpassing the widespread popularity and acclaim of iconic shows like “Corner Gas,” “Trailer Park Boys” and “The Kids in the Hall.”

You may have noticed that most of the shows I’ve mentioned so far are produced by the CBC, which for many years was the country’s only official broadcaster.

Canadian TV shows are not just dramas and comedies.

Here are some popular Canadian TV shows that aren’t dramas or comedies.

• Hockey Night in Canada is ranked 11th in the top 25 Canadian television shows of all time and is one of the longest running sports programs, having broadcast NHL games since 1952.
• Ranked 10th, “The Nature of Things” is a long-running Canadian documentary/science series that has been broadcast on CBC since 1960.
• Coming in at number eight is “Dragons’ Den,” a popular Canadian reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to investors.
• Coming in at No. 13 is Breakfast Television, a long-running Canadian morning news/talk show that has been on the air since the 1980s.
• Coming in at number six is ​​”Just for Laughs,” a comedy festival and television series that showcases stand-up comedy rather than a traditional sitcom.

Interestingly, the survey found that while dramas like “Murdoch Mysteries” and “Anne of Green Gables” and comedies like “Schitt’s Creek” dominate the list, shows focusing on sports documentaries, reality TV, news/talk and stand-up comedy also ranked among Canada’s most popular iconic TV series.

And finally, the most-watched broadcast in Canada was the men’s hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, with approximately 16.6 million viewers. The Super Bowl frequently ranks high as the most-watched television broadcast.

Writing these two articles brings back so many wonderful memories – so many of those times as a child sitting down to watch “Romper Room”, “Captain Kangaroo”, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and so many more.

I hope you enjoyed this series and I hope to see you again next weekend.

Sources: What’s your favourite Canadian TV show?: r/AskACanadian Top 20 Best Canadian TV Series – IMDb Kevin Newman on LinkedIn: Longest Running Survey… Murdoch Becomes Canada’s Longest Running Hour-Long Drama – brioux.tv CBC’s Heartland Becomes Canada’s Longest Running Hour-Long… It’s 22 Minutes Long – CBC Media Centre Canada’s 30 Funniest TV Shows – IMDb What are some great lesser known Canadian TV shows? The Roots of Canadian Television – Broadcaster Magazine Television | The Canadian Encyclopedia Civilization.ca – Watch TV – Early Canadian Television What is Canada’s most binge-watched TV show? | CTV News History: Television broadcasting began in Canada on September 6, 1952 CBC Television Network – Canadian Broadcasting History Civilization.ca – Watch TV – Canadian Television, Early Days Best Canadian TV Shows, Ranked – MovieWeb Canada’s Most Successful TV Shows, Ranked – StrawPoll Civilization.ca – Watch TV – Canadian Television, Early Days Canadian Variety TV Series – FamousFix.com List Canadian TV Series Premiering in 1952 – FamousFix.com List

Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod has been a history enthusiast and local historian for over 40 years. He writes weekly feature articles on Newmarket history. Newmarket today They deliver lectures and walking tours on heritage sites of local interest and lead local oral history interviews.