City Unveils its 2017/18 Prime-Time Schedule

Proven, powerful, and pedigreed. Today Rogers Media unveils City's 2017/18 programming schedule, building on last season's proven hits with bold new additions backed by some of the most creative minds in television today. Rogers Media president, Rick Brace, and senior vice president of television & broadcast operations, Colette Watson, together with the executive team will present the new schedule to advertisers and media this afternoon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

"With 10x the viewing hours of Netflix and nearly 10x the hours spent on social media1, TV is still the most relevant way to reach consumers today," said Brace. "And Canadians come to us to be entertained. Rogers Media properties reached more than 96% of Canadians last season2 - and we're ready to welcome them back this year to be entertained with even more of what they love."

Adding 12 new titles to a roster of proven hits, City's schedule strikes a balance between proven performers, premium dramas, event programming, and laugh-out-loud comedies. The mix of fresh titles and fan favourites delivers something for everyone, every night of the week.

"The draw of the characters and the calibre of storytelling was the key to our success last season - Lethal Weapon is a great example," added Watson. "Powered by the strength of the movie franchise, stellar cast, and fresh stories, the series boosted the previous timeslot by 169%3. We made some strategic refinements to our schedule for 2017/18 and we expect the creative pedigree behind some of these new titles to have a similar impact."

Comedies
This broadcast year, City had three of the Top 10 and eight of the Top 20 comedy hits4, and City will continue to bring the laughs with five new comedy series for the 2017/18 season. Joining the fall lineup, The Orville, from Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane and director Jon Favreau, is an irreverent workplace sci-fi adventure comedy set 400 years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, an exploratory spaceship, and the familiar and funny everyday challenges of its human and alien crew. The weird and wonderful out-of-this-world theme continues with Ghosted, when a cynical skeptic (Craig Robinson, The Office) and a GENIUS "true believer" (Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies) are recruited to investigate unexplained phenomena in Los Angeles - all the while uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race. Canadian cult classic Fubar moves to the small screen, propelling beloved characters Terry and Dean into the modern age. New-to-City, SPEECHLESS starring Minnie Driver joins the schedule in mid-season, along with new Will Ferrell-produced commuter comedy LA to Vegas.

Dramas
Power and political games drive City's scripted drama slate for the 2017/18 season with four new series joining the lineup. A City original, BAD BLOOD follows the true-crime saga of one of Canada's most notorious mob families, a revenge story of Godfather-like proportions. New-to-City this fall, hit series THE BLACKLIST joins the schedule with prime-time's favourite fugitive-turned F.B.I informant, "Red" Reddington (James Spader), as he teams up with his hand-picked profiler to work through his own "most wanted" list of criminals. Coming in 2018, Versailles is a lush Canadian drama about Louis XIV, and the darkness, ambition, and manipulation that simmers just beneath the gilded surface of the Sun King's court. Also, a young doctor's ethics are tested when The Resident, starring Canadians Emily VanCamp and Bruce Greenwood, joins City's schedule in mid-season.

Reality / Live Events
Enhancing City's strength in powerhouse reality franchises, Dancing with the Stars moves to City for the 2017/18 season, bringing a new cast of celebrity ballroom dancers together in competition for the coveted Mirrorball trophy. Building on the success of marquee live event programming, City presents a live musical event for the holidays, A Christmas Story, based on the beloved and iconic movie about Ralphie, whose only wish is for a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree. In 2018, an all-new live musical production of the Tony Award-, Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent will bring the unforgettable story of friendship, love, and hope among seven struggling artists in New York's gritty East Village to a whole new audience in mid-season.

Returning Favourites
Proven hits and fan favourites return as City confirms the renewal of 16 prime-time series, delivering more laugh-out-loud moments, dramatic plot twists, and thrilling competition through the 2017/18 season. Returning series include THE BACHELOR franchise, Black-ish, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, Hell's Kitchen, Hockey Night in Canada, Last Man on Earth, Lethal Weapon, Life in Pieces, The Mick, The Middle, Modern Family, Mom, New Girl, Nirvanna The Band The Show, and Scorpion.

The iconic New Year's Eve countdown celebration Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards® and the 51st Annual Country Music Awards® also return to City this season.

All programming is available on Citytv.com and on mobile through the City Video app for iOS and Android. Fall premiere dates will be announced soon; shows not listed on the Fall schedule below will be announced at a later date.

City's Fall Schedule
All times ET/PT; s=simulcast

Monday

• 8 p.m. Dancing with the Stars (s) *NEW to City*
• 10 p.m. SCORPION (s)

Tuesday

• 8 p.m. Lethal Weapon (s)
• 9 p.m. THE MICK (s)
• 9:30 p.m. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (s)
• 10 p.m. Mom
• 10:30 p.m. Mom

Wednesday

• 8 p.m. THE BLACKLIST *NEW to City* (s)
• 9 p.m. MODERN FAMILY (s)
• 9:30 p.m. BLACK-ISH (s)
• 10 p.m. Mom
• 10:30 p.m. Mom

Thursday
Early Fall:

• 8 p.m. BAD BLOOD *NEW, Canadian original*
• 9 p.m. The Orville (s) *NEW*
• 10 p.m. Mom
• 10:30 p.m. Mom

Late Fall:

• 8 p.m. The Orville (pre-release) *NEW*
• 9 p.m. Mom (s)
• 9: 30 p.m. LIFE IN PIECES (s)
• 10 p.m. Mom
• 10:30 p.m. Mom

Friday

• 8 p.m. Hell's Kitchen (s)
• 9 p.m. The Middle
• 9:30 p.m. SPEECHLESS *NEW to City*
• 10 p.m. Mom
• 10:30 p.m. Mom

Saturday

• Hockey Night in Canada

Sunday

• 8 p.m. TBD
• 8:30 p.m. Ghosted (s) *NEW*
• 9 p.m. FAMILY GUY (s)
• 9:30 p.m. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (s)
• 10 p.m. Nirvanna, The Band, The Show *Canadian original*
• 10:30 p.m. Fubar: The Age of the Computer *NEW, Canadian original*

**NOTE: Broadcast details for the following City programs will be announced in the coming months: new series The Resident, LA to Vegas, and Versailles, new live musicals A Christmas Story and Rent, returning awards shows the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards® and 51st Annual Country Music Awards®, and iconic New Year's Eve countdown celebration Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

CITY NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Series:

BAD BLOOD
60-minute Canadian scripted drama series
Thursdays at 8 p.m.
National broadcast

Inspired by reputed mobster Vito Rizzuto, and based on the best-selling book, Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's Last War by Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards, Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story is a six-part limited event series. While imprisoned in Colorado's Supermax Prison for the murders of three Bonanno family members, Rizzuto watches helplessly as the thriving EMPIRE he built is dismantled, and his closest friends and family members are mysteriously murdered one by one. When Rizzuto is finally released from prison, a Shakespearean-level revenge tale plays out - leading to the brutal murders of his closest companions, and ultimately the death of Rizzuto himself.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: New Metric Media, Sphere Media, and DHX Media
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Michael Konyves, Simon Barry
CAST: Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint)

FUBAR: THE AGE OF THE COMPUTER
30-minute Canadian scripted comedy series
Sundays at 10:30 p.m.
National broadcast

Based on the beloved film franchise and hurdling it into the modern age, Fubar: The Age of the Computer finds Terry and Dean fleeing from the wildfires of Fort McMurray in a desperate retreat to Calgary, with nothing but emergency government debit cards to their names. Discovering high-speed Internet for the first time, Terry is exposed to a world of commerce and social media and attempts to harness the web to make a profit. Meanwhile, Dean embarks on a journey to record a triple-concept album using his burnt bass guitar and extreme falsetto voice.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Busted Tranny Productions Ltd Cardinal Film Inc., Vice Studio Canada
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Michael Dowse
CAST: David Lawrence (Freezer Burn), Paul Spence (It's All Gone, Pete Tong)

GHOSTED
30-minute scripted comedy series
Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
National broadcast

In the most unlikely of partnerships, a cynical skeptic and a GENIUS paranormal "true believer" are tasked with an epic mission: saving the human race from aliens. Leroy Wright and Max Jennifer are recruited by a secret government agency to look into "unexplained" activity in Los Angeles. Their investigations lead them to scary, thrilling and hilarious places as they attempt to uncover the truth and keep Earth rotating on its axis for at least one more day.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century FOX Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten, Craig Robinson, Adam Scott, Naomi Scott, Oly Obst, Mark Schulman, Jonathan Krisel
CAST: Craig Robinson (The Office, This Is the End), Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies), Ally Walker (Colony, Sons of Anarchy), Adeel Akhtar (Unforgotten, The Night Manager)

LA TO VEGAS
30-minute scripted comedy series
Spring 2018
National broadcast

Boarding passes, please. Welcome to Jackpot Airlines, a budget carrier whose roundtrip junket flight from LA to Vegas and back again, is filled with dreamers looking for that big score. The flight manifest includes long-suffering flight attendant Ronnie; Captain Dave, the narcissistic pilot whose fighter-pilot dreams never quite worked out; Bernard, the always-positive career flight attendant who thinks there's no flight more magical than the LA-to-Vegas; Artem the genial professional gambler who serves as the plane's resident (but unofficial) bookie; and Nichole the sweet-natured, part-time stripper who's a lot savvier than people realize. This group of dreamers and underdogs eventually go from being strangers on a plane to an unconventional Friday-to-Sunday family - whether they like it or not.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century FOX Television, Gary Sanchez Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Will Ferrell, Lon Zimmet, Steve Levitan, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Owen Burke
CAST: Kim Matula (UnREAL), Ed Weeks (The Mindy Project), Nathan Lee Graham (The Comeback, Hitch), Olivia Macklin (The Young Pope), Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski), Dylan McDermott (The Practice, American Horror Story)

THE ORVILLE
60-minute science-fiction comedy series
Thursdays at 9 p.m. in early Fall, then moves to 8 p.m. in late Fall (dates TBD)
National broadcast

In 400 years, Earth is part of the Planetary Union, a far-reaching, advanced and mostly peaceful civilization with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Aboard the U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel, its crew - both human and alien - face the wonders and dangers of outer space while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of regular people in a workplace. Down on his luck after a bitter divorce, Planetary Union officer Ed Mercer finally gets his chance to command one of the ships, a task complicated by his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson, newly assigned as his First Officer. Ed assembles a qualified but eccentric crew, including his best friend Gordon Malloy, who has problems with authority; Dr. Claire Finn, one of the Union's most accomplished physicians; Bortus, an alien from a single-sex species; Isaac, an artificial life-form from a machine society; and others. Facing cosmic challenges from without and within, this motley crew of space explorers will boldly go where no comedic drama has gone before.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century FOX Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark, Liz Heldens, Jon Favreau (pilot)
CAST: Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Friday Night Lights), Penny Johnson Jerald (24, The Larry Sanders Show), Scott Grimes (ER, Justified), Peter Macon (Shameless, Bosch), Halston Sage (Neighbors, Goosebumps), J. Lee (Family Guy, The Cleveland Show), Mark Jackson (That Royal Today), Chad Coleman (The Walking Dead), Norm Macdonald (The Middle, Saturday Night Live)

THE RESIDENT
60-minute scripted drama series
Spring 2018
National broadcast

An idealistic young doctor begins his first day eager to save lives. Under the supervision of a brilliant but unconventional senior resident, the young doctor soon discovers his chosen profession is not what he imagined and that ethical lines are often blurred. The once-optimistic young doctor soon discovers that the practice of medicine is a business, like any other, and realizes that not all patients are angels and not all doctors are gods.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century FOX Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Antoine Fuqua, Amy Holden Jones, David Boorstein, Oly Obst, Phillip Noyce
CAST: Matt Czuchry (The Good Wife, Gilmore Girls), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Manish Dayal (Halt and Catch Fire), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Billions), Valerie Cruz (The Following), Bruce Greenwood (The People v. O.J. Simpson: AMERICAN CRIME Story)

New to City:

THE BLACKLIST
60-minute scripted drama series
Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
National broadcast

As brilliant as he is baffling, Raymond "Red" Reddington - one of the F.B.I.'s "10 Most Wanted" - eluded law enforcement for more than two decades before voluntarily surrendering in exchange for immunity. According to legend, Red cleverly controlled a web of UNDERGROUND enterprises with an unmatched ability to gather useful information, especially on other criminals. And while the criminal life is now in his past, Red still craves the game. Working with a hand-picked profiler - and always staying one step ahead - Red reveals to her the critical information the FBI needs to run down his own "Most Wanted" list, one bad guy at a time.

PRODUCTION COMPANYS: Davis Entertainment, Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp, John Davis, John Fox, Michael Watkins, James Spader, Lukas Reiter, J.R. Orci, Daniel Cerone
CAST: James Spader (Boston Legal, The Practice) , Megan Boone (Law & Order: Los Angeles), HARRY Lennix (Ray), Diego Klattenhoff (Homeland), Ryan Eggold (90210), Amir Arison (The Visitor), Hisham Tawfiq (Redemption), Mozhan Marnò (House of Cards)

DANCING WITH THE STARS
Two-hour reality competition series
Mondays at 8 p.m.
National broadcast

Enjoy even more sizzling salsas, sambas and spray-tans as a brand new celebrity cast vies for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy when Dancing with the Stars joins City for its landmark 25th season. The hit series showcases celebrities performing choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: BBC Worldwide Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Joe Sungkur
HOST AND JUDGES: Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews as hosts; Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli are judges

SPEECHLESS
30-minute comedy series
Spring 2018
National broadcast

Maya DiMeo will do anything for her husband, Jimmy, and their kids Ray, Dylan and JJ, her eldest son with cerebral palsy. As Maya fights injustices - both real and imagined - THE FAMILY works to make a new home for themselves and searches for just the right person to help give JJ his "voice."

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Twentieth Century FOX Television and ABC Studios
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Scott Silveri, Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar
WRITER: Scott Silveri
CAST: Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, The Riches), John Ross Bowie (Episodes), Mason Cook (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World), Micah Fowler (Labor Day), Kyla Kenedy (The Walking Dead), Cedric Yarbrough (BoJack Horseman)

VERSAILLES
60-minute historical drama series; Canadian series
Spring 2018
National broadcast

Outstanding political strategist and master manipulator, Louis XIV "invents" Versailles in order to keep the French nobles under control, progressively transforming Versailles into a golden prison. He is also inclined to Romanesque passions - but how to indulge when one is the greatest king of the world? It's a revealing look at a gilded and gritty world of BETRAYAL and intimate secrets, of political manoeuvres and war.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Capa Drama, Zodiak Media Group, Incendo Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Aude Albano, Jean Bureau, Claude Chelli, Simon Mirren, Anne Thomopoulos
CAST: Georges Blagden (Vikings, Les Misérables), Alexander Vlahos (The Adventures of Merlin), Tygh Runyan (Dark Harvest), Anna Brewster (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens)

New Live Musicals:

A CHRISTMAS STORY
Live television event
Date and time TBC (December)
National broadcast

"You'll shoot your eye out!" Based on the Broadway musical version of the beloved holiday film, A Christmas Story is about a Midwestern boy named Ralphie who wants nothing more than a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Building on the Broadway experience, this live musical event will feature several new original songs.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES: FOX and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Jonathan Tolins, Robert Cary
CAST: TBA

RENT
Three-hour live television event
Date and time TBC (2018)
National broadcast

How do you measure a year in the life? A contemporary take on the classic Puccini opera La Boèhme, Rent is set in New York City's gritty East Village and tells the unforgettable story of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams during a time of great social and political turmoil. The Tony Award-, Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

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