You have to feel for the folks at Corus Entertainment and Global Television. Ratings-wise, even as broadcast numbers continue to tumble, they had a pretty good year last year. At Bell, they boast that this is the 25th consecutive year where CTV has emerged as No. 1 overall in prime time network ratings, but they now have to asterisk it (in the *18-54 demo). If you take away the Super Bowl, it may have been a draw at best.
Among Global’s claims emanating from the 2026-27 upfront this week in Toronto: they have the No. 1 reality series (Survivor), the No. 1 comedy (Ghosts), the no. 1 drama (9-1-1), the no.1 new spring show (CIA); and that they are returning more Top-20 hits than any other Canadian broadcaster.
According to their stats, drawn from Numeris data and posted on their release, they hold 13 of the Top-20 most-watched series this spring. They also state that their 16.5 hours of “premium simulcast programming: (i.e. “imports) tops any other schedule in Canada. So yes, they are, and still air, Survivor.
Pickings from those premium imports was decidedly slim this spring at what still passes for the Hollywood screenings. Global came back with four new acquisitions for fall. First, there is the comedy Eternally Yours starring Ed Weeks and Allegra Edwards from the people behind Ghosts. Weeks and Edwards play a vampire couple who are bloody upset that their daughter is dating a human. Shades of Bewitched.
Cupertino is not just the name of the city where Apple is based. It is now a TV series starring Mike Colter who plays a lawyer teamed with another attorney in a quest to bring the giants of Silicon Valley to heel. Ella Stiller and Busy Phillips also star.
Past procedural stars LL Cool J and Scott Caan are teamed in the spinoff NCIS: New York. Do I really need to describe it?
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The fourth acquisition, set for mid-season, is Einstein. No, not about Bob, or Albert, but the brilliant but directionless great-grandson of Albert Einstein. The kid now has to put his big brain to work solving – you guessed it – crimes. Matthew Gray Gubler and Melissa Fumero star.
The big news is that one of Canada’s most successful dramas ever, Private Eyes, is returning with both Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson back in the leads. Private Eyes West Coast finally gets a great lead in, launching Wednesday nights on Global this fall right after a 90 minute Survivor. A second season has already been ordered. Executive producers Shawn Pillar and Lloyd Segan tell me that the reboot allows the two nimble leads to lean even harder into their comedic interactions as well as the detective work. Look for plenty of guest stars.
In terms of returning hits, Global still has all those procedurals that keep those deep in the 2+ age range planted in their couches. Those shows include FBI, NCIS, NCIS Origins, Sheriff Country, Fire Country, Matlock, Elsbeth and, back for a third season, the BC-lensed Murder in a Small Town. Abbott Elementary is also back, And if it isn’t completely dismantled by September, that also have 60 Minutes. Maybe Scott Pelley could move to Toronto and anchor a Canadian version.
Global also says their The Morning Show, hosted by Carolyn MacKenzie and Jeff McArthur, is the No. 1 Canadian news/lifestyle morning program according to Numeris PPM data. The other private networks say otherwise, but you have to read the fine print. Rogers, for example, says Breakfast Television is No. 1, in Ontario.
The Morning Show will also start streaming exclusively on STACKTV in September. And the franchise is being extended to afternoons, with Morgan Hoffman hosting the hour-long TMS2 weekdays at 1 p.m. One suggestion: change the title. Just call it The Afternoon Show.
The bad news for Global, for 50-plus years one of Canada’s top private networks, is that bad business deals have led to punishing debt. Those issues are being addressed under a period of receivership protection, but still their ratings rivals have been circling like vultures.
Bell announced earlier that it had spirited away a tentpole Global has enjoyed for half a century – Saturday Night Live. That sketch comedy series remains the No. 1 draw among 18-49-year-olds in all of US network television. CTV has also acquired Doc for fall, formerly on Global. And Rogers’ owned specialty channel HGTV has struck a deal moving former Corus husband-and-wife contractors/decorators Brian and Sarah Baeumler back to the rival specialty service. Home Town Takeover Canada will be one of three series the Baeumler will headline in 2026-27 at HGTV.
