The Best Canadian Shows Coming To Your TV This Fall & Winter
Last Updated September 24, 2021, 3:55 PM
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Years of critique about the lack of representation in television have recently been met with the arrival of more diverse casts, as we have seen in Netflix’s Sex Education or HBO’s Insecure. Some have identified the rise of American television shows focusing on Black narratives and casts as a “Black Renaissance.” But the writing room is where cracks in television remain.
Recent prominent series, such as HBO’s White Lotus, written and directed by Mike White, and Netflix’s The Chair, made by two white showrunners, shows us that many writers' rooms are still grappling with monotony and where to place the overused white male protagonist. Audiences want to engage with characters and narratives that reflect the intricate worlds they observe every day, making the white male protagonist redundant. As some have argued, TV’s white guys are in a bit of a crisis — and with reason. The need for white male-centered narratives is long past.
The state of Canadian television has lagged even further behind when it comes to representation both on camera and behind the scenes. Little space has been made for Black characters, narratives, storywriters, and storylines here. The problem remains structural. As Refinery29 Unbothered Senior Editor Kathleen Newman-Bremang so expertly argued, Canadian television definitely does not reflect the 22% of Canadians who are people of colour.
And that’s exactly what makes some up-and-coming releases in Canada more galvanizing — they finally offer alternatives. One anticipated release, Revenge of The Black Best Friend (CBC Gem), is a comedy about a self-help guru on a mission to destroy the entertainment industry’s reliance on Black tropes. Another awaited release, The Red, is a fictional investigative series inspired by real crimes, revealing layers of systemic racism in the criminal and social justice systems in Canada. These shows also offer something refreshing in their writing and creative teams: Both are written by Black and Indigenous writers and directors, and the creative team for The Red includes cultural advisors, liaisons, and translators for the many communities reflected in the show.
We hope this trend only manifests into an ongoing reality for Canadian television. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up the some of the best shows we’re looking forward. We’ll keep updating this list and air dates as more shows are announced.
The state of Canadian television has lagged even further behind when it comes to representation both on camera and behind the scenes. Little space has been made for Black characters, narratives, storywriters, and storylines here. The problem remains structural. As Refinery29 Unbothered Senior Editor Kathleen Newman-Bremang so expertly argued, Canadian television definitely does not reflect the 22% of Canadians who are people of colour.
And that’s exactly what makes some up-and-coming releases in Canada more galvanizing — they finally offer alternatives. One anticipated release, Revenge of The Black Best Friend (CBC Gem), is a comedy about a self-help guru on a mission to destroy the entertainment industry’s reliance on Black tropes. Another awaited release, The Red, is a fictional investigative series inspired by real crimes, revealing layers of systemic racism in the criminal and social justice systems in Canada. These shows also offer something refreshing in their writing and creative teams: Both are written by Black and Indigenous writers and directors, and the creative team for The Red includes cultural advisors, liaisons, and translators for the many communities reflected in the show.
We hope this trend only manifests into an ongoing reality for Canadian television. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up the some of the best shows we’re looking forward. We’ll keep updating this list and air dates as more shows are announced.
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