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SHOWCASE AND W NETWORK ANNOUNCE THEIR WINTER LINEUPS OF NEW AND RETURNING SERIES

Corus Entertainment's top 10 specialty networks, Showcase and W Network, have released their lineups of new and returning series coming this winter including the previously announced highly anticipated event series Ted from Seth MacFarlane, limited drama series based on Liane Moriarty's No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel Apples Never Fall, starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill, drama series Unwanted, comedy series Gold Diggers and romantic comedy Smothered. In addition, viewers can look forward to returning fan favourites including Dr. Death starring Edgar Ramirez and Mandy Moore, which claimed the No. 3 program across all of specialty entertainment when it debuted in 2021, and a new season of Hallmark Channel's critically acclaimed drama The Way Home.

Showcase

Returning with a two-episode back-to-back premiere on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. ET, a new season of Dr. Death, based on the hit Wondery podcast, follows miracle man Paolo Macchiarini (Mr. Ramirez), a world-renowned thoracic surgeon infamously known for his innovative trachea transplants. When investigative journalist Benita Alexander (Ms. Moore) approaches him for a story, the line between personal and professional begins to blur, changing her life forever. As she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about Paolo into question.

Exciting news for StackTV subscribers: StackTV subscribers can stream the first episode of Dr. Death early, ahead of the broadcast premiere, beginning Jan. 1, exclusively on the streaming platform. Then, for another dose, catch Dr. Death: Cutthroat Conman, a 90-minute documentary following the Dr. Death season 2 finale on Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase and StackTV.

Everyone's favourite potty-mouthed teddy bear is back with the one-hour event series premiere of Ted on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 9 p.m. ET. In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it is 1993, and Ted the bear's (Mr. MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He's now living back home in Framingham, Mass., with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John's parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he is a loyal pal who is always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.

Debuting on Showcase this winter is powerful new Sky series Unwanted, premiering Friday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m. ET with two back-to-back episodes. Inspired by the award-winning book Bilal, Unwanted follows what happens when a cruise ship called Orizzonte, packed with Western tourists, rescues a group of shipwrecked refugees from the sea. Their stories become intertwined with those of the crew and passengers, with it all taking a dramatic turn when some of the refugees, out of desperation, decide to hijack the ship upon finding out they are to be taken back to Libya. The series stars a multicultural ensemble cast including Marco Bocci, Jessica Schwarz, Dada Fungula Bozela, Hassan Najib, Sylvester Groth, Denise Capezza and more.

W Network

On New Year's Day, W Network strikes gold with two back-to-back episodes of the new comedy series Gold Diggers premiering Monday, Jan. 1, at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Set in the 1850s, as thousands of men from around the world flock to the gold fields to hit the jackpot, Gold Diggers follows the adventures of sisters Gert (Claire Lovering) and Marigold (Danielle Walker) and their ambition to strike it rich by landing themselves newly rich husbands. The series is produced by KOJO Studios and Stampede Ventures in partnership with CBS Studios and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Canadian Hearties rejoice: Hallmark Channel's When Calls the Heart returns for season 8 on Sunday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. In season 8, more surprises and challenges are in store for the residents of Hope Valley. Elizabeth's (Erin Krakow) relationships with Nathan (Kevin McGarry) and Lucas (Chris McNally) continue to deepen, Faith (Andrea Brooks) and Carson (Paul Greene) must make choices about their future, a new family arrives to town, Lee (Kavan Smith) and Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) find their callings, Bill (Jack Wagner) is asked to return a prized possession, and the whole town joins in the excitement as another wedding takes place.

A modern take on a classic rom-com, Smothered debuts Monday, Jan. 8 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Sammy (Danielle Vitalis) has just about given up on finding love, she is done with the apps, the monotony of modern dating and her bad boy ex. She is not interested in marriage or babies, she just wants to enjoy herself. All she wants is a little bit of romance. Then along comes Tom (Jon Pointing); he too is off dating, his priorities are elsewhere but he cannot ignore there is a spark. So, when she suggests a no-strings, no-details, three-week affair, he goes along with it. But can they really just leave it there?

A top series on W Network last spring, Hallmark Channel's The Way Home returns for more family drama, mystery and time travel when season 2 premieres Sunday, Jan. 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT with Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh, Evan Williams and Canadian actress Sadie Laflamme-Snow reprising their roles from its inaugural season. Season 2 starts where the shocking season 1 finale left off and put viewers on the edge of their seats -- with Kat (Ms. Leigh) exclaiming to Del (Ms. MacDowell) that she knows what happened to Jacob. As Kat continues her quest to find Jacob and bring him home, mother and daughter uncover unexpected revelations about their origins that bring answers to some questions while new ones are raised. Viewers can stream season 1 of The Way Home now on StackTV in advance of the season 2 premiere.

Coming this March, Apples Never Fall centres on the seemingly picture-perfect Delaney family. Former tennis coaches Stan (Mr. Neill) and Joy (Ms. Bening) have sold their successful tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. While they look forward to spending time with their four adult children (Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Essie Randles), everything changes when a wounded young woman knocks on Joy and Stan's door, bringing the excitement they have been missing. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her children are forced to re-examine their parents' so-called perfect marriage as their family's darkest secrets begin to surface.

Showcase and W Network can be streamed via StackTV, available on Amazon Prime video channels, Bell Fibe TV app, FuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Shaw Direct, Telus and Videotron.

W Network and Showcase are Corus Entertainment networks.

About Corus Entertainment Inc.

Corus Entertainment is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high-quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming platforms, and technology and media services. Corus is an internationally renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world-class animation studio expert in all formats, and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada and children's book publishing house Kids Can Press. Corus's roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Magnolia Network Canada, The History Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, the Global News website, Q107, Country 105 and CFOX, along with streaming platforms StackTV, Teletoon+, the Global TV app and Curiouscast. Corus is the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service.