Canada's CTV Acquires 'Nashville,' 'The Mob Doctor' and 'The New Normal'

TORONTO - With few holes to fill on its Fall schedule, Canadian network CTV bought four new U.S. series at the Los Angeles Screenings, including The Mob Doctor from Sony Pictures Television, 20th Century Fox Television’s The New Normal, and ABC Studios’ The Neighbors, which stars Jamie Gertz and Lenny Venito.

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And CTV-parent Bell Media also picked up three new shows for its secondary CTV Two network: Warner Bros. Television’s adventure series Arrow, Nashville, a drama about dueling country stars from Lionsgate, ABC Studios and Gaylord Entertainment, and Emily Owens, M.D., the medical drama from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.

Spreading its buying among seven different studios, Bell Media filled its shopping basket in Los Angeles with another six new series for its mid-season campaign.

That included Zero Hour and The Family Tools from ABC Studios, Golden Boy and the Kevin Bacon-starrer The Following from Warner Bros. Television, Universal Television’s Do No Harm, and the Canadian drama Motive from Foundation Features and Lark Productions.

The first-place Canadian broadcaster, unveiling its Fall and mid-season lineup to local advertisers Thursday, will tout returning hits like CBS’ The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men simulcast Thursdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m., and another comedy block Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. when Lionsgate’s Anger Management for FX, starring Charlie Sheen, is paired with NBC’s The New Normal at 9:30 p.m.

Other returning hits on CTV include ABC’s The Amazing Race and Dancing With the Stars, CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Blue Bloods and Fox’s American Idol.

“For 10 years running now, our powerhouse lineup has been continually refreshed, resulting in the most stable and balanced schedule out there,” Phil King, president, CTV programming and sports, said Thursday ahead of Bell Media’s Upfront presentation in Toronto.

King’s talk of stability was echoed Wednesday by rival Global Television, with both Canadian market leaders facing stiff competition from fast-charging Rogers Media, which operates the Citytv network countrywide.

In all, the CTV schedule has 16.5 simulcast hours in primetime, just up on the 14.5 simulcast hours at rival Global Television.

CTV Two has in all 11 hours of simulcasts on its upcoming schedule.