Global Television Network

The "docusoap" chronicled the creation of Canadian music acts, starting with open call auditions in major cities across Canada right through the selection process. A group of judges from the music and entertainment industry made cuts based on performances as the hopefuls went through a rigorous "boot camp" to learn dance steps and practice singing. The first season sought to find an all-girl band and successfully launched the group Sugar Jones.

Based upon an 1875 novel, "The Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne, this series began in 1865 in Richmond, Virginia, towards the end of the American Civil War. Six characters met in a Confederate jail, and when threatened with the firing squad, made a daring escape under gunfire, taking off in a gas-filled balloon. A storm blew the balloon west across America and out to sea where it eventually crash-landed on what was later discovered to be a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean.

This action adventure series was about a group of human mutants who had been genetically altered, bonded together by their extraordinary powers. They were guided by the principles of peace and harmony between mutants and humanity. The ensemble cast was almost purely Canadian, including John Shea, Victoria Pratt (born in Chelsey, Ontario), Victor Webster (a native of Calgary, Alberta), Forbes March (raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia), Lauren Lee Smith (born in Vancouver, B.C.) and Tom McCamus (a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba).

The exciting jet set world of high finance, political maneuvering and espionage came to life in this adaptation of the best-selling Editions Dupuis comic-book series. Paolo Seganti played Largo, a sudden heir to a gigantic corporate empire whose life was transformed into a series of James Bond-like adventures. The action-adventure series returned for second season with 13 episodes.

Broadcast: 2001 - 2003
Time slot: Thursdays
Running time: 60 minutes

Although Global stations had always carried local news in various forms since Global first went to air in 1974, the first version of its national news, titled First National, was not launched until 1997, with Peter Kent as the inaugural news anchor.   However, First National only ran initially in central Canada where Global had most of its stations.  In 2000, when Global Television acquired the assets of Western International Communications (including what was then BCTV Vancouv

An animated adventure series adopted from a series of novels of the same name written by Henri Vernes.

Broadcast: 2001 – 2002
Time slot: Saturday 7:30 am, Sunday 7:30 am
Running time: 30 minutes

Production Company: Cactus Animation

Written by Joanne Ingrassia - June, 2002

Blue Murder I and II were each a 13-episode gritty one-hour drama series that chronicled a team of Toronto based police investigators in their efforts to solve complicated, high profile and politically sensitive crimes. Homicide, politics, gang wars and police corruption all play a role in Blue Murder. This gritty police drama, which received 10 Gemini Award nominations in 2001, returned for a third season with 13 new episodes in 2003.

 
The series starred Maria Del Mar, Mimi Kuzyk, Jeremy Ratchford, Joel Keller and Maurice Dean Wint.

After receiving critical acclaim for its half-hour drama debut, Blackfly became a 13-part comedy series from Salter Street Films, producers of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. This comedic half-hour series satirized the social and political history of Canada in a politically incorrect fashion. Set in the 18th century in the fur trading post of Fort Simpson-Eaton, Blackfly was created by and starred Canadian comedian Ron James as Benny "Blackfly" Broughton.

This series followed high school kids who ran a school newspaper, and combined live action with innovative animation.  Starring Jamie Elman as Cody Anthony Miller, Nicole Lyn as Emily Roberts, Ross Hull as Chris Sheppard, Katie Emme McIninch as  Margaret 'Mags' Abernathy, Katheryn Winnick as Holly Benson, Miklos Perlus as Victor Kane, Jessica Goldapple as  Francesca

It was non-stop adventure as this series followed one of literary history's most famous swashbucklers, the legendary Sinbad. Sinbad lived in a world of music and fantasy, where magical monsters aligned themselves with human allies in the age-old battle between good and evil. The world of Sinbad came alive with special effects through remarkable state-of-the-art technology.

Broadcast: 2000 - 2002
Time slot: Sunday 11:30 am
Running time: 60 minutes

Production Company: Atlantis Film Production in association with CanWest Global System