The best Canadian TV shows by genre:
Best Canadian Comedies
Schitt’s Creek
Seasons: 5 (2015-present)
Where to stream: Netflix, PopTV app
Even if you’ve been sleeping on this hit comedy, it’s not too late to fall in love with the Rose family. Starring comedy royalty Catherine O’Hara (in a career-best performance) and Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek tells the story of a Kardashian-like family who loses their fortune overnight and is forced to move to the only property they have left: the tiny backwater town of Schitt’s Creek, which they once purchased as a joke. As the culture shock wears away, the Roses adjust to small-town life, and begin to learn who they really are. The show takes a while to find its warmth, so if the pilot doesn’t grab you, just keep watching. Season six (which involves—slight spoiler—a wedding) will be available to stream on the PopTV app as it airs.
Slings & Arrows
Seasons: 3 (2003-2006)
Where to stream: Acorn
An hourlong comedy about a floundering Shakespeare company, Slings & Arrowsmay not sound like everyone’s cup of tea—but give it a chance, and you’ll find that it’s a near-perfect show. Created by and starring some of Canada’s biggest talents (including a cusp-of-fame Rachel McAdams), the series follows the backstage drama during three different plays: Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. Inevitably, Shakespeare’s themes make their way into the characters’ lives, in unexpectedly hilarious and profound ways.
Corner Gas
Seasons: 6 (2004-2009)
If you love the small-town quirks of Schitt’s Creek or Parks and Recreation, you owe yourself a visit to Dog River. Set at a gas station and adjoining coffee shop in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairie, this gentle and dry-witted comedy ranks as the most popular Canadian sitcom of all time. In addition to the original 107 episodes, there’s a Corner Gas movie and an ongoing animated series.
Kim’s Convenience
Seasons: 3 (2016-present)
Where to stream: Netflix
This endearing sitcom centers on a Toronto convenience store owned by a Korean immigrant couple with two grown, first-generation Canadian children. The show’s jokes and characters are broad, but the immigrant family dynamic is portrayed with nuance—and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Jean Yoon, who play Mr. and Mrs. Kim, are hilarious.
Workin’ Moms
Seasons: 3 (2017-present)
Where to stream: Netflix
The first episode of Workin’ Moms opens with three 30-something women stripping in the middle of playgroup to compare their postpartum breasts. That’s the level of raw honesty you can expect from this dark comedy about women trying to balance careers and personal ambitions with motherhood. Creator and star Catherine Reitman (who plays Andre’s coworker Lucy on Black-ish) based the show on her own experience returning to work after the birth of her son.
Trailer Park Boys
Seasons: 12 (2001-2018)
Where to stream: Netflix
Upon their release from prison, best friends Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) resume their lives of petty crime in a Nova Scotia trailer park. That plot describes every season of Trailer Park Boys, a mockumentary-style comedy about beer-guzzling troublemakers who live by their own rules. Somehow both crude and understated, the low-budget show became an international hit over the course of its long run, with each character developing his own devoted following.
Best Canadian Dramas
Anne with an E
Seasons: 3 (2017-present)
Where to stream: Netflix
When the news broke that this Anne of Green Gables adaptation had not been renewed for a fourth season, the hashtag #RenewAnnewithanE immediately began trending. Fans’ devotion to this magical series isn’t hard to understand. The show is faithful to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic books, but weaves in additional plotlines that explore the show’s 19th-century world, addressing issues like racism, sexism and homosexuality with historical accuracy. Anne with an E tells the story of an imaginative, free-spirited orphan (played by Amybeth McNulty) who is adopted by an aging brother and sister (Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson) on beautiful, remote Prince Edward Island. The final season airs Jan. 3.
Tin Star
Seasons: 2 (2017-present)
This underrated detective drama stars Tim Roth as a police chief who moves his family from London to the Canadian Rockies in hopes of staying sober and escaping a dark past. But although the new town seems idyllic, there’s violence underneath the surface—from a corrupt oil company bent on taking over to a religious community tangled up with a drug cartel. Mad Men standout Christina Hendricks costars.
Frankie Drake Mysteries
Seasons: 3 (2017-present)
An ensemble of bold, funny women lead this 1920s-set mystery series, about the first (fictional) female private detective in Toronto. Frankie Drake (Lauren Lee Smith) is an adventurous trailblazer who takes on cases the police won’t touch. Aiding her investigations are other women whom society has held back from their dream jobs: her partner Trudy Clarke (Chantel Riley), the daughter of Jamaican immigrants; a morgue attendant who’d rather be a coroner; and a policewoman stuck measuring hemlines as a “morality” officer.
Alias Grace
Seasons: 1 (2017)
Where to stream: Netflix
Two of Canada’s best filmmakers, Mary Harron and Sarah Polley, are behind this juicy adaptation of a 1996 novel by Margaret Atwood (who wrote The Handmaid’s Tale). Based on an actual 1843 murder case, Alias Grace explores the story of a young Irish servant (played by Sarah Gadon) convicted of killing her employer. During a series of conversations with a psychiatrist (Edward Holcroft), the imprisoned Grace tells her side of the gruesome story. But how much of what she’s saying is the truth? The six-part miniseries will keep you guessing until the very end.
Murdoch Mysteries
Seasons: 13 (2008-present)
Where to stream: Hulu, Acorn
Detective fiction meets the all-stars of North American history in this long-running mystery series. William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) is a police detective in late 19th century Toronto, where he dabbles in experimental crime-solving technology like fingerprinting and ballistics. As luck would have it, his murder investigations frequently bring him in contact with famous (or soon-to-be-famous) historical figures, like Nikola Tesla, Helen Keller, Mark Twain and Harry Houdini.
Best Canadian Sci-fi and Fantasies
Orphan Black
Seasons: 5 (2013-2017)
It’s still rare for a sci-fi show to be mostly about women—but that’s not the only thing that’s exceptional about Orphan Black. This nail-biting drama stars Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning, a London-born con artist and single mom living in present-day Canada, who discovers that she is a clone. As Sarah realizes that she’s part of a vast bioengineering conspiracy, we’re introduced to other clones: an entire ensemble of unique characters, all played by Maslany. It’s a jaw-dropping performance in a smart, twisty show that builds to a stunning conclusion.
Dark Matter
Seasons: 3 (2015-2017)
Where to stream: Netflix
Six people wake up on a spaceship with no knowledge of who they are or how they ended up there. This timeless premise (which dates back to the 1921 play Six Characters in Search of an Author) becomes an absorbing sci-fi mystery story in Dark Matter, which leaves viewers guessing who’s a good guy and who’s a villain at every turn.
Wynonna Earp
Seasons: 3 (2016-present)
Where to stream: Netflix
Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a Wild West twist. Melanie Scrofano plays the title character, a descendant of the legendary cowboy sheriff Wyatt Earp, and guardian of an antique revolver that can send the undead back to hell. Recruited by a secret government agency to keep the world safe from demons, Wynonna and her scrappy pals take on paranormal threats to the Canadian Rockies. Get past the uneven first season and you may just end up calling yourself an Earper. (The fandom is so devoted that they have their own conventions.)
Being Erica
Seasons: 4 (2009-2011)
Where to stream: Hulu
A depressed young woman (played by Erin Karpluk) regrets nearly every decision she ever made…until she starts seeing a therapist (Michael Riley) with the magical ability to send her back in time to correct her mistakes. Though Being Erica deals with heavy topics, it’s surprisingly lightweight, with hefty doses of ‘90s nostalgia in its flashbacks.
Best Canadian Family Shows
Odd Squad
Seasons: 2 (2014-present)
The antidote to cloying educational TV, this hilariously deadpan live-action show centers on a fictional intelligence agency staffed entirely by children. Their mission: to investigate odd occurrences and return things to normal. Elementary-age kids will get a kick out of the absurd villains (The Utensiler) and storylines (everyone has turned into a puppy!); adults will enjoy watching the straight-faced satire of police procedurals. And everyone gets a chance to brush up on their math skills! The first three seasons and two 45-minute movies are streaming on Prime, while more recent episodes can be viewed on the PBS Kids video app.
Fraggle Rock
Seasons: 5 (1983-1987)
Creeped Out
Seasons: 2 (2017-2019)
Where to stream: Netflix
Think Black Mirror, but family-friendly. In the tradition of ‘90s favorite Goosebumps (also streaming on Netflix!), this anthology series tells cautionary tales of kids who get caught up in supernatural horrors. Creeped Outfocuses on the dangers of technology (video games, smart homes, social media), and while appropriate for older kids, it’s genuinely shudder-inducing.
Degrassi
Seasons: So many (1980-2017)
Best Canadian Reality Shows
Blown Away
Seasons: 1 (2019)
Where to stream: Netflix
One reason to seek out international television shows is to find things that would never be greenlighted by a U.S. network…like a reality show about glassblowing. On this friendly, half-hour competition series, 10 professional glassblowers compete to make the most beautiful piece of art before the clock runs out. Given that the process involves incredibly fragile materials and enormous fires, there’s no room for error.
The Naked Archaeologist
Seasons: 3 (2005-2010)
History Channel addicts will be familiar with this investigative documentary series, which attempts to find the historical and archeological truth behind Bible stories. Israeli journalist Simcha Jacobovici has some controversial beliefs (he coauthored a book arguing that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene), but his show is a fun, astute introduction to religion’s ancient mysteries. British TV more your thing? Try these 42 amazing British show available for streaming.
