Every week, MobileSyrup goes over some of the most notable movies and TV shows to recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
This column typically focuses on content from Amazon Prime Video Canada, Crave and Netflix Canada, but other streaming services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ will be mentioned when relevant.
Additionally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made in Canada, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Treadstone
Set in Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne universe, Treadstone follows the titular covert program’s sleeper agents as they’re awakened to carry out their deadly missions.
Treadstone was created by Tim Kring (Heroes) and stars Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), Tracy Ifeachor (The Originals), Omar Metwally (Mr. Robot) and Han Hyo-joo (Cold Eyes).
Original TV broadcast run: September to December 2019
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: January 10th, 2020
Genre: Action drama
Runtime: 10 episodes (around 43 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 43 percent
Stream Treadstone here.
Amazon Prime Video is included at no additional cost with an Amazon Prime subscription, which is priced at $79 CAD/year in Canada.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
CBC Gem
Three popular CBC shows are returning for this week and can be streamed on CBC Gem for free (with ads) or ad-free with a $4.99/month subscription.
Kim’s Convenience (Season 4)
Kim’s Convenience is based on Toronto-raised Ins Choi’s play of the same name and follows a Korean family running a convenience store in Toronto.
In the series’ fourth season, Appa and Jung struggle to mend their relationship through beer-league soccer, the Kims’ first family dinner in 15 years and more.
The series stars Calgary-raised Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Train 48), Toronto-raised Jean Yoon (Orphan Black), Burnaby, B.C.-born Andrea Bang (Playdate) and Mississauga-raised Simu Liu (Blood and Water). Further, the show is shot in various parts of Toronto.
CBC broadcast run: January to April 2020 (first episode on January 7th)
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 13 episodes (22 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A (100 percent for Season 1)
Stream Kim’s Convenience Season 4 here.
Murdoch Mysteries (Season 13)
Toronto detective William Murdoch solves crimes around the turn of the century.
The series is based on the Detective Murdoch novels by Toronto-based writer Maureen Jennings, stars Montreal’s Yannick Bisson (Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye), Héléne Joy (Durham County), Thomas Craig (Coronation Street) and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Jonny Harris (Still Standing).
Additionally, the series is filmed in Toronto.
While the first half of the season aired between September and December, the season’s second half has just begun.
Original CBC broadcast run: September 2019 to March 2020
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 18 episodes (around 42 minutes per episode)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Murdoch Mysteries Season 13 here.
Schitt’s Creek (Season 6)
Schitt's Creek's season 6 premiere is now streaming ~for free~ on @CBC Gem!
(and it's always free)
🔗 | https://t.co/eNtXu5XOt7 pic.twitter.com/ucaRqpnYSf
— CBC Gem (@cbcgem) January 9, 2020
In the sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek, David prepares for his wedding.
Schitt’s Creek was created by Hamilton, Ontario’s Eugene Levy (American Pie franchise) and Toronto’s Dan Levy (Degrassi Goes Hollywood) and stars both Levies, as well as Toronto’s Catherina O’Hara (Second City Television) and Ottawa’s Annie Murphy (Rookie Blue).
Meanwhile, the show is filmed all around Ontario.
Original CBC broadcast run: January 2020 to TBA
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 14 episodes (around 22 minutes per episode)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Schitt’s Creek Season 6 here.
The full list of movies and shows hitting CBC Gem this month can be found here.
Crave
Cravings: The Aftershow [Crave Original]
Lainey Lui breaks down buzzed about shows in new Crave Original Series CRAVINGS: THE AFTERSHOW, premiering January 12. For details, please visit @thelede_ca by clicking here: https://t.co/Pa01QGHW2r pic.twitter.com/4Nq6xJpn1B
— Crave_PR (@Crave_PR) December 16, 2019
Toronto-born The Social co-host Lainey Lui and a rotating lineup of guests offer weekly analysis on some of Crave’s biggest shows.
The first episode hits Crave right after the two-part premiere of The Outsider (see more below) and will continue to follow the show every week.
Crave premiere date: January 12th, 2020 (first episode at 11pm ET, new episodes every week)
Genre: Talk show
Runtime: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Cravings: The Aftershow here.
Healthy is Hot [Crave Original]
Embark on a life-changing journey with @TheChloeWilde. #HealthyIsHot, a Crave Original, is now streaming only on Crave. pic.twitter.com/9sjo11dJdv
— Crave (@CraveCanada) January 10, 2020
Montreal native Chloe Wilde (etalk) goes on a health and wellness journey to try new foods, tackle fears, work with charitable groups and more.
Crave premiere date: January 10th, 2020
Genre: Reality
Runtime: Six episodes (Nine to 16 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Healthy is Hot here.
The Outsider
Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name, The Outsider examines the investigation into the mysterious forces surrounding the murder of an 11-year-old boy.
The Outsider features an ensemble cast that includes Jason Bateman (Ozark), Ben Mendelsohn (Captain Marvel), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) and Bill Camp (The Night Of).
HBO Canada/Crave premiere date: January 12th, 2020 (first two episodes back-to-back at 9pm ET, new episodes every week)
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 10 episodes (around one hour each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69 percent
Stream The Outsider here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Wild Nights with Emily
Wild Nights with Emily aims to dispel the myth that Emily Dickinson was an unloved recluse by showing the famous poet’s vivacious side, including, most notably, her lifelong romance with another woman.
The film was written and directed by Madeleine Olnek (The Foxy Merkins) and stars Molly Shannon (Other People), Amy Seimetz (The Killing), Brett Gelman (Fleabag) and Kevin Seal (Club MTV).
Original theatrical release date: April 12th, 2019
Crave release date: January 9th, 2020
Genre: Biographical comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 24 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent
Stream Wild Nights with Emily here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
A standard Crave subscription costs $9.99/month, with Starz costing another $5.99/month and HBO an additional $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Disney+
Aladdin (2019)
This 2019 live-action remake of the 1992 animated classic of the same name follows a young street urchin whose efforts to use a genie to help him woo a princess bring him into conflict with an evil sorcerer.
Aladdin was co-written and directed by Guy Ritchie (Snatch) and stars Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Toronto’s own Mena Massoud (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) and Marwan Kanzari (Wolf).
Original theatrical release date: May 24th, 2019
Disney+ Canada release date: January 8th, 2020
Genre: Musical fantasy
Runtime: 2 hours, 8 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57 percent
Stream Aladdin here.
A Disney+ subscription costs $8.99/month or $89.99/year in Canada.
A list of movies and shows hitting Disney+ Canada in the first half of January can be found here, while a roundup of content later in the month is available here.
Netflix
AJ and the Queen [Netflix Original]
A down-on-her-luck drag queen travels across America from club to club with a scrappy child stowaway.
AJ and the Queen was created RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and Michael Patrick King (2 Broke Girls) and stars RuPaul, Izzy G (The Highwaymen), Michael-Leon Wooley (The Princess and the Frog) and Josh Segarra (Arrow).
Netflix Canada release date: January 10th, 2020
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 10 episodes (47 to 60 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50 percent
Stream AJ and the Queen here.
Cheer [Netflix Original]
This new Netflix docuseries follows the competitive cheer squad at Texas’ Navarro College as it trains to win a coveted national title.
Cheer was directed by Greg Whiteley (Last Chance U).
Netflix Canada release date: January 8th, 2020
Genre: Docuseries
Runtime: Six episodes (56 to 62 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Stream Cheer here.
Medical Police [Netflix Original]
A spin-off of Rob Corddry’s (Ballers) Children’s Hospital, Medical Police is about two doctors who race around the world to find a cure for a deadly virus.
Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Corddry, Ontario-raised Mailn Åkerman and Lake Bell all reprise their roles from Children’s Hospital.
Netflix Canada release date: January 10th, 2020
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 10 episodes (21 to 28 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Medical Police here.
Titans (Season 2) [Netflix Original]
Based on DC’s Teen Titans comics, Titans follows a group of young superhumans that work together to save the world. In the series’ second season, the team encounters the deadly assassin Deathstroke.
Titans features an ensemble cast that includes Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Anna Diop (Us), Teagan Croft (The Osiris Child), Ryan Potter (Big Hero 6), Curran Walters (Too Close to Home) and Esai Morales (Ozark).
It’s worth noting that the series is filmed in Toronto.
Original TV run: September to November 2019 (on the U.S.-exclusive DC Universe streaming service)
Netflix Canada release date: January 10th, 2020
Genre: Superhero
Runtime: 13 episodes (41 to 53 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85 percent
Stream Titans Season 2 here.
A ‘Basic’ Netflix subscription costs $9.99/month, a ‘Standard’ subscription (HD-supported) costs $13.99/month and a ‘Premium’ membership is priced at $16.99/month (4K-supported).
The full list of movies and shows hitting Netflix Canada this month can be found here.
What are you looking to stream this week? Let us know in the comments!
Image credit: CBC
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