MEDIA RELEASE: Cineflix Rights sells CBC Original Series Coroner to Channel 4

CBC Renews Hit Series for 10-Episode Third Season

Cineflix Rights has sold the CBC original drama series Coroner to Channel 4, where Seasons 1 and 2 will be available to UK viewers on the More 4 channel. The deal comes as CBC announces the greenlight of Season 3 of the global hit drama, and follows soon after The CW Network’s acquisition of the series for the US market.

Coroner (16×60’, Muse Entertainment, Back Alley Films, and Cineflix Studios for the CBC) is a character-driven, one-hour drama about Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan, Ballers), a recently widowed, newly appointed coroner who investigates any suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto. Each death brings Jenny into a new arena in the city and sparks buzzworthy themes. Jenny taps into her intuition, as much as her intellect and heart, as she solves cases along with the help of Homicide Detective Donovan “Mac” McAvoy (Roger Cross, Arrow, The X-Files), a man who isn’t afraid of challenging the status quo; pathologist Dr. Dwayne Allen (Lovell Adams-Gray, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Power Book II: Ghost), his assistant River Baitz (Kiley May, It: Chapter Two); and Alison Trent (Tamara Podemski, Run, Unsettled), Jenny’s assistant who keeps it real. And while Jenny solves mysterious deaths, she also deals with clinical anxiety, a teenage son, Ross (Ehren Kassam, Degrassi: Next Class, Degrassi: The Next Generation), who is still grieving the death of his father, and the prospect of starting a new relationship with the enigmatic Liam (Éric Bruneau, Trop).

Peter Emerson, President, Cineflix Media said: “We are delighted to be announcing another high-profile deal for Coroner, this time with Channel 4, and following hot on the heels of a US sale to The CW Network. These deals, together with the official CBC greenlight for Season 3, are a testament to how the fantastic creative team and cast have delivered an enduring hit series for Canadian and global viewers.”   

Sally Catto, General Manager of Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC, said: “The personal and professional journey of coroner Jenny Cooper continues to attract strong viewership in Canada and around the world, and we’re thrilled that new audiences in the UK and US can now discover this series through Channel 4 and The CW Network. After an emotional rollercoaster in Season 2, we can’t wait to see what the cast and creative team come up with next as they delve deeper into this complex storyworld.”

The deal with Channel 4 was brokered by Sandra Piha, SVP, Sales, Pan-Regional, UK, Eire, and Scandinavia, Cineflix Rights.

Coroner was the highest-rated new drama series premiere on CBC in more than four years, reaching two million viewers when the season launched in winter 2019. NBCUniversal International Networks acquired the pay-TV rights to all three seasons of the series across multiple markets, with Coroner – Season 1 premiering as Universal TV’s highest-ever rated debut series in the UK. The CW Network announced in May 2020 that it had acquired both seasons to premiere to US viewers in the summer. Season 3 is currently in pre-production for CBC.

Coroner is a CBC original series, inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall and produced with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Bell Fund, and the IPF’s Cogeco Television Production Fund. It is executive produced by Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue), Adrienne Mitchell (Bellevue, Played), Jonas Prupas (Collision Course), Brett Burlock (Pure, Ascension), and Peter Emerson (Pure, The Firm), and is produced by Muse Entertainment, Back Alley Films, and Cineflix Studios. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; Helen Asimakis is Senior Director, Scripted Content; and Sarah Adams is Executive in Charge of Production.

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For more information, contact Mark Ogle at OH Communications (for Cineflix Rights): mark@ohcommunications.co.uk / +44 (0) 7789 981561

Tanya Koivusalo, Publicist for CBC: tanya.koivusalo@cbc.ca/ +1 416 205 8638

*Source: Numeris TV Meter, Jan. 7-14, 2019, Total TV English, A2+, Mon 9-10p, Total Canada, AMA & Reach, generated by InfoSys+TV 

About Cineflix Rights
Cineflix Rights is the UK’s largest independent TV content distributor, providing premium programming from leading international producers to more than 500 broadcasters and platforms worldwide. Our diverse catalogue spans the full range of factual genres, as well as scripted series and formats. Established in 2002, Cineflix Rights is based in London and is part of the Cineflix Media group of companies. 

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.