Coroner is the #1 New Canadian Drama of the 2018/19 Broadcast Season

Out of the gate, audiences in Canada and the UK are embracing the new CBC original drama series CORONER. In Canada, the series bowed as the highest-rated new drama series launch on Canada’s public broadcaster in more than four years. According to Numeris confirmed data, CORONER reached 2 million in Canada and delivered an average minute audience of more than one million viewers for each episode on CBC*, with the series ranking in the top 30 television programs in English Canada for two consecutive weeks. In the UK, CORONER premiered as Universal TV’s highest-ever rated series launch.

“Coroner has struck a chord with viewers in Canada and the UK, which is a testament to the series’ outstanding cast and creative team and the authenticity of its themes and characters,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Programming, CBC. “Bringing the best of Canada to audiences at home and around the world is CBC’s top priority, and we couldn’t be more proud to have commissioned this original drama from Muse, Back Alley and Cineflix.”

“We are exhilarated to see how audiences are responding to Coroner’s unique take on character-driven drama elevated by an awesomely talented ensemble cast,” said showrunner Morwyn Brebner and lead director and executive producer Adrienne Mitchell. “We can’t wait for audiences to see where we take Jenny Cooper for the rest of our inaugural season and beyond.”

Inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall, CORONER (8×60) is a character-driven one-hour drama about Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan, Ballers, Inhumans), a recently widowed new coroner who investigates suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto. The series reflects the rich diversity of Toronto, and each case brings Jenny into a new arena in the city, touching on buzz-worthy themes. Jenny taps into her intuition as much as her intellect and heart as she solves cases with the help of homicide detective Donovan McAvoy (Roger Cross), a man who isn’t afraid of challenging the status quo; pathologist Dr. Dwayne Allen (Lovell Adams-Gray) and his assistant River Baitz (Kiley May); and Alison Trent (Tamara Podemski), 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), who is still grieving the death of his father; and the prospect of starting a new relationship with the enigmatic Liam (Éric Bruneau).

In Canada, the series airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service, with past episodes available to stream anytime. 

A CBC original series, CORONER is produced by Muse Entertainment, Back Alley Films and Cineflix Studios. Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue) is creator, executive producer and showrunner, Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County, Bellevue) is lead director and executive producer for Back Alley Films, Jonas Prupas is executive producer for Muse Entertainment with Peter Emerson and Brett Burlock executive producers for Cineflix Studios. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Helen Asimakis is Senior Director, Scripted Content; and Sarah Adams is Executive in Charge of Production. Cineflix Rights has the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to CORONER. 

Source: Numeris TV Meter, Sept. 17, 2018 – Jan. 20, 2019, Total TV English, A2+, M-Su 2a-2a, Total Canada, AMA & Reach, generated by InfoSys+TV

Episode 101 broadcast on CBC on Monday, January 7: 2+ AMA 1,051,000
Episode 102 broadcast on CBC on Monday, January 14: 2+ AMA 1,015,000

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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 are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About NBCUniversal International Networks:
NBCUniversal International Networks is one of the world’s premier entertainment portfolios, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 165 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The channel brands in the portfolio include UNIVERSAL TV, SYFY, E! Entertainment Television, 13TH STREET, DIVA, Studio Universal, Telemundo, Bravo, DreamWorks and Golf Channel. These unique brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe; the portfolio also includes Movies 24 in the UK and The Style Network in Australia. Further, NBCUniversal News Group, one of the most influential and respected portfolios of on-air and digital news properties in the world, operates CNBC and NBC News internationally.

NBCUniversal International Networksis a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

About Muse Entertainment:
Muse Entertainment is a leading film and television production company and international distributor known for its well-crafted and high-quality productions. It has development and production offices in Montreal, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver. Muse productions have won critical acclaim, large audiences, over 100 international awards, including Emmy Awards, and more than 300 award nominations. Muse produces a wide range of primetime comedy and dramatic series, miniseries, television movies, feature films, documentaries, factual entertainment, family programs and animation. 
www.muse.ca

About Back Alley Films:
Back Alley Film Productions Ltd, founded by Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell, has been producing entertaining, award-winning television for over 25 years. With strong backgrounds in producing, (Lundman/Mitchell), and showrunning/directing (Mitchell), they have created and produced award-winning dramatic television series for Canadian and American networks which have sold worldwide. Back Alley’s most recent production was the drama thriller Bellevue, starring Oscar®-winning actress Anna Paquin. Other work includes the WWII drama series Bomb Girls, the critically acclaimed crime series Durham County, as well as the series Played, Bliss, Straight Up and Drop the Beat. Back Alley has offices in Toronto and Montreal. For more information visit: www.backalleyfilms.ca

Cineflix Studios 
Cineflix Studios creates channel-defining scripted content for the US, Canada, and international markets. Partnering with top flight showrunners and third-party producers, Cineflix Studios brings creative, co-financing, and distribution expertise to premium projects. Cineflix Studios co-financed and co-produced two seasons of the dramatic series Pure for WGNA/Hulu/Super Channel/CBC and the highly anticipated CBC/NBCU Network series Coroner.

For further information, please contact:
Tanya Koivusalo – Publicist, CBC 
tanya.koivusalo@cbc.ca 
416.205.8638

Mark Ogle at OH Communications (for Cineflix Studios):
mark@ohcommunications.co.uk / +44 (0) 7789 981561