The New York Times reports on the flood of Toronto-produced television shows that have been picked up by American networks. Three of CBS and ABC's summer dramas have been purchased from Canadian networks.
"American fans of scripted network television this summer can thank Canada."
"The deals with counterparts to the north started during the writers' strike in 2007-8, when networks in the United States were desperate for fresh material. At that time CBS picked up "Flashpoint," a police drama from the Canadian network CTV that is now in its third season and is shown in both countries."
"Until "Flashpoint," no Canadian series had also been shown in the United States since "Due South" in 1994 � and it only lasted one season in the states."
"Last year two Canadian imports, "The Listener" on NBC and "Defying Gravity" on ABC, both flopped. But the networks have tried again this summer, with "The Bridge" on CBS and "Rookie Blue" on ABC."
"Displaying confidence in the cross-border approach, ABC and its partner, Canwest Broadcasting, renewed "Rookie Blue" for a second season last week, although it has averaged only 4.2 million viewers in the United States. At that rating, the return on investment was sufficient."
"Ms. Boyce said she expected that Canadian shows, having found a foothold here in the summer, would eventually start to appear on the more-prominent fall schedules as well."
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New York Times