The BEST CTV shows of all time
Every CTV show, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every CTV show to compile this list of best shows!
#1 - Corner Gas
Forty kilometres from nowhere and way beyond normal is Corner Gas, an ensemble comedy series about a bunch of nobodies who get up to a whole lot of nothing in the fictional prairie town of Dog River, Saskatchewan. Starring Saskatchewan native and Gemini nominee Brent Butt, Corner Gas is a roadside service station that also shares its name with CTV’s first original narrative comedy series. Corner Gas focuses on the life (or lack thereof) of Brent LeRoy, proprietor of a gas station that is the only stop for miles around and a hub of action on the Prairies. As LeRoy, Canadian Comedy Award winner and series creator Brent Butt returns to his native province to portray the life he would have led had he gotten a real job: pumping gas in a small prairie town. Set in the Saskatchewan town of Dog River, Corner Gas follows the lives of the town's residents: Brent, the owner of the titular establishment, his parents Oscar and Emma, his assistant Wanda, his friend Hank, restaurant owner Lacey, and local police officers Davis and Karen. Known for its sly sense of humour, sharp writing, and especially notable for being authentic (actor/writer Brent Butt grew up in small-town Saskatchewan), Corner Gas was eventually brought to a close after its sixth season to allow the show to go out at the top of its game (a move which the cast and crew supported). Another notable aspect about the series is its wide range of cameos: from two Canadian prime ministers, two premiers of Saskatchewan and one mayor of Regina to Stanley Cup. It seems like Dog River is the most popular place in the country.
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#2 - Instant Star
In this Teen Drama with a bit of a musical twist, Instant Star is about a 15 year old girl, named Jude Harrison, who won a singer/songwriter contest and a guaranteed recording contract. The "Feisty" and "Punk" singer Jude Harrison is unprepared for the world of fame. Jude learns that managing her career, and her personal life, is harder than it seems. She's wading through a world bigger than her wildest rock 'n' roll dreams - parties and publicity, groupies and paparazzi, managers, producers, release dates, and concerts. Jude's desperate to prove she belongs there, but she's not even old enough to drive.
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#3 - Due South
Benton Fraser comes to Chicago in an attempt to find out who killed his father. After solving the murder, he decides to stick around and work for the local Canadian consulate. He has made friends with a local detective, Ray Vecchio, whose sister, Francesca, has a major crush on him. Although Vecchio is often confused by Benton's strange way of doing things and Benton is often confused by how things are done south of the border, the two get along famously.
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#4 - Once a Thief
The misadventures of a gang of Canadian spies, agents, criminals and mobsters, including three spies, an enigmatic director and two grim-faced assassins.
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#5 - Flashpoint
Flashpoint is an emotional journey following the lives of members of the Strategic Response Unit as they solve hostage situations, bust gangs, and defuse bombs. They work by utilizing their training to get inside the heads of these people in order to make them reach their breaking point (aka their flashpoint).
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#6 - 19-2 (2014)
Character-driven drama, 19-2 revolves around the day-to-day life of two unwilling partners of the Montreal Police Department, Officers Nick Barron and Ben Chartier. These two beat cops patrol the urban sprawl of downtown's 19th district, in cruiser No. 2. 19-2 is about the tensions and bonds that develop between two incompatible men of very different temperaments and life experiences. Over time, Nick and Ben's mistrust and antagonism for each other give way to moments of mutual respect and a wavering chance at a true partnership. As Season 1 progresses, we also get to know the tight-knit squad of 19. We see friendship and enmity, loyalty and betrayal. The series delivers in portraying the unpredictability and fragility of the world of a beat cop through moments of life-threatening intensity to its characters, both on and off duty, cementing 19-2 as a powerful character study and a gripping police drama.
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#7 - You Can't Do That on Television
This was a sketch comedy show for young adults that was very popular in the 1980s. It started in 1979 as a (partially) live, local show in Ottawa, Canada, with comedy, music videos (or musical guests), and local, phone-in contests. After two seasons (the latter of which was later edited into the new format when shown nationally and internationally), the show's format changed to a half hour sketch comedy. It retained this format for the rest of its 11 year run. This show had a huge impact. It was picked up in 1981 by the fledgeling US network Nickelodeon, which had only gone national a year earlier. This was the network's first big show and made the network what it is today. YCDTOTV became one of the most popular kids shows of the decade and featured a rotating cast of very talented actors and actresses. It was a very funny program that featured alot of humor that was not only aimed at kids, but at adults as well. The show gave us many great catch phrases, and memorable characters as B
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#8 - Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system, in which the eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission on the spaceship Antares. They can't run from karma, however, as their past actions reveal intimate and interconnected relationships that have a strange effect on the present. As the astronauts travel towards Venus, we travel into their past with flashbacks to earlier years from the grueling selection and training process. What could have happened? Maybe there is something to this fate thing after all.
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#9 - Saving Hope
When charismatic Chief of Surgery Charlie Harris at Toronto's Hope-Zion Hospital ends up in a coma, he leaves the hospital in chaos - and his fiancée and fellow surgeon, Alex Reid, in a state of shock. Along with newly-arrived star surgeon, Joel Goran, Alex races to save Harris' life. As the action unfolds, comatose Dr. Harris explores the hospital halls in "spirit" form, not sure if he's a ghost or a figment of his own imagination. Reid, along with her fellow doctors, press on to save his life and those of their other patients, as they deal with the complicated and courageous decisions that are made in their daily struggle to keep hope alive.
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#10 - Transplant
When Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, a charismatic Syrian doctor with battle-tested skills in emergency medicine, flees his war-torn homeland, he and his younger sister Amira become refugees struggling to forge a new life in Canada. But if Bash ever wants to be a doctor again, he must redo his medical training from the ground up and obtaining a coveted residency position is nearly impossible. But when a horrific truck crash nearly kills a senior doctor right in front of him, Bash saves the doctor's life and earns a residency in the biggest Emergency Department of the best hospital in Toronto.
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#11 - The Listener
"The Listener" centers on Toby Logan, a 25-year-old paramedic who has a big secret - he's a telepath. Until now, Toby kept his ability hidden, exploring its possibilities only with his longtime mentor and confidant, Dr. Ray Mercer. As he makes the rounds with his energetic paramedic partner "Oz" Bey, "The Listener" follows Toby as he tries to help people in crisis, and in the process unravel the truth about his past. While his professional life is in check, Toby's personal life could use its own rescue. And with the help of Detective Charlie Marks and his E.R. doctor/ex-girlfriend Olivia Fawcett, Toby realizes his gift can help others.
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#12 - Motive
A cat-and-mouse series with a twist on the everyday whodunit, "Motive" centers on Angie Flynn, a detective on a backwards chase for clues to a killer that has already been revealed to viewers.
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#13 - Sullivan's Crossing
Neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan’s world is turned upside down after her husband is indicted for fraud and she finds herself caught in the middle of a media storm. She returns home to Sullivan’s Crossing, a scenic mountain town where her estranged father still runs an outpost that caters to hikers, bikers, and mountain climbers.
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#14 - Cardinal
Cardinal struggles to right past wrongs that could derail his investigation and end his career, as the case grows more violent and twisted, and the clock ticks down on the killer's next victim.
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#15 - Hiccups
Although she is a successful children's book author, Millie Upton's socially unpredictable nature is a career liability. Failed attempts to get help from her publisher and agent eventually lead her to a self-professed life coach.
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#16 - The Amazing Race Canada
The Amazing Race Canada provides a uniquely Canadian take on the original series, with competitors discovering the world within the borders of Canada.. and beyond!
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#17 - The Disappearance (2017)
The series follows the Sullivan family in the wake of a terrifying family drama. As the fractured family bands together to solve the mystery that has uprooted their lives, long-held secrets are uncovered. Driven by hope and a relentless determination to do whatever necessary to uncover the mystery, the same hidden truths that threaten to shatter this family may also be the very key to reuniting them.
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#18 - The Bridge
"The Bridge" is a police district which a includes a wealthy, upscale suburb and a lower-class, crime-plagued neighborhood, with the two separated by a highway bridge. Frank Leo, the newly elected police union head with an angry attitude and no patience for the corruption that permeates the force, does whatever is called for to protect the beat cops in Bridge District from the brass as they do a difficult an underappreciated job.
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#19 - Dan For Mayor
Dan Phillips is a 30-something bartender who lives and works in the city of Wessex. His only serious relationship was with Claire Kendal, only now Claire is engaged to someone else. She hasn't broken the news to Dan yet, felling that the news might upset him. When she does, Dan reacts the way most of us would, by telling her that he's running for mayor.
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#20 - The Littlest Hobo
London is an extremely intelligent, wandering German shepherd who walks into a different place in each episode of this long-running television series, and comes upon people down on their luck or in trouble. London always befriends and helps the struggling person or persons. Then, when his job is done at episode's end, London declines to be the pet of the people he has helped and departs to continue his cross-country drifting.
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#21 - MasterChef Canada
Masterchef Canada provides an opportunity for Canadian amateur chefs to develop their culinary skills as they compete for the Masterchef Canada title. The judges whittle down the contestants through a number of individual and team-based cooking challenges and weekly elimination rounds, until a winning chef is crowned!
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#22 - The Detail
This 10-episode ensemble drama centres on three fiercely talented female homicide investigators who work tirelessly to solve crimes while navigating the complicated demands of their personal lives. Street smart Detective Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Cooper, has keen investigative skills, but a messy personal life. Detective Stevie Hall, is a sharp quick-witted interrogator who is Jack’s mentor – even while she balances the demands of work and her complicated family life. Staff Inspector Fiona Currie, is the homicide unit’s formidable boss, who works overtime to secure justice, no matter what the cost.
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#23 - The Traitors Canada
A group of contestants live together as they complete a series of challenges with the goal of earning a cash prize.
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#24 - Children Ruin Everything
Astrid and James, who struggle to find a balance between being mom and dad to two kids and being who they were before offspring.
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#25 - Played
"Played" tracks the CIU (Covert Investigations Unit) as it risks going undercover to infiltrate and bring down criminal organizations. In this new style of intense, short-term undercover work, each covert “play” is crafted quickly and executed at an even faster pace. Placed into various worlds of crime without a safety net, the cops are in constant danger, as they repeatedly go off the grid. Wearing wires, coaxing confessions, and setting up stings, the cops of the CIU must think quickly, talk smoothly, and rely on pure instinct. They slip in and out of characters so often that, sometimes, they lose track of who they really are. The team of highly-skilled and brave detectives is led by John Moreland, a cop at the top of his game with great instincts who is usually in charge... Until the new CIU is established and consummate strategist Rebecca Ellis is given the reigns.
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#26 - Jann
Jann Arden plays a fictionalized, self-deprecating version of herself: a singer/songwriter of a “certain age” in severe denial of the harsh reality that her former music career is slowly (okay, rapidly) fading away. But it’s not just Jann’s career that’s on life support — she’s newly single (don’t remind her), her sister may disown her, and her mother may be showing early signs of memory loss. Jann’s personal life is in shambles and she’s convinced that the cure-all is to enlist a new manager to help rebrand her image. Filled with plenty of LOL moments, she embarks on a quest to return to greatness and go viral, but instead gets tangled in the pressures of her ‘real’ life. Jann is at the crossroads between who she was and who she wants to be. Can Jann stage a comeback, reclaim fame…and be there for the people who love her?
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#27 - This Is Pop
The biggest names in music tell untold stories of the most pivotal moments in pop music history. Each director-driven episode is a documentary film that comes with its own style, voice, and one goal in common: to look at how these game-changing moments unfolded and why their legacies on pop music and culture continue today.
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#28 - RoboCop: The Series
Based on the movies with the same name, this series follows crime-fighting cyborg known as Robocop. Formerly Alex J. Murphy, a New Detroit police officer modified after being "killed" in the line of duty, Robocop polices a city of the future while being haunted by the memories of his former life.
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#29 - The Spencer Sisters
Mystery novelist Victoria Spencer and her daughter Darby Spencer are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in Alder Bluffs.
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#30 - The Indian Detective
A Toronto police officer investigates a murder while visiting his father in India
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#31 - Spun Out
Failed writer Beckett Ryan joins DLPR, a public relations agency staffed with people who can spin everyone’s problems but their own. From the eccentric company figurehead Dave and his insecure daughter Stephanie, to PR shark Nelson and Dave’s ever-loyal assistant Bryce, the DLPR office has no shortage of personality. No matter how bizarre the cases are that the agency takes on, they pale in comparison to the workplace romances, rivalries, personal successes, and often hilarious failures of the close-knit and dysfunctional colleagues at DLPR.
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#32 - Cold Squad
Cold Squad is a one-hour police drama originally on CTV that focuses on 'cold cases'; unsolvable cases that have gone for years without a solution. Each week there is a new 'cold case' brought out of the woodwork to solve, which may date back five years, or could even date back fifty years. The primary personality in Cold Squad is Sgt. Ali McCormick. Although she isn't the official head of the unit, her opinion is invaluable to the other workers. She is backed up by a team of highly skilled professionals who, as it so happens, are also her good friends.
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#33 - F/X: The Series
Based on the feature movies "F/X" comes a hour-long action show F/X: The Series, a mix of illusion and reality. The show centeres around Rollie Tyler (Cameron Daddo), who fights against his unsuspecting crooks and is mostly a lot stronger and smarter than them with his skills and knowledge. The show is mostly described as a mix of Mission: Impossible and MacGyver and is attractive even more because one of the stars is Carrie-Anne Moss, a famous Matrix cast. The show ran two years in syndication.
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