CTV has announced a series of dramatic additions to its mid-season schedule including a new Joan Allen drama, a Criminal Minds spin-off and the latest entry from the hit-making factory of Shonda Rhimes.
The newcomers join a roster of returning series including Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Gotham and Quantico, as well as the third season of Masterchef Canada and the enduring reality hit The Amazing Race, which recently kicked off its 28th season.
New additions to CTV’s mid-season schedule include the mystery series The Family starring Joan Allen; the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders starring CSI:NY’s Gary Sinise; and The Catch from Shonda Rhimes.
The Family premieres at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 before moving into its regular Sunday 9 p.m. timeslot beginning March 6. It will follow Once Upon a Time and serve as the lead-in for Quantico at 10 p.m.
The series focuses on the return of the Warren family’s son a decade after he was abducted and presumed dead. In addition to Allen, The Family stars Zach Gilford (who played quarterback Matt Saracen in Friday Night Lights) as the family’s eldest son; Sherlock’s Rupert Graves as Warren family patriarch John Warren and Boardwalk Empire’s Margot Bingham as detective Nina Meyer.
Debuting at 10 p.m. on Thursday March 24, Shonda Rhimes’ new series The Catch follows L.A.’s top private investigator Alice Vaughan (The Killing’s Mireille Enos) as she pursues her fiancé (Parenthood’s Peter Krause) after he cons her out of millions of dollars and disappears. The show will take over the timeslot vacated by How to Get Away with Murder, which wrapped up its third season last month.
The Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders debuts March 16 at 10 p.m. and follows a specialized international division of the FBI led by 20-year-veteran Jack Garrett (Sinise) that comes to the aid of Americans in danger abroad.
Mike Cosentino, senior vice-president of programming for CTV Networks and CraveTV, said The Family and the Criminal Minds spin-off add depth to the network’s Sunday and Wednesday night line-ups, while The Catch will “seamlessly” take over from How to Get Away with Murder on Thursdays.
Cosentino said the new shows add momentum to a mid-season schedule built on the strong January premieres of The X-Files, Lucifer and Legends of Tomorrow. The X-Files’ premiere attracted an average audience of 2.9 million viewers to become the season’s most-watched premiere, while Lucifer’s Jan. 25 premiere attracted 2.3 million viewers, making it the season’s third most-watched premiere behind The X-Files and Quantico.
CTV also announced it was moving Castle to CTV Two beginning Monday, Feb. 29 at 10 p.m., while a new season of The Voice will also debut on CTV Two at 8 p.m. that night.
