Shaw Media’s specialty portfolio announces a mix of new debuts and holiday classics. This year’s programming lineup has something to get everyone in the festive spirit, from movies and marathons to new series and themed episodes, Shaw Media’s family of specialty channels has holiday viewing covered.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year on Food Network Canada with the debut of Holiday Baking Championship on Sunday, November 9. Hosted by Bobby Deen, it’s the sweetest way to celebrate the holiday season as eight amateur bakers show off their family traditions and superb baking skills. For the foodies who prefer tackling the challenge themselves, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Ree Drummond have fans covered with essential holiday cooking and baking how-tos. From Jamie’s Festive Feast to Gordon Ramsay’s Festive Cooking to Pioneer Woman Cowboy Christmas Hoedown, there’s something for everyone to watch, learn and replicate with these new instructional cooking shows. Other festive premieres include Gordon Ramsay’s Hot Food For Cold Days, Gordon Ramsay’s Winter Comfort Food and Pioneer Woman Christmas Cocktail Party.
Showcase decks the halls this season with new holiday favourite movies and returning classics beginning November 1. This season, Showcase brings viewers the Canadian Premiere of epic miniseries The Red Tent, the adaptation of the best-selling biblical novel by the same name. Revealing the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood and starring Minnie Driver, Morena Baccarin, Rebecca Ferguson, Iain Glen, Will Tudor and Debra Winger, the miniseries airs Sunday, December 7 and Monday, December 8. The late Robin Williams stars in the Canadian Premiere of A Merry Friggin’ Christmas as an eccentric father whose estranged son is forced to work with him to save their family’s Christmas.
Showcase is the home for the holidays with the cable premieres of Arthur Christmas, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas,and Window Wonderland. Additional family-favourite holiday movies on Showcase that viewers won’t want to miss include Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Jack Frost and Home for the Holidays.
This holiday season, Lifetime Canada has put viewers on the nice list and is bringing back “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” with 44 hours of festive programming in the form of 22 new holiday movies. With all this programming, the only person who won’t be in the holiday spirit is the internet sensation Grumpy Cat, whose feature film Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever premieres Saturday, November 29. Starring Aubrey Plaza as the voice of Grumpy Cat and Canada’s own Russell Peters, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever is a live-action movie that follows the infamous Grumpy Cat and her sour outlook on the holidays. Also premiering on Saturday, November 29 is the new Lifetime original movie An En Vogue Christmas. Starring En Vogue themselves, the movie imagines a world in which the funky divas of En Vogue have gone their separate ways, until they are asked to perform a benefit concert to save the club that made them stars.
Lifetime’s holiday programming also includes the premieres of the Lifetime original movies Seasons of Love, starring Taraji P. Henson and Method Man and premiering November 23, and Wishin’ and Hopin’, starring Molly Ringwald and Chevy Chase and premiering Saturday, December 6. The schedule is rounded out by other holiday movies, including Love at the Christmas Table, Christmas in Conway, A Royal Christmas, All I Want for Christmas, and many more. Lifetime is on free preview throughout the month of December.
On FYI, where food comas and over-indulgence are just part of the job, The Feed, featuring Canadian culinary expert Gail Simmons, explores the most tree-mendous holiday cuisine in a new Christmas special airing Saturday, December 6.
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