Welcome to the winter TV season of 2023. A year full of novelties, fiction and shows of all kinds. Documentaries, but also large-scale variety shows and exotic reality shows. Our TV is very much alive and waging a great fight against multiple platforms with exorbitant means. Again this winter, we are betting on strong frameworks, on personalities that create commitment. For a winter that keeps us warm, head full of images.
TURN: DOUBLE FAULT
Éric Bruneau and Louis Morissette sign this series directed by Rafaël Ouellet on a tennis background. Charles (Bruneau) is a tennis player as flamboyant as he is anxious. As he contemplates retirement, stagnant and often injured, a former coach (Louis Morissette) resurfaces and tries to give him a taste of success. But at what cost ?
► Tuesday 8 p.m. on Noovo
WITH A HEART
• To read also: Return of his character in “À cœur beating”: Roy Dupuis inspired by his difficult past
New series by Danielle Trottier. Roy Dupuis is reprising his role as Christophe L’allier. He now works for a violence prevention center that works with violent men. We follow a group of men whose behaviors are at risk. We also follow the quest of Gabrielle Laflamme (Eve Landry), a Crown prosecutor who pleads for victims.
► Tuesday 8 p.m. on ICI Télé
WE
It is a story of friendship between five young adults in search of autonomy who realize that they were all born on the same day. Bonds are forged through daily challenges. Secrets, bereavements, choices, loves. With Marianne Fortier, Laetitia Isambert, Nicolas Fontaine, Chanel Mings, Kevin Ranely, Élise Guilbault and Marc Béland.
► Tuesday 9 p.m. at TVA
LARRY
Suspense from the Stéphane Bourguignon-Patrice Sauvé tandem. Larry (Benoît Gouin) is an ex-infiltrator. When his wife (Monique Spaziani) is the victim of a shooting, he will do everything to find the assailant by carrying out his own investigation with the help of a police friend (Macha Limonchik), which does not suit the investigator of the file (Irdens Exantus).
► Tuesday 9 p.m. on ICI Télé
COMPLETELY HIGH SCHOOL
Proud of the success achieved on the web (and even internationally!), Rosalie Vaillancourt, Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais and their associates are switching to a TV format.
This crazy comedy is a parody of American teen series. Shot in English, it is dubbed in an overplayed French. We find all the clichés, the sportsmen, the popular, the nerds. A very funny television UFO.
► Wednesday 7:30 p.m. on Noovo
THE EMPEROR
• To read also: In the series “The Emperor”: Jean-Philippe Perras plays the role of a lifetime
Christian (Jean-Philippe Perras) is an ambitious advertising designer at the top of his game. For 10 years, he manipulated and abused many women, victims of his charisma and also of his reprehensible behavior. Women who dare to denounce. This series is written by Michelle Allen.
► Wednesday 8 p.m. on Noovo
ABOUT ANTOINE
• To read also: “About Antoine” on Club illico: a turning point in the career of Cathleen Rouleau
A series inspired by the life of its author Cathleen Rouleau, produced by Podz. We follow Julie who begins a new life with a well-established man (Claude Legault) already the father of two children, one of whom, Antoine, is at the same time teasing, affectionate, autistic, handicapped, intellectually handicapped, myopic, non-verbal and epileptic. The vagaries of life as a couple and family in an unconventional context, tinged despite everything with a little humor.
► From January 19 on Club illico
BOMBS
Debbie Lynch-White, Olivia Palacci, Julie de Lafrenière and Sarah Desjeunes Rico play four thirty-somethings who will befriend each other when they go to stay in a center specializing in addictions, pushed to the wall by their loved ones. An unexpected meeting that speaks of our contradictions and our desire to be better in our skin, written by Kim Lévesque-Lizotte and directed by Pascal L’heureux.
► Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting February 2 at Séries Plus
HIGH DEMOLITION
• To read also: The thousand and one projects of Étienne Galloy
This is the second novel by Jean-Philippe Baril-Guérard adapted for TV. We explore the world of humor through an encounter between an ambitious young comedian and a young woman who has never dared to pursue her dream of writing comedy. Two opposite souls who will try, not without risk, to give themselves a chance personally and professionally. Parallels could be drawn with the news of recent years.
► Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting March 16 at Séries Plus
THE AIR OF GOING
We follow four friends in their twenties who all have cystic fibrosis. The death hovering over one of them pushes them to live to the fullest that summer. Every day should be unforgettable. Despite the delicate subject, we are promised a luminous series that stars Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Catherine St-Laurent, Noémie Leduc-Vaudry and Joakim Robitaille.
► Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting March 23 on Télé-Québec
MEGANTIC
We all remember the tragedy of July 6, 2013 when a train loaded with oil hit the small municipality of Lac-Mégantic causing the death of several of its inhabitants in a spectacular fire, then an unprecedented spill. Alexis Durand-Brault and Sophie Lorain are behind this series which will deal with mourning, resilience, friendship, hope and which is intended to be a duty of memory.
► Starting February 16 on Club illico
EYES CLOSED
We are in 1994 when a teenager who simply left for the convenience store is fished out of the river. Twenty-seven years later, her sister (Magalie Lépine-Bondeau) is still obsessed with her disappearance. By conducting her own investigation, she called on a pastoral animator of the time (Benoît McGinnis). These back and forth trips to the past bring out the dizziness of the transition to adulthood.
► January 26 on TOU.TV Extra
A BOY A GIRL
It’s the return of Guy and Sylvie. The series has been around for 25 years. Their children have become adults, the suburban house is too big, they have to relearn how to live together. A franchise that today is adapted all over the world. Martin Petit, Élise Guilbault, Pierre Lebeau, Daniel Brière, Mahée Paiement, Louise Richer and Geneviève Brouillette will also be there.
► In March on TOU.TV Extra
GET ME OUT OF HERE!
• Read also: New TVA reality show: Nathalie Simard surpasses herself in “Get me out of here!”
Ten personalities – including Colette Provencher, Nathalie Simard, Jean-François Mercier, Marianne St-Gelais – had the courage to accept the adventure of adapting I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. They have been unleashed in the jungles of Costa Rica where they must camp in rudimentary conditions and complete challenges in order to avoid elimination. Jean-Philippe Dion and Alexandre Barrette host this tropical reality show.
► Sunday 6:30 p.m. from January 15 on TVA
ZENITH
This is the new musical rendezvous to which Véronique Cloutier invites us. Each week, singers will compete in a live musical competition. Their goal ? Seduce the four teams of different generations as well as the hundred judges-spectators in the studio. We are promised big numbers and popular hits from different eras. A unanimous champion will be crowned at the end of the season. It’s promising.
► Thursday 8 p.m. on ICI Télé
LOL: WHO WILL LAUGH LAST?
Patrick Huard hosts the Quebec version of this Japanese concept adapted all over the world (Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Canada…). Ten comedians are sequestered in a loft for six hours and must absolutely not laugh. Everyone has their own jokes and strategies to win others and win $100,000 for a foundation of their choice. Rachid Badouri, Laurent Paquin, Christine Morency, Virginie Fortin, Richardson Zéphir, Marie-Lyne Joncas, Arnaud Soly, Yves P. Pelletier, Mathieu Dufour and Édith Cochrane give in to the exercise.
► Available on Amazon Prime Video
KATHERINE IS IN THE MEADOW
As Katherine returns to the animation of the reality show that has made the most couples and babies: Love is in the meadow (Thursday 8 p.m. on Noovo) with five farmers, she also wanted to bring the experience to life. from the farm to Marie-Lyne Joncas, Marie-Soleil Dion and Patrice Bélanger. Four episodes will allow us to see how they are doing. Remember that Katherine is herself a farmer’s daughter.
► From January 12 on Crave
CHEF OLI VIRE CHAMPÊTRE
Chef Oli is a self-taught cook who worked in several restaurants before launching his catering service. He is a master of culinary popularization and, with his accomplice Simon Pigeon, he tries to set up his gourmet table. We follow him like a documentary directed by Jean-Carl Boucher, when he has to make many decisions. Mentors, farmers and cooks come to advise him.
► Thursday 9 p.m. on Télé-Québec
THERE WAS A FOREST
Fred Pellerin invites us to his forest in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton. A contemplative documentary that takes the time to dwell on the language of trees, animals and also the colorful characters that parade there. The four episodes highlight four themes: the lake, the woods, the nourishing forest and the sugaring-off season. Passionate professionals come to share their knowledge with the storyteller.
► Saturday 8 p.m. from January 14 on ICI Télé
AUTONOMOUS
Simon Boulerice, Pierre Brassard and Rose-Aimée Automne T. Morin lead this resourceful magazine. The pandemic has proven that we are deficient in some ways. The three companions therefore want to improve. They have a list of learnings to achieve, and in each episode, they will have to face a challenge with the help of experts while advocating local and sustainable initiatives.
► Thursday 9:30 p.m. on Télé-Québec
WHEN THE WALLS FALL
It is known, renovations often create chicane. According to statistics, 30% of couples do not survive it. Mathieu Baron and designer Paule Bourbonnais accompany six couples who have chosen to do major work. Will they come out unscathed?
► Tuesday 8 p.m. at Casa
MACLEOD AT WILL
As we have seen recently, Peter MacLeod is more and more interested in food. Here he is at the helm of a show in which artists come to discuss their cute sins. Philippe Laprise, Korine Côté, Jean-Thomas Jobin, Mario Tessier, France D’amour, Dominic Paquet are among the guests.
► Thursday 9:30 p.m. at Z
DEMOLITION
Foray into the little-known world of the demolition of large structures thanks to this documentary series that follows the daily lives of workers at Delsan, the largest demolition firm in the country. In particular, they work on sites as prestigious as the remains of the old Champlain Bridge or the legendary Molson Brewery.
► Monday 7:30 p.m. at Canal D
THE CRINQUES
• To read also: “Les crinqués”: a documentary on surpassing oneself
Dominic Arpin is not afraid of challenges. Last on the list? Run an ultra-marathon. In this series, he sets out to meet people who are as tough as him, if not more so, in order to find out their motivations and understand how they prepare. Runner in the canyons of Mexico, diabetic who undertakes the crossing of the United States by bicycle and diver of high peaks are some of the beings who push their limits and whom he discovers.
► Thursday 8 p.m. on Évasion
BREEDING FAMILIES
These are six families who are driven by the same passion for dogs or cats and who breed them. They come from the Laurentians, Montérégie, Mauricie and Charlevoix. We follow them in their daily life to the rhythm of their pets.
► Thursday 8 p.m. at Canal vie
YOU JUST ME
This is the return of Benoît Dutrizac to television. In this series, he meets people to see if they share the same fears as him, the same obsessions. Money, screens, anger are just a few topics tested. It is a look at our society with a touch of bad faith and self-mockery.
► Monday 9 p.m. starting February 20 at Moi
EXPAT CHEF
Émilie Fournier has the best job in the world: she travels the world to eat at the tables of Quebec chefs who have chosen exile. She meets them where they have taken up residence, documents their typical day and assists in the development of the menu. It is both a cooking show and an incentive to travel.
► Thursday 9 p.m. at Zeste
THE SAW BETWEEN THE TEETH
Welcome to the world of four modern-day lumberjacks. Jean-Pierre, Maxime, Stéphanie and Jean-Simon are fans of sports logging. They travel across Quebec and the United States to participate in impressive competitions.
► Wednesdays at 9 p.m. from January 18 on Historia
WILD CONNECTION
Veterinarian and animator Claudia Gilbert (seen at Salut bonjour) is concerned about the environment, animal welfare and human health. In this documentary series, she meets people who have established links with wild animals: shark, elephant, rhinoceros and so many others.
► Friday 7 p.m. on TV5
3 SECONDS
Professional wrestlers take us behind the scenes of their colorful environment. Personalities of today, wrestlers, managers, promoters, testify to their present while experts look back on the great moments of this discipline which still attracts people in the basements of churches or inspires theater people like Robert Lepage.
► Wednesday 9:30 p.m. on Historia
HELLS ANGELS – LA CHUTE
The biker war had reached an unprecedented level in the mid-1990s in Quebec. In this docufiction in two 60-minute episodes, Mom Boucher (played by Hugo Giroux) is ready to do anything to take control of the sale of narcotics. To curb it, we create the Carcajou squad. Thanks to the informers Godasse Gagné and Serge Boutin, we will witness his downfall.
► Saturday, January 28, 8 p.m. on Historia
WITH NO PLAN!
Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and Émilie Bégin have no shortage of projects. They bought land that can only be reached by boat. Now they are going to build a tiny house there. Their wish is to have a small haven of peace that will be ecological and autonomous. A project that is not without pitfalls, to which they will often have to find solutions.
► Available on True from January 31
THE VOICE
• To read also: “The Voice”: the coaches ready for the competition
It is the return of the big blind stage which puts forward the beautiful voices of Quebec. Charles Lafortune resumes his host microphone. Set of chairs on the side of the judges-coaches. Marc Dupré is back. Corneille, Marjo and Mario Pelchat complete the quartet. They will choose whether or not to turn around for the performances that touch them in order to form the best team.
► Sunday 7:30 p.m. from January 15 on TVA
BIG BROTHER CELEBRITIES
Probably the most talked about reality show since everyone speculates on the identity of the candidates who will dare to enter the loft to be scrutinized for several weeks. As of this writing, only Benoît Gagnon, Korine Côté and Natalie Choquette have been confirmed. It’s always interesting to see the alliances that are formed, the strategies that are emerging and especially the agility of each during the tests. Marie-Mai is back to animation.
► Monday to Thursday and Sunday 6:30 p.m. on Noovo
RED BRACELETS
The gang of red bracelets remains united even if some have left the hospital. This second season opens with Félix’s surgery. Justin and Flavie are still a couple and learn their life outside the walls of the establishment. Kevin must undertake community work for his escapades, Lou is still in psychiatry, young Albert quietly begins his rehabilitation. And two newcomers are added to the group: Margot who suffers from ovarian cancer and Rania, a survivor of a fire.
► Tuesday 8 p.m. at TVA
HAPPINESS
François’ (Michel Charrette) quest for happiness in the countryside continues for a second season. To repay her mother, Mélanie (Sandrine Bisson) wants to transform the farmhouse into a bed and breakfast. We suspect that the work will not be easy. François does not see things as his wife does. Visitors bother him. And he still can’t write his book.
► Wednesday 9 p.m. on TVA
THE TRUE NATURE
Jean-Philippe Dion welcomes personalities to his chalet for a fifth season in order to learn more about their childhood, the highlights of their lives and their careers. The tone is confidential once the arrival by boat is successful. These unusual encounters often result in moving moments. Paul Piché, Gildor Roy and Mayor Valérie Plante are among the guests of the season.
► Sunday 9:30 p.m. from January 15 on TVA
LEO
It is in the orchard that we find Léo (Fabien Cloutier) and Chabot (Steve Laplante) in this fourth opus. And it seems to be going well. At home, little Paul enters kindergarten. It’s a new rhythm to find in the life of a couple with Cindy (Marie-Laurence Moreau). We are witnessing all kinds of reversals in the village. And Reynald (Pierre Lebeau) announces news that will upset everyone.
► Wednesday 9:30 p.m. on TVA
THE EYE OF THE CYCLONE
Isabelle (Christine Beaulieu) is still experiencing a whirlwind. Her eldest, Jade, is studying in Gaspésie and experiences a disappointment in love, the twins are still so different. Jules is anxious and Emma rebellious. A love story is emerging, but she’s not quite ready for it. Her sister (Véronique Cloutier) is going through hormonal changes and Mylène (Catherine Souffront) is doing everything to be the perfect mother-in-law. The mental load affects everyone… or almost.
► Monday 7:30 p.m. on ICI Télé
REASONABLE DOUBT
Alice (Julie Perreault) experiences post-traumatic shock that brings her back to her youth. She returns to work and still teams up with Fred (Marc-André Grondin) and Lucie (Kathleen Fortin) at the GICCS. An intrepid colleague joins the trio. A predator goes after elderly women, a minor says he has been assaulted over several years and a sexual assault in a burlesque environment occupy the team. As well as a couple story where it is difficult to determine who is saying true or false.
► Monday 9 p.m. on ICI Télé
COUNTER OFFER
It’s the return of the Lévesque family as Marc (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) joins the team. Marcel (Antoine Vézina) has been afraid of losing his place since his arrival. And the three sisters face new challenges both in real estate and in their lives.
► Tuesday 7:30 p.m. on Noovo
WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT
Sarah (Magalie Lépine-Blondeau) is busy. His patients are as much in his clinic as in his private life. On the one hand there are all his patients, then Isabelle, his boss, who is suffering the effects of premenopause, his colleague Lou who is in an identity crisis, Richard, his ex-psy, who decides to come back to town. Then, her ex struggles with a toxic spouse and the search for her biological father. A lot of things keep him busy!
► Wednesday 9 p.m. on ICI Télé
SMALL TANNANTS
Pierre Hébert is back with the cutest of games. Each week parents have to guess how their children will react to the situations presented to them. The children are between 4 and 6 years old. We can say that their reactions are sometimes unexpected which gives tasty moments.
► Friday 8 p.m. on ICI Télé
GUYS
This 3rd and final season opens with the funeral of Christian’s mother. This mourning forces him to rethink his life. Sébastien, her son, returns to live at home. Quickly, the others invite themselves to his home. Simon, Martin and Etienne who all have reasons to stick with Christian rather than face their own bugs. A questioning punctuated by many comical events that make the quartet as pathetic as it is endearing.
► Wednesday 9:30 p.m. on ICI Télé
THE BROTHERHOOD
Despite all the adventures of season 1, Simon (Pierre-François Legendre) and Caroline (Isabelle Blais) are more in love than ever, but Patrice (Guillaume Cyr) makes them fall back into the stories of Confrérie and Bonhomme Carnaval. His boss is in hot water. He might have killed Simon’s father.
► Monday 7:30 p.m. on Noovo
TURBULENT WATERS
A second investigation for detective sergeants Desbiens and Carignan (Hélène Florent and Gabriel Sabourin). A rookie, Rubina Duquette (Ève Ringuette), joins them as a young woman, the daughter of a wealthy local businessman, is found dead on her wedding day. Her spouse, Brendon (Jon Rankin) is a financial partner of her father. At the same time, the ex of Marianne (Charles Bender) militates for the protection of the territory in protest to a mega real estate project near the indigenous community.
► Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting February 9 on ARTV
50 WAYS TO KILL YOUR MOTHER
After Anaïs Favron, it is Mathieu Baron’s turn to bring strong emotions to his mother. In this intergenerational magazine, Mathieu and his mother Sylvie take up challenges that take them all over Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and the Prairies.
► Thursday 7:30 p.m. on Unis TV
CURIOUS BEGIN
• To read also: A 15th season at Télé-Québec: “Curieux Bégin” changed the life of Christian Bégin
Christian Bégin is entering his 15th season at the helm of the popular and friendly show. Several themes will be discussed, including soups from around the world, Quebec cheese, recipes on TikTok. We are talking about solo cooking, local products. A special is planned for the 200th show. And we’ll be transported to Athens and Greek islands for two specials.
► Friday 8 p.m. on Télé-Québec
GREAT IDEAS
It’s the return of a favorite decoration show. For a 10th season, designers will tackle a room in the participants’ homes in each episode that needs some love. Félix-Antoine Tremblay is the new host. Then, in April, we go outside with Ideas of grandeur in my backyard.
► Tuesday 7:30 p.m. at Canal vie
PORTRAIT-ROBOT
We remember that a massacre struck in Montreal during season 1. Eve (Rachel Graton) also discovered the truth about her son. She goes back to work to try to find the attacker of Maryse (Sophie Lorain) who survived her attack. Not to mention all the cases that land on the office of the Unit: amnesiac woman found in the middle of the street, killer manipulated by a hacker, leader of the bikers in search of revenge, singer savagely attacked. David Lahaye, Ludivine Reding, Jean-Michel Anctil and Juliette Gosselin are added to the cast for this season 2.
► Available on Club illico
