Canadian Screen Awards honour departing TV shows
On 3rd night of awards, big wins for Cardinal, Baroness von Sketch Show, Schitt's Creek
The Canadian Screen Awards honoured TV endings on its third night, as CBC's Schitt's Creek, Anne With An E and the Baroness von Sketch Show, along with CTV's Cardinal, all won big.
Each received between five and seven awards at the virtual presentation recognizing scripted programs, and all have either aired their final season or announced that their current seasons will be their last.
The annual awards went digital this year, and have been airing pre-filmed awards ceremonies after in-person events were cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cardinal nabbed the most trophies overall with seven, including best drama series, best writing for a drama series and best lead actor and lead actress in a drama series. The mystery series, based on the novels of Canadian writer Giles Blunt, recently aired its last episode.
WATCH | Clips from the close of Schitt's Creek:
Schitt's Creek followed closely with six awards, after making history with a record 26 nominations. The sitcom starring co-creators Eugene Levy and son Daniel Levy follows a once-wealthy family forced to relocate to a small town after losing their fortune. It has garnered widespread critical acclaim, including a spread in the New York Times and four nominations at the 2019 Emmy Awards.
Among other awards at this year's CSAs, the show won best comedy series, while stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara saw awards for best lead actor and lead actress in a comedy.
WATCH | CSA presentation: Shows honoured in their final season:
Anne With an E saw significant success in the drama category with five wins of its own, nearly six months after its creator announced the show would not come back for another season. The jointly produced CBC-Netflix series, which injected modern themes into Lucy Maud Montgomery's beloved novel Anne of Green Gables, ran for three seasons, and prompted a massive fan effort to have the show renewed.
It also topped nominations for a drama series with 17, though in the end missed out in key categories including best drama series, best direction and best writing. The show instead saw awards for best photography, costume design, original music and production design.
WATCH | Anne With An E: Wrapping up:
In addition, Canadian actor Dalmar Abuzeid won best guest performance in a drama for his work on Anne With An E's final season. Abuzeid played Sebastian "Bash" Lecroix, who did not appear in the novels and was the first black character to appear on the show. Earlier this year, he won an ACTRA trophy for outstanding performance by a male for the role.
Sketch comedy series Baroness von Sketch Show also came away with five trophies — winning in every category for which it was nominated. Co-creators Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen shared awards for best sketch comedy show and best writing in a variety or sketch comedy, less than a week after they announced the show would end after its upcoming fifth season.
Crave TV's Letterkenny, which — along with Schitt's Creek — has found significant success in the United States, picked up two awards, for best comedy writing and direction. Similarly based in a small Canadian town, the sitcom has become a cult hit over its four-year run, and recently released its eighth season.
Global TV's Private Eyes and CBC's Murdoch Mysteries tied for the Golden Screen Award for TV Drama/Comedy. The academy special award is given to the most-watched program, based on TV ratings.
Elsewhere, Corus Entertainment's Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey won for best TV movie and best writing for a TV movie, while Global's Mary Kills People saw awards for best stunt, best direction in a drama series as well as best stunt co-ordination.
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