'Started from the bottom': epic bounce backs on CBC Gem

The core of any show are stories of complex but relatable characters. Characters who deal with personal demons right after hitting the bottom of the pit — whether due to mental illness, loss, the government or all of the above — and find strength to continue in their quest for a purpose in life. Watching those epic moments, when our favourite characters finally rise above and overcome adversity, can be magical.

Here are five inspiring stories of resilience from CBC characters who've been to hell and back, and sometimes back to hell again, which you can follow on CBC Gem.

#1. The Rose family from Schitt's Creek

The premise of CBC's sitcom, Schitt's Creek, is loss... of a bougie life for the Rose family.

After being defrauded by their business manager — who never paid their taxes, Johnny (Eugene Levy), the former CEO of a video store chain, Moira (Catherine O'Hara) a daytime soap opera star with a vibrant social life, and their spoiled kids, Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Dan Levy), find themselves having to relocate to their sole remaining asset — the titular small town Johnny once purchased as a joke for his son's birthday. 

While they initially resent sliding into obscurity, and long to sell the town, the Roses find themselves bonding and becoming a close-knit family. 

"You are who you surround yourself with" rings true throughout the series as they evolve into loving and relatively kinder people. They adapt to their new surroundings — even finding common ground with the humble resident's of Schitt's Creek they once had disdain for.

Johnny becomes the co-manager of the partially renovated Rosebud Motel and feels right at home at the helm. 

While Moira unwittingly becomes a prominent figure in the community. 

David, the self-described black sheep of the family, continues to cope with his small-town life with trademark bitterness, opens up a store, Rose Apothecary, with his business partner-turned-fiancé, Patrick (Noah Reid). 

Alexis also finds love, and after going to school, starts a public relations business of her own.

As the show builds, the question remains: will the Roses stay in the town they once loathed? 

Schitt's Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30NT) on CBC and CBC Gem, and it happens to be the final season so you'll have a chance to find out very soon.

#2. Dr. Jenny Cooper from Coroner

Vulnerable yet strong, impulsive and self-righteous, Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan) is at a rock bottom in the pilot episode of Coroner.

She's been through the devastating loss of her husband who she finds out has left her in great debt, subsequently having to move out of her home. 

Over the first season Cooper finds herself having to pick up the pieces and struggles to balance clinical anxiety and being a single mother of a grieving teenage son, Ross (Ehren Kassam), with her new job as Toronto's coroner who solves unnatural and suspicious murders.

Then there's the prospect of starting a new relationship with the enigmatic but soulful army vet, Liam (Éric Bruneau) — who's dealing with his own traumas and PTSD. 

"She's a human who happens to be a coroner. Not a coroner who happens to be a human," Serinda Swan says of Dr. Cooper. 

Jenny takes many different roads to healing, doing all the right things: from listening to self help tapes to taking prescribed medication for anxiety to therapy and eventually finds some semblance of peace. 

Her job becomes her solace where she finds meaning in speaking for the people with no voice (the dead) to protect the living — even when it inconveniences the living.

Diving deeper into the concept of death, she discovers her own story and memories that she's kept locked in since childhood — which take her back to square one.

"It was the opportunity to really dig deep into a character and show not just her job, but also her humanity, her imperfections, her as a mother, her as an ER doctor, as a coroner, as a doctor as a wife, as a hot mess — all these things. And not with judgement."

In season two of Coroner, Jenny continues her journey and must trust her instincts and begin her second healing bout. But, her newly developed affliction worsens once again threatening her job, her family, and her sense of self which she's worked hard on building over the course of season one. 

If Jenny doesn't figure this out soon, the consequences could be dire. Continue following her story on CBC Gem.

#3. Kate Foster from Workin' Moms

Workin' Moms' Kate Foster (Catherine Reitman) has a lot going on in season two of the series. Her father dies, she is forced into reduced hours at work but because she's a workaholic, she gets another job at a competing PR firm. 

When she pitches the same idea to each firm and they both take off, she's found out and fired from both jobs. Meanwhile, she's growing more and more distant with her best friend, Anne (Dani Kind), who's going through her own trials and tribulations in life.

Anne eventually confronts Kate about her unacceptable behaviour and they share a bonding moment as Kate finally opens up to her.

She also opens her own PR company that takes off which goes to show that sometimes things work out for the better, even though initially it might not seem that way.

Shortly after in season three, Kate faces more setbacks including her husband Nathan (Philip Sternberg) cheating on her which sends her on wild sexacapades — with her 22-year-old assistant.

Then, a tall drink of water named Mike.

By the end of the season, she makes a questionable decision and starts to engage in a sexual relationship with Nathan, again… against her better judgement. Naturally, Anne continues to harbour reservations about Kate's decision.

In the meantime, Kate wrestles with all of this, while taking on her most potentially provocative client yet. 

Will she decide to reconcile with her ex-husband in season four? Or was it only sex? You don't have to wait to find out. Season four premiered on February 18 on CBC and CBC Gem.

#4. Travis Hunter from Fortunate Son

Travis Hunter (Darren Mann) of Fortunate Son is an ex-marine Vietnam vet who accidentally killed his best friend with a bomb intended for the opposing side.

Haunted by what happened to him, Travis develops a drug addiction. Meanwhile, the CIA gets wind of his misfortune in Vietnam and coerces him into doing their dirty bidding. 

After returning stateside, they force Travis to pretend to be a draft dodger, and have him capture intel on activist Ruby Howard (Kari Matchett), who smuggles American draft dodgers and war deserters, including him, across the Canadian border to safety.

Agent Vern Lang (Stephen Moyer) instructs him to use his addiction as a weapon against Ruby, knowing she would try to help him.

"When I read Fortunate Son and saw Travis's character with Vietnam behind him and PTSD, the heroin addiction, he doesn't know anyone here… I was all over it and really wanted to get it," Darren Man said to the Vancouver Courier about his role.

Travis manages to infiltrate the Howard family and while he contemplates the CIA's instructions to let Ruby help him with his addiction, he starts to heal and enjoy his time with them. He gets close to the daughter, Ellen (Kacey Rohl) but it's unclear whether Travis really likes her or he is using her to get information, or both.

Talk about a complex character.

Follow his gripping story on CBC Gem.

#5. Ty Borden from Heartland

Ty Borden (Graham Wardle) of Heartland is the classic case of having been to hell and back.

He was abused by his stepfather as a child and after attacking him back for assaulting his mother, Ty is arrested and sent to juvenile detention.

Heartland's love epoch begins when Ty is sent to work on the Heartland ranch as part of his probation where he meets a horse whisperer, Amy Fleming (Amber Marshall).

Her grandfather Jack (Shaun Johnston), the owner of the ranch, sees potential in Ty and starts treating him like a son which is completely new for Ty — and partly the reason he decides to stay at the ranch, earn his high school diploma and become a vet.

The other reason is that he develops feelings for Amy. 

Their journey spans 13 seasons during which Ty plans to propose but after a motorbike accident with Jack in the season five finale, there is miscommunication between the two love birds. Despite much bickering in season six, they come to an agreement to wait to get married. 

Ty gets accepted to vet school and by mid season six, the perfect moment is presented while camping and Ty gets on one knee.

Amy accepts but they don't get married until season eight and by the end of season nine, Amy shares the best news of his life with Ty: that he's going to be a father.

Ty's epic bounce back and love story continues on CBC Gem with the couple fostering a young boy. New challenges arise and things get out of hand before hopefully they are resolved. You'll have to watch Heartland to find out.

Follow these and more exciting stories on CBC's free digital streaming service, CBC Gem.