| 1 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/family_channel_2011.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:200:No, [[Creator/ABCFamily not THAT one]]. [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily Or THAT one.]]]] |
| 3 | ->''Never a dull moment'' |
| 4 | -->-- Slogan from the 2000s |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[https://family.ca Family Channel]] ([[OfficiallyShortenedTitle shortened as Family]]) is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a channel that airs family programming]]. Specifically, it's a Canadian channel launched in 1988 that previously aired series aimed at preschoolers during the day, kids in the afternoons, and teens in the evenings, along with family-oriented movies. Until 2016, it was a premium, commercial-free service that operated similarly to other, ad-supported kids networks. As such, its direct American counterpart would have been [[Creator/{{HBO}} HBO Family]], but it is otherwise not to be confused with any similarly-named channels outside of Canada, '''especially''' the channel formerly known as Creator/ABCFamily. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | However, Family was most known for airing several series acquired from ABC Family's sister networks: Creator/DisneyChannel, Disney Junior, and Creator/DisneyXD. Family would even go so far as to replace some its own [[MediaNotes/BlockProgramming program blocks]] with Disney-branded blocks. For example, the preschool-oriented ''Playhouse/Family Jr.'' block would be relaunched as ''Playhouse Disney on Family'', while the action-oriented ''Power Box'' was replaced with a [[Creator/ToonDisney Jetix]]-branded block. Family would also launch Disney Channel's spinoffs, including a newly-rebranded Disney Junior, as its sister networks. Owing to this, and the Franchise/DisneyChannelLiveActionUniverse tween-coms that had come to [[AdoredByTheNetwork dominate the schedule]] by the early 2010s, Family Channel was pretty much "Disney Channel Canada" in all but name. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Outside of that, Family has commissioned several original series of its own, such as ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'', ''Series/LifeWithDerek'', and ''WesternAnimation/KatieAndOrbie''. Family has also aired a handful of series from Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} in the past, despite that network's long-standing relationship with Creator/{{YTV}}. ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'' may very well be the first associated co-production between the two networks (unless you count ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'', which originally aired on Creator/{{YTV}}). Most programming aired in the '80s and '90s tended to be co-produced in association in some manner with Creator/{{HBO}}. As both were commercial-free, pay-TV services, they would logically cooperate on commissioning series that both could air without having to edit anything, rather than rerun series from other networks. [[note]]Such shows have included ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin1991'', ''WesternAnimation/TheNeverendingStoryTheAnimatedAdventuresOfBastianBalthazarBux'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleLuluShow'' (the first three were mainly produced by Creator/{{Nelvana}}, the last by [[Creator/CookieJarEntertainment CINAR]]).[[/note]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Ultimately, in 2015, Family Channel would remove Disney's programming in favor of its own. The decision to focus more on Canadian programming coincided with ''Series/TheNextStep'' solidifying its place as Family's first breakout series since ''Series/LifeWithDerek''. In addition, Family would briefly launch its own late-night block, [=F2N=], which would be anchored by the newly launched ''Series/{{Degrassi|TheNextGeneration}}''. Since then, Family's acquired programming now consists of syndicated sitcoms, European imports, and cartoons from Creator/DreamWorksAnimation. Creator/CorusEntertainment, who already owned the Canadian version of ABC Family (known as ABC ''Spark''), would acquire the rights to programming from Disney Channel and its sister networks, launch an ''actual'' Canadian version of Disney Channel, and eventually, relaunch said sister networks. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Originally owned by Allarco as a joint venture between its Superchannel (the now-defunct Movie Central) and First Choice (what is now known as Creator/{{Crave}}), similarly to how [[Creator/{{HBO}} HBO Canada]] used to operate. Family was later sold to Astral Media, who, at the time, was co-owner of Creator/{{Teletoon}} (alongside Creator/CorusEntertainment). After Astral was demolished by Creator/BellMedia, Family and its sister networks were sold to their current owners at DHX Media (now Creator/WildBrain) in 2013. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Family Channel's spinoffs include: |
| 17 | * Creator/FamilyJr - A multiplex channel of Family that targets preschoolers almost exclusively. Family Jr. was also the name of Family's preschool block from February 2009 to December 2010. Launched on November 30, 2007 as "Playhouse Disney Channel". |
| 18 | * Télémagino - A French-language cable channel that also targets preschoolers. Launched on July 5, 2010 as "Playhouse Disney Télé". |
| 19 | * Creator/WildBrainTV - A cable channel that was originally meant to air all of Family's boy-skewed programming, along with some exclusive series of its own, but gradually became more of a general kids' channel. Launched on June 1, 2011 as the first Canadian incarnation of Creator/DisneyXD, and then relaunched as Family CHRGD[[note]]which also maintained a weekend morning block on Family in its early years[[/note]] in October 2015 before receiving its current name in March 2022. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | !!The following series were originally produced for Family (listed alphabetically): |
| 22 | |
| 23 | %%For shows without pages, please make one if you know anything about it. It's a great contribution to the wiki! |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[index]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | !!LiveActionTV (premiere dates and production companies are in brackets) |
| 28 | |
| 29 | * ''African Skies'' (1992; produced by Franklin/Waterman Entertainment) |
| 30 | * ''Anna Banana'' (1994; produced by Prisma Productions) |
| 31 | * ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' (1999; produced by Creator/{{Cinar}} and Creator/WildBrain) |
| 32 | * ''Audubon's Animal Adventures'' (1997; produced by National Audubon Society) |
| 33 | * ''Series/{{Backstage}}'' (2016; produced by Creator/FreshTV) |
| 34 | * ''Bajillionaires'' (2019; produced by Six Eleven Media) |
| 35 | * ''Baxter'' (2010; produced by Shaftesbury Films) |
| 36 | * ''BB & Jennifer'' (1988; produced by Vrak) |
| 37 | * ''Series/TheBigGarage'' (1997; produced by Prisma Productions) |
| 38 | * ''Series/BrotherlyLove1995'' (1995, produced by Witt/Thomas Productions) |
| 39 | * ''Series/ConnorUndercover'' (2010; produced by Heroic Film Company) |
| 40 | * ''Darcy's Wild Life'' (2004; produced by Temple Street Productions) |
| 41 | * ''Series/{{Debra}}'' (2011; produced by Creator/CookieJarEntertainment) |
| 42 | * ''[[Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration Degrassi: Next Class]]'' (2016; produced by Creator/DHXMedia) |
| 43 | * ''Fabulicious Day'' (1996; produced by Chelsea Road Productions) |
| 44 | * ''Gaming Show (In My Parent's Garage)'' (2014; produced by Banger Films and DHX Media) |
| 45 | * ''Hello Mrs. Cherrywinkle'' (1996; prudced by Owl/SDA Productions and Zone 3) |
| 46 | * ''Holly Hobbie'' (2019; produced by Aircraft Pictures) |
| 47 | * ''In a Heartbeat'' (2000; produced by Alliance Atlantis and Buena Vista Television) |
| 48 | * ''Series/KingdomAdventure'' (1990; produced by Chelsea Road Productions) |
| 49 | * ''Series/TheLatestBuzz'' (2007; produced by Decode Entertainment) |
| 50 | * ''Series/LifeWithDerek'' (2005; produced by Shaftesbury Films) |
| 51 | * ''Series/LostAndFoundMusicStudios'' (2015; produced by Temple Street Productions)[[/index]] |
| 52 | * ''Majority Rules!'' (2009; produced by Creator/EntertainmentOne; previously on Creator/{{Teletoon}})[[index]] |
| 53 | * ''Malory Towers'' (2020; produced by DHX Media and King Bert Productions) |
| 54 | * ''Series/MassiveMonsterMayhem'' (2017; produced by DHX Media for Creator/FamilyCHRGD) |
| 55 | * ''Series/{{Mentors}}'' (1998; produced by Mind's Eye Entertainment) |
| 56 | * ''Musiquest'' (1990; produced by Calgary Television) |
| 57 | * ''My Perfect Landing'' (2020; produced by Beachwood Canyon Productions) |
| 58 | * ''Series/NaturallySadie'' (2005; produced by Decode Entertainment) |
| 59 | * ''Series/TheNextStep'' (2013; produced by Radical Sheep Productions; moved to Creator/{{CBC}} Gem and Creator/{{YTV}}) |
| 60 | * ''Nilus the Sandman'' (1996; produced by Cambium Film & Video Productions) |
| 61 | * ''OMG!'' (2014; produced by Creator/DreamworksTelevision) |
| 62 | * ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'' (2016; produced by DHX Media)[[/index]] |
| 63 | * ''Overruled!'' (2009; produced by Shaftesbury Films) |
| 64 | * ''Playdate'' (2015; produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment for Creator/FamilyJr)[[index]] |
| 65 | * ''Series/RadioFreeRoscoe'' (2003; produced by Decode Entertainment) |
| 66 | * ''Raising Expectations'' (2016; produced by Dolphin Entertainment) |
| 67 | * ''Really Me'' (2011; produced by Fresh TV) |
| 68 | * ''Series/RubyAndTheWell'' (2022; produced by Shaftesbury Films) |
| 69 | * ''Take Off'' (1991; produced by Veronica Omroep Organisatie) |
| 70 | * ''We Are Savvy'' (2016; produced by B Minors Productions) |
| 71 | * ''What's Up Warthogs!'' (2011; produced by Dolphin Entertainment) |
| 72 | * ''Series/WinginIt'' (2010; produced by Temple Street Productions) |
| 73 | |
| 74 | !!WesternAnimation (premiere dates and production companies are in brackets) |
| 75 | |
| 76 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{The Adventures of Tintin|1991}}'' (1991; produced by Creator/{{Nelvana}}) |
| 77 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Bobobobs}}'' (1988; produced by BRB Internacional) |
| 78 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBusyWorldOfRichardScarry'' (1994; produced by Creator/{{Cinar}}) |
| 79 | * ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndPotato'' (2018; produced by Creator/DHXMedia for Creator/FamilyJr) |
| 80 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{The Deep|2015}}'' (2015; produced by DHX Media for Creator/FamilyCHRGD) |
| 81 | * ''WesternAnimation/DorgVanDango'' (2020; produced by Creator/WildBrain and Creator/CartoonSaloon) |
| 82 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}'' (2016; produced by Radical Sheep Productions for Family CHRGD) |
| 83 | * ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'' (1997; produced by Creator/{{Nelvana}}; moved to Creator/{{Treehouse TV}}) |
| 84 | * ''WesternAnimation/FrannysFeet'' (2003; produced by [[Creator/WildBrain Decode Entertainment]]) |
| 85 | * ''WesternAnimation/HenrysWorld'' (2002; produced by Creator/CuppaCoffeeStudios) |
| 86 | * ''WesternAnimation/HozeHoundz'' (1999; produced by Amberwood Entertainment) |
| 87 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Justin Time|2011}}'' (2011; produced by Creator/GuruStudio for Family Jr.) |
| 88 | * ''WesternAnimation/KatieAndOrbie'' (1994; produced by Lacewood Productions) |
| 89 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{King}}'' (2003; produced by Decode Entertainment) |
| 90 | * ''WesternAnimation/KleoTheMisfitUnicorn'' (1998; produced by Gordon Stanfield Animation) |
| 91 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfWhiteFang'' (1992; produced by Cinar) |
| 92 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleLuluShow'' (1995; produced by Cinar) |
| 93 | * ''WebAnimation/LucasTheSpider'' (2021; produced by Creator/FreshTV for Family Jr.) |
| 94 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicalAdventuresOfQuasimodo'' (1996; produced by Creator/CineGroupe) |
| 95 | * ''WesternAnimation/MightyMike'' (2019; produced by Creator/DigitalDimension) |
| 96 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNeverendingStoryTheAnimatedAdventuresOfBastianBalthazarBux'' (1995; produced by Nelvana) |
| 97 | * ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeasonCallOfNature'' (2023; produced by Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation and Creator/NineStoryMediaGroup) |
| 98 | * ''WesternAnimation/PapaBeaversStorytime'' (1993; produced by Cinar) |
| 99 | * ''WesternAnimation/PollyPocket'' (2018; produced by [=WildBrain=] and Creator/{{Mattel}}) |
| 100 | * ''WesternAnimation/RedAndRoll'' (2019; produced by [=WildBrain=]) |
| 101 | * ''WesternAnimation/RipleysBelieveItOrNot'' (1999; produced by Cinar) |
| 102 | * ''WesternAnimation/SavingMe'' (2023; produced by Sphere Animation) |
| 103 | * ''WesternAnimation/SeaDogs'' (1995; produced by [=CinéGroupe=]) |
| 104 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretWorldOfBenjaminBear'' (2003; produced by Amberwood Entertainment) |
| 105 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Slugterra}}'' (2012; produced by Creator/NerdCorpsEntertainment for Family CHRGD) |
| 106 | * ''WesternAnimation/SomethingElse'' (2003; produced by Creator/StudioBProductions) |
| 107 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Spirou}}'' (1993; produced by [=CinéGroupe=] and Dupuis Publishing) |
| 108 | * ''WesternAnimation/StellaAndSam'' (2009; produced by Radical Sheep Productions for Family Jr.) |
| 109 | * ''WesternAnimation/SummerMemories'' (2022; produced by [=WildBrain=]) |
| 110 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{UMIGO}}'' (2015; produced by [=WildBrain=]) |
| 111 | |
| 112 | [[/index]] |
| 113 | |
| 114 | !!Family Channel provides the following tropes: |
| 115 | |
| 116 | * AdoredByTheNetwork: ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'', ''WesternAnimation/BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese'', ''WesternAnimation/RainbowButterflyUnicornKitty'', ''WesternAnimation/GrizzyAndTheLemmings'', and ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fill up most of the network's schedule, pretty much making them the channel's main darlings. |
| 117 | * AlternateCompanyEquivalent: [[Creator/{{HBO}} HBO Family]] is perhaps the closest to an American counterpart Family Channel has; both Family and HBO are premium channels. The difference between the two is that Family is still bundled with basic cable children's channels, such as Creator/{{YTV}}, and is treated as such. While it was formally affiliated with The Movie Network (now owned by Bell Media), Family is an independent entity from Canada's other Pay-TV services. |
| 118 | * DarkerAndEdgier: With the success of ''Series/TheNextStep'' and loss of Creator/DisneyChannel programming rights, Family began airing more older-skewed series like ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' and ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' (both of which used to air on Creator/{{YTV}} in the late 2000s). The exclamation mark was the launch of [=F2N=] and its lineup of dramas, including ''Series/GilmoreGirls''. |
| 119 | * FollowTheLeader: |
| 120 | ** The shows made by Shaftesbury Films (of ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' fame) tended to follow the same template used by ''Series/LifeWithDerek''. |
| 121 | ** The influence of Creator/DisneyChannel fare lead to an AudienceAlienatingEra of short-lived sitcoms that tried to emulate the same formula. |
| 122 | * NetworkDecay: The invasion of Disney Channel tween-coms that came at the height of ''Film/{{High School Musical}}'''s popularity would completely take over the channel's schedule during the 2000s. Just as older fans of Disney Channel despise the tweenage girl-skewed, cookie-cutter, laugh-track exploiting quality of tween-coms, so too did fans of Family Channel's earlier days. While Disney XD's shows were later spun-off into their own cable channel (now [=WildBrainTV=]), Family was still dominated by series like ''Series/AustinAndAlly'' and ''Series/DogWithABlog'' before Creator/DHXMedia took over. |
| 123 | ** As Disney XD in the United States would become just as focused on animation as its [[Creator/ToonDisney predecessor]], the Canadian channel would begin airing reruns of girl-targeted Disney Channel sitcoms. In fairness, most of Disney XD's animated series in the United States were either acquired or produced by other channels (such as Creator/{{YTV}} and Creator/{{Teletoon}}). |
| 124 | ** In 2018, Family began airing series that DHX Media produced for [[Creator/CorusEntertainment their main rivals]]; ''WesternAnimation/{{Supernoobs}}'', ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget2015'', and ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'', all of which were produced for Creator/{{Teletoon}}. New episodes of ''Supernoobs'' and ''Inspector Gadget'' [[ChannelHop are premiering on Family Channel instead of Teletoon.]] The issue is, Teletoon was still airing reruns of these series. In addition to Creator/CartoonNetwork Canada, there were three networks airing reruns of ''Johnny Test''. |
| 125 | * ScrewedByTheNetwork: The two-hour Jetix block was originally launched as a replacement for their "Power Box" block in 2006, three years before Creator/DisneyXD was launched in 2009. On top of [[InvisibleAdvertising the lack of promotion]], the block had an improbable timeslot of 6:03 to 7:45 a.m. on weekend mornings. [[note]]Keep in mind, this was before Creator/{{YTV}}'s Bionix block was moved to Saturday nights. Unless you had Family Channel's Pacific feed, you may end up losing sleep trying to watch both blocks, as well as the other [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Saturday Morning]] blocks at the time.[[/note]] As a result, not many people took notice of Jetix's eventual degradation, with bumps and idents no longer being made for the block due to the lack of content. Then-parent company Astral Media would eventually launch the first Canadian incarnation of Disney XD in 2011, taking all of Family Channel's action programming with it (outside of the occasional "Disney XD Takeover" block on Family). |
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