CTV's Stellar Mid-Season Continues as New Series and Returning Favourites Join the Schedule February and March

– New thriller THE FAMILY receives a special premiere on March 2, before moving to its regular Sunday night timeslot on March 6 –
– CTV acquires CRIMINAL MINDS spinoff, CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS, premiering March 16 –
– The next Shondaland can't-miss series THE CATCH joins CTV's hit Thursday night lineup beginning March 24 –
– As previously announced the final season of CTV original series MOTIVE is on the case beginning March 22 –
– BLINDSPOT moves to new 10 p.m. ET/PT timeslot beginning Feb. 29, as CASTLE shifts to CTV Two –
– Fan favourite series GOTHAM (Feb. 29), THE VOICE (Feb. 29 on CTV Two), ONCE UPON A TIME (March 6), QUANTICO (March 6), and MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (March 8) return, while new episodes continue for MASTERCHEF CANADA (Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT), and THE AMAZING RACE (Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT) –
– The biggest night in Hollywood happens on Feb. 28 with THE OSCARS^®, following Canada's own live red carpet special ETALK AT THE OSCARS and OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET –

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TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Following a mid-season start that saw CTV deliver two of the Top 3 most-watched new series premieres of the year, CTV announced today key dates for its February and March schedule, including the debut of Shonda Rhimes' next break-out series THE CATCH. CTV also announced today the acquisition of two new series for its mid-season schedule; the new mystery series THE FAMILY starring Oscar nominee Joan Allen (Room), and CRIMINAL MINDS spin-off CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS starring Gary Sinise (CSI:NY).

"Building upon our strong fall, the January premieres of THE X-FILES, LUCIFER, and LEGENDS OF TOMORROW have kick-started a mid-season schedule that gains momentum with the addition of these new series," said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV. "THE CATCH will seamlessly take over on Thursday nights from HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, while THE FAMILY and CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS will add additional depth to our Sunday and Wednesday night lineups."

It was an out-of-this-world start to 2016 for CTV in January, with final data from Numeris confirming that THE X-FILES two-night debut (Jan. 24/25) was watched by an average audience of 2.9 million viewers, cementing its claim as the most-watched premiere on Canadian television this season. Meanwhile, LUCIFER brought the heat with final data confirming that an average 2.3 million viewers watched the series premiere on Jan. 25, making it the third most-watched series premiere of the season, behind THE X-FILES and QUANTICO. Also, final data confirms the series premiere of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (Jan. 21) is #3 among new series debuts this season for A25-54. All three series bolster CTV's next wave of stellar mid-season premieres.  

Among the highlights:

THE FAMILY
Starring Joan Allen as politician and matriarch Claire Warren, THE FAMILY joins the CTV schedule March 2. When Claire's abducted and presumed dead son returns a decade after he went missing, the family's joy soon turns to suspicion. Is he really who he says he is? The boy's shocking reappearance forces the entire family to re-examine who they are and unearths long-buried secrets, betrayals, and heartache. THE FAMILY receives a special premiere on Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before moving to its regular Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT timeslot beginning March 6, where it joins ONCE UPON A TIME (8 p.m. ET/PT) and Canada's #1 new series QUANTICO (10 p.m. ET/PT), which both return with new episodes on March 6.

THE FAMILY also stars Alison Pill (THE NEWSROOM) as Willa, Claire's daughter and savvy political advisor; Zach Gilford (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) as Danny, the Warren's cynical eldest son; Rupert Graves (SHERLOCK) as patriarch John Warren; Margot Bingham (BOARDWALK EMPIRE) as Detective Nina Meyer; and Andrew McCarthy (Pretty in Pink) as Hank Asher, the Warren's neighbour who was originally convicted of abducting Adam.

CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS
The new CRIMINAL MINDS spinoff joins the Wednesday night lineup beginning March 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The new drama follows a specialized International Division of the FBI who come to the rescue of Americans in danger while abroad, led by 20-year veteran Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise, CSI: NY). His team includes Clara Seger (Alana De La Garza, FOREVER), a smart, well-travelled, and multi-lingual cultural anthropologist; Matthew Simmons (Daniel Henney, Big Hero 6), a former military hero with split-second profiling skills he honed on the battlefield; Russ "Monty" Montgomery (Tyler James Williams, THE WALKING DEAD), the unit's compassionate, brilliant tech analyst who also liaises stateside with the families of those in trouble; and Mae Jarvis (Annie Funke, THE AFFAIR), the team's fearless and fun medical examiner. These exceptional agents are dedicated to safely returning people home by profiling and identifying criminals who are beyond U.S. borders.

THE CATCH
From the producers of GREY'S ANATOMY and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, THE CATCH joins CTV's hit Thursday night lineup beginning March 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  THE CATCH follows Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos, THE KILLING), LA's top private investigator who goes on a mission for payback when her fiancé (Peter Krause, PARENTHOOD) cons her out of millions and disappears. No matter where it leads or the secrets she must keep along the way, Alice will stop at nothing to catch her man. THE CATCH also stars Alimi Ballard (CSI), Jay Hayden (BATTLEGROUND), Jacky Ido (Inglourious Basterds), Rose Rollins (BOSCH), Elvy Yost (MILDRED PIERCE), and Sonya Walger (LOST), and is from Shonda Rhimes and the producers of GREY'S ANATOMY and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER.

MOTIVE and MASTERCHEF CANADA
As announced on Friday, CTV's hit original series MOTIVE returns for its fourth and final season Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning March 22. Kristin Lehman (THE KILLING) returns as Detective Angie Flynn, who leads the team through a powerful season of big change and evolution. CTV's hit culinary competition series MASTERCHEF CANADA returned on Valentine's Day for Season 3, and new episodes continue Sunday nights at 7 p.m. ET/PT with the final members of the Top 14 being revealed during next week's episode.

Also back are new seasons of THE AMAZING RACE (Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT) and THE VOICE (Feb. 29 on CTV Two), along with new episodes of Monday night hits GOTHAM (8 p.m. ET/PT) and BLINDSPOT (10 p.m. ET/PT) beginning Feb. 29. With BLINDSPOT moving to a new timeslot, CASTLE will shift to CTV Two beginning Monday, Feb. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. returns with all-new episodes beginning March 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Additionally, the red carpet rolls out this February during Hollywood's biggest night on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT with THE OSCARS. Kicking off the night is Canada's own live red carpet special, ETALK AT THE OSCARS, launching Oscars Sunday live at 6:30 p.m. ET and leading into OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Presenters and performers this year include QUANTICO star Priyanka Chopra, THE VOICE coach Pharrell Williams, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Lady Gaga, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, as well as Canadians Ryan Gosling, Jacob Tremblay, and The Weeknd.

Viewers can catch up on full episodes of CTV series live and on demand on the CTV GO app and at CTV.ca (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

CTV's KEY FEBRUARY AND MARCH DATES:

All times are ET/PT. Visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times.

Friday, Feb. 19
8 p.m. – THE AMAZING RACE (CTV) – *NEW EPISODES CONTINUE*

Sunday, Feb. 21
7 p.m. – MASTERCHEF CANADA (CTV) – *NEW EPISODES CONTINUE*

Sunday, Feb. 28
6:30 p.m. – ETALK AT THE OSCARS*RED CARPET SPECIAL*
7 p.m. – OSCARS^® OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET*RED CARPET SPECIAL*
8:30 p.m. – THE OSCARS (CTV) – *BIG EVENT SPECIAL*

Monday, Feb. 29
8 p.m. – GOTHAM (CTV) –*NEW EPISODES RETURN*
8 p.m. – THE VOICE (CTV TWO) – *SEASON PREMIERE*
10 p.m. – BLINDSPOT (CTV) – *NEW EPISODES RETURN IN A NEW TIMESLOT*
10 p.m. – CASTLE (CTV TWO) – *MOVES TO CTV TWO*

Wednesday, March 2
8 p.m. – THE FAMILY (CTV) – *SPECIAL PREMIERE*

Sunday, March 6
8 p.m. – ONCE UPON A TIME (CTV) –*NEW EPISODES RETURN*
9 p.m. – THE FAMILY (CTV) – *REGULAR DAY AND TIMESLOT*
10 p.m. – QUANTICO (CTV) – *NEW EPISODES RETURN*

Tuesday March 8
9 p.m. – MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (CTV) – *NEW EPISODES RETURN*

Wednesday, March 16
10 p.m. – CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS (CTV) – *SERIES PREMIERE*

Tuesday, March 22
10 p.m. – MOTIVE (CTV) – *FINAL SEASON PREMIERE*

Thursday, March 24
10 p.m. – THE CATCH (CTV) – *SERIES PREMIERE*

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About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 14 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

SOURCE CTV

Matthew Almeida, CTV Networks, 416.384.2629 or [email protected]; Tonia Addison, CTV Networks, 416.384.2194 or [email protected]; Jessica Charbonneau, CTV Networks, 416.384.3016 or [email protected]