Tropical Heat AKA Sweating Bullets (CBS)

Part of the kitchy cool CRIMETIME AFTER PRIMETIME late night line-up on CBS during the early 1990s, Sweating Bullets (broadcast in some markets as TROPICAL HEAT) ran for 66 episodes, the first 22 of which are available on this 3 DVD set from TANGO ENTERTAINMENT. Though not strictly speaking a Canadain Exclusive this set is going to be very hard to find after it's inital release. Snap it up now.

Hardcastle & McCormick (ABC)

New player in the Canadian Exclusive DVD market, Visual Entertainment, Inc. (VEI) operating out of Toronto, Ontario, has announced the first season DVD set of Hardcastle & McCormick, the ABC show. Expected delivery is in February 2006. This was a Stephen J. Cannell Productions series that started in 1983 and ran for three years. Expected is a 5-DVD set with approx 17.5 Hours of 21 regular episodes and the the 2-hour pilot.

Jay& Silent Bob do Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV)

This episode will probably be included in the season set available through WGBH Boston's DVD set but the this very special episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation will be collectible for fans of Kevin Smith's View Askew universe.

The Hitchhiker (TMN / HBO)

The Hitchhiker has had two three Canadian Exclusive DVD releases.

The Hitchhiker was HBO's first dramatic series and won eight ACE Awards to become the highest-ranking series on pay television. The Sopranos, The Wire and Six Feet Under are all indebted to this pioneering cable television show. The series presented sophisticated tales of terror, horror and suspense with each story linked by the infamous hitchhiker, played by Page Fletcher, who introduces and closes each episode in the style of Rod Serling or Alfred Hitchcock. The Hitchhiker was broadcast on HBO between 1983 and 1990. There have been a couple of USA releases through HBO, but those are "best of" sets. These Canadian Exclusive boxed sets are full runs. But there are a few confusing twists. The Complete First Season set was actually the first 3 seasons on HBO.

Koch Canada released two three sets The Hitchhiker: The Complete First Season which I previously mentioned, and The Hitchhiker: The Complete Third Season which covering the third Canadian season (which aired as season five on HBO) and The Hitchhiker: The Complete Fourth Season (the sixth Season on HBO).

"So what happened to Season 2?", You ask (which would have been season 4 on HBO). It looks like Season 2 became a victim of a copyright dispute. We may never see it released on DVD in any country.

Pit Pony (CBC)

The novel Pit Pony by Joyce Barkhouse was adapted into a late 1990s televison series called, you guessed it Pit Pony! Koch Canada has now released the complete first season on DVD!

Chilly Beach (CBC)

Chilly Beach is an animated show on CBC that has been described as Canada's answer to South Park.

Morningstar Entertainment has been hinting at a release for sometime this winter and here it is! This "Season One" 3 DVD set runs 594 Minutes and has lots of cool extras including...

-An Exclusive "The World Is Hot enough" Chilly Beach Movie Sneak Peek

-Original Webisodes

-Animatics

-Audio Commentaries with Dale, Frank and their Chilly Beach bosses

-Described Video (For The Visually Impared)

CBC's All-Star Comedy Homecoming (CBC)

The DVD is a 66 minute disc with 23 comic stars from 50 years of hit shows.

Wayne & Shuster (CBC)

Wayne & Shuster: 50 Years Of Comedy is a 76 minute retrospective DVD hosted by Frank Shuster looks back at classic sketches by the comedy tag team.

UPC: 063634016595

A Bear Named Winnie (CBC)

A Bear Named Winnie was a TV movie that aired on CBC television - its the true story of the bear and the people who inspired A.A. Milne to write the Winnie The Pooh stories. This DVD was released by Morningstar Entertainment. 88 Minutes Streeted Aug 23rd 2005.

Bliss (Showcase / Oxygen)

Bliss is an erotic 1/2 hour show that aired on Showcase in Canada and on the Oxygen Network in the USA. Though it should have streeted July12th 2005 I still havent seen it on store shelves yet.

This Is Wonderland (CBC)

This Is Wonderland: The Complete First Season
3 DVDs - 13 one-hour episodes
572 Minutes

Alice, an inexperienced young lawyer, tumbles into a criminal court system filled with too many cases, not enough lawyers and judges and a cast of confused, offbeat and desperate characters.

-CBC's top-rated new drama
-15 Gemini nominations

Special Features:
*Commentarry with creator Bernard Zukerman and star Cara Pifko
*Legal commentary with legal consultants
*Original promos shot by director Bruce McDonald
*Behind-the-scenes featurette
*Original audition footage
*More!

Larceny (CBC TV Movies)

Larceny is actually two CBC tv movies based on the life of Canada's most infamous con artist. Released by BFS, which primarily releases British programs it is a neat set with only mediocre picture quality.

"She's alluring, conniving - and she'll do anything to claw her way out of poverty and into the corridors of wealth and power." These fast-paced, colourful adventures are based on the true story of a woman who ruthlessly used her beauty and cunning to achieve the good life. The beautiful duaughter of a poor farmer, Betsy Bigley is desperate to improve her situation."

In Love & Larceny she cooks up one scheme after another, hoping to gain entry into high society. From bilking farmers to powerful New York bankers, she deftly works her considerable charm at every opportunity - until an unforseen twist threatens her greatest con. Grand Larceny continues the unflappable Betsy's adventures, as she vows revenge on the man who double-crossed her. What follows is a rollicking caper involving a phony gold mine, a vulnerable showgirl and a love sick private eye who simply can't resist her. In the tradition of Moll Flanders and Tom Jones, Betsy's story is a sexy, clever joyride from start to finish.

It's 1901 and Betsy Bigley's hopes for entering high society have come crashing down around her. She faces criminal charges and to make matters worse, she realizes at the last minute that she's been double-crossed.

Larceny is made up of two movies "LOVE & LARCENY" and "GRAND LARCENY"
2 DVDs - 243 Minutes
Region 1
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Copyright 2001 BFS Video/CBC Home Video

FEATURES:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
UNCUT CBC Television BROADCAST VERSIONS

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Biographies
Production stills

STARS:
Jennifer Dale
Victor Garber
Douglas Rain
Kenneth Welsh
Robert Joy
Brent Carver
Sheila McCarthy
Sharry Flett

The Newsroom (CBC)

Few shows in TV history have delivered more dark humor than Ken Finkleman's ground-breaking series. Compared often to the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show Ken Finkleman's show is even more twisted. The show is a causticlly comic, behind the scenes look at the working of a television network newsroom. It aired on CBC erratically over several years. It should also be noted that there was a prevouis COMPLETE SERIES release that included only the first two seasons. That one is out of print. The listings below and pictured on the right are all from Monrningstar Entertainment. The third season DVD set is expected soon.

The Newsroom: The Complete First Season
2 DVDs
Run Time: 310 Minutes
Encoding: Region 0

Episodes:
1. The Walking Shoe Incident
2. Dinner at Eight
3. Deeper, Deeper
4. The Kevorkian Joke
5. A Bad Day
6. Petty Tyranny
7. Dis & Dat
8. Unity
9. Parking
10. Meltdown (1)
11. Meltdown (2)
12. Meltdown (3)
13. The Campaign

SPECIAL FEATURES:
•CommentaryTrack with Ken Finkleman on "The Campaign"
•"Inside The Newsroom" Documentary
•Cast Bios
•PROMOS from "Escape from The Newsroom"


The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season
2 DVDs
Run Time: 286 Minutes
Encoding: Region 0 (AKA Region Free, REGION ZERO)

Episodes:
1. America, America
2. Death 1, George 0
3. Pushy Moneygrubbing Cosmopolitan Racist
4. “One of Us”
5. “Anchors Away”
6. “An Enormous Waste of Time”
7. “Never Read Symptoms”
8. “The Fifty”
9. “Slow Leak”
10. “Reality Strikes”
11. “The British Accent”
12. “Say Cheese”
13. “The Second Coming”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
•Closed Captioned
•Ken Finkleman & Robert Enright audio commentary for episodes 2 and 12
•Alternate ending for episode 13
•3 music videos of songs included in the series:
-"Nighttime/Anytime" by The Constantines
-"By Now" by Revenge Of The Egg People
-"Something Beautiful" by NoAlternative
•"In The Newsroom" a 21 minute behind-the-scenes featurette

Escape From The Newsroom: Television Special
1 DVD
Run Time: 84 Minutes
Encoding: Region 0 (AKA Region Free, REGION ZERO)
Escape From The Newsroom opens with news that after six months in a coma, followed by three yearsof rehab, Jim Walcott is returning to anchor the local news despite having a bullet lodged in his brain and officially flatlining years ago after his election campaign. TV news director George Findlay must decide who to cut to make up for Jim's new salary.

Lives Of The Saints (CTV Miniseries)

Lives of the Saints was a two-part, four-hour mini-series produced by CTV. The story is based on Nino Ricci's best selling trilogy of books. "Lives of the Saints" tells the story of Vittorio Innocente and his mother Christina, whose affair with a blue-eyed stranger shatters the innocence of Vittorio's childhood. As he pieces together the story of his mother's past, Vittorio discovers the truths of the villagers and the village, and gains a new understanding of human nature. The closer Vittorio comes to the truth about his mother, the more his discoveries threaten to tear his own world apart.

The special 2 Disc "COLLECTOR'S EDITION" of Lives Of The Saints CTV Miniseries included a bonus CD Soundtrack. Released by Warner Canada for the Canadian market.

Run Time: 188 Minutes
Encoding: Region 1
ENGLISH Dolby Stereo 5.1 ENGLISH
FRENCH Dolby Stereo 2.0 ENGLISH
Closed Captions
Anamorphic WIDESCREEN (2.35:1)

SPECIAL FEATURES:
•Interactive Menus & Scene Selections
•Commentary from both the Director (Jerry Ciccoritti) and Producer (Gabriella Martinelli)
•EPK (including extensive interviews, B-roll and behind the scenes footage)
•Stills Gallery
•An exerpt reading from LIVES OF THE SAINTS by the author Nino Ricci
•Gallery Of Saints

Starring:
Sophia Loren
Kris Kristofferson
Fab Filippo
Jessica Paré
Nick Mancuso

The Outer Limits (Canwest Global / Showtime)

'There is nothing wrong with your web browser. Do not attempt to adjust your cookies...'

These are some of the most sought after DVD series sets released only in Canada. Created by Koch Canada there are three sets released so far. The Season 1 & 2 Set Features 20 "best of" episodes from the 1st and 2nd seasons of The NEW Outer Limits television show. The Third Season set is a complete season and a Fourth Season set came out October 2005! There have been a number of compilation themed "best of" releases in the USA through MGM, and just recently in the USA MGM has started releasing Season sets too.

H20 (CBC TV Movie/Miniseries)

Paul Gross is whisked into his father's position as Prime Minister of Canada after eulogizing him. This TV movie for CBC was very popular. H20 is a thriller along the lines of House Of Cards. Released by Morningstar Entertainment.

The Adventures Of Sinbad (Syndicated)

Exceedingly popular in Scandinavia (I've recieved several long distance calls from there about it) The Adventures Of Sinbad was internationally syndicated. Koch Canada is the only company to release the DVD anywhere in the world. No extras of course but the complete first season. And sorry to everyone in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Lappland, there has not been a second season release yet.

Made In Canada (CBC)

Rick Mercer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes fame branched out to produce this ascerbic sitcom about Canadian television production. Only the first season has been released. Likely the second never will. Extremely hard to find now, this one disc, 6 episode set includes the complete first season.

Tekwar: The Series (Syndicated / CTV)

Koch Canada is responsible for releasing a number of Canadian produced (and USA syndicated) shows. They released Tekwar: The Series as a 5 disc set, it conmtains only the actual series and not the TV movies that preceded it. Though the case says "The Complete First Season" it was actually the entire series as it only aired for one season.

Making The Cut (CBC)

Reality television comes to Canada in its most obvious form. This 'Who wants to be an NHL star' done for CBC television was quite popular with a certain segemnt of the population, hockey fans. The series DVD set contains only a "best of" collection. Released by DVD production company KaBoom!.

Puppets Who Kill (The Comedy Network)

Starring Dan Redican of Frantics fame, Puppets Who Kill airs on The Comedy Network in Canada. Set in a halfway house for ex-con puppets it is darkly hilarious and not at all for children. The complete first season DVD includes all thirteen episodes of the first season. The second season may be available on DVD now too.

Trailer Park Boys (Showcase)

Canada isn't all politeness and snow. Raunchy and ridiculous the Trailer Park Boys are Canada's answer to Reno 911.

Available are:

Trailer Park Boys The Complete 1st And 2nd Seasons (Showcase)

Trailer Park Boys The Complete Third Season (Showcase)

Trailer Park Boys The Complete Fourth Season (Showcase)

The Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special (Showcase)

Corner Gas (CTV)

Canada's most popular sitcom, ever! Corner Gas set in rural Saskatchewan has in just a couple of years become Canada's most popular sitcom. Brent Butt and the rest of the residents of Dog River Saskatchewan can be found on the first two releases from VSC (Video Service Corp.):

Corner Gas Season One (2 DVDs)

Corner Gas Season Two (3 DVDs)

Both sets are complete runs of the seasons and include plenty of bonus features.

Dracula The Series (YTV)

This site's first exception to the Canadian Exclusive rule! Dracula The Series is not a Canadian Exclusive on DVD. It is at least partially available in the USA. The manufacturer, Platinum Disc Corporation, is a US based company that is mostly known for releasing cheapo movies. The reason I mention this release at all is that it is a Canadian produced cult TV show that is very very hard to find. The discs don't mention it anywhere on them but taken together they comprise not only The Complete First Season but also the Complete Series (it only ran for one season)! The two discs are normally sold seperately as Dracula The Series Vol 1 and Dracula The Series Volume 2. Because of the way they were released and their poorly distinguished title they are very hard to find - they may also be Out Of Print.

Da Vinci's Inquest (CBC)

Da Vinci's Inquest is a crackerjack CBC television show that ran for a half dozen years or so. A new spinoff, starring most of the old show's cast has just started too, its called Da Vinci's City Hall. Da Vinci's Inquest's first season is the only season released on DVD so far.

Traders (Global)

Global Television's Traders aired for more than one season on TV but only the first season has been released to DVD. Very hard to find. I believe it is now Out Of Print.

Edgemont (CBC)

The complete series of Edgemont, CBC's popular teenage soap opera, has been released as a limited edition DVD set. 70 Episodes on 10 DVDs with lots of extra features. These are going to be near impossible, so few were made, an estimate of 300 produced. Released by the show's producer: Water Street Releasing.

Cold Squad (CTV)

Cold Squad The Complete First Season was marketed by Alliance Atlantis, but so far none of the other seasons have been scheduled for DVD release. And that's a real shame too because this series is awesome.

Due South (CBS / CTV)

The complete series of DUE SOUTH has now been released by Alliance Atlantis (in four sets):

Due South
The Complete First Season (CBS/CTV)

Due South
The Complete Second Season (CTV)

Due South
The Complete Third Season(CTV)

Due South
The Final Season (CTV)

Canadian Exclusive DVD

The REGION 1 DVD market is made up of US and Canadian released DVDs. Most releases that come out in the USA also come out in Canada. There are plenty of Canadian Exclusive DVDs out there that are only surficially different than the US coounterpart (the inclusion of reversible French language packaging for example) - that isnt what this site is about. The primary focus here is on substantial differences - shows and movies that came out ONLY in Canada, and not in the USA at all. These Canadian Exclusive DVDs will play on any Region 1 DVD player but were marketed only in Canada.