Transgender beauty queen gets reality show
Transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova will star in a reality show on Lifetime, a new specialty channel from Shaw Media, which revealed its upcoming TV lineup on Wednesday.
The show, which follows the leggy, Vancouver beauty queen who competed at the Miss Universe Canada pageant in Toronto earlier this month, is one of dozens of new programs announced for the fall and winter schedules on Shaw-owned networks.
Talackova, who had a sex change operation four years ago, was initially banned from competing in Miss Universe because she was born male. After being given the go-ahead by pageant boss Donald Trump, she was ultimately cut after making the top 12.
Lifetime, a Canadian version of the U.S. network, will debut in September and carry shows such as Bristol Palin: Life's A Tripp, which follows former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's daughter as she meets the challenges of life as a single mother.
In other reality program developments, Shaw's Slice channel will offer a second season ofReal Housewives of Vancouver, the series that focuses on a group of dysfunctional B.C. women.
The channel will also premiere the Canadian series Keasha's Perfect Dress, a spinoff of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress specifically featuring bridal consultant Keasha Rigsby.
Global, which is widely available across Canada, unveiled a primetime lineup with seven new dramas and comedies:
Elementary: a modern-day drama featuring crime-solving duo Sherlock Holmes, played by Jonny Lee Miller, and Dr. Joan Watson, played by Lucy Liu.
Vegas: a gritty, 1960s-set drama about Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid), who is tasked with bringing order to the city.
Chicago Fire: the story of everyday heroes of Chicago Firehouse 51, starring Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney.
Last Resort: an action thriller about a submarine crew marooned on a tropical island, starring Canadian actor Scott Speedman.
Made in Jersey: about a working-class woman (Janet Montgomery) who uses her street smarts to compete among her Manhattan colleagues at a prestigious law firm in New York.
Go On: a new half-hour comedy, starring Matthew Perry of Friends, about a recently widowed sportscaster whose boss forces him to enter group counselling before returning to the office.
Guys with Kids: a half-hour comedy about three men navigating life as new fathers.
Bones, Hawaii 5-O, NCIS and The Simpsons also return to the network.
Bomb Girls, the Canadian drama profiling the women who built bombs for Allied Forces during the Second World War, will be back for another season in 2013.
Showcase, also a Shaw Media holding, is adding to its lineup a U.S. series updating the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast as well as the new international co-production World Without End. Starring Canadians Sarah Gadon and Meghan Follows, it is a follow-up to Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth.
In addition to Lifetime, Shaw also announced another new offering: the new history channel H2.
Rogers Media announced its comedy-filled lineup on Tuesday, while CTV is set to reveal its new slate on Thursday.
