Here’s everything new coming to CBC Gem in November 2021, including these shows highlighted by NOW critics.
Reyka
Produced for South Africa’s M-Net channel, this eight-part thriller series stars Kim Engelbrecht (Dominion, The Flash) as Reyka Gama, a criminal profiler who uses her own horrific past experience to track serial killers in the present. It sounds pretty grim, but we’re curious to see a South African spin on the police procedural – and the perpetually underrated Scots actor Iain Glen is in it, playing the monster who abducted Reyka as a child. November 26
The Dissident
Documentarian Bryan Fogel – who won an Oscar for his sports-doping expose Icarus – looks into the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey, exploring the political ramifications of the failure to hold anyone accountable for the crime despite multiple investigations and the Saudi government’s attempts to cover up both the crime and subsequent charges of responsibility. Not an easy watch, but an essential demonstration of the way power is wielded in the modern age. November 5
Porcupine Lake
NOW’s Susan G. Cole praised Ingrid Veninger’s 2017 drama – about two young women (Charlotte Salisbury, Lucinda Armstrong Hall) drawn to one another over a summer in cottage country – for its micro-budget invention and the complex relationships it creates for all of its characters, not just the leads. And now it’s available to stream for free on Gem. November 19
Write Around the World
Speaking of perpetually underrated actors: has anyone been enjoying a late-career renaissance than Richard E. Grant? His exquisite turn opposite Melissa McCarthy in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? earned him an Oscar nomination and reminded casting directors of his abilities, and now he’s getting the visibility he’s long deserved. This three-part BBC Four series offers him the chance to knock around southern Italy, southern France and southern Spain for educational purposes, following in the footsteps of authors whose work was influenced by those locations. November 26
The Great Christmas Baking Show
Get a jump on your festive pastry planning with The Great British Baking Show’s 2020 special. Hosts Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Matt Lucas are joined by Tom Allen (The Baking Show: The Professionals) to challenge fan-favourite contestants from previous seasons (Jamie and Rosie from 2019, Ruby from 2018 and James from 2017) to compete in a holiday edition for the title of Christmas Star Baker. Sure, this aired in the UK last year so you could hit up Google and just find out who won, but if you watch the episode you also get to see them compete with one another, which as we understand it is the true meaning of Christmas. November 26
The full list of new titles available on CBC Gem in November 2021 by date:
November 5
Brotherhood
The Dissident
The Fence
Glory Enough For All (miniseries)
Ripper Street (season 3)
Sherlock (season 2)
Stath Lets Flats (season 2)
November 10
The Intro (season 2 premiere)
November 12
Call The Midwife Season 2 Christmas Special
The Oxy Kingpins (feature documentary)
Stealing School
November 19
Brittania (season 3)
Call The Midwife (season 9)
A Life In Ten Pictures (season 1)
Porcupine Lake
November 24
Koto: The Last Service
November 26
A Christmas Wish In Hudson
The 2021 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
The Great Christmas Baking Show
My Best Friend’s Christmas
On The Spectrum (season 1)
Reyka (season 1)
Stephen Lewis: The Man Who Couldn’t See
This Time With Alan Partridge (season 2)
Write Around The World
November 30
A Very Royal Christmas: Secrets Of Sandringham
