TVA’s management, which had to contend for six years with the success of District 31decided to reply.
This is how from Monday, September 12 at 7 p.m. Indefensible will face Stat, the daily news from Radio-Canada. To my knowledge, this is one of the first times, if not the first, that two daily series will face off at the same time on two major competing networks. On French television, a fan of daily series broadcast at the start of the evening, the channels do not run the risk of broadcasting them at the same time.
On TF1, the daily Here it all starts airs at 6:30 p.m. and tomorrow belongs to us starts on the same channel at 7:10 p.m. On France 3, More beautiful lifeDaily Series Champion (4610e episode, last night!) airs at 8:20 p.m. The series will end on November 18. For the same reasons that CTV terminated Lisa LaFlamme’s contract, that is, “due to changing viewer expectations”! On France 2, the daily such a big sun airs at 8:40 p.m.
THE BAR IS HIGH
TVA must have great confidence in its daily news to put it in direct competition with that of Radio-Canada. It is true that viewing habits have changed, that recording has become commonplace in a large number of homes, that various digital platforms allow catch-up television, but the fact remains that almost three Quebecers out of four watch live television, especially at dinner time. The incredible success of District 31 ended up convincing TVA of the interest of a daily newspaper at the start of the evening.
District 31 set the bar very high. We spared neither exterior filming nor distribution. The intrigues were numerous. They involved a record number of actors and, above all, they showed that Quebecers are fond of detective stories. With Indefensible, viewers will follow during the first season nine major criminal trials. These trials should allow us to witness police investigations and intrigues.
At Radio-Canada, we rely on the hospital environment and on medical intrigue to retain viewers. Even if the excessive frequency of bands promoting Stat has upset some, the spectators should be numerous when the series begins. Most series that take place in the hospital environment are successful and Fabienne Larouche knows all about it. She scripted the 26 hours ofEmergency and the 45 hours of Trauma, two series featuring numerous specialists, doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. We will surely find some clones in Stateven if it is Marie-André Labbé who holds the pen and not Fabienne.
EXPERIENCE FABIENNE LAROUCHE
If it was a Formula 1 race, I would say Stat starts in pole position and thatIndefensible do not go favorite. We cannot ignore the formidable experience of Fabienne Larouche as a screenwriter and producer. Alone or with Réjean Tremblay, she wrote 299 hours of drama, not counting 2,400 episodes of daily series.
By comparison, the authors ofIndefensible are neophytes, like producer Izabel Chevrier, whose husband is renowned criminal lawyer Richard Dubé. But Formula 1 fans will remember that starting at the back of the pack last Sunday, Max Verstappen nevertheless won the Belgian Grand Prix! So we can expect anything.