Astral has recently announced fall 2010 schedules for the six premium-cable properties it owns.  For the purposes of this site, I will just highlight two Canadian premieres and one returning series.

Call Me Fitz, the Jason Priestley sitcom, will debut Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 8:00 PM ET/MT.  The show also stars Ernest Grunwald, Peter MacNeill, Kathleen Munroe, Tracy Dawson, Donavon Stinson and Brooke Nevin.

Durham County‘s third and final season will debut October 2010, with no specific date or time announced so far.  The show stars Hugh Dillon, Hélène Joy, Laurence Leboeuf and Greyston Holt.  Michael Nardone will join the cast for Durham County‘s swan song.  Both Durham County and Call Me Fitz will air on HBO Canada.

Meanwhile, Family Channel will debut Connor Undercover Friday, September 17, 2010 at 9:30 PM ET/PT.  The show will stay in the Friday timeslot for the duration of its run.  The show stars Max Morrow, Lola Tash and Jordan Francis.

Call Me Fitz will debut with back-to-back episodes.  I’m not sure if that’s a good sign.  This line from the press bumf worries me a bit:

His sybaritic lifestyle undergoes a radical transformation after a disastrous test-drive puts a potential customer in a coma and unleashes Fitz’s conscience, literally, in the form of Larry, a gentle man intent on rehabilitating Fitz’s battered psyche.

Oh boy!  A crisis-of-conscience sitcom!  The trailer looks better than the concept, at least.  I get the feeling Call Me Fitz was pitched as “Jason Priestley is a conflicted asshole!…yeah, we’ll come up with more later.”  At least it’s not the Minder ripoff I thought it was going to be.

As for airing Durham County on HBO Canada…why?  That’s an arbitrary move, considering HBO Canada is a sister channel to The Movie Network/Movie Central.  While I’m looking forward to DC‘s final season, what’s wrong with airing it on TMN/MC?

The two networks have a branding I don’t fully understand, other than HBO Canada airing HBO shows and The Movie Network/Movie Central airing Showtime shows.  I don’t think there’s much of a distinction.  As an aside, that new Astral logo is a multicoloured turd, isn’t it?

Being Erica and Flashpoint are currently in production on their third seasons.  Flashpoint currently airs on CTV and CBS, while Being Erica airs on CBC and SOAPnet.

CTV has not officially renewed Flashpoint for a third season, but it’s obvious the show will be back.  Its Canadian ratings are strong, so a third season is assured.

CBC won’t announce the bulk of its show renewals until May, although Bill Brioux has hinted at renewals for 18 to Life and Being Erica.  Being Erica‘s second season was watched by an average of 582,000 Canadian viewers.

The Cultural Post first mentioned production on Flashpoint‘s third season, while TCP and Mike’s Bloggity Blog have hinted at a renewal order for Being Erica.  The Cultural Post has Ontario Media Development Corporation’s ‘In Production’ page to back its claims up.  Mike’s Bloggity Blog has…”a very reliable email.”  Can you guess which site I actually respect?  Go on.  Guess.

As an aside, does CBC Television know how to cancel a show?  Despite poor-to-fair ratings, I doubt CBC will touch its comedy festivals, 18 to Life or Little Mosque on the Prairie.  When Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town can’t do better than The Rick Mercer Report‘s Friday rerun, something’s terribly wrong with the network.

EDIT (April 27, 2010) | Being Erica doesn’t start shooting its third season until May 17, while Flashpoint has been shooting since January 13, 2010.  I apologize for not clarifying this detail.