TORONTO — Three shows that have left the air for good in the past few months — "Cardinal," "Schitt's Creek" and "Anne with an E" — came out on top in a virtual version of this year's Canadian Screen Awards.
CTV's crime drama "Cardinal," which wrapped up its fourth and final season earlier this month, nabbed a leading seven trophies for season 3.
Its honours included best drama series, and acting nods for stars Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse for playing detectives in the fictional city of Algonquin Bay.
The CBC comedy "Schitt's Creek," which finished its sixth and final season last month, was the next big winner with six awards.
The riches-to-rags family story won honours for season 5, including best comedy series and acting nods for Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, and Emily Hampshire.
Series co-creator and co-star Daniel Levy expressed his thanks on Twitter and mentioned a moving season 5 episode in which Noah Reid's character tells his parents he's gay.
"Noah, the work you did in 'Meet the Parents' literally changed people's lives and writing that episode for us meant the world to me," Levy tweeted.
And CBC's "Anne with an E" won five awards for its third and final season that ended in late November, including some craft categories and best guest performance by Dalmar Abuzeid.
Also winning five honours was CBC's "Baroness Von Sketch Show," including the award for best sketch comedy show and ensemble performance.
"Baroness Von Sketch Show" recently revealed that its upcoming fifth season will be its last.
Wednesday marked the third night of virtual presentations for the awards, which are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and celebrate homegrown film, TV and digital media.
The shows pivoted to online after the annual in-person Canadian Screen Awards galas were cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The videos are being live-streamed on the academy's website as well as its Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels.
Wednesday's presentations honoured scripted programs, while Thursday's final show will cover cinematic arts.
Several shows won two awards apiece Wednesday, including CBC's "Kim's Convenience," which got acting nods for supporting cast member Andrew Phung and guest performer Amanda Brugel.
Crave's comedy "Letterkenny" also got two awards, for writing and direction.
And Global's "Mary Kills People" also nabbed a pair of trophies, including best direction for a drama series.
"Schitt's Creek" was up for a leading 26 Canadian Screen Awards this year. Organizers said that's a record number of nominations for a television series in a single year.
The leading film contender is "The Song of Names" with nine nominations.
The drama, from Quebec director Francois Girard, stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen in a story of a Polish-Jewish refugee and violin virtuoso who disappears before a 1951 concert that was to launch his career.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 27, 2020.
Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
