Although the CBC cancelled the female-focused Western series Strange Empire, the national public broadcaster revealed today (March 4) which series it would be renewing and unveiled a slate of new series it will be launching in the 2015-2016 season.

Some familiar names are back on screen.

Fans of Da Vinci's Inquest and the cancelled Intelligence will be pleased to know that the creator of those locally shot shows, Chris Haddock, is back with a new Vancouver-based spy-thriller. The Romeo Section will focus on a veteran agent who seeks to recruit a highly sought informant.

Bruce McCulloch, of Kids in the Hall fame. Young Drunk Punk, McCulloch's semi-autobiographical series (based on his one-man touring show) which follows two high-school grads in Calgary in the 1980s, debuted on CityTV and will gain a second run on CBC.  

Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, a sitcom about a relationship between a psychiatrist and his patient that debuted in 2011 but was not renewed, is being revived.

Will Sasso, best known as a MADtv cast member, will host Fool Canada, which will conduct social experiments (read: pranks!) on Canadians to test their politeness, patience, and gullibility.   

Other new reality-based shows include:

• Keeping Canada Alive, which will employ 60 cameras to capture 24 hours of the healthcare system from coast to coast;

• Hello Goodbye, which will offer a view of emotional stories taking place at Canadian airports;

• Still Standing, a comedic look at small-town life.

Debuting drama series include:

• New Address, an English language adaptation of a Francophone radio series;

• Shoot the Messenger, about a young journalist who becomes drawn into the world of gangs, corporate powerbrokers, politicians, and the police.  

The lineup of new comedy series include:

• Kim's Convenience, based on Ins Choi's play about a Korean Canadian family in Toronto;

• Baroness Von Sketch Show, an all-female sketch comedy series that will take on everything from passive-aggressive parenting to office politics.

Meanwhile, fourteen series will be renewed. Among the renewals are some hit series which debuted this year, including the critically acclaimed X Company, about five young, highly skilled agents during the Second World War, and the comedy Schitt's Creek, starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara.

Among the returning series are well-known favourites, including the dramatic series Heartland and Murdoch Mysteries; the comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Rick Mercer Report, and Mr. D; competition shows such as Dragon's Den and Canada's Smartest Person; and the lifestyle show Steven and Chris.