ION Picks Up Two Canadian Dramas For Lineup

ION Television has picked up two Canadian drama series, The Border and The Guard. Both will make their U.S. debuts on ION later this year. ION has acquired all U.S. television, digital media rights, Internet streaming and video-on-demand rights for both shows.

The Border follows members of the Canadian Immigration and Customs Security Unit working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to secure the border on both sides of the line. The series, which airs on Canada’s CBC, drew interest from several U.S. broadcast networks, including ABC and CBS, during the writers strike. The Border stars James McGowan, Sofia Milos, Grace Park, Graham Abbey, Mark Wilson, Jim Codrington and Jonas Chernick.

The Guard revolves around the members of a Coast Guard Search and Rescue team. The show, which runs on Canwest’s Global TV, stars Steve Bacic, Jeremy Guilbaut, Sonya Salomaa and David James Elliot

“The Guard and The Border are two original dramas that will fit nicely with proven hits like NCIS and Criminal Minds on our schedule this fall,” said ION’s chairman and CEO Brandon Burgess. “Our new programming chief Leslie Glenn Chesloff will expand on this vision with further syndicated content, originals, and made-for-TV projects.”