'Life with Derek' cast bids nostalgic farewell to Canada’s Family Channel
Your fave childhood TV stars are just as sad as you are about Canada’s Family Channel going off the air.
Last week, Canadian media company WildBrain announced that it would shut down the iconic kids’ entertainment network, along with Family Jr., WildBrainTV, and Télémagino.
“WildBrain has assessed that the Channels are no longer commercially viable and intends to cease broadcast,” reads the announcement.
After a week of processing, Life with Derek stars Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat shared bittersweet farewell posts on Instagram on Wednesday.
“End of an era 💔 [Family Channel] gave us so much more than just the shows that we all loved and grew up with — mall tours, Stand Up! anti-bullying rallies, Fam Fest, EPKs, and my favourite days with my favourite human [Michael Seater],” reads Leggat’s post, accompanied by photos of the co-stars throughout the years.
“[It] connected us with the people who loved our shows, and its loss will be felt immensely. Thanks for all the memories ❤️”
@ashleyleggat/Instagram
Seater says Family Channel wasn’t just about filming one of the network’s flagship shows, Life with Derek.
“It was all the bits in between seasons and just off the sets. The mall tours, the anti-bullying Stand Up! rallies, EPKs, fam jam and the DC Games,” reads his post.
He also reflected on filming the show in Toronto and witnessing the show’s impact at events.
“Plus, they always meant I got some bonus time with [Ashley Leggat], who will always be my favourite person to kill time in an airport with,” added Seater.
Life with Derek aired from September 2005 to March 2009.
@michael_seater/Instagram
The kids’ channel is shuttering after over 35 years on air because WildBrain says it was unable to secure licensing deals with Bell and Rogers.
After a dispute, Bell had removed WildBrain’s channels. Now, the Toronto-based company says Rogers plans on dropping its channels in the coming months.
This comes after the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision to side with Bell and Rogers, following WildBrain’s appeal, which claimed it was at an “undue disadvantage” in dealing with the telecom giants.