Family Channel gets an education in the performing arts with premiere of new
original series, Baxter

TORONTO, May 11 /CNW/ - Astral Media's Family Channel presents the television premiere of the music and dance-filled Canadian original series, Baxter produced by Shaftesbury Films. Following Baxter McNab (Evan Williams, Degrassi: The Next Generation) and his friends as they attend the Northern Star School of the Arts, the live-action comedy series premieres on Monday, May 24 at 4 p.m. ET/PT with two back-to-back episodes. The regular timeslot for the series is Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. ET/PT beginning May 29. For those who can't wait, the first episode of Baxter will be available on Family OnDemand beginning May 18 and can be sampled at Family.ca from May 19.

Students of the Northern Star School of the Arts, Baxter McNab and his friends find the stress of a science test nothing compared to a dance recital, music performance or directing a short film. At a school where the students will do anything they can to stand out, the group of friends soon learn that the key to success at their special high school is to stick together as they negotiate crushes, auditions and the occasional bout of stage fright. Featuring unique song performances and choreographed dance routines, Baxter also stars Holly Deveaux, Kyle Mac, Brittany Bristow, Shannon Kook-Chun, Tara Joshi, and Dewshane Williams.

The students are tuning their guitars for the annual Rockin' Like the Stars contest in the premiere episode of Baxter, Mock vs Rock, at 4 p.m. ET/PT. Everyone in school is set to tap into their inner rocker apart from Baxter who has decided instead to unleash his inner mocker. He recruits his friends Emma (Holly Deveaux) and Deven (Shannon Kook-Chun) who are ready to have fun with their mock band until they learn that Baxter has real rock star talent.

In the 4:30 p.m. ET/PT episode, Dance Craze-Y, Baxter and Emma plan a school dance to cheer up Tassie (Brittany Bristow), left heartbroken after Marcus (Kyle Mac) breaks up with her. However, organizing the dance means more than trying to create the next hot dance craze as Baxter needs to convince Mr. Kingfield (Scott Wentworth) to reinstate dances after a 20-year ban.

Commissioned by Family Channel, Baxter is produced by Shaftesbury Films. The series is created by Alex Pugsley and Daphne Ballon (Life with Derek) and is executive produced by Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie (Life with Derek, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures).

Family Channel is a premium, commercial-free network offering the best in family television entertainment in 6 million homes across Canada. Dedicated to celebrating family life and providing a fun experience for all, Family airs a unique mix of series, movies and specials, with a large portion of programming supplied by Disney. Family Channel also offers Family OnDemand in select areas, a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service that features hit Disney movies and series, top-rated Canadian series and Playhouse Disney programming, and Family OnLine, a broadband service offered to Bell TV subscribers. Visit us at Family.ca.

Family Channel is an Astral Television Networks. Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and interactive media. Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences. For more information about Astral Media, please visit www.astralmedia.com.

For further information: Geneviève Parent at [phone] or [email protected]; For access to Family Channel's media room, please visit http://tv.astral.com