Go to main content

CBC Launches New Spring/Summer 2026 Podcast Slate

  • New comedy podcast The Big Five (April 20) shares weekly light-hearted debates of ‘the big 5’ in different categories, hosted by musician Donovan Woods and Tom Power of CBC's Q.
  • Investigative series Uncover returns with The Expert Witness (May 19) and The Mile Zero Murders (August 10).
  • Understood offers a closer look at Artificial Intimacy (May 19), and first-person storytelling series Personally continues with Discount Dave (and The Fix) (June 9).

CBC, the #1 Canadian podcaster, is launching a new spring/summer slate of original podcasts, including in-depth investigations, candid personal revelations, and lighthearted comedy. CBC’s entire podcast collection can be found on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available. Select titles can also be streamed on YouTube

Launches April 20 everywhere podcasts are available

The Big Five answers the most pressing question of our time: what are the “Big 5” of any given category? Not the best 5. Not the top 5. Not anyone’s favourite 5. But objectively, the Big 5. In each episode, hosts Donovan Woods and Tom Power, plus a celebrity guest tackle new topics and debate things like: what are the Big 5 farm animals? Types of hats? Slang terms for “butt”? Ways to cook a potato? Guys named Paul? Guests in this season include Vivek Shraya, Jordan Canning, William Prince, Lindsay Ell, Elamin Abdelmahmoud and more.

  • Uncover: The Expert Witness (9 episodes)

Launches May 19 everywhere podcasts are available

In Akron, Ohio, murder cases that went cold for years are suddenly being solved. But defense attorney Don Malarcik isn’t celebrating; he’s alarmed. The key evidence in these cases is coming from a mysterious AI tool called Cybercheck, a system so secretive that its Canadian founder refuses to explain the details of how the technology actually works. Allegedly, Cybercheck uses open-source data to place suspects at crime scenes without the need for witnesses, and while no one, not even prosecutors, understand how it works, it’s being increasingly embraced by U.S. police services and placing people in prison cells across the country. Sam Mullins, host of critically acclaimed series Sea of Lies, follows Malarcik as he teams up with a concerned network of lawyers, investigators, and journalists to unravel what’s really powering this so-called breakthrough in crime-solving. This season of Uncover asks: what happens when AI enters the courtroom? Who is benefitting from this mysterious technology? And who’s accountable if AI gets it wrong?

Launches May 19 everywhere podcasts are available

What happens when a human becomes intimately enmeshed with a chatbot? From people who’ve married their bots or who grieve their loved ones with the help of AI, host Victoria Hetherington (author of The Friend Machine) dives into the stories of those who have invited these digital avatars into their hearts, minds, and even beds. And asks what do we gain and what do we stand to lose? Our intimacy, our resilience, even our grasp on reality? This latest season of Understood looks at how chatbots have moved way beyond digital assistants and into the most intimate parts of our lives.

Launches June 9 everywhere podcasts are available

Everyone has a party story. Host Rebecca Auerbach’s involved a run in with rock icon David Lee Roth (you know, from Van Halen). At least, that's who he said he was. It’s Vancouver, circa 2005. Becca, a young actor who loves hard and parties harder gets her first big break at a Shakespeare Festival. She’s young, she’s having fun. But when her best friend goes on a date with the aging rocker, Becca is on a mission. To get a piece of the action. And maybe it's because she loves rock and roll, or maybe it's because she’s trying to fill a hole, but she holds onto that night. And it ultimately leads to her own reckoning. A harrowing and hilarious blend of memoir and autofiction, Discount Dave (and The Fix) is the true-ish story of a fake rockstar, a real trial and what it means to stop running, face yourself and fight to heal.

Launches August 10 everywhere podcasts are available

The Mile Zero Murders investigates a chilling pattern unfolding in Dawson Creek, B.C. — a small town where a growing number of people have vanished or been killed under troubling circumstances. Last year, The Fifth Estate shared their initial investigation in their episode “Dawson Creek: We Want Our Town Back.” In The Mile Zero Murders, host Timothy Sawa continues to dig into more than a dozen missing and murder cases, following leads from grieving families, guarded authorities, and insiders who know more than they’re willing to say. What emerges is a deeply unsettling portrait of a community searching for answers. What the hell is happening in Dawson Creek? And why is nobody being held accountable?

CBC’s ongoing podcasts include: Commotion with Elamin AbdelmahmoudThe DoseFront BurnerQ with Tom PowerSickboy and more.

CBC offers a richly diverse collection of award-winning podcasts that engage, enlighten and entertain. CBC is the #1 Canadian podcaster, reaching more Canadians than any other podcast publisher with millions of downloads each month and more than 45 series in genres such as true crime, comedy, human interest and audio fiction. 

-30-

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

Related content

cbc podcasts UNCOVER Understood

Discover

2 hours ago

The Tragically Hip to release live album and CBC to air The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Concert in full

Relive the night Canada stood still for the live broadcast of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 Man Machine Poem Kingston show, re-broadcasting and streaming commercial-free on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 7 p.m. local time on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and CBC Music’s YouTube page.
May 4th at 11:05

Son of a Critch Gets Ready to Graduate as Cameras Roll on the Final Season of the Coming-of-Age Comedy

As production begins on Season 5 of Son of a Critch (12x30), co-creator, executive producer and star Mark Critch announced today that the upcoming season will be the series’ last.
April 23rd at 11:29

CBC and BBC Northern Ireland Greenlight New Romantic Comedy Series Committed, Starring Dustin Milligan and Diona Doherty

CBC and BBC Northern Ireland today announced the greenlight of new original comedy series Committed (10x30), starring Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek, Hot Frosty) and Diona Doherty (Derry Girls, Blue Lights).
April 21st at 10:40

New to CBC Gem in May 2026

Highlights of programs new to CBC Gem this May include the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, hosted by Andrew Phung on May 31; the Asian Heritage Month Collection featuring documentary series Our Ocean Table (May 1) with journalist Hannah Sung and marine biologist and filmmaker Sonya Lee; and new CBC Kids original series Tralala (May 19), following the musical adventures of a seven-year-old frog and her dad. 
April 7th at 10:55

Reverie: The Indigenous Music Residency Returns in 2026

CBC and the SOCAN Foundation are proud to announce the return of Reverie: The Indigenous Music Residency, an immersive month‑long creative program supporting emerging First Nations, Inuit, and Métis music creators from across Canada.