The Best TV Shows on TVOntario

Every TVOntario Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Boasting a rich catalog, TVOntario features more than 20 shows, with broadcasting dates ranging from 1972 to 2020. Our curated list, current as of June 2026, showcases over 20 of TVOntario’s highest-rated series. Inside/Out and Read All About It! represent the pinnacle of TVOntario’s programming, launching in 1972 and 1979.

  • Peep and the Big Wide World
    Peep and the Big Wide World (2004)8.5

    Peep is a newly hatched chicken who goes on daily adventures with his friends Chirp the robin and Quack the duck. The pals live a large urban park they call "the big wide world" and is the setting for all their lessons. Peep learns specific science concepts on his travels, while the series also incorporates real kids playing and experimenting in their own big wide worlds.

  • Today's Special
    Today's Special (1982)8.2

    Today's Special was a Canadian children's television show produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TVOntario from 1981 to 1987. It also ran on Nickelodeon and the Faith and Values Channel/Odyssey as well as many PBS stations throughout the United States. It was set in a department store, based on the flagship location of the now defunct Simpson's in Toronto. Many sequences for it were shot at the Queen Street West and Yonge Street store after hours.

  • The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures
    The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures (1998)7.9

    Follow mice Emily and her cousin Alexander as they go on adventures around the world in the early 20th century, usually to stop the evil rat No-Tail No-Goodnik.

  • Doki
    Doki (2013)7.8

    Doki's a dog with a lot of questions about science and nature, and he and his explorer friends travel the globe and beyond to get the answers.

  • Read All About It!
    Read All About It! (1979)7.5

    Read All About It! was a Canadian educational television series that was produced from 1979 to 1983 by TVOntario that aired during the early to mid-1980s; It also aired in repeats in the 1990s. It starred David Craig Collard as Chris, Lydia Zajc as Lynne, Stacey Arnold as Samantha, and Sean Hewitt as Duneedon, ruler of the galaxy Trialviron. In the second season Michael Dwyer joined the cast as Alex. The main goal of the show was to educate viewers in reading, writing and history. Each episode ran for approximately 15 minutes. Eric Robertson composed the music for the show.

  • Dino Dana
    Dino Dana (2017)7.5

    Dana, a paleontologist in training, and her sister Emily embark on a series of adventures with dinosaurs.

  • Sagwa The Chinese Siamese Cat
    Sagwa The Chinese Siamese Cat (2001)7.4

    A young cat living in a magistrate's palace in ancient China, learns the values and importance of family and loyalty.

  • Martha Speaks
    Martha Speaks (2008)7.3

    Martha, a beloved family dog, is accidentally fed alphabet soup — this gives her the power of speech and the chance to speak her mind to anyone that will listen.

  • Timothy Goes to School
    Timothy Goes to School (2000)7.0

    A raccoon named Timothy starts kindergarten, and meets many new people and friends. He helps others with their challenges and they would help Timothy on something he is struggling on. It features his everyday adventures while teaching kids how to behave in school and having a positive attitude - feeling good in school and learning more about the world.

  • The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog
    The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog (2010)7.0

    Sudden disappearances, strange natural phenomena, curious animal behavior, and even muddy footprints all call for Alfred's investigative and deductive reasoning skills. With a keen interest in technology, Alfred always carries a high-tech pocket device that stores clues and collects fingerprints. He isn't alone in his quest; his friends Camille and Milo are always by his side, helping him solve the mysteries of Gnarly Woods.

  • Hard Rock Medical
    Hard Rock Medical (2013)7.0

    Follows a diverse group of students navigating their way through a four-year adventure in the most challenging medical training program in the world.

  • Elinor Wonders Why
    Elinor Wonders Why (2020)7.0

    The adventures of an observant and curious bunny rabbit named Elinor and her friends Ari, a bat, and Olive, an elephant.

  • Zoboomafoo
    Zoboomafoo (1999)6.8

    Zoboomafoo is an American children's television series that aired from January 25, 1999, to April 28, 2001, and is still shown today in syndication depending on the area, and it is regularly shown on PBS Kids Sprout. A total of 65 episodes were aired. A creation of the Kratt Brothers, it features a talking Coquerel's Sifaka, a type of lemur, named Zoboomafoo, or Zoboo for short, and a collection of repeat animal guests. Every episode begins with the Kratt brothers in "Animal Junction", a peculiar place in which the rules of nature change and wild animals come to visit and play. After January 16, 2004, the show was pulled from its weekday airing on most PBS stations, though some continue to air the show.

  • The Adventures of Paddington Bear
    The Adventures of Paddington Bear (1997)6.6

    The Adventures of Paddington Bear was a Canadian/French animated children's television series. It was based on the book Paddington Bear by Michael Bond and written by Bruce Robb. It was produced by Cinar and Protecrea and ran for 117 episodes. The show aired in the United States on the Cookie Jar Toons block on This TV from November 2008 - August 2009. However, all CINAR references in these broadcasts have been replaced by Cookie Jar references. It was also shown on HBO.

  • Pinky Dinky Doo
    Pinky Dinky Doo (2006)6.2

    Pinky Dinky Doo dances her way into her Story Box to tell stories and solve problems using her big imagination and fancy words.

  • Prisoners of Gravity
    Prisoners of Gravity (1989)5.9

    Prisoners of Gravity was a Canadian public broadcasting television news magazine program that explored speculative fiction — science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books — and its relation to various thematic and social issues. Produced by TVOntario, the show was the brainchild of former comic retail manager Mark Askwith and writer Daniel Richler, and was hosted by Rick Green. The series aired 139 episodes over 5 seasons from 1989 to 1994.

  • Noddy
    Noddy (1998)5.9

    After years of sailing the sea, Noah Tomten, a retired sea captain, owns an antique toy store called Notions Oddities Doodads and Delights of Yesterday, a variety of toys, from a weasel living inside of a jack in the box to a dog pretending to be a superhero, along with his pet lobster. Two of his grandkids, Kate and Truman, as well as Kate's friend DJ, come to visit him from time to time.

  • renegadepress.com
    renegadepress.com (2004)5.7

    Aboriginal hip-hop artist Jack Sinclair and his best friend Zoey Jones established an underground ezine called renegadepress.com. What started as a pet project soon took on a life of its own pushing Jack, Zoey and their crew of renegade reporters to deliver the goods on what's really going on in the lives of today's teens.

  • Inside/Out
    Inside/Out (1972)N/A

    Inside/Out is a 1970s educational television series. The show was produced in 1972 and 1973 by the National Instructional Television Center, in association with various contributing stations, such as KETC in St. Louis, Missouri, WVIZ in Cleveland Ohio, WNVT-TV in Northern Virginia, and The Ontario Educational Communications Authority. It was one of the last programs to be produced by NIT; the organisation would be reformulated as the "Agency for Instructional Television" in April 1973. Funding for Inside/Out was provided by grants from 32 different educational agencies within the USA and Canada, with additional support from Exxon Corporation.

  • Big Ideas
    Big Ideas (2001)N/A

    Big Ideas is a Canadian television series produced and broadcast by TVOntario, on the air since 2001. The program showcases public intellectual culture. It was conceived by Wodek Szemberg who continues to serve as producer of the program. The show presents public lectures by acclaimed university educators and other distinguished guests. The show is intended for a general audience. The original host, Irshad Manji, was succeeded by Canadian actor/director/playwright Andrew Moodie on 2006-01-07. In September 2011 Piya Chattopadhyay took over as host. Big Ideas airs on TVOntario on Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM, with repeat airings at 5:00 AM on Sunday and Monday morning. In 2007, Big Ideas held its Best Lecturer competition for the second time. Dr. Michael Persinger, from Laurentian University, received the best-lecturer award. Podcasts of the current lectures are available through the Big Ideas website as well as from iTunes.