Bell’s 2026 Slate Brings Back Meatballs and The Littlest Hobo

Bell’s new slate includes a Meatballs series, Bulges, and a live-action Littlest Hobo reboot.

Bell Media just laid out a very Canadian, very busy 2026/27 plan: 62 English-language originals, 56 French-language originals, and a stack of new comedy, drama, and unscripted titles built around familiar IP and local talent. The biggest attention grabbers are Meatballs, Crave comedy Bulges, and a live-action reboot of The Littlest Hobo.

Bell is betting on familiar titles, not just new ones

The headline move is Point Grey Pictures joining Lionsgate Canada and Bell on The Littlest Hobo, a live-action drama reimagining of the 1979 Canadian series about a German Shepherd that drifts from town to town helping people. That project is the first fruit of Bell’s development and production deal with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s team.

Bell also confirmed Bell Media is moving ahead with Meatballs, an eight-part adaptation of the 1979 cult comedy film. The series will star Robbie G.K. and comes from Bell-backed Blink49 Studios and Incendo.

This is a smart programming move. Bell is not trying to out-Hollywood Hollywood. It is using recognizable Canadian and North American IP to give Crave a clearer identity, while keeping production tied to talent that can sell outside Canada too.

• Meatballs is billed as “sweet and sexy,” set at a failing summer camp, and aims for an older coming-of-age tone.
• The Littlest Hobo keeps the dog-led premise but modernizes the story for current viewers.
• Bulges leans into workplace comedy with Mark-Paul Gosselaar in the lead.
• Big Brother Canada returns after leaving Global in 2024.

Why Bell is leaning into Canadian talent

Justin Stockman, Bell’s newly promoted Vice-President of Global Content, made the strategy plain: the company wants globally known Canadians to raise the profile of Canadian content abroad. That explains why Robbie G.K. is fronting Meatballs, and why Mark-Paul Gosselaar is anchoring Bulges.

“Part of the strategy is trying to look at globally-known Canadians and work with them to elevate what people think of Canadian content around the world.” — Justin Stockman, Bell Media

That quote matters because it gets to the business logic behind the slate. Bell is not chasing volume for its own sake. It is building a portfolio where a familiar title, a known face, or a strong genre hook can do the heavy lifting in a crowded streaming market.

Stockman also said Meatballs will keep the racy, funny energy of the film while updating some of the gender dynamics for modern audiences. That is the kind of note that can make or break a reboot: keep the edge, lose the parts that age badly.

The numbers show where Bell is putting money

The slate is broad, but the spending pattern is pretty easy to read. Bell is spreading risk across scripted comedy, scripted drama, and reality, with several projects built for international distribution through Sphere Abacus.

• Big Brother Canada returns as a 30-part program, hosted by Andrea Bain, with production set for next spring in Montréal.
• Thunder Point runs 10 episodes and adapts Robyn Carr’s bestseller for CTV.
• Meatballs gets eight episodes, which suggests Bell wants a tighter, premium comedy run rather than a long broadcast season.
• Bell says it will launch 62 English originals alongside 56 French originals, a sign that both markets remain core to the company’s content plan.

There is also a cost argument here. Stockman pointed out that the existing Big Brother Canada house from the French-language version helped make the revival more financially practical. That kind of reuse matters in Canadian TV, where budgets rarely allow much waste.

The reality side of the slate is not filler. Bell is clearly treating unscripted as part of the same growth plan as drama and comedy, especially with titles like Balls Deep, which is set in Miami’s elite sports and body-obsessed social scene, and Ice Dreams, a youth hockey reality series.

What this slate says about Crave’s next phase

Bell is trying to turn Crave into a place where Canadian IP can be remade with enough confidence to travel. That is why the slate mixes cult comedy, classic TV, and genre-friendly originals instead of chasing one big prestige bet.

The important comparison is not just with Bell’s own past lineup. It is with the way streamers are now using national identity as a content advantage. Paramount+ and Netflix can buy scale almost anywhere. Bell needs projects that feel local first and exportable second. That is exactly what The Littlest Hobo and Meatballs are designed to do.

Rogen even joked that the hobo will stay little while the adventures get bigger, which is a pretty good summary of the whole strategy. Bell is not pretending these are giant global franchises on day one. It is taking known Canadian material, pairing it with recognizable talent, and testing whether that combination can travel farther than before.

The real question now is execution: can Bell make these shows feel fresh enough that audiences who know the originals will stick around, while new viewers treat them as first-time discoveries? If Meatballs lands, expect more Canadian revivals to get the green light fast.