Stories

***Stories*** is a Canadian anthology television series on ETV created by Trent Doss. The series follows a new story every episode, which differ from genres, not limited to drama, mystery, romance, horror and science fiction.

The series premiered on September 24, 2019 and become an outbreak hit for the network. Following the conclusion of the first season, the series was reported to be ETV's biggest hit in streaming platforms.

On November 21, 2019, ETV renewed the series for a second season consisting of 10 episodes. In 2020, Doss stated that the second season would contain less episodes, for budget/creative reasons. It was later confirmed that the second season would not debut in September 2020, but a later date, which was later confirmed to be October 20, 2020.

On November 10, 2020, ETV renewed the series for a third season, not specifying how many episodes it would contain. The season was pushed back to a 2022 release due to unspecified reasons, however, a first-time movie special was confirmed to air October 13, 2021.

On October 11, 2021, two days prior to the special premiere, ETV announced that the first part of season 3 would include 3 episodes. No particular episode count was announced for the second part, however.

## Episodes

All episodes of the series are directed by Zora Pitre and written by Trent Doss.

### **Season 2 (2020–21)**

The premiere episode of the season was released on Now one day prior to the ETV release.

### **Season 3 (2021)**

With the third season delayed, a special one-off first time movie special served as a stand-in, until the third season release in 2022. Doss confirmed in December 2021 that the first part of the third season would be a, "nice, short miniseries."

## Production

### **Development**

On July 26, 2018, the series was picked up for 10 episodes in the 2019-2020 television season. Due to the heavy budget of the series, the season was split into two, with the other half to be aired later in 2020. The sixth and mid-season episode of the series, titled "The Far Away Planet", was confirmed to be of the "highest budget of the series", and was heavily promoted across several platforms.

It was reported in 2020 that the second season would have some new genres, not limited to crime and history. A sequel for the first season finale, "Safe and Sound", was also widely reported, but subsequently denied by Doss. Doss subsequently stated that "no plans had been made to follow up any episodes, and none would be made for the time being."

In early 2020, Doss expressed the possibility of having a half-season mini-series on the show, to consist of 4 or 5 episodes.

## Spin-off film

On August 13, 2020, ETV ordered a spin-off film of the series to air on the network. Creator of the series, Doss, stated that "discussions regarding potential films had took place for a few months, and it was decided that a film would be made - but should not be expected for the next few years or so."

Following confusion, ETV confirmed that the 2021 special was not the ordered movie, but was rather taken from the third season production.

## Reception

### **Ratings**

The series was picked up by Now for international streaming release, with the second season's premiere releasing one day prior to ETV release as a way to promote the platform and the series.

The second season finale drew 5.11 million viewers, a new record for the series. The series became ETV's "it series" having won many awards, high with critics and viewers. No other series at ETV managed to do such.

### **Critical response**

The first season had a rating of 93% on RT, which was followed by the 91% of the second season. In both seasons, critics and audiences mostly agreed with their rating.

**Season 1**

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
 10
 T

**Season 2**

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 T

**Season 3**

 1 (S) | 91%
 2

## See also

* List of original programs broadcast by ETV

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