Sunday is a Canadian

Television in Canada

Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...

 current affairs television series which aired on CBC Television

CBC Television

CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

 from 1966 to 1967.

Premise

This series was created to replace the This Hour Has Seven Days

This Hour Has Seven Days

This Hour Has Seven Days is a controversial CBC Television newsmagazine which ran from 1964 to 1966. The show, inspired by the BBC-TV and NBC-TV satire series That Was The Week That Was, was created by Patrick Watson and Douglas Leiterman as an avenue for a more stimulating and boundary-pushing...

 which the CBC cancelled amid significant controversy. Sunday was hosted by journalists Robert Hoyt, Larry Zolf

Larry Zolf

Larry Zolf was a Canadian journalist and commentator.Zolf was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He earned a B.A. from the University of Winnipeg, and then received a Masters degree in Canadian history from the University of Toronto. In 1962, he joined the CBC...

 and Peter Reilly

Peter Reilly

Peter Reilly may refer to:*Peter Reilly, politician* Peter Reilly, host of the fifth estate* Peter Reilly, a member of the 29th Canadian Parliament* Peter Reilly, a fictional character on the television show Rescue Me...

, accompanied by musicians Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...

 and Ian Tyson

Ian Tyson

Ian Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...

. Hoyt and Zolf were previously with This Hour Has Seven Days while Reilly returned to the CBC after dissatisfaction with private network CTV

CTV television network

CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

 where he helped establish W5. Executive producer Daryl Duke

Daryl Duke

Daryl Duke was a Canadian film producer and director.Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers...

 returned to the CBC after a stint in the United States producing talk shows for Les Crane

Les Crane

Les Crane , born Lesley Stein, was a radio announcer and television talk show host, a pioneer in interactive broadcasting who also scored a spoken word hit with his 1971 recording of the poem Desiderata, winning a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy.Born in Long Beach, New York , Crane...

 and Steve Allen

Steve Allen

Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...

.

Sunday resembled This Hour Has Seven Days in the use of music, a studio audience and a combination of satire, interviews and information. Musical guests included Joan Baez

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

, Ian and Sylvia

Ian and Sylvia

Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959, married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.-Early lives:...

, Phil Ochs

Phil Ochs

Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...

, Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...

, The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...

 and the Metropolitan Toronto Police Choir. The series included controversial subjects such as sexuality, including the documentary "Exit 19" on the sexual revolution. Another episode featured an interview with German Neo-Nazi leader Adolph von Thadden who claimed he was merely misunderstood.

Viewership of Sunday was limited and the series was cancelled after its only season. Its last episode featured an interview with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...

. The CBC created a new public affairs series, The Way It Is, for the 1967-68 season.

Reception

Senator Grattan O'Leary

Grattan O'Leary

Michael Grattan O'Leary was a journalist, publisher and a member of the Canadian Senate.He was born in Percé, in the Gaspé, Quebec on February 19, 1888. He spent two years at sea before entering journalism with the St. John Standard. He began work at the Ottawa Journal in 1911. He later became...

 objected to the high cost of what he considered "third-rate program" as Sundays production consumed approximately $50,000 per episode. Prior to O'Leary's comments, CBC president Alphonse Ouimet

Alphonse Ouimet

J. Alphonse Ouimet, was a Canadian television pioneer and president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1958 to 1967....

stood before the Senate's finance committee to defend the series.

Scheduling

This hour-long series was broadcast on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern time) from 6 November 1966 to 16 April 1967.