Reality or drama? This is the question of the month, as Global Television pits a host of new and outlandish reality shows against some of CTV’s hottest dramatic properties.

‘When a series doesn’t do as expected, substituting it with a reality show is a good move,’ says Dennis Dinga, VP/director of broadcast buying for Toronto’s M2 Universal, referring to Global’s midseason reality blitz. Low production costs, fresh content, flexibility of season length, and strong audiences account, in large part, for the profitability of airing reality shows, even when programmed against evergreen drama, he adds.

The Swan, which sees a host of therapists and cosmetic surgeons recreate a group of 18 self-admitted ugly ducklings into beautiful swans, debuts Monday, March 29 at 9 p.m. on Global, against CTV hit The O.C.

Going against CSI: Miami, Average Joe: Adam Returns is set to debut on Monday, March 15 at 10 p.m. Adam Mesh, the show’s main character, is the New Yorker who was rejected during the first Average Joe series.

Pitting Average Joe against CSI could be a smart counter-programming tactic on Global’s part, says Dinga. ‘Average Joe appeals to a slightly younger, largely female viewer base, while CSI is skewed toward a slightly older, dual gender demographic,’ he says.

Global also launches Playing it Straight at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 12, against CTV’s teen hit Joan of Arcadia. Hosted by Daphne Brogdon, the series follows a single college student as she tries to guess which of her 14 suitors are straight. Gay suitors who deceive her into believing they’re straight will win $1 million. If she chooses a straight guy, she goes home with the cash.

Off the reality track, Global hasn’t yet confirmed an official replacement for the Friends time slot, although NBC has acquired Friends spinoff pilot Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc. Produced by Warner Brothers, the pilot has yet to be cast and shot, but NBC is promoting a fall release.

Genesis Media’s broadcast manager, Carolyn Swift, is not overly enthusiastic about Joey, remarking that, if past experiences are indicative of future events, huge hit spinoffs often don’t hit it big. And Dinga isn’t betting on it either.

‘Joey probably won’t be another Frasier,’ he says. ‘It’ll probably go the route of the Seinfeld spinoffs, unless [Warner Brothers] lines up a strong supporting cast and a great story line. LeBlanc can’t hold the show on his own.’

As far as replacing Friends, Dinga is betting on The Apprentice, which is already accepting applications for its second season. Word is that Global will air the next two seasons of the show, the first of which will shoot this spring, and again star ’80s icon Donald Trump. Dinga says the cookie-cutter format of Mark Burnett’s Survivor may be an indication that the second season of The Apprentice will resemble the first.

Meanwhile on cable, MuchMoreMusic launches The Surreal Life on Sunday, March 14 at 8 p.m. Touted as a ‘reality sitcom,’ the series brings together has-been celebs, including Corey Feldman and Vince Neil, in an L.A mansion for 10 days.

Taking it up (or down) another notch, Carmen Electra is set to launch NWWL: Queen-of-the-Ring, on pay-per-view in April. The show will bring together 16 female contestants to wrestle in the nude for the title of Queen of the Ring.

Finally, on the made-in-Canada front, domestic drama has taken yet another nose dive with the recent cancellation of CTV’s Cold Squad, the country’s longest-running drama, and Global’s Blue Murder, bringing the current total of hour-long English Canadian dramas below the half dozen mark.

CTV will, however, renew the The Eleventh Hour for its third season, as well as Degrassi: The Next Generation and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. It will also introduce new Canadian half-hour series Instant Star and Robson Arms.