Superspecial was created to feature many of Canada's international and up-and-coming stars, supported by well-known foreign talent.

The Superspecial slot was also the place for Wayne and Shuster's regular four annual hours, as well as programs by the Irish Rovers, figure skater Toller Cranston, classical guitarist Liona Boyd, and ballerina Karen Kain.

For the 1981-1983 seasons, many of the programs over the season bore titles that stressed the "super" in the main title. Headliners included Wayne and Shuster (Super Comedy With Wayne and Shuster), the Rovers (Super Music with the Rovers: Wasn't that a Party), British singer Roger Whittaker (Super Concert with Roger Whittaker), and Juliette (Super Music with Juliette and Friends). When at a loss, the CBC simply tacked the title "Super Special" onto the existing title of the program, some of which were imported from foreign producers.