''Cardinal'' is a Canadian crime drama television series, which was first broadcast on January 25, 2017, on

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

(in English) and

Super Écran Super Écran is a Canadian premium television network owned by Bell Media. It airs a mix of commercial-free films and television series. Films are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada, while the television series mostly consist of ...

(in French)."CTV and Super Écran Partner on New Serialized Drama"
. ''Broadcaster'', February 11, 2016. The series adapts the novels of crime writer

Giles Blunt Giles Blunt (born 1952) is a Canadian novelist, poet, and screenwriter. His first novel, ''Cold Eye'', was a psychological thriller set in the New York art world, which was made into the French movie ''Les Couleurs du diable'' (Allain Jessua, 1997 ...

, focusing on police detective John Cardinal (

Billy Campbell William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series '' Dynasty''. Then he became known for playing Rick Sammler on ''Once and ...

) and his partner Lise Delorme ( Karine Vanasse), who investigate crimes in the fictional city of Algonquin Bay. Across six episodes, the first season adapts the first John Cardinal novel ''

Forty Words for Sorrow ''Forty Words for Sorrow'' is a 2000 crime novel from Canadian novelist Giles Blunt, and the first to feature his protagonists John Cardinal and Lise Delorme. Blunt had previous published one other novel, ''Cold Eye'', but this was his first crim ...

'' (2000),"eOne, Sienna Gets Greenlight For 'Cardinal' Murder Mystery Drama at Canada's CTV (Exclusive)"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', November 13, 2015. which focuses on the investigation of the murder of a young girl. On February 28, 2017, CTV renewed ''Cardinal'' for a second and third season, each containing six episodes."CTV's Cardinal gets two more seasons". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

'', March 1, 2017. The second season adapts Blunt's third Cardinal novel, ''Blackfly Season'', while the third adapted the novels ''By the Time You Read This'' and ''Crime Machine'', the fourth and fifth novels in the series. The fourth and final season adapts the sixth novel, ''Until the Night''.

Premise

Season 1: ''Forty Words for Sorrow''

John Cardinal (

) is a troubled and brooding police officer in Algonquin Bay, who was removed from the homicide squad as a result of chief Noelle Dyson's ( Kristen Thomson) belief that he had become obsessed with his investigation of a missing

Native Canadian In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations in Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada, Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fal ...

girl. When the girl's body finally turns up, he is reassigned to the case with a new partner, Lise Delorme ( Karine Vanasse). What he does not know is that Delorme has been assigned to investigate him as part of a corruption probe that has identified Cardinal as possibly collaborating with a local drug dealer. The investigation widens when another missing person case with similar patterns leads Cardinal to believe that a

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

may be active in the area.

Season 2: ''Blackfly Season''

A young woman suffering from amnesia after having been shot in the head appears in Algonquin Bay. Soon mutilated bodies, in accordance with some occult religious rituals, are discovered. The bodies are members of a local group of bikers known for trafficking drugs. John Cardinal and the team suspect that someone is trying to replace the gang in the drug trade. The mental health of his wife still worries him. Musgrave thinks he has finally found the evidence he is looking for.

Season 3: ''By the Time You Read This''

The suspicious death of Cardinal's wife Catherine coincides with a double murder, and Delorme is ordered to take the lead in the murder investigation. Reluctant to believe that Catherine committed suicide, Cardinal begins investigating other possibilities, whilst dealing with a succession of anonymous letters blaming him for the event. Noelle Dyson, recovering from the death of her sister, tries to reason with another prospective suicide and is devastated when she fails to prevent him killing himself.

Season 4: ''Until the Night''

After a prominent politician's husband is abducted and then left to die from exposure, Cardinal and Delorme suspect that a hired killer is targeting those close to four people, out of revenge for a cover-up in their past. Cardinal and Delorme grow closer but this case will be their last together as Delorme takes a new job in Toronto.

Cast and characters

Main

as Det. John Cardinal * Karine Vanasse as Det. Lise Delorme * Kristen Thomson as Det. Sgt. Noelle Dyson * Deborah Hay as Catherine Cardinal (Seasons 1–3) * Alanna Bale as Kelly Cardinal * Glen Gould as Det. Jerry Commanda * James Downing as Det. Ian McLeod * Zach Smadu as Det. Ash Kular (Season 2 – present) * Eric Hicks as Const. Derek K. Fox *

David Richmond-Peck David Richmond-Peck (born April 5, 1974) is a Canadian actor who has appeared in over 70 film and television roles in Canada and the United States since 2000. Career Richmond-Peck won two Leo Awards: in 2006 for ''Behind the Camera: The Unauthori ...

as Sgt. Malcolm Musgrave (Seasons 1–2) * James Thomas as Det. Hannam (Season 1)

Recurring

Introduced in season one

* Brendan Fletcher as Eric Fraser * Allie MacDonald as Edie Soames * Robert Naylor as Keith London *

Gail Maurice Gail Maurice is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer."Canadian aboriginal filmmaker en route to Sundance with Smudge". ''Times & Transcript'', January 20, 2006. She is most noted for her performances as the title character in the film '' Johnn ...

as Dorothy Pine *

Conrad Coates Conrad Coates (born July 12, 1970) is a British-born Canadian actor and teacher. He is best known for his roles as Morgan in ''The Dresden Files'' and in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' as Jimmy Brooks' father. Biography Early life Coates ...

as Coroner Barnhouse * Fiona Highet as Tammy Lidstrom * Trenna Keating as Kristin Baldwin * Lawrence Bayne as Francis *

Gord Rand Gord Rand is a Canadian actor and playwright. He is most noted for his recurring role as Det. Marty Duko in the television series ''Orphan Black'', for which he was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Dramatic ...

as Woody * Alden Adair as Josh * Kelly Van der Burg as Margo * Dylan Colton as Todd Curry

Introduced in season two

Bruce Ramsay Bruce Ramsay (born December 31, 1966) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor. Career Ramsay's screen debut was opposite fellow Montrealer Elias Koteas in the film '' Malarek'' (1988). Ramsay and Koteas went on to appear in two other fi ...

as Ray Northwind *

Alex Paxton-Beesley Alex Paxton-Beesley (born September 24, 1986) is a Canadian actress. She is noted for her acting roles in several TV series, including ''Copper'', '' The Strain'', '' Wynonna Earp'', ''Cardinal'' and '' Pure''. Early life Paxton-Beesley was b ...

as Red * Jonathan Keltz as Kevin Tait *

Dan Petronijevic Daniel Petronijevic (born March 28, 1981 in Scarborough, Ontario), known professionally as Dan Petronijevic, is a Canadian actor who has appeared in various feature films, including the '' American Pie'' franchise, and in TV shows such as '' 19-2 ...

as Leon *

Kris Holden-Ried Kris Holden-Ried (born August 1, 1973) is a Canadian actor. Early life and pentathlon Holden-Ried was born in Pickering, Ontario. He studied at Montreal's Concordia University School of Business. He was a champion competitor in riding and fenci ...

as Lasalle * Kevin Hanchard as Det. Sgt. Alan Clegg * Brock Morgan as Toof *

Kathryn Alexandre Kathryn Alexandre is a Canadian actress. She was the acting double for Tatiana Maslany in the BBC America/ Space show ''Orphan Black'' and acts as all eleven of the roles of clones opposite Maslany. She does not appear in the clone roles in the a ...

as Abby Harris * Nicolette Pearse as Rachel Wells * Greg Hovanessian as Zack *

Asivak Koostachin Asivak Koostachin (born 1994) is a Cree-Inuk actor from Canada, most noted for his performances in the films ''Red Snow'' and '' Run Woman Run''. The son of filmmaker Jules Arita Koostachin, he had his first major acting role in the APTN drama s ...

as Jordan Akiwenzie * Stephen Ouimette as Dr. Bell

Introduced in season three

* Aaron Ashmore as Randall Wishart *

Susan Coyne Susan Coyne (born 16 June 1958) is a Canadian writer and actress, best known as one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning ''Slings & Arrows'', a TV series which ran 2003–06 about a Canadian Shakespearean theatre company. She ...

as Helen Bell * Sophia Lauchlin Hirt as Nikki *

Tom Jackson Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

as Lloyd Kreeger * Rya Kihlstedt as Sharlene Winston * Jennifer Podemski as Wendy Duchene *

Alex Ozerov Alex Ozerov (born 1992) is a Canadian actor. He is most noted for his performance in the short film '' Pyotr495'', for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Digital Program or Series at the 7th Canadian Screen Awar ...

as Jack * Nick Serino as Lemur *

Devery Jacobs Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (born August 8, 1993), known professionally as Devery Jacobs, is an Indigenous Canadian ( Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk)) actress and writer. For her performance in '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' (2013), she garnered a Canadian ...

as Sam Duchene

Introduced in season four

* Carmen Moore as Sheila Gagne *

Shawn Doyle Shawn Doyle (born September 19, 1968) is a Canadian actor known for his roles in '' The Expanse'', '' The Eleventh Hour'', ''Big Love'', '' 24'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and '' Star Trek: Discovery''. Early life and education Doyle was born a ...

as Scott Riley *

Linda Goranson Linda Goranson (born 1947 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actress.Hugh Thomson, "Nude scene equals 750 phone calls". '' The Globe and Mail'', August 29, 1970. Career Linda Goranson is most noted for her performance in "The Spike in the Wal ...

as Adele * Currie Graham as Neil Cuthbert

Episodes

Season 1: ''Forty Words for Sorrow'' (2017)

Season 2: ''Blackfly Season'' (2018)

Season 3: ''By the Time You Read This'' (2019)

Season 4: ''Until the Night'' (2020)

Production

The first season was directed by

Daniel Grou Daniel Grou (born August 19, 1967), frequently credited as Podz, is a Canadian film and television director. His credits include the films '' 10½'', '' L'Affaire Dumont'', '' 7 Days (Les 7 jours du Talion)'', ''Miraculum'', '' King Dave'' and '' ...

, and produced by Sienna Films and

eOne Entertainment Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

. It commenced production in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal el ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in February 2016, with some additional location filming taking place in North Bay, Nipissing First Nation and Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. The first season was given a production budget of $1,800,000 per episode. Locations included the former studios of CBC Northern Ontario and the North Bay Public Library, which served as the Algonquin Bay police station. The second season was directed by Jeff Renfroe, and was produced primarily in North Bay. The show's theme music is adapted from the song "Familiar" by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel. Background music featured in the series is composed by Toronto-based

Todor Kobakov Todor Kobakov (born September 19, 1978) is a Bulgarian-Canadian composer, producer, arranger and pianist based in Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his solo piano album Pop Music, his commercial and film scores and for his collaborations w ...

. Vanasse, who is Québécoise and had previously appeared in the American television series ''

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...

'' and ''

Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...

'', commented that ''Cardinal'' is the first time in which she is playing a Québécoise rather than a European character in an English-language television programme.

International transmission

Episodes from the second season premiered a day in advance of their television broadcast on on-demand service Crave TV. Filming on the third season completed in July 2018, and the season began airing on January 24, 2019. The fourth and final season was broadcast in 2020 with its finale airing on May 11, 2020. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

the series was broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

for the first three seasons and

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

for the last season. It was broadcast on C More in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

, Calle 13 in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, SBS in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, Magenta TV in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbag ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and Channel 11 in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. In

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the TV series premiered on Universal+, streaming belonged to Universal TV, NBCUniversal's channel.

Reception

John Doyle of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' praised the series, calling it "a gripping, superbly made crime drama" which ultimately lands as "landmark Canadian TV". The series received 12

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

nominations at the

6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.

in 2018. It won six awards, including Best Actor in a Limited Program or Television Film (Campbell), Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Program (Macdonald),"CTV's Cardinal cleans up on Night 2 of Canadian Screen Awards"
''

'', March 8, 2018. Photography in a Drama Series (

Steve Cosens Steve Cosens is a Canadian cinematographer. He is most noted as a two-time Genie Award nominee for Best Cinematography, receiving nominations at the 27th Genie Awards in 2007 for ''Snow Cake'' and at the 30th Genie Awards in 2010 for '' Nurse.Fi ...

), Editing in a Drama Series (Teresa De Luca), Music in a Fiction Program or Series (

) and Best Casting (

Jon Comerford Jon Comerford is a Canadian casting director.Kelly Townsend"Jon Comerford launches new casting agency" '' Playback'', February 5, 2020. He is a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Casting in a Television Series, winning at the 2nd Can ...

and

Lisa Parasyn Lisa Parasyn is a Canadian casting director and film producer. She is a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Casting in a Television Series, winning at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014 for ''Bomb Girls'', at the 6th Canadian Scre ...

). At the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, the series won the awards for Best Limited Series, Best Lead Actor in a Drama Program or Limited Series (Campbell), Best Lead Actress in a Drama Program or Limited Series (Vanasse), Best Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series (Matthew Anas), Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-series (Renfroe), Best Music in a Fiction Production (Kobakov) and Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-series ( Sarah Dodd for the episode "Red").

References

External links

* * {{CTV Television Network Shows (current and upcoming) CTV Television Network original programming Television shows filmed in Greater Sudbury 2017 Canadian television series debuts 2020 Canadian television series endings 2010s Canadian crime drama television series Television shows set in Ontario Northern Ontario in fiction Television shows based on Canadian novels Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners 2020s Canadian crime drama television series Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Drama Series winners Television shows filmed in North Bay, Ontario