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''Harper's Island'' is an American horror mystery limited series created by Ari Schlossberg for CBS. Schlossberg, Jeffrey Jackson Bell and Jon Turteltaub served as executive producers. The series features an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...
led by Elaine Cassidy alongside Christopher Gorham,
Katie Cassidy Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy (formerly Rodgers) (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (200 ...
, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason, and
Jim Beaver James Norman Beaver Jr. (born August 12, 1950) is an American actor, writer, and film historian. He is most familiar to worldwide audiences as Bobby Singer in ''Supernatural''. He also played Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO Western drama series ' ...
. The plot follows a group of family and friends that travel to the titular locale for a destination wedding, only to learn that there is a killer among them. At the center of the mystery is Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), whose mother was one of several people murdered by John Wakefield seven years prior. The series premiered on April 9, 2009, and was marketed as a thirteen-week limited event. The final two episodes aired on July 11. By the end of its run, ''Harper's Island'' averaged 9.36 million viewers, ranking #50 in
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. The first three episodes aired on Thursdays, but was moved to Saturdays during the week of April 28. Because of this,
Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after C ...
premiered the following episodes two days prior to the United States. On July 14, 2009, CBS cancelled the series after one season.


Plot

The show takes place on Harper's Island, where John Wakefield went on a killing spree and murdered a number of people before supposedly being killed by the island sheriff, Charlie Mills. One of the victims was the sheriff's wife. After her death, Sheriff Mills sends their daughter, Abby, to live with family in L.A. and she hasn't returned since. After 7 years, Abby is finally returning to the island for her best friend Henry's wedding, but now the killing starts again and everyone is a suspect. The guests manage to unlock secrets of the island and of Wakefield as the series progresses.


Cast and characters


Main

*
Elaine Cassidy Elaine Cassidy (born 31 December 1979) is an Irish actress. She is best known for playing DC Dinah Kowalska in '' No Offence'', Abby Mills in the American television series '' Harper's Island'' for CBS, Felicia in '' Felicia's Journey'', Runt ...
as Abby Mills, the groom's best friend * Christopher Gorham as Henry Dunn, fiancé of Trish Wellington *
Katie Cassidy Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy (formerly Rodgers) (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (200 ...
as Patricia 'Trish' Wellington, the radiant bride-to-be * Gina Holden as Shea Allen, Trish's big sister and
Maid of Honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...
* Cameron Richardson as Chloe Carter, one of Trish's bridesmaids * Adam Campbell as Cal Vandeusen, Chloe's boyfriend and a doctor *
Matt Barr Matthew Jerome Barr (born February 14, 1984) is an American actor, best-known as Danny McNamara in the CBS/Paramount+ action–adventure television series '' Blood & Treasure'' and as Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield in '' Hatfields & McCoys''. Barr ...
as Christopher "Sully" Sullivan, Henry's best man * C.J. Thomason as Jimmy Mance, a local fisherman and Abby's high school sweetheart *
Jim Beaver James Norman Beaver Jr. (born August 12, 1950) is an American actor, writer, and film historian. He is most familiar to worldwide audiences as Bobby Singer in ''Supernatural''. He also played Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO Western drama series ' ...
as Sheriff Charlie Mills, the sheriff on Harper's Island and Abby's father


Recurring

* Richard Burgi as Thomas Wellington, real estate mogul and Trish and Shea's father *
Victor Webster Victor Webster (born February 7, 1973) is a Canadian actor. He is known for being the second actor to play Nicholas Alamain on the NBC daytime soap '' Days of Our Lives'' from 1999 to 2000, and for his roles as the mutant Brennan Mulwray in '' ...
as Hunter Jennings, Trish's ex-college boyfriend * Dean Chekvala as J.D. Dunn, Henry's brother *
Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...
as "Uncle" Marty Dunn, Henry and J.D.'s uncle and surrogate father * David Lewis as Richard Allen, Shea's husband * Cassandra Sawtell as Madison Allen, Shea and Richard's daughter * Claudette Mink as Katherine Wellington, Trish and Shea's stepmother * Brandon Jay McLaren as Danny Brooks, a groomsman and Henry's best friend from college *
Chris Gauthier Christopher Gauthier (born 27 January 1976) is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his work in '' Need for Speed: Carbon''. He had a recurring role on the SyFy Channel series '' Eureka'', as Café Diem owner Vincent. While filming the f ...
as Malcolm Ross, a groomsman * Sean Rogerson as Joel Booth, a groomsman * Amber Borycki as Beth Barrington, a bridesmaid and Trish's former college roommate * Sarah Smyth as Lucy Daramour, a bridesmaid and one of Trish's childhood friends * Ben Cotton as Shane Pierce, a local fisherman who pretty much hates everyone * Anna Mae Routledge as Kelly Seaver, Shane's ex-girlfriend *
Ali Liebert ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
as Nikki Bolton, Abby's friend who manages The Cannery * Beverly Elliott as Maggie Krell, the manager of The Candlewick Inn * Callum Keith Rennie as John Wakefield, the perpetrator of the 2001 murders


Guest

* Julia Anderson as Tyra Coulter, a police officer from Seattle who is new to the force * Jay Brazeau as Ike Campbell, a medical examiner * Nicholas Carella as Patrick Lillis, the sheriff's deputy * Clint Carleton as Ben Wellington, Trish and Shea's cousin and Thomas' nephew * Chilton Crane as Karena Fox, a local psychic medium * Terrence Kelly as Reverend Fain, the priest of the church * Melanie Merkosky as Robin Matthews, newly hired journalist and main character of the ''Harper's Globe'' online series *
Maxine Miller Maxine Miller (born June 18, 1928) is a Canadian actress who appeared in the first three seasons of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in '' The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986) and appeared ...
as Julia Mitchell, a local elderly woman * Aaron Pearl as Deputy Garrett, the sheriff's other deputy and jail guard * Sarah-Jane Redmond as Sarah Mills, mother of Abby and wife of the sheriff, one of the victims of the 2001 murders * Michael Rogers as Darryl Riggens, a police officer from Seattle * Dean Wray as Cole Harkin, the survivor of the 2001 murders and the sheriff's former deputy


Development

In March 2008, CBS ordered a 15-minute pilot presentation of the project. In May 2008, the show was retooled, with Jeffrey Bell coming on board as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
and Jon Turteltaub as an executive producer. Schlossberg remained on board as a co-executive producer along with Karim Zriek and Dan Shotz. Bell subsequently rewrote the first episode, which Jon Turteltaub would direct. During the retooling process, six of the pilot presentation's fifteen original cast members were replaced, including
Ryan Merriman Ryan Earl Merriman (born April 10, 1983) is an American actor. He began his career at the age of ten and has appeared in several feature films and television shows. He is best known for a handful of Disney Channel original movies and for portra ...
(Henry Dunn), Samantha Noble (Trish Wellington), Bill Dow (Sheriff Mills) and
Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...
(Uncle Marty). The roles of Thomas Wellington and Hunter Jennings were also recast. Actors who remained with the show from pilot-presentation to the aired television pilot include
Elaine Cassidy Elaine Cassidy (born 31 December 1979) is an Irish actress. She is best known for playing DC Dinah Kowalska in '' No Offence'', Abby Mills in the American television series '' Harper's Island'' for CBS, Felicia in '' Felicia's Journey'', Runt ...
, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason,
Matt Barr Matthew Jerome Barr (born February 14, 1984) is an American actor, best-known as Danny McNamara in the CBS/Paramount+ action–adventure television series '' Blood & Treasure'' and as Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield in '' Hatfields & McCoys''. Barr ...
, Cassandra Sawtell, Brandon Jay McLaren,
Chris Gauthier Christopher Gauthier (born 27 January 1976) is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his work in '' Need for Speed: Carbon''. He had a recurring role on the SyFy Channel series '' Eureka'', as Café Diem owner Vincent. While filming the f ...
and Sean Rogerson. The series was shot on
Bowen Island Bowen Island (originally Nex̱wlélex̱m in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver. Bowen Island is within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approxi ...
, an island municipality about two kilometers west of
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. T ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
, and at the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...
. The actors and actresses were not told about their characters' deaths until the day that each script was given. The only two actors to know the length of their contracts were Richard Burgi, as his death was seen as a major turning point in the series, and
Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...
, as his contract was for a single episode.


Episodes


Ratings

Despite falling ratings, CBS aired all ''Harper's Island'' episodes, although the show was moved from its original night and time to Saturdays. At the end of the 2008-2009 television season the show ranged at #50 being viewed in approximately 9,360,000 homes in North America. In Australia, ''Harper's Island'' ratings were very low, being beaten by competing shows on other networks. Throughout its run, the series alternated times slots. In Canada, the show continued to air Thursday nights on
Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after C ...
. In Denmark, ''Harper's Island'' was moved after episode 5 from Thursdays at 10:50 pm to around midnight. In Ireland the show stayed on its original Monday night airing at 10:00 pm. In the United Kingdom, the show's ratings started off under average but as the series progressed it became the
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, cov ...
channel's number one show on Sundays, and therefore maintained the 9:00 pm slot. In Finland, the program was aired at 9:00 pm during the whole season. The series has been aired multiple times on
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malay ...
's RTM channel tv2, every Wednesday and Thursday nights airing at midnight.


''Harper's Globe''

''Harper's Globe'' is a social
web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single ...
, designed to complement ''Harper's Island''. The series is created by EQAL (creators of ''
lonelygirl15 ''Lonelygirl15'' is an American science fiction thriller web series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried, and Amanda Goodfried. It was independently released on YouTube from June 16, 2006 to August 1, 2008, and was also brief ...
'', '' KateModern'', '' LG15: The Resistance'') and
CBS Interactive Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media Group, CBS Interactive, ViacomCBS Streaming), a division of Paramount Global, oversees the company’s streaming technology and offers direct-to-consumer services, free, premium and pay. These incl ...
. The show premiered its weekly episodes on March 18, 2009, and ran for a total of sixteen weeks. It stars Melanie Merkosky, who played the character Jennie in ''lonelygirl15''. Creator Miles Beckett says of the series, "The story of ''Harper's Globe'' is about a girl named Robin, with a very mysterious past, who's gone to Harper's Island to work for the newspaper, Harper's Globe, and to digitize articles from the newspaper and to create a community online for the Harper's Globe newspaper and the citizens of Harper's Island. And then she gets pulled into the story as it begins to unfold on the island." The character Ben, who was the first character to die in ''Harper's Island'', was first seen in a ''Harper's Globe'' episode. The series also features appearances by Harper's Island characters Sheriff Mills, Nikki Bolton, Maggie Krell and John Wakefield.


Home media

On September 8, 2009, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
) released ''Harper's Island: The DVD Edition'', a complete series box set on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Although the show was shot in HD, no Blu-ray Disc version of the show has been announced. The DVD set was released on February 8, 2010, for Region 2, and was released on March 4, 2010, for Region 4.


Streaming

The entire series was available on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
between summer 2014 and July 1, 2015, when it was removed from the service after the Netflix license had expired. The show became available on
Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...
, free for Amazon Prime members, otherwise available for purchase. The series is also available on
Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United S ...
and on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
's free streaming platform, CW Seed. It is also available on
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services de ...
in the UK.


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, 1232320, Harper's Island
''Harper's Island''
at
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

''Harper's Island''
at
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
2000s American drama television series 2009 American television series debuts 2009 American television series endings 2000s American television miniseries CBS original programming English-language television shows Serial drama television series 2000s American horror television series 2000s American mystery television series Television shows set in Washington (state) Television series by CBS Studios Television shows filmed in Vancouver Mystery drama web series