''Saving Hope'' is a Canadian

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

television series set in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in the fictional hospital Hope Zion. The series stars

Erica Durance Erica Durance (; born June 21, 1978) is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Lois Lane in the superhero television series ''Smallville'' (2004–2011) and as Dr. Alex Reid in the medical drama series ''Saving Hope'' (2012–2017). She has al ...

and

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and as Dr Charles Harris in the Canadian medi ...

. The show's premise originated with Malcolm MacRury and

Morwyn Brebner Morwyn Brebner is a Welsh playwright, television writer and producer,"Brebner, Morwyn"

, who are both credited as creators and executive producers. ''Saving Hope'' aired on CTV for five seasons from June 7, 2012, to August 3, 2017, with the first season airing on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

Plot

The protagonist of the show is Dr. Alex Reid (

), a doctor whose fiancé, Dr. Charles Harris (

), is in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

after a car accident while on his way to their wedding. The show follows the life of Charlie in his comatose state and Alex dealing with her patients, all the while hoping that he will survive. Dr. Reid is the Chief Surgical Resident while Dr. Harris was the Chief of Surgery until his accident. Dr. Harris recovers at the end of season 1, but in subsequent seasons he continues to be able to see the spirits of comatose and dead patients. The show also stars Dr. Joel Goran (

Daniel Gillies Daniel Joshua Gillies (born March 14, 1976) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. He played Elijah Mikaelson on '' The Vampire Diaries'' and its spin-off, '' The Originals;'' Dr. Joel Goran on '' Saving ...

), an orthopedic surgeon and Alex's former lover. Reid also works alongside Dr. Shahir Hamza (

Huse Madhavji Husein "Huse" Madhavji (pronounced Ma-dav-gee; born July 19) is a Canadian actor and television personality. He is best known for his role as Dr. Shahir Hamza on the medical drama ''Saving Hope'' and as the former face of Star! Canada’s Entertai ...

), a

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

, Dr. Maggie Lin ( Julia Taylor Ross), a third year surgical resident on rotation in the General Surgery department, Dr. Gavin Murphy (

Kristopher Turner Kristopher Turner (born September 27, 1980) is a Canadian actor, producer and director. He is best known for his role as Dr. Gavin Murphy on the medical drama series ''Saving Hope'', and as Jamie Andrews on the CTV teen drama '' Instant Star'' ...

), a

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

resident, Dr. Zachary Miller (

Benjamin Ayres Benjamin James Ayres (born January 19, 1977) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Zach Miller of the CTV series ''Saving Hope''. He also recurred on the Gemini Award–winning HBO Canada series '' Less Than Kind'' for which h ...

), the ER doctor, OR nurse Victor Reis (

Salvatore Antonio Salvatore Antonio is a Canadian actor and playwright. Early life He was born Salvatore Antonio Alessandro Migliore in Toronto, Ontario. He attended an enriched Arts programme at Unionville High School, and upon graduating he was one of 10 stu ...

), Dr. Tom Reycraft ( K. C. Collins), Dr. Melanda Tolliver ( Glenda Braganza), and Dr. Dawn Bell (

Michelle Nolden Michelle Nolden is a Canadian actress. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows including Murdoch Mysteries, '' ZOS: Zone of Separation'', ''Numb3rs'', ''Street Time'', '' Earth: Final Conflict'', ''The Time Traveler's Wife'', '' ...

), a

cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

, who is Charlie's ex-wife.

Cast and characters

Main

* *

as Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Reid: At the start of the series, Chief Surgical Resident and Charlie Harris' fiancée. *

as Dr. Charles "Charlie" Harris: Chief of Surgery, orthopedic surgeon, and Alex's fiancé. *

as Dr. Joel Goran: New orthopedic surgeon at Hope Zion and Alex's on-and-off boyfriend (seasons 1–3). *

as Dr. Shahir Hamza: Chief of Neurosurgery, who is highly skilled but socially awkward due to his

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...

. * Julia Taylor Ross as Dr. Maggie Lin: A third year surgical

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

on rotation in the hospital's General Surgery department and then in the OB-GYN department. *

as Dr. Gavin Murphy: A psychiatry resident and Maggie's former boyfriend (seasons 1–2; recurring season 3). *

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film ''The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

as Dr. Dana Kinney: Chief of Plastic Surgery, who is appointed Interim Chief of Surgery following Charlie's coma (seasons 1 & 4; recurring seasons 2, 3 & 5). *

as Dr. Zach Miller: An ER doctor. * Glenda Braganza as Dr. Melanda Tolliver: A friend of Alex's and an ICU doctor (seasons 1–3). *

as Victor Reis: An OR nurse and Shahir's former boyfriend (seasons 1 & 2). * K. C. Collins as Dr. Tom Reycraft: A fourth year surgical resident, who is appointed Chief Surgical Resident in place of Alex (seasons 1 & 2; recurring season 3). * Joseph Pierre as Jackson Wade: An ICU nurse (seasons 2–5; recurring season 1). *

as Dr. Dawn Bell: A cardiologist and Charlie's ex-wife, later

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

(seasons 2–5; recurring season 1). *

Stacey Farber Stacey Farber (born August 25, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She played Ellie Nash in seasons 2 through 8 of the television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the CBC series '' 18 to Life.'' From 2014 t ...

as Dr. Sydney Katz: An OB/GYN and later Maggie's girlfriend (season 3; guest seasons 4 & 5). *

Kim Shaw Kim Shaw (born May 20, 1984) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is best known as Dr. Cassie Williams on ''Saving Hope'' (2015–2017). Early life and education Shaw moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. ...

as Dr. Cassie Williams: A book smart intern learning to apply the applications of medication rather than just reading about them (seasons 4–5).

Recurring

Conrad Coates Conrad Coates (born July 12, 1970) is a British-born Canadian actor and teacher. He is best known for his roles as Headmaster T. Monk in ''The Zack Files'' (2001–2002), as Jimmy Brooks' father in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2004–20 ...

as Bryan Travers: The main executive of Hope Zion (seasons 1 & 2). * Steve Cumyn as Dr. George Baumann: An anesthesiologist (seasons 2–4). * Mac Fyfe as Dr. James Dey: A psychiatry resident (season 3). * Max Bennett as Dr. Patrick Curtis: A general surgeon and surgical fellow who filled in for Alex during her maternity leave (season 4). * Dejan Loyola as Dr. Dev Sekara: A junior resident doctor (seasons 4 & 5). * Parveen Kaur as Dr. Asha Mirani: A junior resident doctor (season 4). * Jess Salgueiro as Nurse Carbrera: A nurse (seasons 4 & 5). * Nicole Underhay as Kristine Fields: A nurse in palliative care who, like Charlie, is a medium (season 4). *

Peter Mooney Peter Mooney (born August 19, 1983) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Officer Nick Collins on the police drama series ''Rookie Blue'' and for playing Sir Kay on the historical fantasy series ''Camelot''. Early life Mooney was born in ...

as Dr. Jeremy Bishop: A general surgeon and who has a past with Charlie (seasons 4 & 5). * Allison Wilson-Forbes as Nurse Alice: A nurse who works in the ER. * Jarod Joseph as Dr. Emanuel Palmer: A young interventional radiologist with a unique prospective and a laissez-faire attitude (season 5). * Greg Calderone as Dr. Billy Scott: A new transfer intern and Dev's former med school rival (season 5). *

Christopher Jacot Christopher Jacot (born June 30, 1979) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor. He has appeared in 4 seasons of '' Slasher''. Early life Jacot was born in Toronto. He attended Earl Haig Secondary School in the Claude Watson programme fo ...

as Jonathan: Shahir's boyfriend (season 5).

Overview

The series premiered on June 7, 2012, on both CTV in Canada and

in the United States. On July 25, 2012, CTV ordered a second, 13-episode season for the summer of 2013. NBC, however, pulled the show's final two episodes from its broadcast schedule and made them available on their official website. On November 16, 2012, CTV announced they had increased their episode order for season 2 to eighteen episodes. On November 7, 2013, CTV ordered a third season of ''Saving Hope'' that consisted of eighteen episodes and aired in 2014. On November 10, 2014, CTV ordered a fourth season of ''Saving Hope'' that consisted of eighteen episodes, and premiered on September 24. 2015. On December 17, 2015, CTV ordered a fifth and final season of ''Saving Hope'' that consisted of 18 episodes. In 2014,

Ion Television Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August ...

announced that they had secured the American broadcast rights to the show.

Home media

Production

Conception

Malcolm MacRury and Morwyn Brebner devised the concept of the series. The series draws on a 3-part newspaper series, also called "Saving Hope," written by

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and the only continuous member of the alternative rock band the Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the band's initial split in 1996, he be ...

and published in 2005 in

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

. MacRury had previously co-created the comedy series ''

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...

'' for

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

, while Brebner had previously co-created television drama ''

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police procedural television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, and aired on Global in ...

'' for the

Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language, English-language terrestrial television, terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's se ...

. Canadian broadcaster CTV had picked up the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

in November 2011.

Executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

s of the show went to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to pitch the series to U.S. broadcasters. Their efforts convinced

to pick up the series for airing in the United States. CTV and NBC ordered 13 episodes for the first season. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' claimed that MacRury and Brebner are trying to "combine a doctors-in-love medical soap opera modeled on ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'' with something completely different, a paranormal ghost story with elements of ''

A Gifted Man ''A Gifted Man'' is an American fantasy medical drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 23, 2011. The series is about a talented but self-absorbed surgeon (Patrick Wilson) who starts questioning his purpose in life when he is v ...

'' and ''

Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate w ...

''.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for the pilot episode took place in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in the spring of 2011.

Reception

Ratings

In Canada, the premiere figures were the highest recorded for the summer season in 2012. The American premiere attracted 3.1 million viewers on NBC, which some critics were unimpressed with.

Reviews

''Saving Hope'' received mixed reviews on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

with a score of 49 out of 100 based on 15 critics' reviews. Verne Gay of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' stated the series "is modeled out of particularly sturdy, comfortable and reliable material." He added that it is "a sober, intelligent, placidly paced drama as only the Canadians can make." The ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

''s Lori Rackl said the series "has some fun, clever and emotion-stirring moments, but they’re handicapped by cheesy montages and one too many scenarios designed to remind us of the importance of having hope."

Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...

HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...

called Charlie Harris' "spirit walk" around the hospital "an interesting solution to the problem of telling stories we've seen a million times before. But doing it this way ultimately does more harm than good." He added: "It's not bad so much as tired." The ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

''s

David Wiegand Robert David Wiegand (May 19, 1947 – April 30, 2018) was an American journalist and short-story writer, head of arts and entertainment for the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Life and career Wiegand was born in Rochester, New York, where he gradua ...

called the series "a lukewarm stew of ideas from other shows... and films... with stock characters and situations that occasionally jerk a demi-tear or two, but with absolutely no authenticity. The sloppy sentimentality is cheap and unearned."

Broadcast

In September 2014, the American television network

announced a partnership with eOne to have exclusive broadcast rights for current and future American television seasons. In Australia, the series premiered on

SoHo SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

on February 6, 2015.

References

External links

* at CTV * {{IMDb title, 1954804, Saving Hope
''Saving Hope''
at ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' 2012 Canadian television series debuts 2017 Canadian television series endings 2010s Canadian drama television series 2010s Canadian LGBTQ-related drama television series 2010s Canadian medical television series Canadian English-language television shows Television shows about ghosts Television shows filmed in Toronto Television series by Bell Media Television series by Lionsgate Canada Television shows set in Toronto CTV Television Network original programming

Plot

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Overview

Home media

Production

Conception

Reception

Ratings

Reviews

Broadcast

See also

References

External links