''Sight Unseen'' is a

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television series created by Karen Troubetzkoy and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy and co-produced by CTV in Canada and

the CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

in the United States. It premiered in Canada on January 21, 2024,"TV & Film News – Steve Smith, Billy Van among Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame inductees"
''Broadcast Dialogue'', January 4, 2024. and in the U.S. on April 3, 2024.

Premise

Tess Avery is a former homicide detective in Vancouver, Canada, who, in the middle of a case, suddenly starts losing her vision. Within days, she is forced to leave her job after being diagnosed as clinically blind, due to the fast-onset genetic condition

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrially inherited (transmitted from mother to offspring) degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons that leads to an acute or subacute loss of central vision; it predomin ...

(LOHN). Through the help of her visual guide Sunny, who works for a visual assistance app, she continues to help the police department solve crimes. Tess tries to remain as independent as possible, while trying to navigate the world with her severe

scotoma A scotoma is an area of partial alteration in the field of vision consisting of a partially diminished or entirely degenerated visual acuity that is surrounded by a field of normal – or relatively well-preserved – vision. Every normal mamm ...

-type low vision as a consultant.

Cast and characters

Main

* Dolly Lewis as Tess Avery, a former homicide detective living in Vancouver who is vision impaired and consulting for the police *

Agam Darshi Agam Darshi (born 23 December 1987) is a British actress. Early life Agam Darshi was born in the city of Birmingham in England, the United Kingdom; to Sikh parents of Indian Punjabi descent. At a very young age she and her family has emigrate ...

as Sunny Patel / Sunita Sharma,Kelly Townsend
"CW Network acquires CTV crime drama Sight Unseen for U.S."
'' Playback'', October 13, 2023. an

agoraphobic Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and q ...

woman who lives 3,000 miles away in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 ...

as Jake Campbell, Tess' former homicide partner

Supporting

* Jarod Joseph as Matt Alleyne, Tess' childhood friend who is a tech-savvy professor * Alice Christina-Corrigan as Mia Moss, a blind woman who helps Tess adjust to her low-vision situation * Tony Giroux as Leo Li, a detective *

Roger Cross Roger Cross (born October 19, 1969) is a Jamaican-Canadian actor who has made numerous appearances in several films and television series, mostly on productions shot in Canada. He is known for his work as Curtis Manning on '' 24'' (2005–2007 ...

as Bennett, a police superintendent * Alec Santos as Lucas Avery, Tess' brother *

Ennis Esmer Ennis Esmer (born December 29, 1978) is a Turkish-Canadian actor, comedian, voice actor, writer, producer and presenter. He is best known for his roles as Osman 'Oz' Bey in ''The Listener'' (2009–2014), Nash in ''Red Oaks'' (2014–2017), Ric ...

as Kye, Sunny's doorman and love interest *

Tegan Moss Tegan Moss (born February 7, 1985) is a Canadian actress appearing in film and television. She was nominated for the Young Artist Awards in 1997 and 2000. Biography Moss was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has two brothers, Rory Moss ...

as Rae

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2024)

Season 2 (2025)

Development

Lewis herself has severe

night blindness Nyctalopia (; ), also called night blindness, is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition ( ...

, and her retinas are detaching. She said that the producers of the show had been aware of this, and "I think they were looking to specifically cast somebody that has real life experience with" vision issues.

Release

The series was ordered to series by both CTV and

and premiered on January 21, 2024, on CTV, as a special event following that day's NFL Divisional Playoff game. The show's focus on a visually impaired woman received some attention as a significant advance for media representation of people with disabilities, as it premiered around the same time as ''

One More Time One More Time may refer to: Film and television * ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon * ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis * ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...

'', a Canadian comedy series on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

about a hearing-impaired retail manager. On June 6, 2024, CTV reported that the show had been renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on January 20, 2025, in Canada.

Reception

Ratings

References

External links

* {{The CW programming 2020s Canadian crime drama television series 2024 Canadian television series debuts CTV Television Network original programming Television shows filmed in Vancouver