To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1qX0qaP
TORONTO, Aug. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - CTV announced today that after five seasons and 65 episodes, the hit original drama THE LISTENER will conclude on CTV on Monday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International
Channels, THE LISTENER premiered in June of 2009 on CTV.
"Thank you to Shaftesbury for delivering five straight seasons of this
much loved series, and to the cast and crew for bringing its
captivating stories to life," said Phil King, President - CTV, Sports,
and Entertainment Programming. "THE LISTENER provided a wonderful
narrative arc over its 65 episodes, ending its run at the top of its
game with a devoted following at home and around the world. It leaves a
strong legacy of which we are immensely proud, and we look forward to
working with Shaftesbury in the future."
CTV is currently in development with Shaftesbury on OLD CITY HALL, a
drama series based on the novels by Robert Rotenberg and set within the
halls of criminal courts; and SMOKE AND MIRRORS, a drama about an
illusionist returning home to Niagara Falls and using his extraordinary
skills as a private detective.
"Thank you to CTV (Phil, Corrie, Mike, Trish, Tom and Rebecca) as well
as our friends at Fox International Channels (Sharon and Andie) and
Shine for taking this seven-year journey with us on THE LISTENER," said
Christina Jennings, Chairman and CEO, Shaftesbury. "From start to
finish, CTV has been a wonderful broadcast partner. Not every series
achieves 65 episodes, and we couldn't have done it without our
dedicated, hardworking family of cast -- led by Craig Olejnik - and
crew, most recently led by Peter Mohan -- who are simply the best in
the business. And, thanks of course to THE LISTENER fans - who grew
over time."
**Media Note** Photography for THE LISTENER is available online at BellMediaPR.ca
In the final episode, an epic story that has threaded its way through
all five seasons comes to a gratifying conclusion as secrets from
Toby's (Craig Olejnik) past are finally brought to light. Also Michelle
(Lauren Lee Smith), Toby, and Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks) find themselves
in the extremely uncomfortable position of investigating their own
boss. On clandestine orders from Judge Samuel Griffin (Bruce Gray) and
Deputy Commissioner Earl Bamford (Brian Paul) of the IIB, the team must
look into Becker's (Anthony Lemke) dealings with Curtis Maynard (Noam
Jenkins), a disgraced former cop with connections to drug dealing.
THE LISTENER was green-lit by CTV in December 2007 and premiered June 3, 2009 on
SPACE and CTV. The series instantly became a hit, debuting at #1 in its
10 p.m. timeslot on CTV with an audience of 1.1 million viewers, and
went on to average nearly one million viewers in Canada in its first
season. In the years that followed, THE LISTENER continued to connect with audiences, averaging 1.1 million viewers. THE LISTENER has been licensed in over 120 markets - including the U.S. (ION
Television), U.K., Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Japan,
Korea, Poland, Brazil and Turkey - and is seen in 33 languages
worldwide.
THE LISTENER Season 5 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, with the series finale broadcast on Monday, Aug. 18. Viewers can catch encore episodes Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two (visit CTV.ca for local broadcast times), and Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo (visit bravo.ca for local broadcast times). The day after each episode of THE LISTENER airs on CTV, viewers can watch the full episode on CTV.ca and the CTV GO app.
The cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik as telepathic crime-solver Toby Logan; Lauren
Lee Smith as Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) Sergeant Michelle
McCluskey; Ennis Esmer as Toby's best friend, Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun
Francks as IIB security and technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Kris
Holden-Ried as Adam Reynolds, Michelle's reformed gambler husband;
Melanie Scrofano as crime reporter Tia Tremblay, Toby's girlfriend;
Anthony Lemke as IIB Supervising Inspector Brian Becker; and Natalie
Krill as forensics technician Alex Kendrick.
THE LISTENER is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada, ION Television in the United
States, Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by
Shine International. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV
and Fox International Channels, the series is executive produced by
Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Craig Olejnik, and Peter Mohan (LOST
GIRL, THE BRIDGE), who is also showrunner. Tina Grewal (HEARTLAND) is
producer. Sharon Tal Yguado is executive producer for Fox International
Channels. Tom Hastings and Rebecca DiPasquale are production executives
for Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production,
Bell Media and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent
Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President,
Programming, CTV Networks, Bell Media. Phil King is President,
President CTV Sports and Entertainment Programming. THE LISTENER is
produced with the financial participation of The Canadian Film or Video
Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter:
@CTV_Television
@CTV_PR
@ShaftesburyTV
THE LISTENER on Twitter:
@listenertv
Craig Olejnik: @craigolejnik
Ennis Esmer: @heyennisshutup
Lauren Lee Smith: @L_L_S
Rainbow Sun Francks: @RainbowFrancks
Anthony Lemke: @ranthonylemke
Natalie Krill: @nkrilova
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CTV.TheListener
About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and
most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian
independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings
success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, MOTIVE, and THE AMAZING RACE
CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced complementary version of
the hit international series. New to CTV in 2014 are hit international
format MASTERCHEF CANADA and multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, one of
the most-watched new comedies of the season. Among the scripted series
on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the two-time
Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN
BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN,
Bravo's most-watched new drama 19-2, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, HBO
Canada's SENSITIVE SKIN, and upcoming genre series KILLJOYS. Bell Media
specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU
HELL and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. In 2013, Bell Media
ordered 27 original Canadian series and currently has 84 projects in
various stages of development.
About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of
quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV
has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 13 years
in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia
company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and
Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's
largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found
on the network's website at CTV.ca
About Shaftesbury
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an innovative
creator and distributor of original content for television and digital
platforms. Sold in 120 countries worldwide, Shaftesbury's programming
slate includes five seasons of THE LISTENER for CTV, Fox International
Channels and ION Television; eight seasons of MURDOCH MYSTERIES for
CBC, UKTV and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; and the hit kids series
LIFE WITH DEREK. Shaftesbury's groundbreaking digital media division,
Smokebomb Entertainment, creates convergent experiences for television
and original digital content including the comedy series BACKPACKERS
for The CW and CTV Extend; tween series TOTALLY AMP'D and UNLIKELY
HEROES for YTV.com and Hulu; and 3D sci-fi series STATE OF SYN for Hulu
and Google Glass. Shaftesbury recently launched shift2, an innovative
agency that creates, manages and markets digital content targeting
Generation C on YouTube. Visit us online at http://shaftesbury.ca http://smokebomb.ca and http://shift2.ca.
Source: Numeris (BBM Canada), June 3, 2009 - July 20, 2014, final data.
Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research
Mark II meters.
SOURCE CTV
