Upcoming mini-series: Would Be Kings, CTV, Jan. 27 and 28

A CTV Original Mini-Series Would Be Kings Premieres Jan. 27 and 28

• Power, money and drugs leads to murder in modern-day Shakespearean tragedy from the creative team behind The Eleventh Hour
• Starring Currie Graham, Ben Bass and Natasha Henstridge

CTV announced the broadcast premiere of the epic, four-hour Original Mini-Series Would Be Kings, airing Sunday, January 27 from 9-11 p.m. ET and Monday, January 28 from 9-11 p.m. ET, exclusively on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local listings). A modern and timely take on a classic tragedy, Would Be Kings is the riveting tale of Patrick Lehane (Currie Graham; Desperate Housewives, CSI) and Jamie Collins (Ben Bass; The Eleventh Hour, Last Exit), two cousins and drug-squad cops who find their family ties torn apart by corruption within the police force. The gripping, family saga also stars Natasha Henstridge (Eli Stone, The Whole Nine Yards) and Clare Stone (Breach, The Man Who Lost Himself).

Would Be Kings is the latest project originating from four members of the creative team behind the CTV series The Eleventh Hour: executive producer Ilana Frank, director David Wellington and writers Tassie Cameron and Esta Spalding. Based loosely on Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part 1, the gritty drama is a large-scale, family saga involving love, loyalty, betrayal and murder, set against the backdrop of crystal meth production and police corruption.

In Would Be Kings, Patrick Lehane and Jamie Collins are cousins, best friends and, most importantly, cops. Complicating their relationship is the fact that Patrick, a clean-cut investigator desperate for a promotion, is also Jamie’s boss. Jamie is anything but a by-the-book cop, always breaking the rules and nursing a drug addiction. Their family ties unravel when Jamie is forced to clean up his act and Patrick becomes embroiled in questionable police work – leading to not only an exchange of dirty money, but murder as well.

Meanwhile, Patrick’s unhappy wife Diana (Henstridge) is questioning their marriage and their daughter (Stone) is getting herself into trouble. While Patrick is drawn into a criminal compromise, Jamie must decide where his loyalties lie – with his family or with the law? In the end, the choices these two “Would Be Kings” make will ultimately dictate their fates.

“Ilana Frank, David Wellington and the late, wonderfully prolific Peter Simpson have created a world of gritty, urban realism juxtaposed against the suburban reality of modern-day families,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “The result is a high-stakes morality play that will leave viewers spellbound.”

“Would Be Kings is set in the world of police officers, but there’s actually very little of the mechanics of policing in the story,” said Executive Producer and Director David Wellington. “At the heart of the mini-series is the story of a family and how they struggle to survive.”

Filmed entirely in Hamilton, Ontario, Would Be Kings also stars Robert Forster (Huff, Mulholland Dr.), Stephen McHattie (Kaw, A History of Violence) and Stana Katic (24, ER). Additional cast members include Peter Stebbings (Kardia, The Limb Salesman) and Matt Gordon (Terry, Rent-A-Goalie).

Would Be Kings is a CTV Original Mini-Series executive-produced by Ilana Frank (The Eleventh Hour, The Life Before This) and David Wellington (The Eleventh Hour, Long Day’s Journey Into Night), who also directs, and Peter R. Simpson (The Marsh, The Eleventh Hour) for Norstar Filmed Entertainment Inc. Would Be Kings was written by Tassie Cameron (Robber Bride, Cake, The Eleventh Hour) and Esta Spalding (In God’s Country, Falling Angels) who are also Executive Producers. Ray Sager (Sex Life, The Marsh, MythQuest) is Producer.