TV, eh?

From Robert Cushman of the National Post:

• To serve and protect the police
  “‘Together’ says Frank Leo, newly elected president of the police union, ‘we own this city.’ The city is unnamed, but looks very much like Toronto; and when Frank says ‘we,’ he appears to mean not the population at large but just him and his fellow cops. It is not a very reassuring message; but The Bridge, the new CTV drama series of which Frank is the central figure, seems disinclined to question it. It may be the first ever right-wing pro-union show. That’s probably the newest thing about it.” Read more.

From Jim Henshaw of The Legion of Decency:

• The Guy With The Movie In His Head
  “The entire series operates on a level of paranoia and self-delusion that beggars belief. Leo and his fellow officers are downtrodden and abused by all those of higher rank. Every Captain and Deputy Chief practically sneers with venality while twisting their Snidely Whiplash moustaches — and those are just the women!” Read more.

From Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter:

• Canadian sitcoms, reality TV outdo dramas
  The funny thing about Canadian TV nowadays are sitcoms and light reality fare are outperforming edgy homegrown dramas in primetime. The March 5 two-hour series premiere of the CTV police drama “The Bridge” from E1 Television debuted Friday night with 998,000 viewers, just shy of the 1.009 million viewers that tuned in to the recent series premiere for the CBC’s P.I. drama “The Republic of Doyle.” Read more.

From a media release:

Series Premiere of THE BRIDGE Wins Time Slot and Locks Up One Million Viewers on CTV

The series premiere of the new CTV original series THE BRIDGE debuted #1 in its 9 p.m. timeslot in Canada Friday night on CTV, with one million viewers. THE BRIDGE becomes the most-watched series premiere for a Canadian drama this season, based on preliminary overnight data.* The audience peaked at 1.25 million viewers, with nearly 3.5 million Canadians tuning in to some part of the two-hour premiere. In Toronto, THE BRIDGE was the #1 series of the day with Viewers 2+ and Adults 25-54.

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From CBC:

• New CTV series modelled on Toronto police union boss
  “In his portrayal of Toronto beat cop turned union chief Craig Bromell in the new series The Bridge, actor Aaron Douglas says he channeled Tony Soprano, ‘if he was a cop.’” Read more.

From Michael Posner of the Globe and Mail:

• ‘It has to be the most authentic cop series going’
  “Former officer and Toronto police union leader Craig Bromell says The Bridge captures the complicated nuances of a cop’s life” Read more.

9 p.m. – THE BRIDGE – TWO-HOUR SPECIAL SERIES PREMIERE
After the rank and file unanimously vote tough and dedicated street cop Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) into office as head of the Police Union, he begins his quest to put street cops first and clean up the force from the ground up. But the old boys’ network running the police force and the city’s self-serving politicians are not about to sit idly by while a former street cop makes up his own rules. Leo walks the thin blue line as he battles criminals on the streets, corruption in the ranks and the politically motivated department brass, letting nothing stop him from fulfilling his unwavering vow that when cops are in trouble, he will be there to protect the protectors.

From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:

• Former Toronto police union head says cop series The Bridge is fictional
  “In the new cop series The Bridge, debuting Friday on CTV and CBS, Aaron Douglas plays a tough police officer turned union head battling top brass and an ‘old boys’ network’ as he cleans up the force. Though the storylines are inspired by the insights of outspoken former Toronto police union head Craig Bromell, the events and characters are purely fictional, he insists.” Read more.

From Joshua Ostroff of Eye Weekly:

• Who watches out for the watchmen?
  “The Bridge leads to grey areas behind the thin blue line. ” Read more.

From Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun:

• From street cop to TV producer
  “‘Bully Bromell’s’ scripted antics and continuous blurred blue line was the stuff of movies and those same politicians, who spent thousands of dollars looking for bugs in their offices, will be in front of their TVs on CTV Friday at 9 pm to watch this two-hour premier movie because ‘The Craig Bromell Show’ continues in the form of a hot-looking new cop drama called The Bridge.” Read more.

From Glen Schaeffer of the Vancouver Sun:

• The Bridge inspired by former police union leader
  “A scene in the first episode of the new Toronto-set TV drama The Bridge has a group of police officers emptying their guns into a fleeing pickup truck, after which one of them jokes blackly with investigators probing the shooting. ‘Americans love that,’ says Vancouver actor Aaron Douglas, who stars in the show as that scene’s joker, a uniformed cop and police union leader named Frank Leo. ‘I’ve shown the pilot to friends, a couple of cops, and they think that’s just the best scene in the show.’” Read more.

From Alex Strachan of Canwest:

• Moments of real intensity
  “It’s an open question, though, how many of those viewers will stay in the following weeks. Because the sad truth is that, while there are moments of real intensity– the opening scene, for starters — The Bridge looks and feels very much like a work in progress. The Bridge is well worth a look.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of QMI Agency:

• Cdn ‘Bridge’ has American feel
  “The atmosphere of this Canadian series is very, very American, right down to the accents of some of the characters. That’s an interesting result, given the Canadian pedigree of The Bridge. It was inspired by the insights of former Toronto police union head Craig Bromell, who serves as an executive producer.” Read more.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

• So what if CBC goes for light entertainment?
  “CBC renewed the right show. But what does it all mean? It means we are in a time of transition in Canadian TV, a period when familiar shows are leaving the air and a crop of new series are arriving. It means CBC is interested in lighter, populist entertainment and other broadcasters are making the more intractable, tough-minded material.” Read more.

From Patricia Treble of Macleans’ Magazine:

• The good, the funny, and the ugly
  “Canadians have endured a zillion promos for CTV’s three new shows—The Bridge, Dan for Mayor and Hiccups. Are they worth watching?” Read more.

From a media release:

Beyond the Badge: CTV’s Authentic New Drama Series THE BRIDGE Peels Away Layers of Big-City Police Force, March 5

• Series stars Aaron Douglas (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) along with Paul Popowich, Inga Cadranel, Frank Cassini, Theresa Joy, Ona Grauer and Michael Murphy
• Episodes of THE BRIDGE available post-broadcast on CTV.ca

Cops take an oath to be honest and faithful in their police duties and private life. They’re trusted protectors of the public and the law. But, what happens when the “old boys” establishment behind the badge reveals a different – often conflicting – message? Written by five-time Gemini Award-winner Alan Di Fiore (DA VINCI’S INQUEST, THE HANDLER) and inspired by the insights of former Toronto police union head Craig Bromell, the new CTV Original Series THE BRIDGE debuts Friday, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV with a special two-hour premiere before moving to its regular Fridays at 10 p.m. ET timeslot beginning March 12 (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Starring Aaron Douglas (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) as police union head Frank Leo, THE BRIDGE is an authentic and compelling twist on the police procedural told through the lens of a charismatic and dynamic union leader, working to protect his fellow officers.

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From Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter:

• CTV leaves CBS behind on ‘The Bridge’
  “CTV won’t wait for CBS to set a U.S. primetime slot for “The Bridge” before it debuts the Canadian cop drama on the same airday. The Canadian broadcaster instead hopes the homegrown cop drama gets a post-Olympics bounce after it bows on Friday nights from March 5.” Read more.

From a media release:

Olympic Games Launch Pad: New CTV Original Series HICCUPS, DAN FOR MAYOR, and THE BRIDGE Get Post-Olympic Games Premieres

• Brent Butt, Nancy Robertson and Fred Ewanuick return in HICCUPS and DAN FOR MAYOR, March 1
• Aaron Douglas heats up Friday Nights in new police drama THE BRIDGE, March 5

CTV announced today it has strategically scheduled three new Original Canadian series to debut next month, immediately following the conclusion of the VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES. The three series will benefit from weeks of promotion during what is to be one of the most-watched television events of the year.

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From Bill Brioux of the Canadian Press:

• No sign of Toronto-shot police drama ‘Flashpoint’ in CBS’s lineup
  “Canadians waiting for CBS to finally add Toronto-lensed dramas The Bridge and Flashpoint to its schedule will have to wait a little longer.” Read more.

From Dan Robson of the Toronto Star:

• Ex-street cop relishes new role in TV land
  “Toronto’s most notorious cop is suddenly all Hollywood – Starbucks cup in one hand, Dominican cigar in the other. On the set of The Bridge, a joint CTV-CBS project loosely based on his tumultuous career running the Toronto police union, Craig Bromell puffs a cigar as the tape rolls.” Read more.