Everything about The Listener, eh?

The Listener series finale to air August 18

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From a media release:

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.”

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.

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Link: The Listener welcomes the devil

From Eleni Armenakis of The TV Junkies:

The Listener Welcomes The Devil
“This week’s The Listener, Zero Recall, offered up a change to the usual procedural format when Toby ended up as both victim and investigator, which was a nice bit of experimentation even if it unfortunately didn’t tie into his past the way I was hoping it would after last week’s cliffhanger. But before getting into any of that, can we agree that this was secretly Dev’s episode?” Continue reading.

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Auction: The Listener walk-on role and set tour

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Experience a day in the life of The Listener with a walk-on role and set tour! Watch the action unfold for yourself on the set of dramatic series The Listener, where you will shoot a scene from a season five episode with lead cast members. Also enjoy a rare behind­‐the-­scenes look at the production including lunch with the cast and crew.

DATE: January – May, 2014
LOCATION: The Listener set, Toronto, Ontario*
VALUE: PRICELESS

*transportation and accommodations are not provided

The Listener airs on CTV. www.ctv.ca/TheListener

Donated by Shaftesbury.

All proceeds will go to Kids Help Phone, a free, anonymous and confidential phone and on-line professional counselling service for youth. Please note that fraudulent bids stop real bidding from taking place and therefore reduces the amount we are able to raise.

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TV, eh? charity auction – bid now!

It’s back … the TV, eh? charity auction in support of Kids Help Phone is open now. Bid until Monday, December 9 on an incredible TV experience, priceless memorabilia, and more. All money raised will go to the charity — last year we raised $6800. Bid now and bid often on:

  • The Listener set visit and walk on role (donated by Shaftesbury)
  • Flashpoint DVD complete box set autographed by the creators (donated by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern)
  • Flashpoint finale script autographed by the cast and creators donated by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern)
  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit package including t-shirt, tote, autographed cast picture, baseball cap and mug (donated by Lawrence Kaplow and Law & Order: SVU)
  • Anna & Kristina kitchen gift package including a KitchenAid blender, apron, cookbook, tote bag (donated by Worldwide Bag Media)
  • Primeval: New World crew t-shirt and autographed dinosaurs (donated by Gillian Horvath)
  • Sanctuary tote bag and autographed script (donated by Gillian Horvath)
  • Mr. Young costumes (donated by Mr. Young)
  • Philips Sonicare toothbrush (donated by Dr. Corey Low)

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The Listener renewed for season 5

From a media release:

CTV Orders Fifth Season of Hit Series, THE LISTENER

  • Production on 13 new episodes from Shaftesbury to commence in early 2014
  • Season 4 ranked among the Top 15 most-watched programs in Canada

CTV announced today a 13-episode fifth season order for its hit original drama series THE LISTENER, bringing the series total to 65 episodes. Produced for CTV by Shaftesbury in association with Fox International Channels, and distributed by Shine International, the one-hour drama stars Craig Olejnik as mind-reading crime-solver Toby Logan. The announcement was made at MIPCOM, the world’s annual entertainment content market in France, with cast members Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith in attendance.

During its fourth season on CTV, THE LISTENER continued to drive million-plus audiences, including a series-high 1.4 million viewers, and ranked among the Top 15 most-watched programs in Canada this past summer. Season 4 also saw A25-54 growth in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary over Season 3.

Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) is “The Listener”, a telepath who works as a special consultant with the elite Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB), facing both professional and personal challenges as he uses his mind-reading skills to solve a variety of difficult and dangerous crimes alongside Sergeant Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith, CSI; THE L WORD). Now a more seasoned investigator, and faced with a hostile boss, Toby will become more proactive and eventually come into conflict with the goals and procedures of the IIB organization. Meanwhile, Michelle is determined to have it all, working to balance her demanding career and the challenges of first-time parenthood with husband Adam (Kris Holden-Reid; LOST GIRL). And Toby’s investigative journalist girlfriend, Tia Tremblay (Melanie Scrofano; HAVEN) will begin to delve into the secrets of Toby’s past, eventually exposing truths which might threaten to turn his world upside down.

The ensemble cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik as Toby Logan; Lauren Lee Smith as IIB Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Ennis Esmer (DIRTY SINGLES) as Toby’s best friend and director of emergency services Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun Francks (STARGATE ATLANTIS) as IIB security and technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Peter Stebbings (THE BORGIAS) as IIB head Alvin Klein; and Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS) as Sandy, Oz’s girlfriend and St. Luke Hospital triage nurse.

One of Canada’s top-rated homegrown dramas, THE LISTENER is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada and on Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by Shine International. The series has been licensed in 120 countries and 33languages worldwide.

THE LISTENER is produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International Channels. The series is executive produced by Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury, and Peter Mohan (LOST GIRL, THE BRIDGE), who serves as showrunner.

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