From a media release:

BBC AMERICA, Cineflix Studios, and Shaw Media Announce Lead Cast and Production Team for Original Series COPPER

• Tom Weston-Jones, Anastasia Griffith, Kyle Schmid and Franka Potente To Front 2012 Crime Series
• Steve Cosens, John Blackie, and Delphine White Join Production Team

BBC AMERICA, Cineflix Studios, and Shaw Media today announced lead cast for their original scripted series, COPPER. Tom Weston-Jones (MI-5, aka Spooks) is set to star asrugged Irish-American cop Kevin Corcoran. Alongside Weston Jones is Canadian Kyle Schmid (Blood Ties, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as Robert Morehouse, a handsome bon vivant and part of Manhattan aristocracy, and Anastasia Griffith (Royal Pains, Damages), as the sophisticated and spirited Elizabeth Haverford. Rounding out the cast is Franka Potente (The Bourne Supremacy, Run Lola Run) who is set to play Eva Heissan, a shrewd businesswoman and the Madam of Eva’s Paradise.

Additionally, the talents of three top production pros have been secured to develop and execute the look and feel of mid-1800s New York – the setting for COPPER. Steve Cosens (Durham County) has signed on as Director of Photography, John Blackie (Hell onWheels) is Production Designer, and Delphine White (Breakout Kings) is Costume Designer.

COPPER is a gripping crime series set in 1860s New York City, and centres on Kevin Corcoran, an intense, rugged Irish-immigrant cop working the city’s notorious Five Points neighbourhood. Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent world, while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. His friendship with two Civil War compatriots – the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African American physician who secretly assists Corcoran with his work – takes him to the contrasting worlds of elegant Fifth Avenue and rural Harlem. The three men share a secret from their experience on the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.

“We’re thrilled to have Tom Weston-Jones, Kyle Schmid, and Anastasia Griffith – all stars in the making – join the cast of COPPER,” said Christina Wayne, President, Cineflix Studios. “Franka Potente brings her undeniable talent and feature experience to the mix.”

“Copper is a visually rich, unflinching drama that requires a gifted and experienced production team,” said Vlad Wolynetz, President of Production, Cineflix Studios. “Steve, John, and Delphine are perfectly suited to meet this challenge.”

The series is created by Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide: Life on the Streets, St. Elsewhere) and Will Rokos (Monster’s Ball, Southland). Among the co-executive producers on the series are Fontana, Rokos, Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man, You Don’t Know Jack) and Christina Wayne, President of Cineflix Studios (Broken Trail and executive in charge of Mad Men at AMC).

The series premieres on BBC AMERICA in the summer of 2012 and in Canada on Shaw Media’s Showcase in fall 2012.

From a media release:

THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION: KEVIN O’LEARY OFFERS EX-CONS A SECOND CHANCE IN NEW PRIME-TIME SERIES – REDEMPTION INC.

• Premieres Monday, January 9th at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television

REDEMPTION INC. is a new prime-time series in which a group of 10 ex-cons are given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to set up their own business with a start-up investment of $100,000 from Dragon and multi-millionaire businessman, Kevin O’Leary. Kevin sees the business potential in offering these people a second chance; he recognizes that these ex-cons paid their debt to society. At the end of the series, one of them will earn both Kevin’s support, and his money, to start a legitimate business. REDEMPTION INC. premieres on Monday, January 9 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television.

REDEMPTION INC. is hosted by O’Leary with Brian O’Dea as a key advisor on the show. O’Dea is a convicted drug smuggler who built a $100 million drug empire before serving a 10-year prison sentence. He has since gone on to become a successful author, businessman and sought-after public speaker on a wide range of topics dealing with convict rehabilitation and re-integration into society.

Together, they will work with a group of 10 ex-cons, assessing their business ideas and putting them through a series of rigorous challenges designed to test, demonstrate and improve their natural abilities, and expose their character flaws, gradually moving them away from their illegal past and ever closer to a legal enterprise of their own. Each challenge is designed to reveal a particular skill set – from marketing and selling, to their ability to lead and work as a team.

It won’t be easy, but this isn’t charity – it’s business. Over the course of nine weeks, a single candidate will emerge who is judged most likely to succeed in running their own entrepreneurial business. They will receive an extraordinary jumpstart with investment money to launch their own dream business venture.

From a media release:

CITYTV GIVES CANADIANS ONE LAST CHANCE TO SEIZE THE CANADA’S GOT TALENT SPOTLIGHT WITH LAST CHANCE AUDITIONS ON YOUTUBE, LAUNCHING TODAY

• Top 20 online acts to be voted on by Canadians; top vote-getter to advance straight to semifinals

For all those talented Canadians looking for one final moment in the spotlight, now’s your chance. Launching today on canadasgottalent.com and powered by YouTube, Citytv and Canada’s Got Talent invites Canadians to show off their talents with Last Chance Auditions, sponsored by Nissan, by uploading a video of their act online at www.youtube.com/canadasgottalent.

Last Chance Auditions runs through January 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Videos must not exceed two minutes and all music selections must be chosen from the list of pre-cleared songs provided. Canada’s Got Talent premieres March 4 on Citytv.

The Top 20 YouTube auditions will be posted on the website for fans to review, then it’s up to Canada to choose who will be the lucky act fast-tracked to the Canada’s Got Talent semifinals in April. From January 23 through January 30, the public can visit www.canadasgottalent.com and cast one vote per day per IP address. The act receiving the most votes will get the chance to make their dreams come true on a live broadcast, competing against other talented semifinalists to thrill the judges, win over the hearts of Canadians across the country, and be the first ever to claim the top spot and prize on Canada’s Got Talent. Other YouTube acts will be considered for the semifinals by the Canada’s Got Talent judges – Martin Short, Measha Brueggergosman and Stephan Moccio – and the show’s producers.

To be eligible to enter Last Chance Auditions, participants must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. For a complete list of rules and regulations, visit www.canadasgottalent.com. Plus, follow us on Twitter @CGTCitytv, using the hashtag #lastchanceCGT, and “like” us on Facebook for the latest updates, info and announcements.