From a CTV media release:
CTV announced today that it has ordered two new, one-hour original drama series for the network. The first is Sniper (working title), a high-stakes ensemble drama that delves into the world of one of Canada’s elite police forces and the critical incidents it faces on a daily basis. The second is The Listener, a fast-paced, compelling drama about a young paramedic with the power to read minds. Both series received orders from the network for 13, one-hour episodes with production scheduled to begin in Spring 2008.
“Whether it’s the adrenaline rush of saving a life or the thought-provoking notion of being able to read someone’s mind, both Sniper and The Listener are drama series built on the foundation of entertaining and compelling storytelling,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.
Sniper and The Listener were both part of CTV’s first venture into pilot production this past summer. It was the first time CTV had ordered pilots as part of its development of new Canadian television series. The pilot order reinforced the network’s priority in delivering critically-acclaimed Canadian programming enjoyed by the biggest audiences possible.
Sniper stars Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), Hugh Dillon (Durham County) and Whistler’s David Paetkau in a tense, emotional police drama that takes us into the lives of the team members of the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). They’re unique cops who can do what ordinary cops can’t: rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, handle state-of-the-art weaponry, always putting their own lives at stake to save others. Sniper is written and created by the emerging writing team of Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, both accomplished actors, and executive-produced by multiple Gemini Award-winner Anne Marie La Traverse (Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story, Tripping the Wire) for Pink Sky Entertainment and Bill Mustos for Avamar Entertainment in association with CTV.
In The Listener, Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, In God’s Country) is a young paramedic with the power to listen to people’s most intimate thoughts. Our hero soon realizes: With great power comes great responsibility. Still, he’s got to admit that this telepathy can be pretty cool. Aided by his paramedic partner Osman Bey (Ennis Esmer, host of The Toronto Show), Toby walks a dangerous line between his calling as a telepathic sleuth and his regular life as an urban twentysomething. Toby’s adrenaline-fuelled job and his active social life complicate the hell out of his destiny – or maybe it’s the other way around. The Listener was created by Michael Amo (Blessed Stranger: After Flight 111) and the pilot was directed by Clement Virgo (The Wire, Poor Boys Game). The Listener is produced by Shaftesbury Films, (producers of CTV’s No.1 and No.2 highest-rated TV movies, Eight Days to Live and In God’s Country) in association with CTV. Executive producer is Emmy and Gemini award-winning Christina Jennings (ReGenesis).
Beginning this January 2008, Global Television presents the sure-fire hit, THE GUARD, an all new original drama series – the story of four members of the Canadian Coastguard’s Search and Rescue team, and their daily battles both in and out of the water.