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Filming underway on Season 3 of CBC original hit drama Saint-Pierre

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From a media release:

CBC and Hawco Productions today announced that production is underway in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, France, on the third season of the hit drama SAINT-PIERRE (12 x 60). The series is produced by Hawco Productions for CBC and CBC Gem, with FIFTH SEASON managing global distribution.

CBC’s most-watched drama series*, SAINT-PIERRE follows Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector Donald Fitzpatrick (Fitz) — exiled to work in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the French Territory nestled in the North Atlantic Ocean — who is partnered with Deputy Chief Geneviève Archambault (Arch), a Parisian transplant there for her own intriguing reason. Although the islands seem like a quaint tourist destination, the idyllic façade conceals the worst kind of criminal activity. As they solve thrilling crimes and share family secrets, their partnership evolves to friendship — Arch and Fitz know they’ll always be there for each other.

Joining the show for season three are French-Moroccan actor Assaad Bouab (Call My Agent!, Bad Sisters) and Caroline Dhavernas (Mary Kills People, Hannibal). Bouab takes on the role of Pascal Lalonde, a highly-decorated Officer from Mainland France sent to Saint-Pierre because of his stellar record in taking down criminal organizations — skills desperately needed in a post-Gallagher crime world. Dhavernas plays well-educated and forward-thinking businesswoman Victoria Peters, who has plans to put Saint-Pierre on the map as a world-class tourist destination, and who forms a strong and instant connection with Fitz.

Bouad and Dhavernas join series stars Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle, Caught, Jack Ryan) and French star Joséphine Jobert (Death in Paradise), who lead the cast as Arch and Fitz, appearing alongside Benz Antoine (Four Brothers, Get Rich or Die Tryin’), Erika Prevost (The Boys, Dare Me), and Jean-Michel Le Gal (Paris Paris, Accused) who round out the ensemble. Fresh off six Canadian Screen Award nominations for the first season, season three of Saint-Pierre will premiere on CBC and CBC Gem in winter 2027.

“We’re thankful to CBC, FIFTH SEASON, and our global audience for supporting us from the very beginning,” says Hawco. “The opportunity to return for Season 3 gives us the chance to make the most of our experienced production team and bring even more to the show’s visuals. With top talent and the islands’ unique setting, we’re creating a season that is both visually compelling and internationally ambitious.”

A CBC original series, Saint-Pierre is produced by Hawco Productions with FIFTH SEASON managing global distribution. Allan Hawco and Robina Lord-Stafford are Executive Producers and Showrunners. Executive Producers are Janine Squires, Erin Sullivan, and John Vatcher. Season three Directors include Winnifred Jong, Sharon Lewis, Vanessa Matsui, TJ Scott, and John Vatcher.

Image courtesy of Derm Carberry.

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Global’s Mary Kills People checks in one final time

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Back in 2017, Caroline Dhavernas was proud that the debate over doctor-assisted suicide would be the focal point of Mary Kills People. The Canadian government, at that time, has just deemed it legal with Bill C-14, thrusting Mary Kills People into the spotlight.

Now, with the final season of Global’s drama premiering this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the network, Dhavernas is just as proud as she was when we first spoke about Tara Armstrong’s creation.

“Tara wrote this when she was in her late 20s, early 30s and I think it was a brave choice to tackle death and make it interesting and funny and sexy and thrilling and serious and dramatic and all that,” Dhavernas said, in the midst of a media day for the series. “When you go to a network with a subject that’s assisted dying, chances are they’re going to say to you, ‘It was nice to meet you, but no thanks.’ But she made it happen.”

In Sunday’s return, it’s been five months since the Season 2 finale. Mary (Dhavernas), Des (Richard Short) and Nicole (Charlotte Sullivan) are running a hospice, the perfect opportunity to help terminally-ill patients exit the world and not worry about the authorities catching them. Of course, before the hour is complete, things seem to be careening out of control. But rather than spoil it for you, just make sure you tune in. 

And, to prep you for Sunday, read our interview with Dhavernas.

Obviously, people are sad that the third season is going to be the last one, but I’m happy, and I think a lot of fans are, that we’re going to get closure. Have you all felt the same way?
Caroline Dhavernas: I was just dealing with the same thing while we were making Season 3. We knew it was going to be the end. So closure is indeed happening and, also, we get to tell the end of the story, which you don’t always get to do. We knew exactly what was happening and we got to say goodbye properly and end the show on our terms, so it’s quite empowering.

I’ve seen the first episode and we’re thrown quite the twist. I guess it should have been a little bit expected because this is Mary Kills People, but it’s a great way to jump back into Season 3.
CD: Yeah, I didn’t see it coming when I read it the first time. I was surprised by what happened and I thought the same thing, ‘I should have known because this is what I do on this show.’ For some reason, because it was about faith and because of her new life I thought, ‘What’s happening? Is she grappling with religion, but no.’

It looks as though this final season is going to be full of twists and turns.
CD: Every episode of this show is quite dense with action and emotion and Season 3 is going to be the same. And it’s a little more character driven, though, this season. Season 2 was really crazy, like the criminal world with Olivia and I think that will have been the season where we dive into the illegal aspect of what she’s doing the most. It’s an exciting season because also it takes place in winter for the first time, so the visuals are quite different and also water has always been an underlying theme on the show and now water has frozen over and it just brings another mood to the series.

I love the atmospheric stuff when you’re working with the seasons because it really adds character to the show and is actually like a member of the cast in telling the story.
CD: I think it forced us to rethink certain aspects of the show. And this happened because I was pregnant last summer and we couldn’t shoot so we were forced to reinvent a little bit, so it’s interesting.

Were you happy with the way that the show ended? Do you think that fans are going to be happy with the series finale?
CD: I think so because we care for these characters and we want them to know that they’ll be OK when we leave them forever. And I think you’ll certainly get a sense of that happening towards the end. It’s been very dense and very stressful at times, what they’re going through. And I’m not going to tell you how it ends, but certain characters will finally be able to calm down a little bit.

What are you most proud of being involved in this show? For me, it’s just the fact that assisted death has been brought to the forefront and is part of the discussion. What about for you?
CD: Yeah, I think it’s a very brave subject matter to tackle, especially from such a young woman’s point of view. Tara wrote this when she was in her late 20s, early 30s and I think it was a brave choice to tackle death and make it interesting and funny and sexy and thrilling and serious and dramatic and all that. Because when you go to a network with a subject that’s assisted dying, chances are they’re going to say to you, ‘It was nice to meet you, but no thanks.’ But she made it happen. It was a bit of a coincidence that the law was changing in Canada in the summer that we decided to shoot. It was kind of in the air for some reason and she made it work and the tone is quite unique, and that’s one of the other things that I’m quite proud of, being part of that uniqueness.

Last question. Did you take any mementoes from your time at Mary Kills People?
CD: Yes, actually I kept some of Mary’s clothes and … a medallion from the goddess of death, an Egyptian goddess, I think. I’m very happy to have been able to keep that.

Mary Kills People airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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“The stakes are even higher”: Mary Kills People’s Caroline Dhavernas sounds off on Season 2

When we last left Mary Harris (Caroline Dhavernas), her world was in disarray. She’d been investigated by undercover cop Ben Wesley (Jay Ryan), who sought to arrest her for performing illegal assisted suicides. Her daughter, Jess (Abigail Winter), suspected Mary was leading a double life, putting a strain on their relationship. And Des Bennett (Richard Short) had gone to prison after taking the fall for Mary. So, what’s in store for Mary in Season 2 of Mary Kills People?

“The stakes are even higher,” Dhavernas told us during a recent set visit. Created by Tara Armstrong and executive-produced by Armstrong, Tassie Cameron and Amy Cameron, Mary Kills People returns Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global with Mary unable to stop killing and coming in contact with new characters. Mary is seeking a steady supply of pentobarbital while attempting to keep her day job as an ER doctor intact. Making that difficult is Olivia Bloom (Rachelle Lefevre), a mysterious woman tied to someone from Mary’s past.

We spoke to Caroline Dhavernas about what fans can expect in the series’ sophomore season.

I understand there is a bit of a time jump between Season 1 and Season 2. When we catch up with Des and Mary, he is getting out of prison. How much time has gone by?
Caroline Dhavernas: It’s eight or nine months. He’s been a good inmate, so he’s out early.

Des went to prison for Mary. Where does this leave their relationship?
It’s a big responsibility and for Mary, it’s a big weight on her shoulders. But, as you can imagine, she’s been doing her thing on her own while he was away and taking a liking to it. In the first season, we explored very grey zones, and that’s even more so in the second season. Mary has always been very open-minded about who deserves to die, but now she takes that to another level and Des and Mary will come into disagreements because of that.

I like it when Des and Mary don’t always see eye to eye.
It’s a great relationship. I don’t think that we see it often on TV; a man and a woman who are really great friends but there is no romance happening, ever. We’re very proud that it hasn’t gone that way.

At the end of Season 1, Nicole wanted in on Mary’s business. Does that occur in Season 2?
She does try for that to happen. Of course, they’re very bonded with what they did to their mother, so it’s an interesting avenue for them to take.

There is a lot of dark and light to Mary Kills People, but there is a lot of humour as well.
That’s why I think the tone is so unique. We go from very dramatic and compassionate moments with the deaths to them having a taco and letting the steam out. I like that balance. In Season 2, the stakes are even higher and the suspense is even stronger than it was in Season 1.

What can you tell me about Rachelle’s character, Olivia?
She is a very strong woman. She loves power. I think she and Mary have a lot in common but in polar opposite ways. There is something about power for Mary as well because of what she does, but Olivia is the dark side of the force. We explore a little bit of the criminal world more this season.

I did wonder where Mary could go in Season 2. I thought maybe she’d lay low for awhile. Clearly not.
Nope, she’s just not that kind of gal. [Laughs.] I think it speaks volumes to her addiction. In Season 1 we really saw the compassionate side of her and at the end, we started to see how she couldn’t help herself. She loves doing this. She’s not capable of stopping; she says that to her sister on the dock. We see that side evolve even more. She needs it.

I really enjoyed the scenes between Mary and her daughter, Jess, played by Abigail Winter, in Season 1. Where does that relationship go in Season 2?
There are moments, again, where they don’t understand each other. Mary cannot be exactly who she is in front of her family because she’s hiding it from them. This will always be a problem with her older daughter because she’s old enough to feel things are a little off. Mary is having a hard time keeping all of the lies together and Jess keeps feeling that. Jess will continue to explore her sexuality in Season 2 and who she is.

What I loved about her in Season 1, her sexuality and her mom is that we never talked about the fact that she was gay. It was just a given. It didn’t have to be the big coming out and all that. There is the scene on the dock where she says that she is in love with Naomi [Katie Douglas], and the way I saw it Mary always knew but she doesn’t have to say anything about it. She’s in love, period. I love that.

Mary Kills People airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus.

 

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Mary Kills People

Season 2 of Global’s original series Mary Kills People returns Jan. 3; plus cast photos

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From a media release:

Following a ground-breaking first season on both sides of the border, Global’s compelling and provocative original drama Mary Kills People returns Wednesday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Caroline Dhavernas, Jay Ryan, and Richard Short, and season guest stars Rachelle Lefevre and Ian Lake, the six-episode, one-hour event series picks up eight months after Mary (Dhavernas) and Des (Short) framed Grady (Greg Bryk) for the deaths of their patients. However, as Mary and Des dive deeper and darker into their illegal work, a mysterious woman, Olivia Bloom (Lefevre), comes to them with a deadly request, unleashing a chain of events that unfolds throughout the season.

From Entertainment One (eOne) and Cameron Pictures Inc., the return of the highly-anticipated event series will headline Global’s winter schedule this January. For the first look into Season 2, please click here. Additional programming details for Global’s midseason schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

Leading up to the premiere, GlobalTV.com delivers exclusive Mary Kills People content. Giving fans a first look at the Season 2 premiere, a special sneak peek of the first episode will be available December 20, followed by the full first episode January 1 on GlobalTV.com and Global Go. Plus, in anticipation of the new season, viewers can catch up on Season 1 on GlobalTV.com and Global Go beginning December 20, and on Global beginning Tuesday, December 26 through Friday, December 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with a two-hour finale at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, December 30.

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During the thrilling Season 2 premiere, Des is happy to reteam with Mary following his stint in prison, but when a routine case leads to a devastating outcome, Mary questions whether she was better off fighting the good fight without him – in control and unchallenged.

Throughout the new season, viewers will see Mary become more entangled in her illegal work, risking her family and ER career even as she tries to keep her worlds separate and her daughters safe. But secrets can only be hidden for so long when the mysterious Olivia approaches Mary and Des with a deadly request. Then, the personal and the professional come to a head when Ben returns, knee-deep in a complicated undercover case. Ben’s investigation will collide with Mary’s criminal descent, forcing Mary to decide whether to come clean once and for all.

Viewers who miss any of the dramatic moments from Season 2 can watch on GlobalTV.com or Global Go following the broadcast the next day.

Mary Kills People is produced by eOne and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Corus Entertainment, and with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive produced by Tassie Cameron (Ten Days in the Valley, Rookie Blue), Amy Cameron (The Book of Negroes), Jocelyn Hamilton (Private Eyes), and Tecca Crosby (Private Eyes). The series is directed by Kelly Makin, Norma Bailey, and David Wellington with Holly Dale (who won the 2017 Directors Guild Of Canada Award for “Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies For Television And Mini-Series” for her work on Season 1) a 2017 DGC as Co-Executive Producer. Tara Armstrong (Private Eyes) created the series and is executive producer and writer. Additional writers include Tassie Cameron, Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope), Lara Azzopardi (Backstage) and Marsha Greene (Ten Days in the Valley). eOne controls the worldwide rights for the series.

 

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Mary Kills People

Production Begins on Season 2 of Global’s Critically-Acclaimed Mini-Series Mary Kills People

From a media release:

Canadian broadcast and production partner Corus Entertainment, with Entertainment One (eOne) and Cameron Pictures Inc., are pleased to announce that production has begun on the second cycle of Global’s critically-acclaimed drama Mary Kills People. Following a hugely successful first season with praise from critics both in Canada and south of the border, the six-part, one-hour event series will film in and around Toronto into the fall, with the premiere set for winter 2018 on Global.

The series’ multi-talented powerhouse team behind the scenes returns, including creator and executive producer Tara Armstrong, executive producers Tassie Cameron and Amy Cameron, along with newly added directors Kelly Makin, Norma Bailey, and David Wellington with Holly Dale as co-executive producer. Also returning to Season 2 is Caroline Dhavernas as Dr. Mary Harris, along with Richard Short as Mary’s sidekick Dr. Desmond “Des” Bennett, and Jay Ryan as Ben Wesley, the undercover cop who was investigating Mary last season. New this season are Canadians Rachelle Lefevre (Under the Dome, Twilight) cast as Olivia Bloom – a mysterious woman with ties to Mary’s past, and Ian Lake (Bitten, Rookie Blue) cast as Travis Bloom, Olivia’s husband.

In the new season of Mary Kills People, Mary (Caroline Dhavernas) plummets deeper into the criminal world as she searches for a steady supply of pentobarbital, the highly regulated and highly lethal “death drug.” As she becomes more entangled in her illegal work, Mary continues to risk her family and ER doctor career as she tries to keep her worlds separate. But when the mysterious Oliva Bloom (Rachelle Lefevre), approaches Mary and her partner Des (Richard Short) with a lethal request — and when Mary crosses unexpectedly with Detective Ben Wesley(Jay Ryan) — she realizes her secrets can only be hidden for so long.

Mary Kills People is produced by eOne and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Corus Entertainment, and with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive-produced by Tassie Cameron (Ten Days in The Valley, Rookie Blue), Amy Cameron (The Book of Negroes), Jocelyn Hamilton (Private Eyes) and Tecca Crosby (Private Eyes). The series will be directed by Kelly Makin, Norma Bailey and David Wellington with Holly Dale as Co-Executive Producer. Tara Armstrong (Private Eyes) created the series and is executive producer and writer. Additional writers include Tassie Cameron, Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope), Lara Azzopardi (Backstage) and Marsha Greene (Private Eyes).

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