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The plot thickens in the third and final season of The Hardy Boys

From a media release:

Expect the unexpected in the third and final season of The Hardy Boys (8×60) premiering July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV. New episodes will roll out every Monday and will be available to stream live and on demand on STACKTV. The Daytime Emmy® nominated and four-time Canadian Screen Awards winning hit mystery series is based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon, and is developed and produced in Canada by Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, and Lambur Productions, in association with Corus Entertainment.

The third and final season picks up right from the last scene of Season 2, building off the layers of mystery, strengthened friendships and major cliffhanger. In Season 3, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) receive mysterious posthumous instructions from their grandmother, and they find themselves on the hunt for a third powerful relic — the same one their Great Grandfather was after. However, they aren’t the only ones looking for it…so the race is on to stop the relic’s power from being unleashed on the world! Nothing is what it seems, as The Hardy Boys and their friends face their most dangerous and unpredictable case yet.

Filmed in Toronto and Southern Ontario, the series features an all-Canadian cast and crew. Alongside Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’, and Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’, Season 3 welcomes guest star Bailee Madison (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Just Go with It), as ‘Drew Darrow.’

Season 3 of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur, Suzanne Wilson and Madeleine Lambur, Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, co-showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon (Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and co-showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Susan Alexander serves as production executive for Corus.

The Hardy Boys has received notable industry attention with a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination in 2021 for Outstanding Young Adult Series, as well as four Canadian Screen Award wins including in the categories for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series (2022) and Best Writing in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series (2023).

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Nelvana and Lambur Productions start production for third and final season of The Hardy Boys

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Emmy® Award-winning studio Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, together with Lambur Productions, have started production on the third and final season of their popular live-action series The Hardy Boys (8x60min). Based on the books by Franklin W. Dixon, the Daytime Emmy® nominated mystery drama is produced by Lambur Productions and Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment, and started production in September in Toronto and Southern Ontario.

The third season picks up where the shocking events of Season 2 left off. The Hardy boys and their friends dig up even more secrets, conspiracies and threats as they piece together their great-grandfather’s long-lost map and race against time to uncover a powerful ancient relic before it falls into the wrong hands.

Bailee Madison (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Just Go with It) guest stars on the final season as ‘Drew Darrow’, a fun but often frustrating new ally with a brilliant mind and appetite for magic and mysteries. Returning cast members of the beloved Hardy gang include Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’, and Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’.

The first two seasons received strong ratings and reviews, winning two Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for ‘Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series’ and ‘Best Direction, Children’s or Youth’, winning a Directors Guild of Canada Award for ‘Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Family Series’ in 2021 and earning a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Young Adult Series’ in 2021. The first season received additional nominations for CAFTCAD’s ‘Best Costume Design in TV Period’ in 2021, DGC’s Craft Award for ‘Best Picture Editing – Comedy or Family Series’ in 2021, Canadian Society of Cinematographer’s Award for ‘Best Cinematography in TV Drama – Non-commercial’ in 2021, and a Canadian Screen Award for ‘Best Photography, Drama’ in 2022. The series also gained a loyal fan following, with Season 2 securing the number one program ranking on YTV this past Spring* and currently the number one YTV show streamed on STACKTV**.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Hardy Boys are currently available to stream on Hulu (U.S.), STACKTV in Canada and Disney+ internationally ( Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Latin America, and coming soon to Europe, Middle East and Africa). The final season will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and YTV and STACKTV in Canada in 2023, with more international networks to be announced.

Season 3 of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur, Suzanne Wilson and Madeleine Lambur, Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, co-showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon ( Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and co-showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Amanda Vaughan will serve as production executive for Corus.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data. SP’22 (Jan 3/22 – May 29/22) – confirmed data, 3+ airings. Total Canada, Mo-Su 2a-2a. Ind.2+ AMA(000). YTV.

**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting

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The Hardy Boys’ Chris Pozzebon previews spooky Season 2

The Hardy Boys are back and spookier than ever.

The series, which returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV, leans into the supernatural for its sophomore season. Picking up six months after the events of Season 1, the 10 episodes follow Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) as they investigate a missing classmate and the odd circumstances surrounding it. Before long, Frank, Joe, Callie (Keana Lyn), Chet (Adam Swain), Phil (Cristian Perri) and Biff (Riley O’Donnell) are plunged into a case where no one can be trusted.

We spoke to Chris Pozzebon—who joined The Hardy Boys for its second season as co-showrunner and head writer—about what fans can expect.

This is your first season on The Hardy Boys. How did you end up on the show?
Chris Pozzebon: They were looking for a head writer and co-showrunner. I had just moved back to Canada from Los Angeles when the pandemic was kind of ramping up and this kind of came about. And I guess it was a right fit for everybody.

It was pretty simple. I was available and interested, and they liked me. And I was able to pitch out a version of Season 2 that I think everybody responded to and that we all collaborated on with the networks. It was very fortuitous for me just to be in the conversation because I was such a huge fan of the books as a kid and just The Hardy Boys brand in general. So it was a very cool thing to start doing when a global pandemic hit.

What else excited you about the project?
CP: I had been working on a show that I loved, Blindspot for NBC, and that show was massive. And you’re working with these FBI agents who are like these big adult heroes. The thing that Blindspot didn’t have was that element of magic, actual magic. I mean, the show was magic on its own, but when I found out that The Hardy Boys had a supernatural element to it that wasn’t in the books, I was like, ‘Oh, well, that’s really interesting to me.’ The Hardy Boy‘s brand was always mystery and adventure.

At first, seemingly, part of the mystery was always debunked. Right? That ghost howling in the wood was always like, oh, it was an owl. And it was screeching because bank robbers were out there. They figure it out.

What was appealing about this version of the show was that it actually could be a ghost in the woods this time. Season 1 was a slow burn towards that reveal. But once we established that, I was really excited. Just kind of going full force into the possibility of the supernatural, even if some things may not be what they seem.

On Monday’s return, Frank experiences dreams and visions. Was that something hammered out in the writer’s room organically?
CP: It was part of the big Season 2 pitch. It was looking at where we ended last season and thinking about how to lean into that magic and mythology and the eye relic that they find as a central part of the show. It was about still keeping that mystery and that magic connected personally to our characters, not just starting fresh with a new adventure. It’s always with an eye towards the past and the backstory.

But at the same time, we did want to build in an actual new mystery. It’s not just the visions that Frank’s having and the supernatural stuff that stems from Season 1 that is going to be the throughline. There is a brand new mystery afoot.

I mentioned this to co-showrunner Jason Stone last year when we chatted. I love the 80s setting and all that entails.
CP: That’s kind of the appeal for the people making the show too, is that you get to include these little nods to your own youth and you can separate yourself from the technology today and the way people would solve history today and focus on other avenues to solve a mystery. And it allows being in that time and helps our young folks and the heroes of the show pursue actual clues that aren’t just punched away on their cell phones.

In Episode 1, a fellow student goes missing. By the end, there are teases about the eye, as well as something going on in an abandoned mine. Is that all part of the A-story this season?
CP: Everything is wrapped into each other. What’s going on with Dennis is the main focus. What’s going on with the eye plays into the main focus. Both of those things are kind of just the beginning. The story is going to take twists and turns that we don’t even allude to in Episode 1.

That said, those are the through lines and it is all deeply connected. And one of the things that we really wanted to do was just start building out the world. We are introduced to some shady characters and some people we can’t trust, maybe who are closer to us. That was just something that we felt we could push a little further in the second season.

Who else did you have in the writers’ room with you aside from yourself and Jason?
CP: It was myself, Ramona Barckert, Laura Seaton, Madeleine Lambur, Sabrina Sherif, Heather Taylor, Nile Seguin and Michael Hanley.

What is your strength in the writing room?
CP: I think finding a way to make an absolutely bonkers idea work would be my strength. You got to be good at everything, but, I mean, no, one’s going to pitch a crazier idea than me. That’s both a blessing and a curse.

The Hardy Boys airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV.

Images courtesy of Corus Media.

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Hit mystery series The Hardy Boys returns with Season 2 on YTV

From a media release:

Secrets of the past continue to haunt Bridgeport and layers of mystery are revealed in the second season of The Hardy Boys (10x60min), premiering Monday, April 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV. New episodes will roll out every Monday at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream live and on-demand on STACKTV. Based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon and nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award and three Canadian Screen Awards, the popular mystery series is developed and produced in Canada by Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, and Lambur Productions, in association with Corus Entertainment.

The second season picks up six months after the events of Season 1, building on the mystery and drama of the inaugural season and welcoming new friends and suspects. In Season 2, when a Bridgeportclassmate mysteriously disappears, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) drop their new normal routine to get back to detective work. But when they discover the mystical relic they destroyed last year is still in play, it becomes clear their simple missing person case is actually part of something far more sinister. The Hardy boys and their friends must quickly learn who they can and can’t trust as they race against time to unravel the truth, and ultimately realize that no one is safe from their past.

Filmed in Toronto and Southern Ontario, the series features an all-Canadian cast and crew. The Hardy gang is back in action with returning cast Rohan Campbell (Virgin River) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, and Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’. Joining the cast this season are Canadian actors Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’ and Sadie Munroe (Workin’ Moms) as ‘Lucy Wayne’.

The first season of The Hardy Boys received industry-wide recognition, recently earning three Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series, Best Direction, Children’s or Youth and Best Photography, Drama, in addition to a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Young Adult Series, two DGC Award nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and Best Picture Editing, and a CSC Award nomination for Best Cinematography in TV Drama. The Hardy Boys also secured the #1 program spot last spring on YTV* and is currently the #2 streamed YTV show on STACKTV**.

YTV can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP’21 (Jan 4 – May 30/21) confirmed data, 3+ airings, Ind. 2+ AMA(000), YTV

**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting

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A new mystery awaits! Nelvana and Lambur Productions greenlight Season 2 of The Hardy Boys

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content, together with Lambur Productions, have greenlit a second season of its hit mystery series The Hardy Boys (10x60min). Produced by Lambur Productions and Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment, the live-action series based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon will start production in Toronto and Southern Ontario later this month. Following its success on Hulu in the U.S., The Hardy Boys’ inaugural season garnered critical acclaim and established a devoted fan base, claiming the spot of #1 program this Spring on YTV* in Canada. Season 2 will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and YTV in Canada in 2022.

Picking up six months after the events of Season 1, the second season of The Hardy Boys finds Frank and Joe intertwined in yet another complicated mystery when a local Bridgeport teen goes missing and a duplicitous corporation moves into town.

Starring an all-Canadian ensemble cast, Season 2 welcomes back Rohan Campbell (Mech-X4, Virgin River) as Frank Hardy and Alexander Elliot (Detention Adventure, Workin’ Moms) as Joe Hardy. Additional returning cast members include: Keana Lyn as Callie Shaw, Bea Santos as Aunt Trudy, Adam Swain as Chet Morton, Atticus Mitchell as J.B. Cox, Riley O’Donnell as Biff Hooper, Cristian Perri as Phil Cohen, and Janet Porter as Laura Hardy.

The second season of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur and Madeleine Lambur, and Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, in addition to showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon (Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Amanda Vaughan and Kathleen Meek will serve as production executives for Corus.

Season 1 of The Hardy Boys is currently available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. and STACKTV in Canada through Amazon Prime Video Channels.

Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP’21 (Jan 4 – May 30/21) confirmed data, 3+ airings, Ind. 2+ AMA(000), YTV

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