Killer Secrets: CTV’s Chilling New Dramatic Thriller CARDINAL Anchors Mid-Season Lineup with Jan. 25 Premiere

TORONTO (December 13, 2016) – A harsh winter is in store for Canadians, as CTV’s gripping new original series CARDINAL arrives on Jan. 25, it was announced today. Strategically scheduled in the same timeslot as this fall’s most-watched new series DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, CARDINAL airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, following a CraveTV FIRST LOOK on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The series also airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 26 on Super Écran.   From Entertainment One (eOne) and Sienna Films, CARDINAL is directed by award-winning Montréal director Daniel Grou, aka Podz (19-2, MINUIT LE SOIR), CARDINAL was adapted for television by Canadian Screen Award-winner Aubrey Nealon (ORPHAN BLACK, SAVING HOPE) from award-winning author Giles Blunt’s John Cardinal Mysteries series. The six-part, bone-chilling drama follows Detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell, THE KILLING) on a deadly hunt for a vicious killer in small Northern Ontario town.   Headlining CTV’s action-packed midseason schedule that also includes the return of MASTERCHEF CANADA, the final season of SAVING HOPE, and the series premieres of big-buzz new series TRAINING DAY and TIME AFTER TIME, CARDINAL is squarely positioned to kick off the year as one of the most-anticipated drama debuts of the season. Additional midseason programming and premiere dates will announced in the coming weeks.   **MEDIA NOTE**  

• Digital Press Kit available, complete with behind-the-scenes extras, cast, character and creative team, and episode descriptions.
• Premiere episode entitled “Cardinal” available in its entirety for media review here.
• In advance of the series premiere, interview opportunities are available with leads, ensemble cast, and producers.
• Download photos of CARDINAL at BellMedia.ca/PR.

  “This is an edge of your seat, bone-chilling, event thriller that delivers the drama,” said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, CTV and Specialty. “We’re so proud that CARDINAL can pinch hit for DESIGNATED SURVIVOR during its planned hiatus as we introduce a new era of serialized drama to CTV viewers.”   “We are thrilled that CTV’s unwavering enthusiasm for the show has afforded the series the opportunity to be at the forefront of their midseason programming,” said CARDINAL executive producers Julia Sereny and Jennifer Kawaja.   Featuring Golden Globe^® nominee Billy Campbell (THE KILLING) in the title role, CARDINAL also stars multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse (REVENGE) as his rookie partner, Detective Lise Delorme. The series also stars Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant) as Eric Fraser and Allie MacDonald (YOUNG DRUNK PUNK) as Edie Soames, a young couple in the town. Also appearing are Deborah Hay (The Anniversary) as Cardinal’s wife Catherine; Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls) as fellow officer Jerry Commanda; Kristen Thomson (Away from Her) as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal’s commanding officer; David Richmond Peck (ORPHAN BLACK) as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Alanna Bale (PRIME RADICALS) as Cardinal’s daughter Kelly; and Robert Naylor (19-2) as Keith.   In the premiere episode (available for media review here), entitled “Cardinal” (Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV GO and Thursday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on Super Écran), viewers first meet Cardinal (Billy Campbell) after he’s been demoted for a hunch about a case that he wouldn’t let go. But he is brought back to the Homicide Unit when the body of missing 13-year-old Katie Pine is discovered, proving his instincts correct. As the series unfolds, back on the case, Cardinal’s search for her murderer soon becomes an all-consuming race to stay ahead of a serial killer. Meanwhile, he must manage his own precarious family issues and secrets, and keep a watchful eye on his new partner, Detective Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), who he believes may have her own secret agenda.   CARDINAL is adapted from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries, a series of six, best-selling crime novels written by Ontario native and award-winning author Giles Blunt. The gripping murder mystery was shot in Winter 2016 in Sudbury, Ont., North Bay, Ont., Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario, and Toronto.   CARDINAL is produced by Sienna Films and eOne in association with CTV, and commissioned for French-language Canadian broadcast by Super Écran. CARDINAL is distributed worldwide by eOne. Executive Producers are Julia Sereny and Jennifer Kawaja (COMBAT HOSPITAL) for Sienna Films. The series is also executive produced by Showrunner Aubrey Nealon, who adapted the series for television, and Director Daniel Grou, aka Podz. For Bell Media, Tom Hastings is Director, Drama, Independent Production; and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, CTV and Specialty. Randy Lennox is President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media.