TORONTO – The U.S. television writers strike is proving to be an opportunity for Canadian producers.
Today, CTV announced its new show, The Listener, a drama from Shaftesbury Films, will also air on NBC in the United States. It’s the second time this week a CTV-developed Canadian series has been picked up for broadcast on a major U.S. network in primetime. CBS picked up Flashpoint earlier this week.
Produced by Toronto’s Shaftesbury films, The Listener tells the story of a young man who can read people’s thoughts, and acts on them. It’s the first drama series from Shaftesbury Films to be broadcast in primetime on American network television. NBC has ordered 13 episodes of the one-hour drama series, which was green-lit by CTV last December. Set in Toronto, The Listener is currently in pre-production with shooting set to begin this spring.
"Two different series, two different American networks, two different producers – one huge success for CTV’s original development team," said Susanne Boyce, president, creative, content and channels, in a release. "It’s been an incredible week. Canadian television stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best content in the world. We have a long and successful relationship with Shaftesbury Films and we are proud to partner with them on bringing The Listener to such a wide audience."
In The Listener, Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, In God’s Country) is a young big-city paramedic with the power to listen to people’s thoughts. With his paramedic partner and best bud Osman Bey (Ennis Esmer, host of The Toronto Show) along for the ride, Toby juggles life as a telepathic sleuth with that of an urban twentysomething.
