King (2011 TV series)

This article is about the Canadian police drama. For the Canadian children's show, see King (2003 TV series).
King
Genre Police procedural
Created by Bernard Zukerman
Greg Spottiswood
Starring Amy Price-Francis
Alan van Sprang
Gabriel Hogan
Tony Nardi
Ali Kazmi
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 21
Production
Executive producer(s) Bernard Zukerman
Greg Spottiswood
Location(s) Toronto, Ontario
Production company(s) Indian Grove Productions
Beta Films
Shaw Media
Release
Original network Showcase
Original release April 17, 2011 (2011-04-17) – May 25, 2012 (2012-05-25)
External links
Website
Production website

King is a Canadian police drama which premiered April 17, 2011 on Showcase. The series stars Amy Price-Francis as Jessica King, a veteran police officer who gets promoted to head of the Major Crimes Task Force in Toronto after her predecessor has a breakdown on television. Season 2 began production in September 2011 and premiered 29 February 2012.[1]

On June 2, 2012, it was reported that King had been cancelled after 2 seasons.[2]

Cast

Production

King was created by and is executive produced by Bernard Zukerman and Greg Spottiswood and is produced by Indian Grove Productions in association with Shaw Media.[3] The show is filmed in Toronto making use of a combination of on-location shooting and the soundstages of Dufferin Gate Productions.[4] Filming of the first season began in November 2010 and was scheduled to conclude in February 2011.[4] The first two episodes of the show were directed by Clark Johnson.[3] In speaking of the casting Johnson said that they had seen many actresses before Amy Price-Francis auditioned and that prior to her audition he wasn't convinced she was right for the role but she "just became the character" and now "she completely embodies this character" much like what happened with Michael Chiklis on The Shield, another pilot that he directed.[5] The first season has eight episodes.[6] Filming of season 2 is scheduled for 29 September 2011 through 30 March 2012 with post-production completed by 17 April 2012.[7]

Broadcast

The series premiered April 17, 2011 on Showcase in Canada, on May 19, 2011 it was announced that King will be shown on Séries+ for French-speaking Canadians.[8] Shaw Media announced the renewal of the show on May 31, scheduling season two for a winter premiere on Showcase.[9] The series was picked up by M6 for broadcast in France.[8] The show premiered in Australia on TV1 in January 2012. The series has been picked up by the Universal Channel in the UK and premiered on April 5, 2012.[10] The show premiered in The Netherlands on Net 5 on March 4, 2012. In Germany the series premiered on VOX on October 17, 2012 with 1.17 million viewers and a total in sharing of 2,58 million viewers, making it the highest rated TV-programming in this slot on date. It was announced on June 18, 2013, that the series will air on Reelz in the United States starting on July 5, 2013.[11]

Episode list

Season 1 (2011)

Total # Title Directed by Written by Original air date Canadian
viewers
11"Lori Gilbert"Clark JohnsonGreg SpottiswoodApril 17, 2011 (2011-04-17)N/A
Chief Graci tells Jess King that she has been put in charge of the Major Crimes Task Force. King must prove herself quickly by finding a missing girl.
22"T-Bone"Clark JohnsonDavid BarlowApril 24, 2011 (2011-04-24)207 000[12]
King gambles that a jailed biker, apparently willing to go undercover, can help her solve some drug-trafficking murders that the Drug Squad has only further tangled up for her.
33"Amanda Jacobs"Jerry CiccorittiEmily Andras and Alex LevineMay 1, 2011 (2011-05-01)129 000[13]
When a detective refutes a girl's claim that she was a victim of the Riverdale Rapist, King takes over but suspects the sexual predator lurks closer to home.
44"Eleni Demaris"Holly DaleSara B. CooperMay 8, 2011 (2011-05-08)213 000[14]
When one of the team's detectives is beaten during a home invasion, King has to team up with a Robbery Squad detective she doesn't trust.
55"Farah Elliot"TW PeacockeEmily AndrasMay 15, 2011 (2011-05-15)N/A
King discovers that a killer, whom she couldn't amass enough evidence against to convict, is back in Toronto. This time, she goes to career-risking lengths to nab him.
66"Ahmad Khan"Don McBreartyJennifer Kennedy & David BarlowMay 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)163 000[15]
A university bio-chemistry professor's found murdered, and not just his religion but his sexuality complicate the list of usual suspects.
77"Cameron Bell"Phil EarnshawAlex LevineMay 29, 2011 (2011-05-29)167 000[16]
A video emerges of an officer, the partner of King's husband, beating an informant. King is given the suspended pair's ongoing case--a murder at a skating rink.
88"Scout Winter"Jerry CiccorittiGreg SpottiswoodJune 5, 2011 (2011-06-05)137 000[17]
King's put on the headline-grabbing case of the beating of an anti-racist activist, but it turns out that her prime suspect, a skinhead, is a federal agent working undercover.

Season 2 (2012)

Total # Title Directed by Written by Original air date Canadian
viewers
91"Alina Mikute"Jerry CiccorittiAdriana MaggsFebruary 29, 2012 (2012-02-29)109 000[18]
The death of a stripper after a domestic disturbance leaves King and Major Crimes Task Force leading the investigation. The drowned stripper is linked to the son of Jessica's old boss the former chief of police. King like the stripper is 8 weeks pregnant, but unlike the dead girl who is pregnant with the son, Jr.'s child. The father of Jes's kid still is unknown, even though King insists it's her husband Danny's. Danny and Jessica are in the middle of paying off Dannys bookie for the sum of $50,000. To come up with the money they have moved into a condo, and Jes is selling shoes.
102"Josh Simpson"Lee RoseAdam PettleMarch 7, 2012 (2012-03-07)94 000[19]
King and her team investigate the shooting of an officer at an illegal poker game.
113"Jamila Karan"Jerry CiccorittiDavid BarlowMarch 14, 2012 (2012-03-14)64 000[20]
The daughter of a jewellery-buyer is kidnapped. After some other cops interfere in what they didn't know to be a ransom drop-off, the Major Crimes Task Force is brought in to fix things. King becomes worried about her pregnancy.
124"Charlene Francis"Robert LiebermanPatrick TarrMarch 21, 2012 (2012-03-21)54 000[21]
King's ex-husband, a Detective Sergeant (Shawn Doyle), has his car stolen. In the back seat is a computer with case files revealing the identity of an undercover officer.
135"Sunil Sharma"Don McBreartyBrad SimpsonMarch 28, 2012 (2012-03-28)140 000[22]
After a lead detective can't handle the case of a murdered Hindu family, King brings in her team to figure out whether or not it was an honour killing.
146"Freddy Boise"Jerry CiccorittiJohn KrizancApril 4, 2012 (2012-04-04)80 000[23]
A heart goes missing before a transplant and King's team must track it down. King's father falls ill.
157"Jared and Stacey Cooper"George MihalkaGreg SpottiswoodApril 13, 2012 (2012-04-13)49 000[24]
King and her team investigate the apparent murder-suicide of a wife and her MMA-fighter husband. King takes an old woman, arrested for throwing stones at a car, under her wing.
168"Isabelle Toomey"Don McBreartyMorwyn Brebner & Adam PettleApril 20, 2012 (2012-04-20)79 000[25]
Chief Graci asks King to look into a 15-year cold case that still haunts him, taking her away from preparations for Thanksgiving dinner with her family.
179"Chris Harris"Lee RoseDavid BarlowApril 27, 2012 (2012-04-27)60 000[26]
Evans discovers that false testimony may have been given in her brother's murder trial. King finds out why healthy pregnancies are unlikely for her as long as she's with Danny.
1810"Alicia Pratta"Jerry CiccorittiCharlotte Corbeil-Coleman & Greg SpottiswoodMay 4, 2012 (2012-05-04)42 000[27]
King and her team investigate the sexual assault of the daughter of a woman whose own sexual assault, years earlier, was mishandled by the Winnipeg police. King and Danny start the adoption process.
1911"Justice Calvin Faulkner"Don McBreartyBrad Simpson & Patrick TarrMay 11, 2012 (2012-05-11)58 000[28]
King must contain a scandal and delve into the messy personal life of a Family Court Judge after he’s found strangled with a negligee.
2012"Aurora O'Donnell"Jerry CiccorittiRaymond StoreyMay 18, 2012 (2012-05-18)87 000[29]
Aurora O'Donnell's 911 call leads police to a corpse-dumping ground north of the city. King and her team must find the serial killer responsible.
2113"Wendy Stetler"Don McBreartyGreg SpottiswoodMay 25, 2012 (2012-05-25)TBA
Scott Spivak is dead, but King is convinced his uncle is responsible for some of the Lake Road killings. But with no evidence, another suspect, and turmoil in her personal life, can she close the case?

DVD release

On 6 March 2012, Entertainment One released season 1 on DVD in Canada only.[30]

Reception

Bill Brioux notes that King is one of many new shows premiering in April 2011 which is making April to be the "new September", the traditional time for premiering new series in North America. "Spring really is the new fall on specialty channels."[31] In reviewing the first episode Brioux found it "seemed pretty seen-it-before" but that Amy Price-Francis "has sass and sparkle which should enliven a drama with a bit of a dark comedy tone."[32] Cassandra Szklarski points out that with the "recent explosion in Hogtown-based series" such as Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, and The Listener the unique spin of setting a cop drama in Toronto is no longer so unique. Szklarski admits that King is another "urban whodunit" but that it goes about it from a distinctively female point of view.[33] Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald found the fallibility of the character Derek Spears to be "what promises to give King its continued dramatic tension."[34] Bill Harris of Quebecor Media found King is "not a cookie-cutter police procedural" in that DS King's personal life is a significant part of the show.[35]

References

  1. "Schedule - Episodes - showcase.ca (King - Alina Minukte)". Shaw Media. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. "King: Cancelled, No Season Three [report]". TV Series Finale. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 "REIGNING HER WAY" (PDF) (Press release). Shaw Media. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  4. 1 2 Vlessing, Ethan (9 November 2011). "King in production in Toronto". Playback. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  5. Ryan, Andrew (30 November 2010). "Clark Johnson: The King maker". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  6. Vlessing, Ethan (8 November 2010). "Danny Glover, Bruce Greenwood Topline 'Donovan's Echo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  7. "DCA Ontario Rumours/Upcoming Productions" (PDF). Directors Guild of Canada. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. 1 2 Yeo, Debra (2011-05-19). "A new King for France - TV - Toronto.com". toronto.com. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  9. "Shaw Media Unveils 2011/12 Programming Lineup For Its Specialty Channels" (PDF) (Press release). Shaw Media. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  10. Munn, Patrick (March 12, 2012). "Exclusive: Universal Channel Acquires UK Rights To King". TVWise. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  11. "Crime Drama Series "King" Makes Its U.S. Premiere Friday, July 5, 2013 at 10PM ET/ 7PM PT". The Futon Critic. June 18, 2013.
  12. Brioux, Bill (27 April 2011). "Take me to your ratings leaders". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  13. Brioux, Bill (5 May 2011). "Ratings across Canada show Canucks in control (in subsequent comment)". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  14. Brioux, Bill (11 May 2011). "The Brioux Report: Big bang Beats Canucks, Race To Top". Toronto.com. Torstar. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  15. Brioux, Bill (25 May 2011). "The Brioux Report: Oprah's Exist Up, But It's No Big Bang In Canada". Toronto.com. Torstar. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  16. Brioux, Bill (1 June 2011). "The Brioux Report: Oprah, Idol, Dancing Finales No Match For Canucks". Toronto.com. Torstar. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  17. Brioux, Bill (8 June 2011). "The Brioux Report: Hockey Rules As Summer Hiccups Hit Schedules". Toronto.com. Torstar. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  18. Brioux, Bill (7 March 2012). "The Brioux Report: Canada's Got Ratings". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  19. Brioux, Bill (14 March 2012). "The Brioux Report: Big Bang wins another week". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  20. Brioux, Bill (21 March 2012). "The Brioux Report: Big Bang goes missing". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  21. Brioux, Bill (28 March 2012). "The Brioux Report: old favourites Survivor, Amazing Race, Idol, NCIS and CSI dominate". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  22. Brioux, Bill (3 April 2012). "The Brioux Report: Big Bang easily tops Junos, Sun News gets lift from political boxing stunt show". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  23. Brioux, Bill (11 April 2012). "The Brioux Report: Big Bang's Easter Miracle". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  24. Brioux, Bill (17 April 2012). "The Brioux Report: Stanley Cup fever". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  25. Brioux, Bill (24 April 2012). "The Brioux Report: Canucks exit impacts CBC". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  26. Brioux, Bill (2 May 2012). "The Brioux Report: CBC and TSN see second round slump for Stanley Cup ratings". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  27. Brioux, Bill (9 May 2012). "The Brioux Report: wrong teams, afternoon schedule has hammered hockey ratings". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  28. Brioux, Bill (16 May 2012). "The Brioux Report: 4 Mil+ say 'I do' to Big Bang". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  29. Brioux, Bill (26 May 2012). "The Brioux Report: rare win for Grey's Anatomy". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  30. Lambert, David (31 January 2012). "King - Canada's 2011 Police Drama is Scheduled for DVD Up North". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  31. Brioux, Bill (29 March 2011). "April is the new September". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  32. Brioux, Bill (20 April 2011). "Showcase hopes XIII its lucky number". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  33. Szklarski, Cassandra (14 April 2011). "Brash female police boss joins cop dramas". Metro News. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  34. Volmers, Eric (13 April 2011). "Fit for a King: Local actor stars in new cop drama". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  35. Harris, Bill (13 April 2011). "'King' star pulls off daunting role". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

External links

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