Bravo Orders English Adaptation of Hit Quebec Drama 19-2

- English adaptation of award-winning French-Canadian drama set to premiere on Bravo in 2014 -

- 19-2 is co-produced by Montreal's Sphere Media Plus and Echo Media -

"19-2 was the buzz show of the Quebec TV season and with good reason. It's an extraordinary series, a gritty cop drama that has echoes of THE WIRE, HOMICIDE, NYPD BLUE and HILL STREET BLUES." - Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette

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BANFF, AB, June 12, 2013 /CNW/ - Bravo announced today from the Banff World Media Festival that it has ordered 19-2, an English adaptation of popular French-Canadian series of the same name, for broadcast in early 2014. The scripted series is the latest to join Bell Media's ever-growing slate of original specialty productions. Ten, one-hour episodes will be shot in Quebec this fall, to be produced by Montreal's Sphere Media Plus and co-producers Echo Media. Bruce Smith (DURHAM COUNTY) acts as showrunner with Jesse Mckeown (DAVINCI'S INQUEST, ROGUE) serving as co-executive producer. With an average audience of 1.4 million viewers, 19-2 was a monster hit in Quebec, where the series premiered in 2011 and consistently won its timeslot in the A25-54 demo.

A richly-nuanced character-driven drama, 19-2 follows the lives of patrol officers Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso, FALLING SKIES) and Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes, ARROW). Nick is a veteran on Montreal's urban police force and has just returned from a three-month leave following the traumatic shooting of his partner. On his first day back, he is unhappy to learn he has been partnered with Ben, who has just transferred from a small town to restart his life in the big city. Both men are good cops, who deeply care about the job, yet struggle to move beyond painful events in their past. Ben and Nick must attempt to put their differences aside as their lives further intertwine, both professionally and personally, and continue to take surprising and dramatic turns.

"Fuelled by a terrific cast and strong storylines, we're tremendously excited to add 19-2 to the Bravo lineup," said Catherine MacLeod, Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. "We are confident that our partnership with Sphere Media Plus and Echo Media on this project will deliver a series that audiences will be fully engaged in."

"It's a great pleasure to be collaborating for the first time with Bravo and Bell Media," said Jocelyn Deschênes, President Sphere Media Plus. "19-2 is an unprecedented hit in Quebec, and we're sure Bravo viewers will love this adaptation."

"We are very proud to bring 19-2 to a larger audience," said Luc Chatelain, President Echo Media. "Viewers will be compelled by Nick and Ben's stories and the intimate lives of the police officers brought to life by this talented ensemble cast."

19-2 is co-produced by Sphere Media Plus and Echo Media in association with Bravo. Executive producers are Jocelyn Deschênes and Carolyn Newman from Sphere Media Plus and Luc Chatelain from Echo Media. Showrunner Bruce Smith (DURHAM COUNTY) also acts as writer, with Jesse Mckeown (DAVINCI'S INQUEST, ROGUE) and Virginia Rankin as co-executive producers. Supervising Director is Louis Choquette. Production Executives for Bell Media are Gosia Kamela and Tom Hastings. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

About Sphere Media
Headquartered in the Montreal area, Sphere Media Plus has established itself as a major player in television production. Founded by Jocelyn Deschênes in 1997, the company has earned universal acclaim for the boldness, originality and quality of its productions. With nearly 975 hours of series television to its credit - including successful high-end series like MIRADOR, VICE CACHÉ and RUMEURS - the company offers primetime programming that is attractive to viewers and contemporary in outlook.

Sphere Media Plus productions have been sold or adapted in a variety of international markets. In Canada, the company's programs have been seen on the Radio-Canada, TVA, CBC and Séries+ networks, and the company has worked on the pilot of Isabel (adapted from the series LE MONDE DE CHARLOTTE) for NBC in the United States. Over the years the company has won numerous industry and people's choice prizes, including more than 95 Prix Gémeaux (TV industry awards).  Sphere Media Plus continues to develop new projects for both the French-and English-speaking markets. Since 2011, the company has had an office in Toronto, confirming its desire to extend its activities across the whole of the North American market. 

About Echo Media
Echo Media is a film and television production company headed by President and Founder Luc Châtelain.  Over the last 30 years Echo Media has produced a rich portfolio of hundreds of hours of programming that have won the hearts of audiences, critics and industry members alike.  The company offers a rich catalogue of award-winning drama series (19-2, FURTHER TALES OF THE CITY); animation series (LIFE ON THE BLOCK, FRED'S HEAD); documentaries (Inside The Cirque du Soleil, 10 x DIX, A Museum in the City, A Cardboard Youth, Building the Future in Haïti, Life is a Highway, Amelia, Les Petits Géants); feature films (Memories Corner; Metallic Blues) youth programming (MIAM!, TOOPY AND BINOO, KID); as well as comedy and HD music and variety events coverage (Cirque Éloize's Rain, Nomade, and Nebbia; Jean Pierre Ferland, Brian Setzer Orchestra).

Nominated for the most prestigious of prizes and festivals, Echo Media is a recipient of numerous awards, notably the Geminis, Gemeaux, ADISQ, Banff Rockie, Montreux Rose d'Or, and International and Primetime Emmys.  Echo Media's productions have been distributed in over 180 countries around the world.

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned and co-produced some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, while working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, and MOTIVE, the #1 new Canadian series of the 2012/13 season. Premiering this summer are relationship comedy SATISFACTION and THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, a Canadian-produced, complementary version of the hit international series. To premiere later in the 2013/14 season are the drama series PLAYED, multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, and hit international format MASTERCHEF CANADA. Among the scripted series on Bell Media specialty channels are the two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the recently renewed ORPHAN BLACK, and upcoming drama BITTEN. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to reality series PANIC BUTTON and BRAVE NEW GIRL, game shows MATCH GAME and POP QUIZ, and factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, and LAST CAR STANDING. In total, Bell Media ordered 27 new original Canadian series in 2012, and put 35 scripted projects into development.

About Bravo
Bravo delivers compelling stories through clever and immersive programming to viewers across Canada. From high-profile dramas to blockbuster feature films, Bravo is home to award-winning entertainment. Bravo is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about Bravo is available at www.bravo.ca.

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Source: BBM Canada, Quebec Franco

SOURCE: Bravo

Laura Catania, Bravo, 416.384.3173 or [email protected]
Sara McLaren, Bell Media Specialty Channels, 416.384.6104 or [email protected]