Worldwide Success Story and #1 Home-Grown Hit CARDINAL Returns for Season 2, Thursdays at 9 p.m. beginning January 4 on CTV and CTV GO

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– The first cycle of CARDINAL was the most-watched new Canadian drama series of 2016/17 and resonated internationally with critical acclaim and ratings success in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, and Australia, among others –
– Series leads Golden Globe^® nominee Billy Campbell and multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse return as detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme –
– CARDINAL also returns to Super Écran day-and-date with CTV –
– Click HERE to watch the Season 2 trailer –

"…it's a consistently intriguing thriller, its appeal ensured by the bone-chilling glories of the scenery." – Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Wall Street Journal

"The jousting and bonding between the senior Anglo investigator and his younger French-Canadian partner gives Cardinal emotional depth." – Bill Keveney, USA Today 

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/2AFZbao

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2017 /CNW/ - CTV officially announced today that CARDINAL, the international success and #1 new Canadian drama series of the 2016/17 broadcast season, returns for a gripping Season 2 on January 4. Strategically scheduled in a Thursday night timeslot immediately following the two biggest shows on television, THE BIG BANG THEORY (8 p.m.) and YOUNG SHELDON (8:30 p.m.), the critically acclaimed series airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, following a CraveTV^TM FIRST LOOK streaming beginning Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. CARDINAL is also set to premiere on Super Écran day-and-date with CTV. 

Viewers can catch up on Season 1 now on CraveTV^TM and in a six-part television event beginning Monday, Dec. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two and CTV.ca. Click HERE for the Season 2 trailer.

Directed by Jeff Renfroe (ROGUE), Season 2 of the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) award-winning series stars Golden Globe^®-nominee Billy Campbell (THE KILLING) as John Cardinal and the multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse (REVENGE) as Detective Lise Delorme, as they weave through an intricate investigation that exposes the seedy underbelly of picturesque Algonquin Bay.

Cycle 1 of CARDINAL garnered a worldwide audience after Entertainment One (eOne) successfully licensed the series internationally to more than 100 territories, with additional sales still pending. For eOne, the series has been a hit with international audiences, debuting to critical acclaim and strong ratings. International sales include: Hulu in the U.S., BBC Four  in the UK, and Canal Plus in France, Telekom in Germany, Calle 13 in Spain, C More in Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway), and SBS in Australia, to name a few.

**MEDIA NOTE**

• Season 2 Episode 1 entitled "Red" available in its entirety for media review HERE.
• Interview opportunities are available with series leads, ensemble cast, and producers today (Wednesday, Nov. 29), as they wrap filming Season 3 in Toronto.
• Download press kit and photos of CARDINAL at BellMedia.ca/PR.

"This is a proven event series anchoring Thursday nights," said Mike Cosentino, President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. "We're looking forward to the season one momentum continuing into January."

CARDINAL picks up several months after the events of Season 1. It's early summer in Algonquin Bay and the blackflies aren't the only ones out for blood. Detectives John Cardinal (Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Vanasse) find themselves with a strange case on their hands involving a young woman with a gunshot wound to the head. The investigation quickly takes a turn as Cardinal and Delorme uncover a series of disturbing, ritualistic killings that may be connected to their young victim. Cardinal must work to identify the young woman before her attacker strikes again.

Joining Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse in Season 2 of CARDINAL is an all-star supporting cast that includes Bruce Ramsay (19-2) as Ray Northwind, Alex Paxton-Beesley (PURE) as Red, Jonathan Keltz (REIGN) as Kevin Tait, Kevin Hanchard (ORPHAN BLACK) as Detective Alan Clegg, Kris Holden-Ried (VIKINGS) as Scott Lasalle, and Dan Petronijevic (19-2) as Leon Rutkowsky.

Returning cast members include Deborah Hay (The Anniversary) as Catherine Cardinal, Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls) as Det. Jerry Commanda, Kristen Thomson (Away From Her) as Staff Sergeant Noelle Dyson, David Richmond-Peck (ORPHAN BLACK) as Corporal Malcolm Musgrave, and Alanna Bale (PRIME RADICALS) as Kelly Cardinal. 

In the premiere episode (available for media review here), entitled "Red" (Thursday, Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO), Detective Jerry Commanda (Glen Gould) finds a confused, red-haired woman alone at a roadside bar with a bullet in her head. Red (Alex Paxton-Beesley) has no memory of who she is, how she got there, or who shot her. Even after the bullet is removed, she can't remember anything. Commanda turns the case over to Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme, who must protect Red while trying to uncover her identity and shooter.

CARDINAL is produced by Sienna Films and eOne in association with CTV, with the financial participation of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, the Canada Media Fund, and the Cogeco Program Development Fund; and with the assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Super Écran has commissioned the series for French-language Canadian broadcast. eOne distributes the series worldwide.

CARDINAL is adapted from the John Cardinal Mysteries series, a series of six bestselling crime novels written by Giles Blunt. Sarah Dodd (MOTIVE, RANSOM) serves as an Executive Producer and writer for Cycle 2. Jennica Harper (MOTIVE), Alison Bingeman (19-2), and Jeff Renfroe co-executive produce the series, with Renfroe directing all six episodes. The drama is executive produced by Sienna Films duo Julia Sereny and Jennifer Kawaja (COMBAT HOSPITAL). For eOne, Jocelyn Hamilton and Armand Leo serve as Executive Producers. For Bell Media, Michele McMahon is Production Executive; Tom Hastings is Director, Original Programming; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Original Programming; Pat DiVittorio is Vice-President, Programming, CTV and Specialty. Mike Cosentino is President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Bell Media.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CardinalCTV 
Billy Campbell – @WOCampbell
Karine Vanasse – @karinevanasse 
Alex Paxton Beesley – @baxtonpeesley
Jonathan Keltz – @jonnykanyon 
Kris Holden Ried – @KrisHolden_Ried
Kevin Hanchard – @kevinhanchard 
Glen Gould – @glen_gould 
David Richmond-Peck – @richmondpeck

Facebook:
facebook.com/CardinalCTV/
facebook.com/SuperEcran

About Bell Media Original Programming
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include the hit drama CARDINAL, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA and MASTERCHEF CANADA, new original series THE DISAPPEARANCE, THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, and THE DETAIL, and the upcoming international TV format THE LAUNCH. Among the original series on Bell Media specialty and streaming platforms are Space's KILLJOYS and WYNONNA EARP; CraveTV hit comedy LETTERKENNY; Discovery's first-ever drama FRONTIER; Comedy's satirical news series THE BEAVERTON as well as the upcoming CORNER GAS ANIMATED; and multiple series and specials for food and lifestyle channel Gusto, including ONE WORLD KITCHEN. Discovery is also home to Bell Media's hit factual franchise HIGHWAY THRU HELL, HEAVY RESCUE: 401, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. Bell Media is one of the first media companies in North America to commit to producing all new original scripted series in 4K.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 16 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Source: Numeris, 2016/17 FWS (Sep 19, 2016 – May 21, 2017), P2+. Final data.

SOURCE CTV

Jessica Charbonneau, CTV Networks, 416.384.3016 or [email protected]; Allie Page, CTV Networks, 416.384.4596 or [email protected]