The show's format mixed between elements of a police drama and comedy, derived from the stereotypical differences between Canadian and American culture at the time. It also included elements of fantasy derived from Gross' character being visited by the memory of his father who often provides mixed advice on situations. The series itself was mostly filmed in Toronto, and was assisted with financing on later seasons by the BBC, which aired episodes on British television.
History
Due South originally debuted as a television movie on CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States.[5] After higher-than-anticipated ratings, Due South was turned into a continuing drama series in 1994. It was the first Canadian-made series to have a prime time slot on a major US network.[6]
After the 24-episode first season, CBS cancelled the series,[7] but the show's success in Canada and the United Kingdom enabled the production company to raise enough money to mount a second thirteen-episode season, which ran from 1995 to 1996. The show was once again shown on CBS in late 1995 after many fall shows had failed (CBS ordered an additional five episodes, raising the number to eighteen, but broadcast only four of them), but CBS did not renew the series.[7]
After a one-year hiatus, CTV revived the series in 1997 with international investment (from the BBC, ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, and TF1), and it ran for two further seasons, until 1999.[8] In the United States, seasons three and four were packaged together as a single 26-episode season for syndication. Despite critical acclaim and a consistently warm reception by American audiences, Due South never became a huge hit in the United States; however, it was one of the most highly rated regular series ever broadcast by a Canadian network. The show remains popular in the United Kingdom, and became one of the few non-British shows to have a prime-time weeknight slot on BBC One.[9]
UK
In the UK, Due South was first broadcast on Tuesday May 9, 1995, earning critical acclaim with comparisons to Northern Exposure and ratings of over eight million. The series continued on either a Tuesday or Friday every week except August until November 28, 1995. Season two was broadcast on Saturday nights from July 27, 1996 and fared similarly well, but was pulled from the schedules in mid October, with Noel's House Party taking its slot. The remaining 6 episodes were shown in January 1997, with the last episode going out on Easter Monday.[10] The series was given a full repeat during the 1997 summer holidays each weekday morning.
The BBC helped co-finance the third series, however the BBC struggled to find a suitable slot on Saturday nights, with only six episodes being broadcast from May - July, with three further episodes before Christmas 1998, and a further two in early January 1999. From May 1999,[11] the remaining episodes from series 3 and all of series 4 were broadcast until November 1999,[12] on BBC Two and consistently performed well, with ratings of over two million viewers, regularly appearing in the top-ten weekly shows for the channel. Upon the end of the series in 1999, BBC Two immediately began to screen repeats, and the series[13]ITV3 rescreened the series in 2006, while BBC Two from October 18, 2010, give the series another repeat run.[14] A rerun on digital channel True Entertainment began on October 10, 2014, with the pilot, with regular-series episodes following on weekdays from October 13. When True Entertainment closed mid-2019 it was replaced with Sony Channel where the series was broadcast in full commencing late 2020.
The premise of the series centres on the exploits of Constable Benton Fraser, an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who travels south to Chicago to initially solve the murder of his father, Sergeant Robert Fraser. However, during his investigation he inadvertently stumbles upon a scheme by several corrupt members of the RCMP that results in the shutdown of a new dam and the loss of many jobs, resulting in him being permanently stationed as a liaison officer in the Canadian consulate, which is depicted as a stand-alone building rather than as the 24th floor of Two Prudential Plaza. During his time in Chicago, Fraser works alongside Detective Raymond Vecchio - a tough, streetwise cop - in solving a series of cases around the city and occasionally across the border in Canada. After the second season, Fraser is forced to work alongside a second partner, Stanley Raymond Kowalski, who poses as Vecchio after he leaves to assist in an undercover operation.
Fraser often differs in his manners, including his politeness and honesty, and his methods of solving crimes, but is determined and dogged in pursuing and bringing down suspects, including his ability to predict where they might attempt to escape. Alongside his partner in the Chicago Police Department, Fraser is accompanied at times by a deaf lip-reading half-wolf named Diefenbaker, whom he adopted after the canine saved his life. After the first episode, Fraser finds himself visited by the ghost of his father Robert, whom only he can see, often providing mixed advice on his cases - with Robert appearing at random, infrequent moments up until the third series. The ghost then appears more frequently, only within the wardrobe of his son's office at the consulate; anyone else who tries to follow merely finds Fraser.
Due South: The Official Companion by Geoff Tibballs was published in May 1998 containing basic information on the series and cast and brief episodes synopses up to the end of the third season. Another illustrated companion, Due South: The Official Guide by John A. Macdonald was published in December 1998. It contains some interviews with the characters and bios of the cast.
Four paperback novelizations by Tom McGregor were published in the UK; these were:
Death in the Wilderness (1996), based on the pilot movie
An Invitation to Romance (1996), based on the episodes "An Invitation to Romance" and "Gift of the Wheelman"
Vaulting North (1997), based on "North" and "Vault"
All the Queen's Horses (1997), based on "All the Queen's Horses" and "Red, White or Blue"
Videos
The pilot two-hour movie was originally released on VHS in 1996, but individual episodes had been released prior to this throughout 1995 on VHS with two episodes per tape. In 1998, the season three and the season four two-part finales were released. In November 2002, the Due South Giftset was released containing the pilot movie and episodes Mountie on the Bounty and Call of the Wild.
DVD releases
Alliance Atlantis released all 4 seasons on DVD in Canada only. The pilot episode is included on the third season release as a bonus feature.[17]
In the US, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released the series on DVD in 2005. Seasons 3 and 4 were released together as Due South: Season 3. They also released a series set on May 6, 2008. In 2011, Echo Bridge released the final two episodes, "Call Of The Wild" parts one & two, on a single DVD. In 2014, they released an eight-disk set of all four seasons, allegedly with inferior video quality to the original releases.
In Region 2, Network released the series on DVD in the UK. Seasons 3 and 4 were released together as Due South: The Complete Third Series.
In Region 4, Madman Entertainment released the series on DVD in Australia. Seasons 3 and 4 were released as Due South: Season 3.
DVD Name
Ep#
Release dates
Region 1 (Canada)
Region 1 (US)
Region 2
Region 4
Due South: Season 1
22
November 26, 2002
November 23, 2005
January 30, 2006
August 16, 2006
Due South: Season 2
18
August 5, 2003
August 30, 2005
May 29, 2006
September 29, 2007
Due South: Season 3
26
September 21, 2004
November 11, 2005
September 4, 2006
June 30, 2009
Due South: The Complete Series
68
N/A
May 6, 2008
October 23, 2006
N/A
Streaming
As of 2017, the show has begun streaming online for free on Canada Media Fund's Encore+YouTube Channel. (Season 1 & 2). Due South is also available on Gem, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's streaming app. It is also available on Netflix in Canada.
Soundtrack
The producers of Due South sought to showcase various Canadian artists within the show's episodes, with many of the featured tracks released the CD soundtrack Due South: The Original Television Soundtrack (1996). Sarah McLachlan's music was most prominently featured with no fewer than seven songs over the full run of the series; other recurring artists included The Headstones, Loreena McKennitt and Colin James. "The Blue Line" (episode #1.16) featured "The Hockey Theme", the longtime theme song of CBC Television's sports series Hockey Night in Canada.
The show's theme was written and composed by Jay Semko of The Northern Pikes (who recorded a version of the song with lyrics, played during the show's closing credits) working with Jack Lenz and John McCarthy. Semko also scored the first two seasons of Due South.[18] In November 1996, the first album was released, including an in-character soliloquy by Paul Gross on the subject of bravery, taken directly from the episode "An Eye for an Eye".
When the show returned for its third season, Semko returned to complete the second soundtrack.[18] The second soundtrack album, Due South, Volume II: The Original Television Soundtrack, was released in June 1998. Both albums are filled largely with the vocals used in the series.
Due South: The Original Television Soundtrack (1996)
The final scene of the series was set to Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage", a classic Canadian folk song that has been referred to as an unofficial Canadian anthem.[19]
Due South, Volume II: The Original Television Soundtrack (1998)
Due South, Volume II: The Original Television Soundtrack was the second soundtrack album for the Canadian television series Due South, released by Nettwerk Records on June 2, 1998.[21]
Over the three-season run of the series, Due South and its cast and crew earned a number of awards. Most significantly, the show earned 53 Canadian Gemini nominations, winning 15, including Best Dramatic TV series three years running (1995–1997), Paul Gross winning Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role two years running (1995–1996) and creator Paul Haggis winning Best Writing in a Dramatic Series the same two years.
Winner
Award
Paul Gross
Gemini, Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (1995)
Gemini, Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (1996)
Gordon Pinsent
Gemini, Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series (1996)
Gemini, Earle Grey Award (1997)
Brent Carver
Gemini, Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role Dramatic Series (1998)
Wendy Crewson
Gemini, Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role Dramatic Series (1998)
Production Awards
Gemini, Best Dramatic TV Series - (Paul Haggis, Kathy Slevin, Jeff King) (1995)
Gemini, Best TV Movie - (Paul Haggis, Jean Desormeaux, Jeff King) (1995)
Gemini, Best Writing in a Dramatic Series (Kathy Slevin and Paul Haggis for The Pilot) (1995)
Gemini, Best Dramatic Series - (Paul Haggis, Jeff King, Kathy Slevin, George Bloomfield) (1996)
Gemini, Best Writing in a Dramatic Series - (Paul Haggis and David Shore for Hawk and a Handsaw) (1996)
Gemini, Best Direction in a Dramatic or Series - (Jerry Ciccoritti for Gift of the Wheelman) (1996)
Gemini, Best Sound - (Brian Avery, Allen Ormerod, Keith Elliot, Michael Werth, Jann Delpuech for Victoria's Secret) (1996)
Gemini, Best Dramatic Series - (Jeff King and Bob Wertheimer) (1997)
Gemini, Best Writing in a Dramatic Series - (Paul Gross, Robert B. Carney, John Krizanc for Mountie on the Bounty - Part 2) (1998)
Gemini, Best Visual Effects - (Jon Campfens, Barb Benoit, John Cox, Mark Savela for Call of the Wild, Part 2) (1999)
Critical reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2020)
Fraser's methods, usually more sensitive and understanding than is typical for police work, gave the series a reputation for well-rounded characters.[22]Variety critic Adam Sandler praised the acting of Gross and Marciano and attributed the "show’s charm" to the writers' development of the two lead characters' relationship.[23] It was named as one of TV's most underrated shows by The Guardian,[24] and Empire critic William Thomas reviewed season 1 and concluded that "At its worst, Due South is a witty and well-written genre hit; at its best, it’s one of the most original and quietly influential shows of the mid-’90s."[25]
A reviewer from the Los Angeles Times was less positive, finding the show's portrayal of RCMP officers unrealistic and unfunny.[26]
Fan conventions
A number of fan conventions were organized by Due South fans during the 1990s, the biggest and best-known of which was "RCW 139", so named after the license plate number that recurred throughout the series. RCW 139 was held annually in Toronto between 1996 and 1999, attracting approximately 300 fans from more than 10 countries in both 1998 and 1999. The convention featured games, discussion panels, a formal dinner, and guest panels. Numerous cast and crew members have attended, including David Marciano (1998), Paul Gross (1999), Gordon Pinsent (1998), Tom Melissis (1997, 1998, 1999), Tony Craig (1997), Catherine Bruhier (1998, 1999) and Jay Semko (1998, 1999). Draco (Diefenbaker) and his trainer, Gail Parker, were guests in both 1998 and 1999.
After a nine-year hiatus, the convention was revived in 2008, with guest panels from David Marciano, Jay Semko, Tom Melissis, Catherine Bruhier, and Gail Parker with Cinder, Draco's sister and stunt-double. Another convention was held in August 2010, with Paul Gross, Jay Semko, Tom Melissis, Camilla Scott, Tony Craig, Catherine Bruhier, and Ramona Milano.
RCW 139: From a Million Miles was held from August 17–19, 2012 in Toronto. This event included tours and dining in the Distillery District of Toronto and the Patrician Grill, both of which were frequently used for location filming.[27]
RCW 139: Thank You Kindly was held from August 15–17, 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Due South. Catherine Bruhier, Ramona Milano, Tom Melissis, and Tony Craig, along with guest star Lisa Jakub ("Chicago Holiday" [#1.07/1.08]), appeared on the cast panel; assistant directors Michael Bowman and Woody Sidarous, costume supervisor Alex Kavanagh, and prop master Craig Williams formed the crew panel. Paul Haggis made an appearance via Skype chat. Included in the activities were a tour of the Distillery District, a bus tour of filming locations, a game of "Due South Jeopardy", and a charity auction of props, scripts, costume pieces, and other series memorabilia.[28] This was the first Due South convention to be webcast for the benefit of fans unable to attend.[29]
In popular culture
In the MMORPGCity of Heroes, budding superheroes could take missions from a Detective Frasenbaker, an apparently superhuman Mountie who moved to the fictional Paragon City while on the trail of his father's killers.
In the Vinyl CafeDave and Morley story, Cousin Dorothy comes to Toronto from England to attend a "Friends of Due South" convention.
The 2010 movie Barney's Version includes a fake TV show called O'Malley of the South starring Paul Gross in a parody of his own character in Due South.
At the conclusion of one episode[episodeneeded] of The Pretender, a series also shot in and around Toronto at the same time as Due South, Miss Parker is asked where she thinks Jarod has gone. She replies that "He has gone South, Due South." The next scene shows Jarod participating in the RCMP Musical Ride.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic flying squirrel Rocket J. ("Rocky") Squirrel and moose Bullwinkle J. Moose. The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, both working for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader. Supporting segments include "Dudley Do-Right", "Peabody's Improbable History", and "Fractured Fairy Tales", among others. The current blanket title was imposed for home video releases more than 40 years after the series originally aired and was never used when the show was televised; television airings of the show were broadcast under the titles of Rocky and His Friends from 1959 to 1961, The Bullwinkle Show from 1961 to 1964, and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in syndication.
Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler. It is the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise and a revival of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. It premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and concluded on August 2, 2015, on MTV Canada. The series centers around a new ensemble cast of students at the fictional Degrassi Community School who face challenges such as sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, date rape, drug abuse, body image, homosexuality, domestic violence, gang violence, self-injury, suicide, abortion, mental disorders and many other issues. Various characters from the previous two series also returned as adults in recurring or guest roles.
Marco Polo is the fourth serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 22 February to 4 April 1964. It was written by John Lucarotti and directed largely by Waris Hussein; John Crockett directed the fourth episode. The story is set in Yuan-era China in the year 1289, where the Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman, and her teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright meet the Italian merchant-explorer Marco Polo and Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan.
Cold Case is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in investigating cold cases, usually homicides.
The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1984. The original members are Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Jay Semko in June 1986. Rob Esch left after the second independent EP Scene In North America (1987?)
Ghostwriter is a children's mystery television series created by Liz Nealon and produced by Children's Television Workshop and BBC Television. The series revolves around a multiethnic group of friends from Brooklyn who solve neighborhood crimes and mysteries as a team of youth detectives with the help of a ghost named Ghostwriter. Ghostwriter can communicate with children only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences. The series was filmed on location in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It began airing on PBS on October 4, 1992, and the last episode aired on February 12, 1995. It reran on Noggin, a channel co-founded by the Children's Television Workshop, from 1999 to 2003.
Benton Fraser is a fictional character and the protagonist of the television series Due South. He is a constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who works in the American city of Chicago, Illinois as Deputy Liaison Officer in the Canadian consulate. He lives in a dangerous neighbourhood at the fictional address of apartment 3J at 221 East Racine, and later at the consulate itself, after his apartment building was burnt down. The character is portrayed by Canadian actor Paul Gross. Fraser's seemingly strange habits, such as tasting evidence, his insistence in wearing old style RCMP uniforms, which drifts to wearing the ceremonial Red Serge uniform on regular duty, and a rigid sense of duty and courtesy, such as holding the door for anyone and everyone, add hilarity and whimsy to the show.
Christopher William Ward is a Canadian songwriter and broadcaster, known as a former long-standing on-air personality at MuchMusic, Canada's music video network, where he and J. D. Roberts were among the first video jockeys in 1984. Ward was a judge on The Next Star which was a Canadian reality television show on YTV.
John Peter "Jay" Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes. He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series Due South. Semko has been nominated for a Juno Award eight times as a member of the Northern Pikes, and also been nominated twice for a Gemini Award, and once for a Canadian Screen Award, and received two awards from the Canadian Music Publishers Association for his songwriting. His hometown is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Due South is a Canadian crime series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, Gordon Pinsent, Beau Starr, Catherine Bruhier, Camilla Scott, Ramona Milano, and later Callum Keith Rennie. It ran for 67 episodes over four seasons, from 1994 to 1999.
Bryan Anthony Potvin is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
John Frederick "Jack" Lenz is a Canadian composer. He has written, performed, and produced music for film, television, and theatre, along with working on non-soundtrack album ventures. He is also the founder of Live Unity Enterprises, an organization devoted to the production of music for the Baháʼí community.
Paul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer born in Calgary, Alberta.
Jay Firestone is a Canadian film and television producer.
Big Blue Sky is the first major label album by The Northern Pikes released in 1987. It featured two hit Canadian singles - "Teenland" (#29) and "Things I Do for Money"(#85).
Call Me Fitz is a Canadian television series produced by E1 Entertainment, Amaze Film & Television, and Big Motion Pictures. The half-hour comedy stars Jason Priestley as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick, a morally bankrupt used-car salesman whose consequence-free life is complicated by the arrival of do-gooder Larry, another salesman who claims he is Fitz's conscience.
Paul Temple is a British-German television series which originally aired on BBC1 between 1969 and 1971. 52 episodes were made over four series, each episode having a running time of around 50 minutes.
John McCarthy is a Canadian composer for film and television. His music has been described as a hybrid of acoustical and electronic elements. McCarthy’s background includes extensive experience in classical, jazz, rock, and world music.
Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (November 25, 1994). "Studly Do-Right". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
↑ Johnson, Allan (December 8, 1995). "Back on the Beat". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
↑ Truss, Lynne (May 10, 1995). "Even Heroes Cannot Always Be Believed". The Times. p.43. When BBC1 moves EastEnders, thereby upsetting the stomach-clocks of millions, there has to be a damn good reason. Last night, EastEnders started 15 minutes early to make way for Due South.
↑ RCW139.org. "Event Details". Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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