Tag Archives: Allan Hawco

Featured, Son of a Critch

Production begins on Season 4 of CBC’s Son of a Critch

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From a media release:

CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster, and global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), today announced the start of principal photography on the fourth season of the hit original comedy series SON OF A CRITCH (13 x 30) in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The celebrated series was recently recognized with the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards. Based on comedian Mark Critch’s award-winning, best-selling memoir of the same name, SON OF A CRITCH is a heartfelt window into the life of now 14-year-old Mark – much older than his years – coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The new season will premiere winter 2025 on CBC Gem and CBC TV in Canada. Lionsgate handles worldwide distribution rights outside of Canada.

Since the series first premiered in January 2022, SON OF A CRITCH has continued to rank as the most-watched original Canadian comedy in the country and as one of the top 5 most-watched comedies overall in Canada.* It also continues to be one of the most-streamed comedies on CBC Gem.**

In Season 4, Mark begins high school on the cusp of a new decade and finds himself once again at the bottom rung. From his relentless pursuit of his creative dreams to his burgeoning romance with Fox, we’ll watch as Mark navigates a quickly growing world filled with new promise, potential and love. In this new era of video dance parties, political shifts, and digital transformation, Mark won’t be alone in his chase for something greater: his inner circle of family and close friends also finds itself caught up in the winds of change.

“We’re thrilled to roll into the 90s with Mark as he finds his way in high school and are looking forward to sharing this exciting new season with audiences,” say creators, showrunners and executive producers Mark Critch and Tim McAuliffe.

SON OF A CRITCH stars Mark Critch portraying his own father, Mike, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Pinocchio) plays young Mark. Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Entourage) is his grandfather, Pop; Claire Rankin (Stargate Atlantis) plays his mother Mary; Colton Gobbo (Ginny & Georgia) as his older brother Mike Jr; Mark Rivera is his best friend Ritche; and Sophia Powers (Fourth Down and Love) is Fox, now officially Mark’s girlfriend.

Returning cast members include Richard Clarkin as Dick, Nicole Underhay as Fox’s mom Suzanne, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as Father Garcia, and Nora McLellan as Sister Rose.

SON OF A CRITCH was created by showrunners Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Tim McAuliffe (The Office, Last Man on Earth, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and is produced by Project 10 Productions and Hawco Productions in association with CBC and Lionsgate Television. Executive producers are Critch, McAuliffe, Emmy® and Golden Globe® winning producer Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek), and Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle). Perry Chafe and Amanda Joy serve as co-executive producers and John Vatcher is producer. Series directors this season are John Vatcher (Caught), Deanne Foley (Son of a Critch), Joyce Wong (Sort Of), and Vanessa Matsui (Ghost BFF).

Image courtesy of Vaida Nairn.

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Featured, Saint-Pierre

CBC and Allan Hawco’s new production company team up on new original series Saint-Pierre

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From a media release:

CBC and Allan Hawco’s new production company team up on new original series Saint-Pierre.

Hawco Productions and CBC today announced that production is underway on new original series SAINT-PIERRE (10 x 60’), a new episodic police procedural currently filming in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France and St. John’s Newfoundland. SAINT-PIERRE is the creation of Allan Hawco, Robina Lord-Stafford and Perry Chafe, with Hawco and Lord-Stafford as Showrunners. TJ Scott and John Vatcher will each direct two of the first four episodes, with Scott directing the pilot. The series will premiere on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2025 and is produced in association with global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON, which is also handling global distribution on the show.

SAINT-PIERRE’s cast includes French star Josephine Jobert (Death in Paradise) as Arch, Canadian star, Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle, Caught, Jack Ryan) as Fitz, and James Purefoy as Sean Gallagher (Rome, Sex Education, The Following) rounding out the stellar team.

After the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector, Donny Fitzpatrick (Fitz), digs too deeply into a local politician’s nefarious activity, he is exiled to work in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon – the French Territory nestled in the Atlantic Ocean. Fitz’s arrival disrupts the life of Deputy Chief Geneviève Archambault (Arch), a Parisian transplant who is in Saint-Pierre for her own intriguing reasons.

As if by fate, these two seasoned officers — with very different policing skills and approaches — are forced together to solve unique and exciting crimes. Although the islands seem like a quaint tourist destination, the idyllic façade conceals the worst kind of criminal activity, which tend to wash up on its beautiful shores. At first at odds and suspicious of each other, Arch and Fitz soon discover that they are better together.

“Saint-Pierre et Miquelon is a unique place – the islands’ isolated location between North America and Europe makes it an ideal location to go unnoticed by the law, which sets it up to be the perfect place for this story,” says Hawco, Lord-Stafford and Chafe. “We’re excited for audiences to discover these compelling characters in this rarely seen before landscape.”

“SAINT-PIERRE offers audiences a fresh and exciting new procedural led by the talented duo of Allan and Josephine, set in a beautiful location that so many Canadians are curious about,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC. “We look forward to working with Allan, Robina and Hawco Productions to bring Fitz and Arch’s adventures to life onscreen.”

Ava Mustos, Associate Director, Acquisitions at FIFTH SEASON, said: “It’s fantastic to be partnering with Allan Hawco on SAINT-PIERRE, a detective drama with a brilliant blend of mystery and humour, set against the vibrant and unique back drop of France’s Saint-Pierre et Miquelon islands. We’re delighted to have Josephine Jobert – already known to audiences from Death in Paradise – as our co-lead alongside Hawco. The chemistry between them is undeniable and we look forward to introducing audiences around the world to this dynamic, crime-solving duo.”

A CBC original production, SAINT-PIERRE is produced by Hawco Productions in association with global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON. The new series is executive produced by Janine Squires, Erin Sullivan, Robina Lord-Stafford, Perry Chafe, John Vatcher and Hawco.

Image courtesy of Derm Carberry.

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Sullivan's Crossing

New CTV original drama Sullivan’s Crossing premieres March 19

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From a media release:

The longest road travelled is from the head to the heart. CTV announced today that all-new original drama series SULLIVAN’S CROSSING joins the network’s midseason schedule Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning March 19. From the team behind the hit series VIRGIN RIVER, and adapted by executive producer and showrunner Roma Roth from the New York Times bestselling novels by beloved author and Virgin River scribe Robyn Carr, SULLIVAN’S CROSSING stars Morgan Kohan (TRANSPLANT), alongside Chad Michael Murray (ONE TREE HILL), and Scott Patterson (GILMORE GIRLS).

Filmed in Nova Scotia, the 10-episode one-hour drama follows the journey of neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Kohan), whose perfectly planned life is turned upside down after finding herself in unexpected legal troubles. Needing time to reflect, she temporarily leaves her life in Boston taking refuge in her childhood home of Sullivan’s Crossing, a campground in picturesque Nova Scotia that is run by her estranged father, Sully Sullivan (Patterson). There, Maggie must deal with her complicated present while she also navigates her painful past. Further complicating matters is the irritating mysterious newcomer, Cal Jones (Murray), whose presence in Sullivan’s Crossing ultimately will lead Maggie to question her carefully laid plans.

Rounding out the SULLIVAN’S CROSSING cast are actor, singer, and a Companion of the Order of Canada, Tom Jackson (CARDINAL) as Frank Cranebear; actor, singer, songwriter, Andrea Menard (THE VELVET DEVIL) as Edna Cranebear; Lindura (GHOSTS) as Sydney Shandon; Amalia Williamson (NORTHERN RESCUE) as Lola Gunderson; Reid Price (THE SINNER) as Rob Shandon; Allan Hawco (JACK RYAN) as Andrew Mathews; Lynda Boyd (VIRGIN RIVER) as Phoebe Lancaster; Peter Outerbridge (DESIGNATED SURVIVOR) as Walter Lancaster; and Lauren Hammersley (VIRGIN RIVER) as Connie Boyle.

On the series premiere, “Coming Home” (Sunday, March 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app), when neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan’s (Kohan) seemingly perfect life in Boston is turned upside down, she leaves the city and her boyfriend Andrew (Hawco) to return to her childhood home of Sullivan’s Crossing, a picturesque Nova Scotia campground owned by her estranged father, Sully Sullivan (Patterson), whom she hasn’t seen in years. While there, Maggie attempts to reunite with her father as well as her old friends as she butts heads with Cal Jones (Murray), the irritating, yet handsome mysterious stranger who has been helping her father around the campground. But coming home isn’t easy and it brings up memories and feelings Maggie is not ready to face.

Exclusive videos are available throughout the season on @CTV’s social channels and on CTV.ca and the CTV app, providing viewers with an extension of the series with bonus digital content.

Adapted by Showrunner Roma Roth from the New York Times bestselling novels by author Robyn Carr, SULLIVAN’S CROSSING is executive produced by Reel World Management in association with CTV and Fremantle and is an interprovincial co-production with Nova Scotia-based producer Mike Volpe and Ontario based producer Mark Gingras with the participation of Canadian Media Fund, Bell Fund, Cogeco Fund, Screen Nova Scotia, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. SULLIVAN’S CROSSING is distributed internationally by Fremantle.

Showrunner, Roma Roth executive produces alongside Christopher. E. Perry with Mike Volpe and Mark Gingras producing.

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Caught, Featured, Moonshine, Republic of Doyle

Moonshine’s Allan Hawco talks Lidia and Gale in Season 2

Allan Hawco’s appearance on the first season of Moonshine was a surprise for fans of the rookie series, as well as the character of Lidia Bennett. Played by Jennifer Finnigan, Lidia’s attempt to keep the family campground, the Moonshine, out of debt and make a profit meant doing what she hoped was a one-time drug drop for Hawco’s outlaw biker, Gale.

Turns out there’s a lot more dirty dealing—and Gale—in Moonshine.

“[Creator] Sheri Elwood and I were talking about other things, and she asked me point-blank if I wanted to be in it,” Hawco says on the line from Nova Scotia, where filming of Season 3 is currently underway. “We discussed one role that we didn’t feel was the right thing and then she called me back with this other idea that eventually ended up being Gale.”

Returning for its sophomore go-round on CBC this Sunday at 9 p.m., Episode 1, “Three Sisters of Fate,” written and directed by Elwood, picks up just a few days after the Season 1 finale. In it, a mysterious package arrives at the Moonshine, which makes the Finley-Cullen clan question what their goals once were, and if they are still attainable. For Bea (Corrine Koslo) and Ben (Peter MacNeill), that means a career change; for Rhian (Anastasia Phillips), it shapes up to be a career boost; for Nora (Emma Hunter), a committed relationship; for Sammy (Alexander Nunez) a deep dig into his past; and Ryan (Tom Stevens), finding a purpose.

Moonshine‘s strengths, to me, are Elwood’s knack for creating characters that are immediately relatable, a world that is wistful and easily recalled, and a killer soundtrack. Hawco, who has experience with that through Republic of Doyle and Caught, agrees.

“It’s not something that you’re going to see anywhere else,” he says. “Being inside Sheri Elwood’s head is a terrifyingly hilarious place. I love the way she writes, I love her sense of humour and I love her approach to things that we may see situations or scenarios in other circumstances but she treats them with her own lens and it truly feels original.”

But back to Lidia and Gale.

Sunday’s return sees the pair reunite both in Lidia’s mind—there is a hilarious scene where she’s driving and caught up in a fantasy about the denim-clad miscreant—and discussing a new project Gale proposes. Their scenes crackle with energy and animal magnetism. There is no will-they-or-won’t they question for this pair; rather it’s when and how often?

“It’s the most fun, ridiculous experience I’ve ever had,” Hawco says of the fantasy scene he filmed with Finnigan. “Jennifer Finnigan is the most generous actor and a wonderful human being. She is so much fun to play with. We clicked right away. She’s a wonderful leader and she leads the cast with all the spirit you would hope for a No. 1.”

Moonshine airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Industry News, Sullivan's Crossing

Key casting details revealed for upcoming CTV original drama Sullivan’s Crossing

From a media release:

CTV, Fremantle, and Reel World Management announced today the all-star cast joining the new CTV Original drama series, SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. In the lead role of Maggie Sullivan, Canadian actress Morgan Kohan (TRANSPLANT) heads the cast alongside leading actors Chad Michael Murray (ONE TREE HILL) as Cal Jones, and Scott Patterson (GILMORE GIRLS) as Maggie’s estranged father, Sully Sullivan. With production on the 10-episode, one-hour series set to begin this summer in Nova Scotia, also joining the principal cast are actor, singer, and a Companion of the Order of Canada, Tom Jackson (CARDINAL) as Frank Cranebear; actor, singer, songwriter, Andrea Menard (THE VELVET DEVIL) as Edna Cranebear; Lynda Boyd (VIRGIN RIVER) as Phoebe Lancaster; Allan Hawco (JACK RYAN) as Andrew Mathews; and Amalia Williamson (NORTHERN RESCUE) as Lola Gunderson.

Executive produced by Reel World Management in association with CTV and Fremantle, SULLIVAN’S CROSSING is being produced as an interprovincial co-production with Nova Scotia-based producer Mike Volpe and Ontario-based producer Mark Gingras. SULLIVAN’S CROSSING is an adaption of the New York Times bestselling novels by beloved author Robyn Carr, reuniting her with Reel World Management’s Roma Roth and Christopher E. Perry, executive producers of the hit series, VIRGIN RIVER. Fremantle will handle global distribution.

In SULLIVAN’S CROSSING, Neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Kohan) has her world turned upside down when a scandalous incident throws both her personal and professional life into turmoil. She leaves her life in the city and returns to Sullivan’s Crossing, a rural campground and outpost nestled amongst the sweeping vistas and cliffs she once called home, where her estranged father, Sully Sullivan (Patterson), still looks after the day-to-day operations catering to hikers, bikers, and mountain climbers. The 10-episode, hour-long romantic drama sees Maggie navigating her complicated present and confronting her painful past as she attempts to reconnect with a side of herself she had long ago forgotten. Tackling issues including family, community, conflict, loss, and love in a realistic and purposeful way, SULLIVAN’S CROSSING is a series about healing, letting go, and ultimately, opening yourself up to a world of new opportunities

Morgan Kohan
Born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, Morgan Kohan spent her childhood dancing competitively. Her focus quickly shifted to acting once she was accepted into the Triple Threat Program at Randolph Academy in Toronto and upon graduating, she set her sights on film and television. Since then, Kohan has quickly risen in the industry.

Kohan’s starring film projects have been screened across North America, including Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Whistler International Film Festival, and Fantasia Film Festival.

Kohan is most recognized for her work as lead character Lillian Walsh in the Hallmark original series, WHEN HOPE CALLS. Other television credits include guest-starring and recurring roles in Netflix’s YA series, CREEPED OUT, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (CBS All Access), THE BOLD TYPE (Freeform), KIM’S CONVENIENCE (Netflix) and a major recurring role as Evie Beaumont in CBS’s RANSOM. Morgan has also recently been featured on BATWOMAN and CTV’s hit series, TRANSPLANT.

Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray was most recently seen starring alongside Bruce Willis in the film Fortress and its 2022 sequel Fortress: Sniper’s Eye. Previously, Chad amassed a dedicated following for his starring role in several fan-favourite series and films, including the beloved series ONE TREE HILL, GILMORE GIRLS, and DAWSON’S CREEK; and films such as A Cinderella Story and House of Wax. More recently, Chad had recurring roles on The CW’s hit series RIVERDALE and Lee Daniels’ STAR on Fox. He also starred in the critically-acclaimed western film, Outlaws & Angels, which made its debut at Sundance in 2016 and was named by Variety as one of the top films of the festival.

Chad Michael Murray is represented by Innovative Artists and Brillstein Entertainment Partners (JoAnne Colonna).

Scott Patterson
An accomplished actor in film, television, and theatre, Scott Patterson is well-known to television audiences from his seven seasons as diner owner Luke Danes in the hit series GILMORE GIRLS.

Patterson, born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, attended Rutgers University and pursued a degree in comparative literature. He studied acting in New York with renowned coaches Robert Lewis and Sondra Lee and observed Paul Newman, Arthur Penn, and Frank Corsaro at The Actors Studio, where he appeared in numerous productions. The theatre company he founded in 1988 in New York City, Arc Light, produced the works of John Bishop, Sam Shepherd, Harold Pinter, and Shakespeare.

On the big screen, Scott starred as FBI psychological Profiler Agent Peter Strahm in the Saw franchise. He has also appeared in Her Best Move, Little Big League, Three Wishes, Highway 395, and Rhapsody in Bloom.

On television, in addition to his memorable role as Luke on GILMORE GIRLS, Patterson appeared on ALIENS IN AMERICA, SEINFELD, WILL & GRACE, IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW, and FIRED UP. He has also guest starred on ARLI$$ and GET REAL, and voiced the character of Lieutenant Farraday in the 2004 animated series JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, from Warner Bros. Animation.

In 2021, Scott teamed with iHeartRadio to create and produce his GILMORE GIRLS rewatch podcast I Am All In with Scott Patterson, which just dropped its 100th episode and continues to be a top-of-the-charts stalwart.

Patterson resides in Malibu, CA with his wife and son.

Scott Patterson is represented by The Brillstein/Landsburg Company and Attorney Doug Stone at Glaser Weil.

Developed and produced in association with Bell Media, with the participation of Canadian Media Fund and Bell Fund, Reel World Management will executive produce with Roth acting as Showrunner and Executive Producer, and Mike Volpe and Mark Gingras producing.

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