Saving Hope - Erica Durance pilot given series order
5 Nov 2011
Pilot ShowsCTV Orders New One-Hour Original Drama Series SAVING HOPE
* New drama taps into the emotional minefield of a big city hospital
* Starring SMALLVILLE’s Erica Durance
* From the acclaimed Gemini award-winning producers Ilana Frank and David Wellington
CTV announced that it has ordered to series SAVING HOPE, a new, one-hour original drama starring Erica Durance (SMALLVILLE) and Michael Shanks (STARGATE ATLANTIS) from the acclaimed Gemini award-winning producers Ilana Frank and David Wellington (THE ELEVENTH HOUR, Of Murder and Memory, ROOKIE BLUE). CTV has ordered 12 one-hour episodes in addition to the pilot shot this summer.
In SAVING HOPE, when charismatic Chief of Surgery Charlie Harris (Shanks) at Toronto’s Hope-Zion Hospital ends up in a coma, he leaves the hospital in chaos – and his fiancée and fellow surgeon, Alex Reid (Durance), in a state of shock. Along with newly-arrived star surgeon, Joel Goran (Daniel Gillies, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), Alex races to save Harris’ life. As the action unfolds, comatose Dr. Harris wanders the halls of Hope-Zee in “spirit” form, not sure if he’s a ghost or a figment of his own imagination. Reid, along with her fellow doctors, press on to save his life and those of their other patients, as they deal with the complicated and courageous decisions that are made in their daily struggle to keep hope alive.
“Tapping into the frenetic lives of medical professionals entrusted to make life and death decisions every single day, SAVING HOPE is a sexy, heart-pumping hospital drama with captivating storylines,” said Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports. “We look forward to working with the talented actors and creative team behind this compelling new series.”
SAVING HOPE also stars Huse Madhavji (COMBAT HOSPITAL, STAR DAILY), Julia Taylor-Ross (ROOKIE BLUE), and Kristopher Turner (ROOKIE BLUE, THE LISTENER).
SAVING HOPE, which is inspired by Ian Brown’s The Globe and Mail “Mount Hope” series based on stories from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, is executive produced by Thump Inc.’s Ilana Frank and David Wellington (THE ELEVENTH HOUR, Of Murder and Memory, ROOKIE BLUE). Co-created and written by Malcom MacRury (REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, LIVES OF THE SAINTS) and Morwyn Brebner (ROOKIE BLUE). Lesley Harrison is also executive producer. David Wellington directs. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production, Drama, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.
Via CTV
Ooh, that sounds interesting! I hope a US station picks it up, too.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Gillies?! Not into medical dramas but I'll probably watch the pilot for him (and Erica since I'm a Smallville fan).
ReplyDeleteMedical drama... yawwwwn.
ReplyDeleteI do like Shanks ... Durance was okay on Smallville too I guess, but I did not care for Rookie Blue whatsoever. I may check it out just for Shanks , but I don;t plan on watching this one.
Love Michael Shanks, i'm so glad he will be back on a weekly series,tho i am not that crazy about another medical drama.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about medical dramas,i was just commenting on it myself,but i was trying to think what else is left.?Police dramas,enough of those,Sci-Fi/Fantasy he has been there,done that.Vampire shows,no enough of those.
ReplyDeleteI could possibly see him in some type of legal show,but not like law & order...Maybe an action,spy type show? I don't know,you have any ideas?
I hope the U.S. plans on picking this series up?
Canada has some good TV. Definitely missing my Trailer Park Boys.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean...
ReplyDeleteI guess there's detective series with different cases every week like Burn Notice or Rockford Files etc. Westerns are out of vogue but could always come back. Family dramas which have been out of fashion for a decade or two also... Historical dramas like Downton Abbey etc. Other than that, there just does not seem to be much on TV other than law shows, cop shows and medical dramas.
I think the key is not so much what the genre is but to do something original. I'm completely bored of series that concentrate more on the characters than the stories like Bones, Mentalist, House etc. It's almost the norm now to be able to summarize a series as a "doctor who sees spirits" or a "detective who's paired with a writer" or some other gimmick.
Then look at Breaking Bad. Those characters are brilliant, but not because of any gimmick. The story is front and center even more than the characters are often times. We need a new series to carry on that brilliant story-writing tradition since Breaking Bad is gone in a year or so... Something on the lines of The Wire, Downton Abbey, Deadwood, Breaking Bad - a drama with real story that drives the plot and characters. Not more series that can be described by showing one or two characters and their gimmicks... Of course being a serial would help...
We do need something! The Wire,Downtown Abby,Homicide were all rich in storytelling,and characters. I know of Breaking Bad,but i haven't seen it yet. I usually don't like to jump into a series once it is established,i rather wait and see it from the beginning.I might be a little late coming to the party,but at least i get there.
ReplyDeleteYou may like (or love) Breaking Bad if you like those types of series you mentioned. It is a bit darker than many other series, but it is one of the best done series on all levels on TV now or in any period.
ReplyDeleteIt is dark,i was at my friends house and Breaking Bad was on,at the time i thought it was somewhat brutal,maybe i will feel the same once i start?Who knows,but i would like to give it a shot.
ReplyDeletemichael shanks and erica durance in the same show...along with daniel gilles? thats a awsome cast!! Im so going to watch even though the story sounds wierd. Although i first have to wait till it comes to america... Also Michael shanks is not from stargate atlantis he's from stargate sg-1!! Insult!! someone fix it?! (DarkUfo??)
ReplyDeleteIt can be very dark and brutal at times and at others quite light and comical. I think some seasons are more dark than others and of course some episodes.
ReplyDeleteIf you start from the beginning it will make a very large difference! The brutality is very story driven and necessary to the plot to expose the characters.
So want to see Justin or Tom on back on TV. Sadly, Erica not so much.
ReplyDeleteThats funny cause i dont really care to see Justin or Tom back on TV. Everyone has different taste, I say Bring on Erica cause shes the best actress ever!!
ReplyDeleteOh! Michael Shanks is involved AND it's a Canadian production!? I really wish stuff would take place in Montreal sometimes, but French Language laws scare everyone away :(. Anyway, will definitely check this out. Sounds like it has a quality cast, which is kind of an issue sometimes in Canadian dramas. Will this be the next Combat Hospital (awful awful awful), or Being Erica (fantastic)?
ReplyDeletewhile i also hate hospital dramas(Grey's makes me wanna puke, no offense)...I love Durance, and Shanks, and Gillies...so will atleast check it out, prob first online before tv. Erica's an amazing actress, Shanks is awesome, granted i had trouble watching him on the Pastor's Wife movie this weekend...it was weird...and I love Daniel Gillies...wonder if he'll have the accent or not?
ReplyDeleteRight there with you...at this rate, it's not like we're going to see him on screen as Elijah anyways so might as well get our Daniel Gillies fix any where we can.
ReplyDelete