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Canadian version of 'The Wire':
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2009 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) - Created and Written by George F. Walker and Dani Romain - Starring Sharon Lawrence, Linda Hamilton, Wes Williams, Daniel Kash and Ron White - Premieres Monday, March 16 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT - Two-episode online and on-demand preview begins March 2 >>
Renowned playwright George F. Walker and his creative partner Dani Romain take viewers into a complex, unpredictable world where the lives of cops, criminals and the innocent collide and spiral out of control in The Line, a new Canadian drama series from Astral Media's The Movie Network (eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (western Canada). The 15-part Canadian original series (previously known as The Weight) debuts on Monday, March 16 at 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network and 9 p.m. PT on Movie Central.
Shot entirely on location in Toronto and Scarborough, Ontario, The Line follows two morally ambiguous cops, Max (Ron White) and Donny (Daniel Kash), who take matters into their own hands in an attempt to clean up their neighbourhoods. Having lost interest in conventional police work, Max now opts to implement his own method of dealing with the criminals he pursues, while having an affair with burned out legal aid lawyer Jayne (Sharon Lawrence) who has her ailing father Patrick (Ed Asner) to deal with. Donny treats his job as more of a hobby and prefers to bide his time with drinking and prostitutes and soon gets involved with Carol (Linda Hamilton), a charming grifter from his past.
Max and Donny's paths soon collide with Carlos (Clé Bennett), a mid-level drug dealer trying to turn his life around, who finds himself caught between warring drug suppliers Andre (Wes Williams) and Eddie (Von Flores), and ex-wife Lucie (Sarah Manninen), who wants nothing to do with his criminal lifestyle. In Carlos, Max sees an opportunity to sabotage the criminal underpinning of the entire neighbourhood. As Max's plan unfolds, it unravels the worlds of not only the cops and criminals, but everyone who surrounds them: their wives, mothers, brothers, sisters and children.
"This is not a typical cop show - there is no investigation, only conflict and finally empathy," said George F. Walker, Co-creator and Executive Producer, The Line. "We are drawn into this world as it reveals itself, and as a viewer, there is a certain joy in giving yourself over to novelistic television. If you put your faith into the characters and their journeys, you will be rewarded."
"The Line is a pay-TV viewing experience: entertaining and challenging. Politically, the show has no sacred cows - no one is all good or all bad as with the traditional TV cop-show paradigm - uniquely, each character has their own humanity," said Michelle Marion, Director, Canadian Independent Production, The Movie Network. "The Movie Network's original programming is point-of-view television with strong opinions and George and Dani, who are drawn to the unconventional, have been able to create this with The Line."
"This is an extraordinarily powerful series that reflects the unmatched depth and cinematic possibilities that pay TV audiences have come to expect from our dramas," said Erica Benson, Vice President, Programming, Movie Central. "The characters in The Line are raw, damaged, funny and real - creating a multilayered story that encompasses intense emotion, suspense and biting humour."
The Line was developed and produced by The Nightingale Company in association with Astral Media's The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central. The series is executive produced by Debbie Nightingale in association with Nuno Bernardo (beActive), George F. Walker and Dani Romain and directed by Gail Harvey and Shawn Alex Thompson. The Line is developed and produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, Rogers Cable Network Fund, the COGECO Program Development Fund and the Independent Production Fund. The Line is distributed by Double V (France and French Territories) and Peace Arch.
The series is simulcast on The Movie Network and Movie Central's High Definition channels and each new hour-long episode will also be available each week on The Movie Network OnDemand and Movie Central On Demand. Following each episode premiere, the series will repeat Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada.
<< THE LINE PREVIEW ---------------- Viewers can catch a sneak peek of the first two episodes of The Line beginning Monday, March 2 until Sunday, March 15 via the following platforms: - The Movie Network OnDemand and Movie Central On Demand - www.themovienetwork.ca and www.moviecentral.ca >>
The Movie Network is a pay television service available in eastern Canada. With premiere access to Hollywood hit movies, new and exclusive HBO content, critically-acclaimed Showtime series and first-rate Canadian programming, this pay-television service presents Canadians with some of the best television entertainment available. The Movie Network service includes five 24-hour multiplex channels - M, HBO Canada, MExcess, MFun! and MFest - which deliver diverse and entertaining programs in an uncut and commercial-free television environment. The Movie Network also offers The Movie Network HD and HBO Canada HD, two dedicated high-definition channels providing hundreds of titles in HD; and The Movie Network OnDemand, a Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service, available in select areas across eastern Canada. For more information, please visit www.themovienetwork.ca.
The Movie Network is an Astral Media Television Network. Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and iMedia. Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences.
Movie Central is a 24-hour-a-day, commercial-free premium pay-TV service available to Western Canadians. Exclusive multi-year output agreements with major Hollywood studios ensure that Movie Central is the preferred destination for box office titles. In addition to being the first window, Canadian home to the best of HBO and Showtime, through its investments, pre-buys and licence fees for Canadian feature films and original series, Movie Central is recognized as a major force in the Canadian independent film and television production industry. The launch of Movie Central On Demand and Movie Central High Definition demonstrates that Movie Central remains committed to being first with innovations that enhance the viewing experience. Visit the Movie Central website at www.moviecentral.ca.
Movie Central is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.
For access to The Movie Network's media room or Movie Central's press site, please visit http://tv.astral.com or http://mediacentre.corusent.com/mediacentre/home.asp.
SOURCE: The Movie Network
SOURCE: Movie Central
SOURCE: News - Media
The Movie Network (eastern Canada): Nicolle Balen, (416) 956-8368, nbalen@tv.astral.com; Movie Central (western Canada): Owen McCorquodale, (416) 530-2249, owen.mccorquodale@corusent.com
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