| King | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Police procedural |
| Created by | Bernard Zukerman Greg Spottiswood |
| Starring | Amy Price-Francis Gabriel Hogan Tony Nardi Suzanne Coy Zoe Doyle Aaron Poole Alan van Sprang |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bernard Zukerman Greg Spottiswood |
| Location(s) | Toronto |
| Production company(s) | Indian Grove Productions Beta Film Shaw Media |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Showcase |
| Original run | 17 April 2011 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
King is a Canadian police drama which premiered 17 April 2011 on Showcase. The series stars Amy Price-Francis as Jessica King, a veteran police officer who gets promoted to head of the Major Crimes Task Force in Toronto after her predecessor has a breakdown on television. Season 2 began production in the Fall of 2011 and will begin to air in early 2012.[1]
Contents |
King was created by and is executive produced by Bernard Zukerman and Greg Spottiswood and is produced by Indian Grove Productions in association with Shaw Media.[2] The show is filmed in Toronto making use of a combination of on-location shooting and the soundstages of Dufferin Gate Productions.[3] Filming of the first season began in November 2010 and was scheduled to conclude in February 2011.[3] The first two episodes of the show were directed by Clark Johnson.[2] In speaking of the casting Johnson said that they had seen many actresses before Amy Price-Francis auditioned and that prior to her audition he wasn't convinced she was right for the role but she "just became the character" and now "she completely embodies this character" much like what happened with Michael Chiklis on The Shield, another pilot that he directed.[4] The first season has eight episodes.[5]
Bill Brioux notes that King is one of many new shows premièring in April 2011 which is making April to be the "new September", the traditional time for premièring new series in North America. "Spring really is the new fall on specialty channels."[6] In reviewing the first episode Brioux found it "seemed pretty seen-it-before" but that Amy Price-Francis "has sass and sparkle which should enliven a drama with a bit of a dark comedy tone."[7] Cassandra Szklarski points out that with the "recent explosion in Hogtown-based series" such as Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, and The Listener the unique spin of setting a cop drama in Toronto is no longer so unique. Szklarski admits that King is another "urban whodunit" but that it goes about it from a distinctively female point of view.[8] Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald found the fallibility of the character Derek Spears to be "what promises to give King its continued dramatic tension."[9] Bill Harris of Quebecor Media found King is "not a cookie-cutter police procedural" in that DS King's personal life is a significant part of the show.[10]
The series premiered 17 April 2011 on Showcase in Canada, on 19 May 2011 it was announced that King will be shown on Séries+ for French-speaking Canadians.[11] Shaw Media announced the renewal of the show on 31 May, scheduling season two for a winter premiere on Showcase.[12] The series was picked up by M6 for broadcast in France.[11]
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Canadian viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lori Gilbert" | Clark Johnson | Greg Spottiswood | 17 April 2011 | N/A |
| 2 | "T-Bone" | Clark Johnson | David Barlow | 24 April 2011 | 207 000[13] |
| 3 | "Amanda Jacobs" | Jerry Ciccoritti | Emily Andras and Alex Levine | 1 May 2011 | 129 000[14] |
| 4 | "Eleni Demaris" | Holly Dale | Sara B. Cooper | 8 May 2011 | 213 000[15] |
| 5 | "Farah Elliot" | TW Peacocke | Emily Andras | 15 May 2011 | N/A |
| 6 | "Ahmad Khan" | Don McBrearty | Jennifer Kennedy & David Barlow | 22 May 2011 | 163 000[16] |
| 7 | "Cameron Bell" | Phil Earnshaw | Alex Levine | 29 May 2011 | |
| 8 | "Scout Winter" | 5 June 2011 | |||