Starring Hugh Dillon, Hélène Joy, Laurence Leboeuf, Greyston Holt and new to season two Michelle Forbes
Premieres Monday, July 13 at 8 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
(June 23, 2009 – Toronto, Canada) – Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) visit Durham County for a second season. Winner of five Canadian Gemini Awards, two Directors Guild of Canada awards and the CFTPA Indie Award for Best Series, the cinematic, unflinching and darkly sophisticated series is back with more betrayal and terrifying secrets from the bleak landscape of suburban life. The six-part new season premieres Monday, July 13, 2009 at 8 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 9 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.
In Season 2, Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon, Flashpoint) is on a career high after capturing serial killer Ray Prager. Unfortunately, his personal life is coming apart at the seams as his wife pleads for a divorce and his daughter struggles to come to terms with the anguish left behind by a killer. While investigating a new murder, Sweeney meets forensic psychiatrist Dr. Pen Verrity (Michelle Forbes, True Blood; In Treatment) who soon infiltrates his life and his family finding himself caught in a game of cat and mouse.
“Season 1 of Durham County introduced our viewers to a visually stunning series with complex storylines and vivid characters, and we look forward to giving our audiences more of the same for Season 2,” said Erica Benson, Vice President, Programming, Movie Central. “With such a high-calibre cast and now with the addition of Michelle Forbes, viewers can look forward to a new season with explosive storylines.”
“Durham County has been a Canadian original success story for us. Both seasons have exceeded our expectations and we’re thrilled to have greenlit a third season that will allow us to fill viewers’ appetites with even more of this fascinating suburban story,” said Diane Boehme, Director of Canadian Independent Production, The Movie Network.
Durham County (Season 2) also stars Hélène Joy (M.V.P, Murdoch Mysteries) in her Gemini-winning role as Audrey Sweeney; Laurence Leboeuf (Being Erica, Ma fille, mon ange) as Mike’s daughter Sadie Sweeney; Greyston Holt (Smallville, Slap Shot 3: The Junior League) as Ray Prager Jr.; Patrick Labbé (Les Boys) as Tom Bykovski; Michael Dopud (Battlestar Galactica) as Glenn Stuckey; and Romano Orzari (Punisher: War Zone) as Ray Pager.
The series is written by Laurie Finstad Knizhnik (Bliss, Cold Squad), directed by Adrienne Mitchell (Bliss, Drop The Beat), Alain Desrochers (La Bouteille, Nitro), and Rachel Talalay (Ally McBeal, Without a Trace). Durham County is executive produced by Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell of Back Alley Film Productions who co-created the series with Knizhnik and is also executive produced by Michael Prupas (This is Wonderland, Human Trafficking, Wind in the Willows) of Muse Entertainment Enterprises.
Durham County is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and Back Alley Film Productions Ltd., with the participation of Movie Central, The Movie Network, the Canadian Television Fund, the Independent Production Fund, Rogers Cable Network Fund and is distributed internationally by Granada International. Durham County is a high-definition production shot in Montreal, Quebec, and Cornwall, Ontario.
The first season of Durham County will be available on Movie Central On Demand and The Movie Network OnDemand starting July 1. The first episode of the Durham County Season 2 will be available for a free online preview in Western Canada at www.moviecentral.ca/video starting July 1.
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.
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.
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For more information, please contact:
Movie Central (Western Canada)
Owen McCorquodale
(416) 530-2249
owen.mccorquodale@corusent.com
The Movie Network (Eastern Canada)
Nicolle Balen
(416) 956-8638
nbalen@tv.astral.com