''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

dramatic television series which originally aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes. The show, set and filmed in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, starred

Nicholas Campbell Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor and filmmaker, who won three Gemini Awards for acting. He is known for such films as ''Naked Lunch'', '' Prozac Nation'', ''New Waterford Girl'' and the tel ...

as Dominic Da Vinci, once an undercover officer for the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

, but now a crusading

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

who seeks justice in the cases he investigates. The cast also included

Gwynyth Walsh Gwynyth Walsh (born 1956) is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the ''Star Trek'' character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters. She also played constable Nimira in the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " Random Thoughts", and provided the ...

as Da Vinci's ex-wife and chief pathologist Patricia Da Vinci,

Donnelly Rhodes Henry Donnelly Rhodes (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018) was a Canadian actor, known professionally as Donnelly Rhodes. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convic ...

as detective Leo Shannon, and

Ian Tracey Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

as detective Mick Leary.

Premise

Dominic Da Vinci, once an undercover officer for the

, is now a crusading

who seeks justice in the cases he investigates.

Episodes

Cast

Main

as Coroner (Mayor in season 8) Dominic Da Vinci * Suleka Mathew as Dr. Sunita "Sunny" Ramen (credited as "Sue Mathew" in the first season) (seasons 1–5 & beginning of season 6) *

as Detective Leo Shannon (seasons 1–7) *

Venus Terzo Venus Terzo is a Canadian actress who played Detective Angela Kosmo in ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' and its spinoff, '' Da Vinci's City Hall''. She was nominated in 2002 for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dr ...

as Detective Angela Kosmo *

as Detective (Coroner in season 8) Mick Leary *

as Dr. Patricia Da Vinci (seasons 1–4) *

Robert Wisden Robert Charles Wisden ( Brighton, 2 June 1958) is an English-born, Canadian actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award. Best known for playing U.S. President Richard Nixo ...

as Chief Coroner James Flynn (seasons 1–2 & beginning of 3) *

Sarah-Jane Redmond Sarah-Jane Redmond is a British actress and acting coach, living in Canada, whose work has spanned film, television and theatre productions, often in science fiction roles. She has taught acting at the New Image College of Fine Arts in British C ...

as Sergeant Sheila Kurtz (seasons 3–7, recurring in seasons 2 and 8) *Gerard Plunkett as Chief Coroner ormerly Crown ProsecutorBob Kelly (seasons 3–7; recurring in seasons 1–2 and 8) * Kimberly Hawthorne as Detective Rose Williams (credited as "Kim Hawthorne") (seasons 4–7) *

Alex Diakun Alex Diakun (born February 8, 1946) is a Canadian actor. Diakun was born in Rycroft, Alberta. He began his schooling in Chilliwack, British Columbia and finished with a BFA from the University of Alberta. Diakun has been acting for over four de ...

as Forensics Detective Chick Savoy (seasons 5–8, recurring in 1–4) *

Sarah Strange Sarah Strange is a Canadian actress. She has worked in a variety of American and Canadian television and film projects, including Helen in the Canadian drama ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' and as the voice actor for Ranma Saotome. Life and career Strang ...

as Helen (seasons 5–7, recurring in 1–4) *Simone Bailly as Constable Jan Ferris (season 8) *

Brian Markinson Brian Markinson (born September 1, 1961) is an American-Canadian actor who has appeared in a wide variety of films and television shows. Some of Markinson's best known roles include a U.S. Attorney General in ''Shooter'', an unscrupulous industr ...

as Police Chief Bill Jacobs (season 8; recurring in seasons 6–7) *

Mylène Dinh-Robic Mylène Dinh-Robic (born April 17, 1979) is a Canadian actress. Early life Mylène Dinh-Robic was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. Her father is Québécois and her mother is Vietnamese. She attended Marianopolis College and holds a BA in ...

as Rita Mah (season 8) *

Benjamin Ratner Benjamin Immanuel (also credited as Ben Ratner or Benjamin Ratner) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is most noted for his performances in the films '' Last Wedding'' and ''Looking for Leonard''. Career Immanuel has appeared in the films ''M ...

as Sam Berger (season 8)

Recurring

Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian former actress, best known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in ''Ginger Snaps''. Since the l ...

as Sue Lewis (seasons 1–7) *Stephen E. Miller as Accident Investigation Sgt. Zack McNab (recurring in seasons 1–7) *

Robert Clothier Robert Allan Clothier, DFC (October 21, 1921 – February 10, 1999) was a Canadian stage and television actor most famous for his role as Relic on the CBC television series, ''The Beachcombers''. Biography Like many of his contemporaries, ...

as Joe Da Vinci (season 1) *

Joy Coghill Joy Dorothy Coghill-Thorne, CM, (May 13, 1926 – January 20, 2017) was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. Her obituary in ''The Vancouver Sun'' described her as having had "a seven-decade run at the top of the Vancouver theatre world." ...

as Portia Da Vinci (seasons 1–5) * Duncan Fraser as Staff Sgt. Regan (season 1 and beginning of 2) *

Max Martini Maximilian Carlo Martini (born December 11, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director known for his roles as Corporal Fred Henderson in '' Saving Private Ryan'', Wiley in '' Level 9'', First Sergeant Sid Wojo in '' The Great Raid'', and a ...

as Danny Leary (seasons 1–4) *

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the Fox television series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its spin-off theatrical film '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on Sc ...

as Gabriella Da Vinci (seasons 1, 3–4) * Peter Williams as Morris Winston (seasons 1–5) *Warren Takeuchi as Wayne (seasons 1–5) *

Crystal Lowe Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe (born Yan-Kay Lo; January 20, 1981) is a Canadian actress, director, and model best known for her scream queen roles in horror films such as '' Children of the Corn: Revelation'' (2001), '' Final Destination 3'' (2006), '' ...

as Sylvia (seasons 1–3) *Lee Jay Bamberry as Det. Roy LaBoucane (seasons 2–5) *

Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a British-born Canadian actor who started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski on the television series '' Due South'' was his firs ...

as Detective Bob Marlowe (seasons 2–4) *Nathaniel De Veaux as Morris Steadman (seasons 2–5) * Fred Keating as Councillor Jack Pierce (seasons 2–8) *

Terry Chen Terry Chen (born February 3, 1975) is a Canadian film and television actor. Early life Chen was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Taiwanese and Chinese parents originating from Taiwan (father) and mainland China (mother). After primary and secondary ...

as William Chen (seasons 3–4, 6–7) *

Dean Marshall Dean Marshall is a Canadian film, television, and theater, actor, writer, and director. He is known for portraying Sgt. Bates on ''Syfy'' original series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Carter on both ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', and ''Da Vinci's City Ha ...

as Constable Carter (seasons 4–7) *

Keegan Connor Tracy Keegan Connor Tracy (born December 3, 1971) is a Canadian actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Audrey Malone in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Beggars and Choosers'' (1999–2000), the Blue Fairy in the ABC fantasy drama ...

as Jackie (seasons 4, 7) *

Hrothgar Mathews Hrothgar Mathews (born January 27, 1964) is a Canadian actor known for his performance as Gill St. George in the 1999 television film ''Milgaard.'' Career He has also played the recurring roles of Mark Fellows in '' Tom Stone'', Det. Charlie Klot ...

as Constable (later Sgt.) Charlie Klotchko (seasons 5–7, regular in 8) *

Colin Cunningham Colin Alexander Cunningham (born 1966) is an American television and film actor. Cunningham is best known for his roles as John Pope in the TNT science fiction series ''Falling Skies'' and as Major Paul Davis on ''Stargate SG-1''. Career Cun ...

as Detective Brian Curtis (seasons 5–8) *

Camille Sullivan Camille Sullivan (born July 7, 1975) is a Canadian actress. She has starred in various films and television series. Among her notable television appearances are ''Rookie Blue'', ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', ''Intelligence'' and '' Shattered''. She won ...

as Detective Suki Taylor (seasons 5–7) *

Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston is a Canadian movie and theatre actor best known for his role as Jack Bartlett on the CBC drama ''Heartland'', which debuted in October 2007. He co-founded the Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and made his first professional forays ...

as Fire Marshal Sid Fleming (seasons 5, 8) * Alisen Down as Dr Maria Donato (seasons 6–8) *

Bill Dow Bill Dow is an actor, director and writer in theatre, film, and television. He is best known for playing Bill Lee in the ''Stargate'' franchise. Career He also had a recurring roles as Russ Hathaway in the Canadian drama series ''Da Vinci's I ...

as Mayor Russ Hathaway (seasons 6–7) *Rob LaBelle as Phil Rosen (seasons 6–8) * Patrick Gallagher as Internal Affairs Detective Joe Finn (season 7, regular in 8) * Chris Britton as Richard Norton (seasons 7–8) *

Hiro Kanagawa is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including '' Smallville'', '' Caprica'', ''Godzilla'', ''The Man i ...

as Fire Captain Roy Komori (season 8) *

Charles Martin Smith Charles Martin Smith (born October 30, 1953) is an American actor, writer, and director of film and television, based in British Columbia. He is known for his roles in ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), '' Never Cry Wo ...

as Joe Friedland (season 8) *

Gina Holden Gina Holden (born March 17, 1975) is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Coreen Fennel in '' Blood Ties'', Dale Arden in '' Flash Gordon'', and Shea Allen in ''Harper's Island''. Early life Holden was born in the small to ...

as Claire (season 8) *Rebecca Reichert as Marcie (season 8) *

Eugene Lipinski Eugene Lipinski (born 5 November 1956) is a British-Canadian character actor and screenwriter. He was born in Wansford Camp, Soke of Peterborough, England, and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He began acting at the age of twelve in amat ...

as Lloyd Manning (season 8) *

Rekha Sharma Rekha Shanti Sharma is a Canadian actress of Indo-Fijian descent, best known for her role as Tory Foster on ''Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series), Battlestar Galactica,'' and List of Star Trek: Discovery characters#Guest characters, Ellen Land ...

as Constable Cindy Winters (season 8)

Production

''Da Vinci's Inquest'' was loosely based on the real life experiences of

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born 28 February 1948) is a Canadian politician that served as the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada from 2002 until 2005 and since 2005 has been a member of the Senate of Canada. Before he was mayor, Campbell worked for th ...

, the former chief coroner of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, who was elected mayor of that city in 2002. The part of Da Vinci, however, was written specifically for actor

. Elements of the series storylines were also taken from sociopolitical issues faced by Vancouver itself, such as the plight of the homeless, the controversy over a designated injection site for drug users, the idea of establishing a

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

, and the disappearance of homeless women and sex workers — similar to the case of

Robert Pickton Robert William "Willy" Pickton (born October 24, 1949) is a Canadian serial killer and former pig farmer. He is suspected of being one of the most prolific serial killers in Canadian history. After dropping out of school, Pickton left a butcher ...

Format

''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is notable for its unconventional story formats. Unlike most crime dramas, many cases on ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' aren't fully explained, and some aren't even solved; often the episodes end with the resolution implied or withheld entirely. Many of the show's fans hail this characteristic as one of its finest qualities. Also unusual is its handling of story arcs. Some arcs span the length of one or more seasons, but aren't touched on at all for several episodes at a time, similar to the Mythology / Monster of the Week format of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' (which was also a Vancouver production, though not at the same time as ''Da Vinci's Inquest''); several main and many guest actors appeared on both shows. An exception to this is Season 7, which features at least three main plots that are addressed in every episode. Two episodes, Season 3's "It's Backwards Day" and Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me," are notable for their extended opening takes, which follow Da Vinci as he walks around a location and speaks with multiple characters in one continuous, ten-minute shot; the former episode is also noted for playing out largely in real time. Major story arcs include: Da Vinci's attempts to balance his work life with his ex-wife and daughter, as well as his battles with alcoholism; Leo Shannon struggling to care for his mentally ill wife and facing pressure to retire from the force; the relocation of an old mental hospital's cemetery and the intrigue that follows; Sunny overseeing an archaeological dig at a construction site; Angela Kosmo's battle with a corrupt Vice cop and the teenage prostitute who tries to manipulate both of them; and Da Vinci's quest to establish a red light district and safe injection site to protect the

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is d ...

s and drug addicts of Vancouver, which leads him to run first for police chief and then mayor. The sex trade is a recurring theme throughout the entire series, and early season premieres and finales center around high numbers of homicides where prostitutes are the victims, which often turn out to be the work of a serial killer. Relationships between characters (such as Da Vinci's many romantic flings and that between Mick Leary and Sunny Ramen) are left in the background of or take place between episodes. In

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

, the plot line following Mick Leary's downward spiral into depression after an unstable female

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

infatuated with him commits suicide is often considered one of the most powerful and best-written arcs in the entire series by many fans.

Availability outside Canada

United States

The original run of ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' was always available in certain U.S. markets (e.g., Seattle) where the CBC could be viewed either over the air or on cable. It made its formal U.S. debut, however, the week of September 17, 2005, when it was already in syndication after the original run. The show has continued to air in syndication, along with multiple networks (including

Retro TV Retro TV (stylized as retrotv), formerly known as Retro Television Network, is an American broadcast television network owned by Get After It Media. The network mainly airs classic television sitcoms and drama series from the 1950s through t ...

Cloo Cloo (stylized as cloo) was an American pay television channel owned and operated by NBCUniversal which aired programming originally dedicated to the crime and mystery genres, though it often fell out of this format in its later years with a mor ...

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ra ...

, and

Court TV Mystery Ion Mystery (formerly Escape and Court TV Mystery, stylized as ESCAPE and MYSTERY; formerly branded on-air as Mystery) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It focu ...

) due to its low-cost syndication arrangement. The series is distributed in the United States by PPI Releasing, a large distributor of Canadian programming to the American market.

Other countries

In Australia, the series aired late Monday nights on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

, and its affiliates WIN (although on a different night) and NBN, and later on 13th Street. It has also been aired in late night slots on

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...

in Ireland. In

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, Skjár einn has aired the show in various slots, including Saturday evening.

Home media

DVD

Acorn Media UK has released the first three seasons on DVD in Region 1 (US only). In Canada,

Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis and commonly shortened to simply Alliance or Atlantis and formerly traded as TSX:AAC) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operato ...

released the first season on DVD on 14 October 2003. Season 2 was released on 3 February 2009 by Alliance Films, more than five years after the release of the first season.

Streaming

Season One is available on Amazon Prime. As of 2017, season one has been released online for free on

Canada Media Fund The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...

's Encore+ YouTube Channel.

Awards and nominations

Nicholas Campbell received the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

for Best Performance in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his work on the series and has guest-starred in American shows such as ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

'' and ''

T.J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...

''.

also received a

for Best Actor in 2002 and the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Farce) ...

in 2006. The series was critically acclaimed as the best television series in Canada after winning the Gemini Award for Best Dramatic Series for five of its first six seasons. When ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' completed its seventh and final season, it was continued in 2005 as ''

Da Vinci's City Hall ''Da Vinci's City Hall'' is a Canadian dramatic television series, which premiered on CBC Television on 25 October 2005 and ended on 28 February 2006. It is a spin-off of the long-running Canadian series ''Da Vinci's Inquest''. The creator, write ...

''. In 2002, actress

won a Leo Award for her guest appearance in Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me" and was brought back for a second appearance in 2005.

''Da Vinci's City Hall'' and TV movies

In Canada, a spin-off series, ''

'', premiered on 25 October 2005. In the U.S., ''Da Vinci's City Hall'' airs as part of the ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' rerun package, regarded as the eighth season of the series (even using the titles from the last three seasons of ''Inquest'' instead of the titles for ''City Hall''). ''City Hall'' debuted in the U.S. on Superstation WGN on April 27, 2007, and released into national syndication to local stations, also as part of ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', on November 4, 2007. A TV movie following up on the two series, ''The Quality of Life'', aired on CBC on 14 June 2008.

References

External links

Official Web Site
*
Genie Awards and nominations''Da Vinci's Inquest'' Forum Index
{{ACCT Best Dramatic Series, state=collapsed 1998 Canadian television series debuts 2005 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian crime drama television series 2000s Canadian crime drama television series Canadian legal television series CBC Television original programming Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in British Columbia Television shows set in Vancouver Television series by Entertainment One Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Drama Series winners Television shows filmed in Vancouver English-language television shows