medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
television series which aired on
TVOntario
TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...
(TVO) from 2013 to 2018. It was the first original drama series for TVO, the
public television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
network for
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. The series also aired nationally in Canada on APTN beginning in 2014. The series ended after a five-season run in 2018.
The series was filmed in Sudbury and North Bay,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, and revolves around a group of medical students attending the fictional Boréal Medical School, loosely based on the real-life
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM University; french: Université de l'École de médecine du Nord de l'Ontario) is a public medical university in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is mandated both to educate doctors and t ...
.
Internationally, the series also aired on Australia's
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...
(a channel operated by the Australian
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
) as of 2014.
Premise
The series focuses primarily on a core group of eight medical students at Boréal Medical School: Nancy Siebolski (
Angela Asher
Angela Asher is a Canadian film and television actress. She is most noted for her role as Tara Mercer in ''18 to Life'', for which she received a nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the 26th Gemini Awards in 2011.
She has also ha ...
), Cameron Cahill (
Jamie Spilchuk
Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right.
People Female
* Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress
* Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and ...
), Gary Frazier (
Mark Coles Smith
Mark Coles Smith (born 1989) is an Indigenous Australian actor originally from Broome in Western Australia. He is known for his roles in '' Last Cab to Darwin'' (2015), '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (2018) and '' Occupation: Rainfall'' (2020), a ...
), Melanie Truscott (Melissa Jane Shaw), Charlie Rivière ( Stéphane Paquette), Eva Malone ( Andrea Menard), Gina Russo (Tamara Duarte) and Farida Farhisal (Rachelle Casseus).
The students are learning both a traditional medical curriculum, and how to cope with the unique demands of the school's focus on rural medicine, from professors and consultants including dean Raymond Dallaire (
Christian Laurin
Christian Laurin (born June 1, 1964) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor who performs in both English and French productions.
Early life
Born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Laurin received his training at the ...
), associate dean Fraser Healy (
Patrick McKenna
Patrick McKenna (born May 8, 1960) is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series ''The Red Green Show''.
Early life
Patrick McKenna became interested in Second City when a high-school teach ...
), doctor Louise Helvi (Danielle Bourgon) and
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
elder Julie Cardinal (Kyra Harper). In the final season,
Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...
joined the cast as Dr. Kesler, the head of a medical clinic where some of the students are doing their practical placements; his unpredictable performance as a doctor leads the interns to suspect that he may be suffering from the early stages of
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
, although he is eventually revealed as struggling with an addiction to prescription painkillers.
Supporting and guest actors appearing over the course of the series include Jennifer Tocheri, Marc Bendavid, Michael Cleland, Derek Miller, Mike Bernier,
Jim Calarco
Jim Calarco is an actor and a media and drama instructor.
Early life
Calarco's hometown is North Bay, Ontario.
Career Teaching and stage
He taught media and drama classes from 1969 to 2000. His career began when he was working as the Artistic ...
, Jeremy Cormier,
Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Smith Fahlenbock (born June 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She has worked in animation and also had a few film roles. She is best known for her voice roles as Gwen on ''Total Drama'', Jen Masterson on ''6teen'', and Eva Kant in ''Diaboli ...
,
Ron Lea
Ron Lea is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles in '' Doc'', '' Street Legal'', and '' This is Wonderland''. Lea also served as a director on some episodes of ''Doc''.
Filmography
Film
Television
External links
*Lea bio
{{DEFAUL ...
, Jennifer Matthies,
Billy Merasty
Billy Merasty (born 1960) is an Aboriginal Canadian actor and writer of Cree descent.
Early life
Merasty was born in Brochet, Manitoba, Canada. He is the ninth of fourteen siblings born to Viola and Pierre Merasty, and a grandson of Joe Highway, ...
,
Atticus Mitchell
Atticus Dean Mitchell (born 1993) is a Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Benny Weir in the television film ''My Babysitter's a Vampire'' and series of the same name, and Gabe in the film ''Radio Rebel''.
Early life
...
, Greg Odjick, Samantha Reed,
Sera-Lys McArthur
Sera-Lys McArthur is a Canadian actress whose roles include Hailey Martin in CBC's ''Arctic Air,'' Amanda in ''Hard Rock Medical,'' and Kodie Chartrand in season 3 of The CW's legal drama television series '' Burden of Truth.'' McArthur is pro ...
and Julian Robino. Many, but not all, supporting and guest actors in the series are local performers from Sudbury and North Bay.
Season 3 added
Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...
as Dr. Kesler, and
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski (born January 1, 1974) is a First Nations (Canadian) film and television actress and producer.
Her acting credits include starring roles in the television series '' Tin Star'', ''The Rez'', '' Riverdale'', ''Moccasin Flats'', ...
as Bonnie, in recurring roles.
Production
The series was initially a coproduction of three Canadian production firms, Title Entertainment, Carte Blanche Films, and Distinct Features, and an
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n firm, Moody Street Productions; the series was later produced solely by Distinct Features. In addition, the series received funding assistance from the
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is a Crown corporation and development agency of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in the Canadian province of Ontario, whose purpose is to provide funding and program support to fo ...
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', June 6, 2013.
TVOntario announced in February 2014 that it had greenlit a second season for the series, premiering February 15, 2015."Med-school series kicks off second season" ''
Sudbury Star
''The Sudbury Star'' is a Canadian daily regional newspaper published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is owned by the media company, Postmedia. It is the largest daily paper in Northeastern Ontario by circulation.
History
The ''Sudbury Star'' began as ...
'', February 9, 2015. In conjunction with the show's second season, Sudbury mayor
Brian Bigger
Brian Bigger is a Canadian politician who was the mayor of Greater Sudbury, Ontario from 2014 to 2022. He was elected in the city's 2014 municipal election. Prior to serving as mayor, Bigger served as the first Auditor General for the city.
Back ...
issued a civic proclamation declaring February 15, 2015 to be "Hard Rock Medical Day" in the city.
In the show's third season, consistent with the third year of a medical program marking the shift from classroom-based learning to practical internship placements, most filming took place on or near the Canadore College campus in North Bay. The show's third season premiered on January 8, 2017,John Doyle "Hard Rock Medical is us: True North and fun" ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', January 6, 2017. releasing the season's nine episodes simultaneously online at the TVOntario website for the first time directly following the broadcast premiere. Filming also took place at
Nipissing First Nation
Nipissing First Nation ( oj, Niipsing, meaning place of the elms) is a long-standing community of Nishnaabeg peoples located along the shorelines of Lake Nipissing in northern Ontario. They are referred to by many names in European historical r ...
.
Music used in the series was performed almost entirely by local artists from the region, including Patricia Cano,
Kevin Closs
Kevin Closs (born 1963) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and author ("OMAGEE") Closs was raised on Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioreg ...
Kate Maki
Kate Maki is a Canadian singer-songwriter. . ''
,
Frederick Squire
Frederick Squire is a Canadian rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. Originally from Ajax, Ontario, he is based in Sudbury following a number of years living in Sackville, New Brunswick. Students from Canadore College created short documentaries on the featured artists, which aired immediately following the episodes on TVO. The third season also featured North Bay producer Ben Leggett as the show's composer for all nine episodes.