''Haven'' was a supernatural drama
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
loosely based on the
Stephen King novel ''
The Colorado Kid
''The Colorado Kid'' is a mystery novel by American writer Stephen King, published by the Hard Case Crime imprint in 2005. The book was initially issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. King's ...
'' (2005). The show, which dealt with strange events in a fictional town in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
named Haven, was filmed on the
South Shore of
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, and was an American/Canadian co-production. It starred
Emily Rose Emily Rose may refer to:
* Emily Rose (actress) (born 1981), American television actress/voice actress
* '' The Exorcism of Emily Rose'', a 2005 supernatural horror crime film about demonic possession, loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel ...
,
Lucas Bryant,
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 ...
and
Eric Balfour
Eric Salter Balfour (born April 24, 1977) is an American actor and singer. He is the lead singer of Born as Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba. He made his film debut in the drama ''Shattered Image'' (1998), followed by roles in ''What Women Want' ...
, whose characters struggle to help townspeople with supernatural afflictions and protect the town from the effects of those afflictions. The show was the creation of writers
Jim Dunn and
Sam Ernst
Sam Ernst is a television writer and producer best known for working on shows such as '' Daredevil'', ''Carnival Row'', '' Hand of God'', '' Haven'', and '' The Dead Zone''. He frequently collaborates with his writing partner Jim Dunn. In 2010, ...
.
The one-hour drama premiered on July 9, 2010, on
Syfy, and concluded on December 17, 2015.
In August 2015, Syfy canceled the series after five seasons.
Premise
When
FBI Special Agent Audrey Parker (
Emily Rose Emily Rose may refer to:
* Emily Rose (actress) (born 1981), American television actress/voice actress
* '' The Exorcism of Emily Rose'', a 2005 supernatural horror crime film about demonic possession, loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel ...
) is dispatched to the small town of
Haven, Maine, on a routine case, she finds herself becoming increasingly involved in the return of "The Troubles", a plague of
supernatural afflictions that have occurred in the town at least twice before. With an openness to the possibility of the paranormal, she also finds a more personal link in Haven that may lead her to the mother she has never known.
Over time, Parker, who eventually quits the FBI to join the Haven Police Department, begins to realize that her arrival in Haven may have been pre-arranged and that her name and even her memories may not be her own. As the series progresses, she learns more about the mysteries of both Haven and her true identity.
She and her partner, police detective Nathan Wuornos (
Lucas Bryant), find themselves frequently facing problems caused by both the effects of the Troubles, as well as the activities of town folk who take more drastic measures against those who are Troubled.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Emily Rose Emily Rose may refer to:
* Emily Rose (actress) (born 1981), American television actress/voice actress
* '' The Exorcism of Emily Rose'', a 2005 supernatural horror crime film about demonic possession, loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel ...
as Audrey Parker
*
Lucas Bryant as Nathan Wuornos
*
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 Garland Wuornos (season 1; guest seasons 2–3)
*
Eric Balfour
Eric Salter Balfour (born April 24, 1977) is an American actor and singer. He is the lead singer of Born as Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba. He made his film debut in the drama ''Shattered Image'' (1998), followed by roles in ''What Women Want' ...
as Duke Crocker
Recurring
*
Mary-Colin Chisholm Mary-Colin Chisholm is a Canadian actress, playwright, and co-assistant director of the theatre companies LunaSea Theatre and Frankie Productions.
Career
In 2000, Chisholm directed the theatrical piece called ''Frankie'', starring Mary Ellen Maclea ...
as Eleanor Carr (season 1)
*
Richard Donat
Richard Donat (born 1 June 1941) is a Canadian actor, known for his work in Canadian and American television. He is well known for playing the character Vince Teagues in the Canadian–American TV series, '' Haven''. Donat is the younger brot ...
as Vince Teagues
*
John Dunsworth
John Francis Dunsworth (April 12, 1946 – October 16, 2017) was a Canadian actor. He was best known for playing the antagonistic trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey on the cult comedy series ''Trailer Park Boys'' (2001–2018). His other roles ...
as Dave Teagues
* Anne Caillon as Jess Minion (season 1)
* Michelle Monteith as Julia Carr (season 1)
*
Stephen McHattie
Stephen McHattie Smith (born February 3, 1946)Other sources cite 1945, 1947, and 1948. is a Canadian actor. Since beginning his professional career in 1970, he has amassed over 200 film and television credits. He won the Genie Award for Best Sup ...
as Edmund "Ed" Driscoll (season 2; guest season 1)
*
Kathleen Munroe
Kathleen Munroe (born April 9, 1982) is a Canadian actress and wig maker.
Munroe was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and currently resides in Los Angeles. She studied cinema at the University of Toronto. She won the 2010 ACTRA Award for Outstanding F ...
as FBI Agent Audrey Parker (season 2; cast season 1)
*
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian actor and television director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000), as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in t ...
as Chris Brody (season 2; guest season 5)
*
Vinessa Antoine
Vinessa Lynn Antoine (born July 21, 1983) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Judith Winters in the CBC comedy-drama ''Being Erica'' (2009-2011), Jordan Ashford in the ABC soap opera '' General Hospital'' (2014-18), and Ma ...
as Evidence "Evi" Ryan (season 2)
*
Adam "Edge" Copeland (credited as WWE Superstar Edge in seasons 2–3 and as Adam Copeland and WWE Superstar Edge in season 4–5) as Dwight Hendrickson (seasons 2–5)
*
Maurice Dean Wint
Maurice Dean Wint is a British-born Canadian actor who has starred in several films and television shows.
Life and career
Wint was born in Leicestershire, England, and moved to Canada in 1967 with his family. He began to act in Toronto on stag ...
as Agent Byron Howard (season 3; guest seasons 1–2 & 5)
*
Bree Williamson
Bree Williamson Roberts (born December 28, 1979) is a Canadian actress.
Career
After graduating from Bayview Glen School, she completed her education at the University of Toronto. She played the role of Jessica Buchanan on the ABC soap opera '' ...
as Claire Callahan (season 3)
*
Dorian Missick
Dorian Crossmond Missick is an American actor known for his role as Damian in the television series '' Six Degrees'' (2006) and for voicing Victor Vance in the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories''. He is also known for his starring ...
as Tommy Bowen (season 3)
*
Kate Kelton as Jordan McKee (seasons 3–4)
*
Steve Lund
Steve Lund (born January 9, 1989) is a Canadian actor, best known for playing the roles of Jake in ''Schitt’s Creek'' and Nick Sorrentino in '' Bitten''.
Before acting, he played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, for the P.E.I. Rockets ...
as James Cogan (season 3; guest season 5)
*
Colin Ferguson
Colin Ferguson (born July 22, 1972) is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer.
Yahoo! Mov ...
as William (seasons 4–5)
*
Emma Lahana
Emma Kate Lahana (born ) is a New Zealand actress. She is known for her roles as Kira Ford, the Yellow Dino Ranger, in ''Power Rangers Dino Thunder'', Jennifer Mason on '' Haven'', and Brigid O'Reilly in '' Cloak & Dagger''.
Career
Lahana play ...
as Jennifer Mason (season 4)
*
Christian Camargo
Christian Camargo (né Minnick; born July 7, 1971) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Brian Moser in the Showtime drama ''Dexter'', Michael Corrigan in the Netflix drama '' House ...
as Wade Crocker (season 4)
*
Jayne Eastwood
Jayne Eastwood (born December 17, 1946), also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Anna-Marie Biddlecoff in the comedy film ''Finders Keepers'' (1984), Judy the Wai ...
as Gloria Verrano (seasons 4–5)
*
Robert Maillet
Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999, where he performed under the ring name Kurrgan and was a member of ...
(credited as Robert Norman Maillet in season 5) as Heavy (seasons 4–5)
*
Kris Lemche
Kris Lemche (born 1978 or 1979) is a Canadian actor.
Career
At 17 years old, Lemche answered a newspaper casting call and won a role on the Disney series '' Flash Forward''.
Abandoning plans to study biochemistry in University, Lemche instea ...
as Seth Byrne (season 5; guest season 4)
*
Laura Mennell
Laura Mennell (; born 18 April 1980) is a Canadian actress known for her roles in ''Thirteen Ghosts'', ''Alphas'', '' Haven'', '' Loudermilk'', ''The Man in the High Castle'', ''Watchmen'' and '' Batwoman''. In 2011/2012 Mennell co-starred on th ...
as Charlotte Cross (season 5)
*
Paul Braunstein
Paul Braunstein is a Canadian actor who starred in the popular Canadian television series ''Train 48
''Train 48'' was a Canadian improvised soap opera, broadcast on Global Television Network and CH from 2003 until 2005.
''Train 48'' was based ...
as Mitchell (season 5)
*
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
(credited as WWE Superstar Christian) as McHugh (season 5)
*
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
as Croatoan (season 5)
*
Rossif Sutherland as Henry (season 5)
* Tamara Duarte as Hailie Colton (season 5)
Development and production
''Haven'' was originally developed for ABC Television in 2007 by writers
Sam Ernst
Sam Ernst is a television writer and producer best known for working on shows such as '' Daredevil'', ''Carnival Row'', '' Hand of God'', '' Haven'', and '' The Dead Zone''. He frequently collaborates with his writing partner Jim Dunn. In 2010, ...
and
Jim Dunn, with production company Piller Segan.
In September 2009,
E1 Entertainment announced it was working with
Stephen King to develop a television series based on his novel ''
The Colorado Kid
''The Colorado Kid'' is a mystery novel by American writer Stephen King, published by the Hard Case Crime imprint in 2005. The book was initially issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. King's ...
'' (2005). The entertainment company ordered the concept straight to series, with thirteen episodes planned. In November, Syfy announced it had acquired the series.
Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn wrote the
pilot episode. According to Ernst, the original idea had no supernatural involvement, which prompted Stephen King to ask "Where's the supernatural element"? after he read their notes. In February 2010, Emily Rose was cast in the lead role of Audrey Parker. Eric Balfour and Lucas Bryant came on board in late March. Canadian broadcaster
Canwest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...
acquired rights to the series in March as well.
In April 2010,
Adam Kane
Adam Kane is an American cinematographer, film director, television director and producer.
Since the 1990s, Kane has amassed cinematography credits for the films '' Hail Caesar'', ''The Boondock Saints'', '' The Man'', '' Skinwalkers'' and a n ...
signed on to direct the pilot. Production began April 20 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and surrounding areas. Filming occurred primarily in
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
(including using the local arena as a studio) and throughout the South Shore of the province, including
Lunenburg,
Halifax, and
Mahone Bay
Mahone Bay is a bay on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern end of Lunenburg County. The bay has many islands, and is a popular sailing area. Since 2003 the Mahone Islands Conservation Association has been working to prot ...
.
The promo of series premiere features the song
Short Change Hero by
The Heavy.
The series premiere, "Welcome to Haven", aired on Syfy in the U.S. on July 9, 2010,
and on
Showcase
Showcase or vitrine may refer to:
*Cabinet (furniture)
*Display case
Music
* ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961
* ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
in Canada on July 12.
[Showcase page](_blank)
The show became available to other international markets in October 2010.
Episodes
The one-hour drama premiered on July 9, 2010, on
Syfy.
The series was the first property to be produced for Syfy Pay channels around the globe, excluding Canada and Scandinavia.
[ On October 12, 2011, it was renewed for a third 13-episode season, which began airing on September 21, 2012.] On November 9, 2012, it was renewed for a fourth 13-episode season. On January 28, 2014, the show was renewed for a split 26-episode fifth season. The first half aired in 2014 with the second half airing in 2015.
Reception
''Haven'' premiered to mixed reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
season 1 has a score of 53 out of 100, based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
season 1 has an approval rating of 35% based on reviews from 26 critics. The site's critical consensus stating: "It benefits from an intriguing setting and a strong lead in Emily Rose, but otherwise, ''Haven'' is a derivative supernatural crime procedural."
The '' Miami Herald''s Glenn Garvin found it "barely competent" as a cop drama but "quite successful" as a "narrative of eccentric, slightly damaged yet ultimately warm characters". ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''s Robert Bianco called it a "ludicrously see-through supernatural crime drama that wastes a perfectly fine performance from Emily Rose".
References to other works
Allusions to the written works of author Stephen King are made in the series regularly; the setting for the series is derived from King's novella ''The Colorado Kid
''The Colorado Kid'' is a mystery novel by American writer Stephen King, published by the Hard Case Crime imprint in 2005. The book was initially issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. King's ...
'' (2005), although the name of the town is changed. On Syfy.com's ''Haven'' website, many of these references are explained for each episode. For example, Derry and Haven are both fictional towns in Maine previously used in the author's stories. One of the main characters receives a copy of a novel written by a character from King's novel, ''Misery'' (1987), while another character has just been released from Shawshank Prison. In some cases the plot of an episode revolves around an idea from King's works: a character who has precognitive
Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future.
There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...
, psychometric
Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...
visions after touching people or things; or plants that start killing people.
It is noted on the Syfy site that "'' It'' is a particular favorite Stephen King book for the Haven writers and producers". For example, in "A Tale of Two Audreys", a little boy in a yellow rain slicker is seen outside the church chasing a newspaper boat that he has set in the stream in the gutter. He chases until it falls down into a storm drain on Witcham Street. He then sticks his right arm down into the drain and screams. The scene can be found in the opening chapter of the 1986 book. Also derived from ''It'', the episode "Fear and Loathing" revolves around a troubled person who (unwillingly) takes the form of a person's worst fear, and in one instance appears as a clown, a visual allusion to Pennywise of the film version of '' It'' (1990).
The "Troubles" also seem to coincide with the arrival of the stranger, in this case Audrey, every 27 years. This is the same amount of time between appearances of the creature in ''It''.
"Croatoan" coincidentally also appears carved into a tree in the 3 part Stephen King mini series "Storm of the Century."
Home media
DVD
Blu-ray
In Region A, Entertainment One released the first season on Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
on June 14, 2011, and the second season on September 4, 2012. In Region B, the first season was released on September 14, 2011.
Broadcast
''Haven'' has been sold for broadcast in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Syndication
''Chiller
A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via a vapor-compression refrigeration, vapor-compression, adsorption refrigeration, or absorption refrigerator, absorption refrigeration cycles. This liquid can then be circulated th ...
'' acquired the rights to air ''Haven'' in June 2013. It first premiered on Sunday, July 14, 2013, at 8pm ET, and aired four episodes every Sunday thereafter until the series was discontinued prior to the network's closure.. Genesis International distributes the syndication version to several local markets in the US.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haven (Tv Series)
2010 American television series debuts
2015 American television series endings
2010s American drama television series
2010 Canadian television series debuts
2015 Canadian television series endings
2010s Canadian drama television series
English-language television shows
Saturn Award-winning television series
Television shows based on works by Stephen King
Syfy original programming
Television shows filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Television shows set in Maine
Showcase (Canadian TV channel) original programming
Television series by Entertainment One
Television series by Corus Entertainment
Television shows filmed in Nova Scotia
Television shows based on American novels
Canadian supernatural television series
2010s American crime drama television series
2010s Canadian crime drama television series