''Omertà'' or ''Omertà, The Code of Silence'' is a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

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 ...

of 11 forty-five-minute episodes, created by

Luc Dionne Luc Dionne is a Canadian screenwriter and director born in Quebec in 1960. Luc's work is largely directed towards the French-speaking market. However, many within the industry accredit Dionne's successful '' Omerta'' series as being an inspiration ...

and aired from January to April 1996 on

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the series aired on

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...

in 1998. A second season, titled ''Omertà II – The Code of Silence'', had 14 forty-five minute episodes and was broadcast between September and December 1997 on Radio-Canada. A third season, titled ''Omerta, The Last Men of Honor'', had 13 episodes and was broadcast from January to April 1999, on Radio-Canada. In 2012 Dionne produced and released a feature film sequel to the series. The film won the Billet d'or at the

15th Jutra Awards The 15th Prix Jutra ceremony was held on March 17, 2013 at the Salle Pierre-Mercure theatre in Montreal, Quebec, to honour achievements in the Cinema of Quebec in 2012.code of silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onesel ...

) was a Canadian television drama series set in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

that chronicles a battle between the police and

the Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

. The police rely on inventive and unorthodox methods in their fight against the mobsters who follow their code loyally and cherish their family.

Commercial success

Omerta was the second most popular series in Quebec television history. Filmed in French, it had a limited audience outside of francophone markets. An English series was planned as a result of this success. These plans were shelved with the launch of David Chase's

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

series

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

which post dated and paralleled Omerta on many levels.

Season I

11 Episodes The National Security police squad hires investigator Pierre Gauthier (Michel Côté) and double agent François Pelletier (

Luc Picard Luc Picard (born 24 September 1961) is a French Canadian actor, director and comedian. He was born on September 24, 1961, in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. He has played numerous characters in diverse roles. Early life and education Picard was born ...

) to conduct a comprehensive survey aimed at shuttering the alleged godfather of the Mafia in Montreal, Giuseppe Scarfo (Dino Tavarone). In a clandestine manner, the director of the squad Gilbert Tanguay (Michael Dumont) delivers a vendetta and cons Scarfo who was caught in a love triangle for years. Gauthier has a passionate affair with the daughter of Scarfo, Gabrielle Provost ( Brigitte Paquette).

Season II

14 episodes While investigating the murder of an undercover officer, National Security discovers the links between organized crime, high finance and the Canadian intelligence service.

Season III

Episodes 1-6 An unprecedented internal war broke out in the

Montreal Mafia The Rizzuto crime family () is an organized crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whose criminal activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers the family a facti ...

, pitting Jimmy Vaccaro against Giuseppe Scarfo. The ambitious young gangster Nicky Balsamo (Orzari Romano) finds himself stuck between the two, as he tries to win back the heart of Vicky (Geneviève Rochette), the daughter of an Italian-Quebec politician. Episodes 7-8 Having been forced into exile on the island of Caruba (imaginary country in the Caribbean, military dictatorship) following the murder of Jimmy Vaccaro, Nicky Balsamo began his own business while serving as an intermediary to the new Montreal godfather Gino Favara (Ron Lea ), which attempts to acquire a large shipment of gold from the Russian mafia. This plays an indirect role in events of the first two seasons that occur at the same time. Episodes 9-13 Nicky Balsamo returned to Montreal for a position within the organization Gino while Pierre Gauthier (Michel Côte), being blackmailed, is forced to work for the

Canadian Security Intelligence Service The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; french: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité, ''SCRS'') is Canada's primary national intelligence agency. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating int ...

. Balsamo will be forced to make an alliance with Gauthier to protect Vicky.

Distribution

Season I

Season II

* Michel Côté : Pierre Gauthier *

: François Pelletier *

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 ...

: Gino Favara * Michel Dumont : Gilbert Tanguay * Brigitte Paquette : Gabrielle Provost *

Sophie Lorain Sophie Lorain (born Sophie-Hélène Lorain; 20 November 1957) is a French-Canadian actress, director and producer. She is known for having played Anne Fortier in the highly rated television series '' Fortier'' that first aired in Quebec, Can ...

: Denise Deslongchamps *

David La Haye David La Haye (born April 19, 1966) is a Canadian actor. Career He began his career in films in Yves Simoneau's ''Dans le ventre du dragon'' opposite such veteran stars as Rémy Girard and Pierre Curzi. With piercing eyes and an intense physic ...

: Rick Bonnard *

Marc Messier Marc Messier, M.S.C. (born August 16, 1947) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. Background Born in Granby, Quebec, Messier's 45-year acting career included the participation in several well-known films and television series. After finishing his ...

: Paul Spencer * Claude Michaud : Georges Lemire *

Sylvie Legault Sylvie may refer to: * ''Sylvie'' (novel), an 1853 novel by Gérard de Nerval * Sylvie (actress) Louise Pauline Mainguené, known as Sylvie (3 January 1883 – 5 January 1970), was a French actress. The daughter of a sailor and a teacher, ...

: Michèle Vallières *

Vittorio Rossi Vittorio Luciano Rossi (born April 16, 1961) is a playwright, actor and screenwriter born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in the district of Ville Emard. Graduating from Concordia University in 1985 with a B.F.A. specializing in theatr ...

: Tom Celano * Claude Maher : Guy Lalonde * Sylvain Massé : Gilles Boisclair *

Germain Houde Germain Houde (born December 14, 1952) is a Quebec Genie Award-winning actor. He is predisposed by his physique to playing tough-guy parts; his screen characters have ranged from cruel criminals to corrupt policemen. A graduate of the Conservatoi ...

: Carol Léveillé *

Claude Blanchard Claude Blanchard (May 19, 1932 – August 20, 2006) was a Québécois pop singer and actor. Partial filmography *'' Gina'' (1975) - Bob Sauvageau *''Mustang'' (1975) - *'' Fantastica'' (1980) - Hector *''Jesus of Montreal'' (1989) - Policeman ...

: Roger Perreault * — : Ronny Dante * — : Roberto Panzonni *

Manuel Tadros Hany Manuel Tadros ( ar, مانويل تادرس; born September 30, 1956) is an Egyptian-Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and voice actor. He currently works and lives in Quebec. Early life Tadros was born in Cairo, Egypt to a Chr ...

: Frank Vastelli *

Louis Di Bianco Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

: Carlo Lombardo *

Aubert Pallascio Aubert Pallascio (August 19, 1937 – July 5, 2020) was a Canadian actor. Pallascio trained at the CNSAD and for a period of time worked under the pseudonym Luis Aubert. He has performed on the stages of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Théâtre ...

: John Slayton * Jean-Pierre Bergeron : Marc-André Théoret * Daniel Gadouas : Laurent Daignault * Éric Hoziel : Gaétan Laflèche * Richard Lemire : Yvon «le Pic» Cossette *

Claudia Ferri Claudia Ferri is a Canadian actress. She is most noted for her performance as Anna Barberini in the film '' Mambo Italiano'', for which she was a Jutra Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the 6th Jutra Awards in 2004, and her starring rol ...

: Christina Panzonni * — : Robert Sauvageau *

Claude Lemieux Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his care ...

: Bertrand Fournel *

Bruno Pelletier Bruno Pelletier (born August 7, 1962) is a Canadian singer. Life Pelletier was born in Charlesbourg, a suburb of Quebec City. In 1983 Pelletier performed in the bands Amanite and Sneak Preview, which sang in English. He later started a group ...

: Michel Bergevin * Jean-Claude Viens : Biker

Season III

Romano Orzari Romano Orzari (born 12 December 1964) is a Canadian film and television actor. He played Hoagy Carmichael in '' Bix'' (1991), Pvt. Jimmy Rassi in ''Silent Night'' (2002), Joey Perrotta in '' Baby for Sale'' (2004), and Tom in '' Mères et filles ...

: Nicola «Nicky» Balsamo * Geneviève Rochette : Victoria «Vicky» Sogliuzzo *

: Gino Favara * Paolo Noël : Tony Potenzza * Michel Côté : Pierre Gauthier *

Tony De Santis Anthony DeSantis, KStJ (January 5, 1914 - June 6, 2007) was an American entrepreneur and theater owner in Chicago, Illinois. He is most well known for the foundation of the area's Drury Lane theatres. During DeSantis' lifetime, his empire include ...

: Jimmy Vaccaro *

Dino Tavarone Dino Tavarone (born December 28, 1942) is an Italian-Canadian actor most prominent in the Cinema of Quebec.Brendan Kelly"Mon ami Dino: Q&A with actor Dino Tavarone" ''Montreal Gazette'', August 4, 2016. He is most noted for his role as mafia boss G ...

: Giuseppe Scarfo *Vittorio Rossi : Tom Celano * Richard Robitaille : Blackburn, ''alias'' «Linda Monette» *Claude Blanchard : Roger Perreault * — : Ronny Dante *Germain Houde : Carol Léveillé * Roberto Medile : Agostino Sogliuzzo * — : Pierre Lavoie * — : Jeremy * — : Normand, amant de Vicky *Tony Conte : Vincenzo Spadollini * Emidio Michetti : Andrea Balsamo * Dennis O'Connor : «Fatso» Montemilio * — : Gerry Assete *Claudia Ferri : Christina Panzonni *Louis Di Bianco : Carlo Lombardo * — : Tony Barbella * — : Général Mandèz * Tony Calabretta : Louis Russo *Deano Clavet : Angelo «Angy» Bogliozzi *John Dunn-Hill : Marco D'Ascola *Éric Hoziel : Gaétan Laflèche * Bruno Diquinzio : Tony «two» * — : Pasquale * — : Mme Sogliuzzo * Andrée Champagne : Juge * — : Avocat de Jimmy * Jean-Guy Moreau : Réal Vincent * — : Alain Valois * Roger Léger: Corto * — : Procureur de la couronne *

: Bertrand Fournel Marcel LeBoeuf dans Marcel LeBoeuf

Awards

* Gemini: Best Drama Series 19961998 Gemini Award: The Gemeaux nominees, http://playbackonline.ca/1998/08/24/22816-19980824/ * Gemini: Best Drama Series 1998 * Gemini: Best Drama Series 1999

Episodes

Chronology

1973

Season III – Episode 1

1983

Season III – Episode 1

1993

Season III – Episode 1

1994

Season III – Episodes 2-6

1995

Season I – 11 Episodes Season III – Episode 7

1997

Season II – 14 Episodes Season III – Episodes 8-9

1998

Season III – Episodes 9-13

External links

{{Reflist Ici Radio-Canada Télé original programming 1996 Canadian television series debuts 1999 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian drama television series Television shows set in Montreal Television series about organized crime Works about organized crime in Canada