HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Line'' 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 ...
television drama series, which debuted on
Movie Central Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to operat ...
and
The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...
on March 16, 2009. It centred on two morally ambiguous police officers in the
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
district of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. The series, an expansion of George F. Walker's theatrical play ''Adult Entertainment'', was originally announced under the working title ''The Weight''. It was created Walker and Dani Romain, produced by The Nightingale Company, and shot by Richmond Street Films. It was originally shot as two distinct seasons of seven and eight episodes respectively, but aired as one continuous 15-episode run. The show was commonly compared by Canadian television critics to the American crime drama series ''
Brotherhood Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to: Family, relationships, and organizations * Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity * Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
'' and ''
The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...
''."Crime wave comes to small-town Canada". ''
Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily C ...
'', March 16, 2009.


Characters

* Max (
Ron White Ron White (born December 18, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and author, best known as a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Nicknamed "Tater Salad", he is the author of the book ''I Had the Right to Remain Silent But ...
) and Donny (
Daniel Kash Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director. Life and career Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...
) are police officers dealing with the
drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
network in their precinct. Frustrated by the limitations and regulations of conventional police work, Max regularly steps outside the bounds of legality by pursuing his own tactics, while Donny has been so torn apart by the job that he spends most of his time drunk and lounging around a seedy motel, only occasionally going out on — and usually messing up — the actual police duties given to him by Max. * Carlos (
Clé Bennett Clé Bennett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for voicing DJ, Beardo, Leonard, and Chef Hatchet (Seasons 1 - 6) from ''Total Drama'', and his portrayal of Lemar Hoskins / Battlestar in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries ''The Falcon an ...
) is a drug dealer recently paroled from prison, struggling to rebuild his life but caught in a turf war between rival drug kingpins Andre (
Wes Williams Wesley "Wes" Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes (formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes) or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his ...
) and Eddie (
Von Flores Valentin Andres Tanga Flores IV, known by his professional name as Von Flores, is a Filipino-Canadian actor. He is often cast as commanding or aggressive characters. Early life and education Von was born in Malabon and lived in Pateros until ag ...
). He suffers from stress-induced migraines and stomach pains. * Lucie (
Sarah Manninen Sarah Manninen (born November 6, 1976) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress, better known for her appearances on film '' The Prince and Me'' and series ''The Line''. Career A Finnish Canadian, Manninen graduated from Resurrection Ca ...
) is Carlos' ex-girlfriend. A former addict who's gone clean and intends to stay that way, she and her daughter Jamie (Laytrel McMullen) want nothing to do with Carlos after he's released from prison, but they eventually attempt to reconcile. * Giles (
Dwain Murphy Dwain Murphy is a Dominican-born Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Eric in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', Giles in ''The Line'', and Bishop in '' How She Move''. Murphy has made an appearance in Tom Clancy's '' Splinter Cell ...
) is Carlos' brother, who works as a security guard at the store where Lucie works as a cashier. Although uninvolved in Carlos' criminal activity, he is gunned down and killed by Eddie's crime network as a warning to Carlos — but Carlos continues to see and have conversations with him after his death. * Karen (
Yanna McIntosh Yanna McIntosh (born 1970), sometimes credited as Yanna MacIntosh, is a Jamaican-born Canadian television, movie and theatrical actress. Early life McIntosh attended the University of Toronto and the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Ha ...
) is Max's wife, whom he married after investigating the murder of her first husband. They have a tense relationship marked by Karen's belief that Max only married her as a "social work" project to save her and her children from Being Black. When married to her first husband, she lived in the same building as Carlos and Lucie. * Jayne (
Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress who played Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the ABC drama series '' NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in ...
) is a burned-out legal aid lawyer, and Max's mistress with whom he has regular sex dates at the motel. * Pam (Tasha Lawrence) is Donny's ex-wife. Since leaving Donny, she and her daughter Emma ( Vivien Endicott-Douglas) are living with Jayne. * Hermie (Milton Barnes) and Philippe ( Shawn Singleton) are Carlos' dimwitted cousins, who invariably mess up anything Carlos asks them to do. * Andre (
Wes Williams Wesley "Wes" Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes (formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes) or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his ...
) Drug boss with anger management issues. Hands-on, efficient businessman. * Eddie (
Von Flores Valentin Andres Tanga Flores IV, known by his professional name as Von Flores, is a Filipino-Canadian actor. He is often cast as commanding or aggressive characters. Early life and education Von was born in Malabon and lived in Pateros until ag ...
) Stubborn, volatile dealer with unknown connections. * Joe (Brandon McGibbon), Lucie's brother, is a junkie who's also usually hanging around Carlos waiting for his next fix. Thoroughly addled by his drug habit, he has a difficult time remembering anything — including, as he tells Carol at one point, whether or not he's gay. * Cecil ( Alison Sealy-Smith) is the superintendent in Lucie's building. Fed up with the crime and violence in her backyard, she is vocal in telling off the neighbourhood criminals. * Andy ( Chris Owens) is Donny's childhood friend, and the manager of the motel. Donny knows, but doesn't care, that Andy is really just the front person for a money-laundering operation. * Carol (
Linda Hamilton Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. She played Sarah Connor in the ''Terminator'' film series and Catherine Chandler in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–1990), for which she was nominat ...
) is Andy's sister. She briefly comes to stay at the motel after having been beaten up, purportedly by her husband, but is in fact a con woman who has stolen $46,000 from Steamboat (
George Buza George Buza is an American-born Canadian actor who is best known for voicing Beast in the '' X-Men Animated Series''. Personal life Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, as a young man and became a Canadian citizen in 1998. C ...
), a biker and loan shark. * Patrick (
Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' an ...
) is Jayne's senile father. He comes to live with Jayne after escaping the nursing home where he had been living. * Sal (
Conrad Pla Conrad Pla (born October 24, 1966) is a Canadian actor and former professional kickboxer. He is best known for founding Tristar Gym and starring in the Canadian television series ''ReGenesis''. Early life Pla was born in Madrid and moved to Can ...
) and Leon ( Patrick Gallagher) are undercover policemen working inside Eddie's crime network. * Currie ( Eugene Clark) is Max and Donny's precinct captain.


Production notes

Filming began at Don Mills Collegiate Institute in
Don Mills Don Mills is a mixed-use neighbourhood in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was developed to be a self-supporting " new town" and was at the time located outside Toronto proper. In 1998, North York, including the Don Mills c ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in early August 2007. The program's theme song, "No Heaven", is performed by electronic musician
Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
, with
Betty Bonifassi Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Bea ...
on vocals. The song was previously released as a single from Champion's 2004 album ''
Chill'em All ''Chill'em All'' is the debut album by Canadian electronic musician Champion, released in 2004 on Saboteur Records. A 32-second cut of "No Heaven" serves as the opening theme for the 2009 Canadian TV series ''The Line''. "No Heaven" was also used ...
''.


International syndication


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Line, The 2000s Canadian crime drama television series Crave original programming 2009 Canadian television series debuts 2009 Canadian television series endings Television shows set in Toronto Television shows filmed in Toronto