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 ...
, which 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 1966 to 1968. It was arguably the first successful drama series on English Canadian television.
Plot
Steve Wojeck is a crusading big city
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 regularly fights moral injustices raised by the deaths he investigated. He often tackles tough and controversial issues. The first episode of the series examines the role of
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
in the suicide of a young
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
man.
Main cast
*
John Vernon
John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...
Ted Follows
Edward James Follows (November 30, 1926 – October 21, 2016) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was best known for playing the role of Macduff in '' Macbeth'' at the Stratford Festival and the 1961 CBC Television film adapta ...
as Crown Attorney Arnold (Arnie) Bateman
*
Carl Banas
Carl Banas (born January 23, 1929) is a Toronto-born retired radio personality and actor. He is best known for his voice roles in ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1964) and '' The Raccoons: Let’s Dance!'' (1985). As a television actor, he ...
as Sgt. Bryon James
*
Jennifer Dale
Jennifer Ciurluini (born January 16, 1956 in Toronto), known professionally as Jennifer Dale, is a Canadian actress.
Biography
She is the sister of Canadian actress Cynthia Dale. From 1980 to 1986 she was married to Robert Lantos; they have t ...
played Wojeck's daughter in the 1992 TV movie.
Production
The show was inspired by the career of Dr.
Morton Shulman
Morton Shulman (25 April 1925 – 18 August 2000) was a Canadian politician, businessman, broadcaster, columnist, coroner, and physician. He was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1925 to a Jewish family. He first came to fame as Ontario's Chief Coron ...
.
Although it was one of the highest-rated shows on Canadian television in its time, only 20 episodes of the series were made, because Vernon was lured to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
by the promise of more money than the CBC could offer. He only returned to the role once, for a
TV movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''Wojeck: Out of the Fire'' (1992). The first season (1966-67) was filmed in black and white, while season two (1967–68) was shot in colour.
Forensic pathology theme
''Wojeck'' was the first TV series to feature
forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
in the investigation of crime and has been the central theme of several other TV mystery-suspense dramas, beginning with the BBC's '' The Expert'' in 1968. Other programs include:
* ''
Quincy, M.E.
''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...
'', USA, 1976
* ''
Silent Witness
''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...
'', UK (BBC), 1996
* ''
Da Vinci's Inquest
''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...
'', Canada (CBC), 1998
* '' Waking The Dead'', UK (BBC), 2000
* ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'', U.S. (CBS), 2000; and its spinoffs, including:
** ''
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'', U.S. (CBS), 2002
** ''
CSI: NY
''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...
'', U.S. (CBS), 2004
* ''
Crossing Jordan
''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...
'', U.S. (NBC), 2001
* ''
Bones
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
'', U.S. (Fox), 2005
* ''
RIS Delitti Imperfetti
R.I.S - Delitti Imperfetti (R.I.S - imperfect crimes) is an Italian television series, created in 2004 by Pietro Valsecchi, broadcast since January 2005 on Canale 5. The title, where ''RIS'' is an acronym for '' Reparto Investigazioni Scientifiche ...
'', Italy (Canale 5), 2005
* ''
R.I.S, police scientifique
''R.I.S, police scientifique'' is a French television series, created by Stéphane Kaminka in 2005, broadcast by TF1 since 2006. The ''R.I.S.'' in the title is an acronym for ''Recherches et Investigations Scientifiques'', referring to the ficti ...
'', France (TF1), 2006
* ''
Post Mortem
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...
'', Germany (RTL), 2007
* ''
R. I. S. – Die Sprache der Toten
R. I. S. – Die Sprache der Toten (engl. ''R. I. S. – The Language of the Dead'') is a German television series broadcast by Sat.1 since 2007. The ''R. I. S.'' in the title is an acronym for ''Rechtsmedizinische Investigative Sonderkommission'' ...
'', Germany (Sat.1), 2007
* ''
Rizzoli & Isles
''Rizzoli & Isles'' is an American crime drama television series starring Angie Harmon as Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Maura Isles. Based on the series of ''Rizzoli & Isles'' novels by Tess Gerritsen, the plot follows Boston Homicide polic ...
'', U.S. (TNT), 2010
* ''
Body of Proof
''Body of Proof'' is an American medical/crime comedy-drama television series that ran on ABC from March 29, 2011, to May 28, 2013, and starred Dana Delany as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt. The series was created by Christopher Murphey and p ...
# "The Last Man in the World": Wojeck tries to find out who assisted the suicide of an
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
Indian who was locked up in jail. The episode has flashbacks that show the racism between First Nations people and white people.
# "Tell Them the Streets Are Dancing": This episode guest starred Bruno Gerussi (later of CBC's ''
The Beachcombers
''The Beachcombers'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canad ...
'') as a construction worker whose crew were forced to work in tunnels where some of them contracted
caisson disease
Decompression sickness (abbreviated DCS; also called divers' disease, the bends, aerobullosis, and caisson disease) is a medical condition caused by dissolved gases emerging from solution as bubbles inside the body tissues during decompressio ...
. This episode would be seen in the United States as an episode of
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...
'' and is listed in indexes as the show's pilot.
# "Another Wonderful Day"
# "After All, Who's Art Morrison?" This episode featured
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Awa ...
(later of the 1978 film ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' as Lois Lane)
# "Listen, An Old Man Is Speaking"
# "Fair Egypt"
# "Thy Mother A Lady, Lovely and Bright"
# "Does Anybody Remember the Victim's Name?"
# "A Dime Harry Doesn't Need"
# "Pick A Time...Any Time"
# "All Aboard For Candyland"
# "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Two-parter, guest starring
Michael Learned
Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is a distinguished American actor, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in ...
, later of ''
The Waltons
''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...
'')
# "You've Been Very Kind"
# "Another Dawn, Another Sunrise, Another Day"
# "Give Until It Hurts...And Then Some"
# "The Cold Smile of Friends" (Two-Parter)
# "Name of the Games People Play"
# "Chocolate Fudge With Walnuts"
Awards
In 2002, ''Wojeck'' became a MasterWorks honouree by the