''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television series which originally aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes. The show, set and filmed in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, starred

Nicholas Campbell Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is a four-time Gemini Awards, Gemini Award winner, a three-time Genie Awards, Genie Award nominee, and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award nominee. He is k ...

as Dominic Da Vinci, once an undercover officer for the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

, but now a crusading

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

who seeks justice in the cases he investigates. The cast also included

Gwynyth Walsh Gwynyth Walsh (born 1956) is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the ''Star Trek'' character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters. She also played constable Nimira in the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " Random Thoughts", and provided th ...

as Da Vinci's ex-wife and chief pathologist Patricia Da Vinci,

Donnelly Rhodes Donnelly Rhodes Henry (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018) was a Canadian actor. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convict Dutch Leitner on the soap opera spoof ' ...

as detective Leo Shannon, and

Ian Tracey Ian Tracey (born June 26, 1964) is a Canadian actor.Ian Tracey's bio
at www.northernstars.ca Ove ...

as detective Mick Leary.

Episodes

Cast

Main

as Coroner (Mayor in season 8) Dominic Da Vinci *

Suleka Mathew Suleka Mathew is a Canadian actress, best known for her lead roles on television series ''Claws'' (TNT) as Arlene Branch, '' Red Widow'' ( ABC) as Dina Tomson, '' Men in Trees'' ( ABC) as Sara Jackson, and ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' (CBC) as Dr. Su ...

as Dr. Sunita "Sunny" Ramen (credited as "Sue Mathew" in the first season) (seasons 1–5 & beginning of season 6) *

as Detective Leo Shannon (seasons 1–7) *

Venus Terzo Venus Terzopoulos is a Canadian actress who played Detective Angela Kosmo in ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' and its spinoff '' Da Vinci's City Hall''. She was nominated in 2002 for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leadi ...

as Detective Angela Kosmo *

Ian Tracey Ian Tracey (born June 26, 1964) is a Canadian actor.Ian Tracey's bio
at www.northernstars.ca Ove ...

as Detective (Coroner in season 8) Mick Leary *

as Dr. Patricia Da Vinci (seasons 1–4) *

Robert Wisden Robert Charles Wisden (Brighton, 2 June 1958) is an English actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a ...

as Chief Coroner James Flynn (seasons 1–2 & beginning of 3) *

Sarah-Jane Redmond Sarah-Jane Redmond is a British actress and acting coach, living in Canada, whose work has spanned film, television and theatre productions, often in science fiction roles. She has taught acting at the New Image College of Fine Arts in British Co ...

as Sergeant Sheila Kurtz (seasons 3–7, recurring in seasons 2 and 8) *Gerard Plunkett as Chief Coroner ormerly Crown ProsecutorBob Kelly (seasons 3–7; recurring in seasons 1–2 and 8) * Kimberly Hawthorne as Detective Rose Williams (credited as "Kim Hawthorne") (seasons 4–7) *

Alex Diakun Alex Diakun is a Canadian actor. Career Diakun's credits include a blue-faced alien (Chief Technical Director Hohne) in the series '' Andromeda'', ''The Outer Limits'', and the feature film '' Valentine''. Filmography Film *'' McCabe & Mrs. Mil ...

as Forensics Detective Chick Savoy (seasons 5–8, recurring in 1–4) *

Sarah Strange Sarah Strange (born September 6, 1974) is a Canadian actress. She has worked in a variety of American and Canadian television and film projects, including Helen in the Canadian drama ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' and as the voice actress for the male hal ...

as Helen (seasons 5–7, recurring in 1–4) *Simone Bailly as Constable Jan Ferris (season 8) *

Brian Markinson Brian Markinson (born ) is an American actor who has appeared in a wide variety of films and television shows. Some of Markinson's best known roles include a U.S. Attorney General in ''Shooter'', an unscrupulous industrialist in ''Godzilla'', ...

as Police Chief Bill Jacobs (season 8; recurring in seasons 6–7) *

Mylène Dinh-Robic Mylène Dinh-Robic (born April 17, 1979) is a Canadian actress. Biography A Francophone from Montreal, Quebec, Dinh-Robic is of Québécois paternal and Vietnamese maternal heritage. She has worked on stage, on camera, and in video games. Sh ...

as Rita Mah (season 8) *

Benjamin Ratner Benjamin Immanuel (also credited as Ben Ratner or Benjamin Ratner) is a Canadian actor, film director and screenwriter. He is most noted for his performances in the films ''Last Wedding'' and ''Looking for Leonard''. Career Immanuel has appeared ...

as Sam Berger (season 8)

Recurring

Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian actress, known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in '' Ginger Snaps''. Since the late 1980s ...

as Sue Lewis (seasons 1–7) *Stephen E. Miller as Accident Investigation Sgt. Zack McNab (recurring in seasons 1–7) *

Robert Clothier Robert Allan Clothier, DFC (October 21, 1921 – February 10, 1999) was a Canadian stage and television actor most famous for his role as Relic on the CBC television series, ''The Beachcombers''. Biography Like many of his contemporaries, ...

as Joe Da Vinci (season 1) *

Joy Coghill Joy Dorothy Coghill-Thorne, CM, (May 13, 1926 – January 20, 2017) was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. Her obituary in ''The Vancouver Sun'' described her as having had "a seven-decade run at the top of the Vancouver theatre world." ...

as Portia Da Vinci (seasons 1–5) * Duncan Fraser as Staff Sgt. Regan (season 1 and beginning of 2) *

Max Martini Maximilian Carlo Martini (born December 11, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Corporal Fred Henderson in ''Saving Private Ryan'', Wiley in '' Level 9'', First Sergeant Sid Wojo in ''The Great Raid'', and as Master Sergean ...

as Danny Leary (seasons 1–4) *

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its follow-up movie '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on science fiction television ...

as Gabriella Da Vinci (seasons 1, 3–4) * Peter Williams as Morris Winston (seasons 1–5) *Warren Takeuchi as Wayne (seasons 1–5) *

Crystal Lowe Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe (born Yan-Kay Lo; January 20, 1981) is a Canadian actress and director. She is known for her scream queen roles in horror films such as '' Children of the Corn: Revelation'' (2001), ''Final Destination 3'' (2006), '' Black C ...

as Sylvia (seasons 1–3) *Lee Jay Bamberry as Det. Roy LaBoucane (seasons 2–5) *

Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a Canadian actor, based in British Columbia. His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentary ''Hard Core Logo'' (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanle ...

as Detective Bob Marlowe (seasons 2–4) *Nathaniel De Veaux as Morris Steadman (seasons 2–5) * Fred Keating as Councillor Jack Pierce (seasons 2–8) *

Terry Chen Terence Chen (born February 3, 1975) is a Canadian actor. Early life Chen was born on February 3, 1975, in Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the ...

as William Chen (seasons 3–4, 6–7) *

Dean Marshall Dean Marshall is a Canadian film, television, and theater, actor, writer, and director. He is known for portraying Sgt. Bates on '' Syfy'' original series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Carter on both ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', and '' Da Vinci's City H ...

as Constable Carter (seasons 4–7) *

Keegan Connor Tracy Keegan Connor Tracy (born December 3, 1971) is a Canadian actress, author and director. She is best known for her roles as Audrey Malone in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Beggars and Choosers'' (1999–2000), the Blue Fairy in the ABC fa ...

as Jackie (seasons 4, 7) *

Hrothgar Mathews Hrothgar Mathews (born January 27, 1964) is a Canadian actor known for his performance as Gill St. George in the 1999 television film ''Milgaard'' and Ned Yost in ''When Calls the Heart''. Career He has also played the recurring roles of Ma ...

as Constable (later Sgt.) Charlie Klotchko (seasons 5–7, regular in 8) *

Colin Cunningham Colin Alexander Cunningham (born 1966) is an American television and film actor. Cunningham is best known for his roles as John Pope in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies'' and as Major/Lt.Col Paul Davis on ''Stargate SG-1'' and ...

as Detective Brian Curtis (seasons 5–8) *

Camille Sullivan Camille Sullivan (born July 6, 1975) is a Canadian actress. Among her notable television appearances are ''Rookie Blue'', ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', ''Intelligence'' and '' Shattered''. She won a Leo Award for her role in '' Normal''. She was also no ...

as Detective Suki Taylor (seasons 5–7) *

Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston is a Canadian movie and theater actor best known for his role as Jack Bartlett on the CBC drama ''Heartland'', which debuted in October 2007. He co-founded the Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and made his first professional forays in ...

as Fire Marshal Sid Fleming (seasons 5, 8) *

Alisen Down Alisen Down (also billed as Alisen Richmond-Peck, born January 3, 1976) is a Canadian film and television actress. She is known for her roles as Miranda Feigelsteen in the paranormal drama series ''Mysterious Ways'' (2000—2002) and as Olivia K ...

as Dr Maria Donato (seasons 6–8) *

Bill Dow Bill Dow is an actor, director and writer in theatre, film, and television. He is best known for playing Bill Lee in the ''Stargate'' franchise. Career He also had a recurring roles as Russ Hathaway in the Canadian drama series ''Da Vinci's I ...

as Mayor Russ Hathaway (seasons 6–7) *Rob LaBelle as Phil Rosen (seasons 6–8) * Patrick Gallagher as Internal Affairs Detective Joe Finn (season 7, regular in 8) * Chris Britton as Richard Norton (seasons 7–8) *

Hiro Kanagawa is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including ''The X-Files'', ''Smallville'', ''Caprica'', ''Godzil ...

as Fire Captain Roy Komori (season 8) *

Charles Martin Smith Charles Martin Smith (born October 30, 1953) is an American actor, director and writer based in British Columbia, Canada. His breakout role was as Terry "The Toad" Fields in George Lucas' film ''American Graffiti'' (1973), which he reprised ...

as Joe Friedland (season 8) *

Gina Holden Gina Holden (born March 17, 1975) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Coreen Fennel in '' Blood Ties'', Dale Arden in ''Flash Gordon'', Monica Eaton in '' Suits'' and Shea Allen in ''Harper's Island''. Early life Gina Holden ...

as Claire (season 8) *Rebecca Reichert as Marcie (season 8) *

Eugene Lipinski Eugene Lipinski (born 5 November 1956) is a British-Canadian character actor and screenwriter. He was born in Wansford Camp, Soke of Peterborough, England, and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He began acting at the age of twelve in amate ...

as Lloyd Manning (season 8) *

Rekha Sharma Rekha Shanti Sharma is a Canadian actress of Indo-Fijian descent, best known for her role as Tory Foster on ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2006–2009),"Getting a sense of Huma; Lots of twists and turns as Galactica plows ahead" by Glen Schaefer, '' ...

as Constable Cindy Winters (season 8)

Production

''Da Vinci's Inquest'' was loosely based on the real life experiences of

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born February 28, 1948) is a Canadian politician who was the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada, from 2002 until 2005, and a member of the Senate of Canada from 2005 until his retirement in 2023. Before he was mayor, Campbe ...

, the former chief coroner of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, who was elected mayor of that city in 2002. The part of Da Vinci, however, was written specifically for actor

. Elements of the series storylines were also taken from sociopolitical issues faced by Vancouver itself, such as the plight of the homeless, the controversy over a designated injection site for drug users, the idea of establishing a

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

, and the disappearance of homeless women and sex workers — similar to the case of

Robert Pickton Robert William Pickton (October 24, 1949 – May 31, 2024), also known as the Pig Farmer Killer or the Butcher, was a Canadian serial killer and pig farmer. After dropping out of school, he left a butcher's apprenticeship to begin working full- ...

. Each episode of the series cost $1 million.

Format

''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is notable for its unconventional story formats. Unlike most crime dramas, many cases on ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' aren't fully explained, and some aren't even solved; often the episodes end with the resolution implied or withheld entirely. Some of the longer arcs of the show arcs span the length of one or more seasons, but aren't touched on at all for several episodes at a time. An exception to this is Season 7, which features at least three main plots that are addressed in every episode. Two episodes, Season 3's "It's Backwards Day" and Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me," are notable for their extended opening takes, which follow Da Vinci as he walks around a location and speaks with multiple characters in one continuous, ten-minute shot; the former episode is also noted for playing out largely in real time. Major story arcs include: Da Vinci's attempts to balance his work life with his ex-wife and daughter, as well as his battles with alcoholism; Leo Shannon struggling to care for his mentally ill wife and facing pressure to retire from the force; the relocation of an old mental hospital's cemetery and the intrigue that follows; Sunny overseeing an archaeological dig at a construction site; Angela Kosmo's battle with a corrupt Vice cop and the teenage prostitute who tries to manipulate both of them; and Da Vinci's quest to establish a red light district and safe injection site to protect the

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

s and drug addicts of Vancouver, which leads him to run first for police chief and then mayor. The sex trade is a recurring theme throughout the entire series, and early season premieres and finales center around high numbers of homicides where prostitutes are the victims, which often turn out to be the work of a serial killer. Relationships between characters (such as Da Vinci's many romantic flings and that between Mick Leary and Sunny Ramen) are left in the background of or take place between episodes.

Availability outside Canada

United States

The original run of ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' was always available in certain U.S. markets (e.g., Seattle) where the CBC could be viewed either over the air or on cable. It made its formal U.S. debut, however, the week of September 17, 2005, when it was already in syndication after the original run. The show has continued to air in syndication, along with multiple networks (including

Retro TV Retro TV (stylized as retrotv), formerly known as Retro Television Network, is an American terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by Get After It Media. The network mainly airs classic television sitcoms and drama series f ...

Cloo Cloo, formerly known as Sleuth, was an American pay television channel owned and operated by NBCUniversal which aired programming originally dedicated to the crime and mystery genres, though in its later years it occasionally aired series and fi ...

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-T ...

, and

Court TV Mystery Ion Mystery (formerly Escape and Court TV Mystery, stylized as ESCAPE and MYSTERY; formerly branded on-air as Mystery) is an American digital subchannel#Commercial networks, free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary ...

) due to its low-cost syndication arrangement. The series is distributed in the United States by PPI Releasing, a large distributor of Canadian programming to the American market.

Other countries

In Australia, the series aired late Monday nights on the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

, and its affiliates

WIN Win or WIN most likely refers to: * A victory Win, Winning, WIN or Winner may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), 2021 * WIN (pacifist magazine) * WIN (wrestling ma ...

(although on a different night) and NBN, and later on 13th Street. It has also been aired in late night slots on

RTÉ One RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''R ...

in Ireland. In

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, Skjár einn has aired the show in various slots, including Saturday evening.

Home media

DVD

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn Media, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media ...

has released the first three seasons on DVD in Region 1 (US only). In Canada,

Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Los ...

released the first season on DVD on 14 October 2003. Season 2 was released on 3 February 2009 by

Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...

, more than five years after the release of the first season.

Streaming

As of 2017, season one has been released online for free on

Canada Media Fund The Canada Media Fund (CMF, ) is a public–private partnership founded on April 1, 2010, by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original Canadian content and support the Canadi ...

's Encore+ YouTube Channel.

Awards and nominations

Nicholas Campbell received the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for Best Performance in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his work on the series and has guest-starred in American shows such as ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

''.

also received a

for Best Actor in 2002 and the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Fa ...

in 2006. The series was critically acclaimed as the best television series in Canada after winning the Gemini Award for Best Dramatic Series for five of its first six seasons. In 2002, actress

won a Leo Award for her guest appearance in Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me" and was brought back for a second appearance in 2005.

''Da Vinci's City Hall'' and TV movies

In Canada, a spin-off series, ''

Da Vinci's City Hall ''Da Vinci's City Hall'' is a Canadian drama television series that premiered on CBC Television on 25 October 2005 and ended on 28 February 2006. It is a spin-off of the long-running Canadian series ''Da Vinci's Inquest''. The creator, writer and ...

'', premiered on 25 October 2005. In the U.S., ''Da Vinci's City Hall'' airs as part of the ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' rerun package, regarded as the eighth season of the series (even using the titles from the last three seasons of ''Inquest'' instead of the titles for ''City Hall''). ''City Hall'' debuted in the U.S. on

Superstation WGN WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-TV ...

on April 27, 2007, and released into national syndication to local stations, also as part of ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', on November 4, 2007. A TV movie following up on the two series, ''The Quality of Life'', aired on CBC on 14 June 2008.

References

External links

Official Web Site
*
Genie Awards and nominations''Da Vinci's Inquest'' Forum Index
* {{ACCT Best Dramatic Series, state=collapsed 1998 Canadian television series debuts 2005 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian crime drama television series 2000s Canadian crime drama television series Canadian legal television series CBC Television original programming Television series by Alliance Atlantis Television series by Lionsgate Canada Television shows set in British Columbia Television shows set in Vancouver Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Drama Series winners Television shows filmed in Vancouver Canadian English-language television shows