Showcase - New and Returning Series upfronts Press Release

SHAW MEDIA DECLARES 2012/13 AN UNPRECEDENTED YEAR FOR BIG FORMATS, A-LIST STARS ACROSS SPECIALTY PORTFOLIO
“This is a hugely exciting year for Shaw Media,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice-President, Content, Shaw Media. “The return of record-breaking Canadian adaptations of smash hit formats in conjunction with the debut of so many original new series reinforces our dedication to delivering the best in entertaining content to Canadians every day.”
Showcase continues to be the top destination for the best in dramatic entertainment with a slew of new and returning hit series coming this fall. Starring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) and produced in Canada by Take 5 and Whizbang Productions in partnership with CBS Studios, the brand-new series Beauty and the Beast will infuse Showcase with a fresh take on the fairytale classic. Other new series include the USA hit Common Law, which premiered to impressive audience numbers in the U.S., and the much-anticipated debut of the original series Copper, from creative dream team Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson (Good Morning Vietnam, Oz) and Emmy® Award-winner Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Borgias). In addition, Showcase will be the exclusive home to the original series World Without End, the bold follow-up to Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth starring Miranda Richardson (Rubicon, Merlin), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Ben Chaplin (Mad Dogs) and Canadians Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method) and Meghan Follows. Viewers can also look forward to new seasons of Showcase’s top-rated series Lost Girl, as well as Warehouse 13, Royal Pains, and the channel’s megahit series Covert Affairs.

Showcase
Copper (Canadian Premiere, Canadian Original) FALL 2012
Copper is a gripping crime drama set in 1860s New York City, and focuses on Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones; MI-5), an intense, rugged Irish-immigrant cop working the city’s notorious Five Points neighbourhood. Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent world, while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. His friendship with two Civil War compatriots – the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African American physician who secretly assists Corcoran with his work – takes him to the contrasting worlds of elegant Fifth Avenue and rural Harlem. The three men share a secret from their experience on the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.
Common Law (Canadian Premiere) FALL 2012
The comedic cop series follows meticulous and responsible Wes Mitchell (Warren Kole; 24) and carefree Travis Marks (Michael Ealy; The Good Wife), partners who are great at closing cases but terrible at getting along – with each other. Ex-lawyer Wes is compulsively organized, divorced, and a methodical over-thinker, while former juvenile delinquent Travis is impulsive, disorganized, and a ladies-man who doesn’t play by the rules. The mismatched pair has a seven-year track record as LAPD's finest in the Robbery-Homicide Division, but when their constant bickering starts affecting their work their boss Captain Sutton (Jack McGee; The Fighter) sends the dream team off to couples therapy with hard-hitting therapist Dr. Elyse Ryan (Sonya Walger; Lost).
Beauty and the Beast (Canadian Premiere) FALL 2012
From the classic tale comes a new, fresh take on Beauty and the Beast starring Canadian Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) as Catherine Chandler. As a teenager, Catherine witnessed the murder of her mother and Catherine knows her life would have been taken too if it wasn’t for someone – or something – that saved her. Now a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective, Catherine discovers Dr. Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan; Terra Nova), the man who saved her many years before. Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years to guard his secret – he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses when he is enraged. Catherine agrees to protect his identity in exchange for any insight he may have into her mother’s murder, beginning their complex relationship.
World Without End (Canadian Premiere, Canadian Original) FALL 2012
Ken Follett’s global bestseller World Without End premieres as an eight-part, one-hour event series on Showcase. Cynthia Nixon, Miranda Richardson, Ben Chaplin, Peter Firth, Charlotte Riley, and Canadians Megan Follows and Sarah Gadon headline the star-studded cast with director Michael Caton-Jones at the helm. The epic series follows Caris, a visionary young woman struggling to rise above the suffering and oppression in order to lead her people out of the dark times. England is on the brink of devastating war with France that will last over a hundred years, and a terrible plague is spreading that will wipe out a third of Europe’s population before it is done. With her lover Merthin, Caris builds a community that stands up to The Crown and The Church. Together, they unearth a dangerous secret and must fight to save their town of Kingsbridge from ruin, ultimately ushering in a new era of freedom, innovation and enlightenment.
Returning: Lost Girl Season 3
Season three promises more twists and turns for TV’s favourite succubus, “Bo” (Anna Silk: Being Erica, Billable Hours). This season sees Bo make a romantic choice, but finds the road to commitment riddled with obstacles. Throughout the season, unexpected jeopardy stalks Bo and those she cares about. Though Bo battles many foes, her greatest enemy will prove to be the one that resides within her.

Returning for season three is Kris Holden-Ried (Ben Hur, The Tudors, Underworld 4) as “Dyson”; Ksenia Solo (Life Unexpected; Black Swan) as “Kenzi”; Zoie Palmer (The Guard, Instant Star, XIII) as “Lauren”; Rick Howland (Billable Hours, Murdoch Mysteries) as “Trick” and K.C. Collins (Owning Mahowny, Doomstown) as “Hale”.
Joining the Lost Girl cast this season is (Rachel Skarsten: The Vow; Flashpoint; Birds of Prey) in a recurring role as “Tamsin,” a thrill-seeking, sexy new Fae who ruffles many feathers. Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men, Covert Affairs, Human Target) will reprise her role as “The Morrigan,” the leader of the Dark Fae.
Haven Season 3
Season three of Haven picks up immediately following the events of the gripping season two finale with Audrey (Emily Rose) having been brutally kidnapped; Nathan (Lucas Bryant) warned against pursuing a romantic relationship with Audrey; and Duke (Eric Balfour) seemingly engaged in a fight to the death with Nathan after he discovers his family lineage is to kill Haven citizens with troubles. New addition to the cast include Bree Williamson (Gossip Girl, One Life to Live), Dorian Missick (Southland, The Cape) and Kate Kelton (Harold and Kumar, American Psycho 2).

Strike Back (Canadian Premiere) WINTER 2013
A high-octane, globe-spanning thriller with storylines ripped from the headlines, Strike Back focuses on two members of a top-secret anti-terrorist organization known as Section 20. Leading the team are British Sergeant Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester; Fringe) and Damian Scott (Sullivan Stapleton; Animal Kingdom), a Delta Forces operative who was disgraced and discharged on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The two protagonists crisscross the globe venturing to New Delhi, Cape Town, Darfur and beyond as they try to thwart terrorists planning a major attack that could have global repercussions by bringing anarchy and destruction to our planet.
Cable premieres of hit movies on Showcase include:Inception, The Other Guys, Salt, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Shutter Island, The Town, andGrown Ups.
Brand-new seasons of returning series on Showcase include: Lost Girl, Covert Affairs,Warehouse 13,Haven,Royal Pains,Law & Order: UK, NCISand Rookie Blue.