TORONTO – When “Flashpoint” returns for a fourth season Friday (8 p.m. ET on CTV), things will have reached a critical point.
As fans will recall from the season 3 cliff-hanger, the elite special forces tactical squad is a man down with their No. 1 sniper Ed (Hugh Dillon) the victim of a surprise shooting.
And the rest of the squad are about to be disbanded under the watch of a military psychologist (Victor Garber) who questions the team’s cohesiveness under the leadership of Sgt. Gregory Parker (Enrico Colantoni).
If the characters are all under the gun, imagine how the producers feel.
“Flashpoint” has been a great Canadian success story, consistently winning its timeslot and averaging 1.65 million viewers this past season on CTV.
It remains the top-rated homegrown series in Canada and is gaining audience year-to-year among younger viewers. It continues to draw Gemini nominations and recently won a Writer’s Guild of Canada Award for series co-creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. Even when an episode is rerun for the fourth time in Canada, it has never pulled less than 600,000 viewers.
Yet this story about an elite tactical force finds itself under the gun.
Because it is a Canadian-American co-production, the success of “Flashpoint” is measured at an elite level. It carries the extra burden of being the flag bearer for all these cross-border productions, having opened the door for “Rookie Blue” and “Combat Hospital.” A popular fourth season may suggest that international deals don’t have to be one- or two-season wonders.
And that’s a lot of pressure for executive producers Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos.
Get daily National news
While they’ve definitely seen more of an openness to Canadian content on American schedules over the past four years, they acknowledge that the jury is still out on the long-term success of this North American TV alliance.
“At the end of the day, it’s a ruthless world down there and it’s only about ratings,” says La Traverse.
“If you last one season, you’ve already done better than a lot of other people in the States.
“Every single Saturday morning when our ratings come in, we hold our breath and we think, ‘Are we going to make it through another week?'”
The simple truth is that “Flashpoint” is a much bigger hit in Canada than it is in the United States. CBS treats the hour-long drama as a utility player, calling it in off the bench as a summer fill-in, or as a quick fix if one of their mid-season shows misfires. “Flashpoint” therefore doesn’t get the promotion or publicity of other CBS shows, yet when ever it is called up, it bunts a single, cracks the odd double and gets on base. It almost always wins its U.S. timeslot.
Mustos, who says he gets nothing but support from CTV, has come to accept the show has a different role on CBS.
“We recognize that we’re a different player on their team, and we’re grateful to have this amazing opportunity to be on this massive platform in the U.S.”
That exposure in paying off in new ways, says Mustos.
“With the arrival of Netflix in the United States, a whole new crop of fans are finding the show,” he says. These are viewers who might have missed episodes in mid-season or in summer months when viewer levels are lower.
Production begins this week on the 14th of 18 season 4 episodes. Seven will air this summer, simulcast on both CTV and CBS. CTV has scheduled the remaining 11 for this fall on Tuesday nights. As for CBS, the annual guessing game about another pick up has begun.
CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler always hedges her bets at the summer Television Critics Association press tour, saying the show may or may not be renewed. The U.S. broadcaster has until October to make a call on a fifth season. CTV has already jumped ahead, asking for another 18 episodes.
That order may shrink depending on whether CBS remains involved. At roughly $2 million an episode – a bargain for an hour drama in America but a fortune in Canadian television – “Flashpoint” is too rich for one Canadian network to maintain on its own.
Fortunately, the producers have other options. The series is sold around the world. The U.S. cable channel ION has recently bought the U.S. rights to older episodes, which they’ll start airing this fall. La Traverse suggests there might also be a potential production partner should CBS drop out. In any event, there will be a fifth season, but 18 episodes could shrink to a few as 13 depending on financing.
No matter how long it runs, fans will be saying goodbye to one key cast member this summer.
Romantic entanglements, psychological scrutiny and, in one case, recovery from a serious attack will force somebody from the team off the squad. A new recruit, played by Cle Bennett, will be introduced. Another strong line up of Canadian guest stars, including Christopher Bolton (“Rent-a-Goalie”) in Friday’s opener, will get some cross-border exposure.
“We’re going to be spending a lot more time with our characters’ personal lives this season,” adds La Traverse.
“I think it’s our strongest season ever.”
—
Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.