Canal Road (TV series)

Canal Road is an Australian television drama series on the Nine Network. The series was produced in-house, under producer Susan Bower, in collaboration with writers Sarah Smith, John Ridley and Dave Warner, and directed by Kevin Carlin. It was filmed at Channel Nine's GTV Studio 11 and on location in and around Melbourne. The series reportedly cost A$10 million to produce.[1]

Canal Road
GenreDrama
Created by
  • Susan Bower
  • Louise Crane-Bowes
  • Jo Horsburgh
Written by
  • Sarah Smith
  • John Ridley
  • Dave Warner
Directed by
  • Kevin Carlin
  • Shawn Seet
  • Ian Watson
StarringPaul Leyden
Diana Glenn
Brooke Satchwell
Charlie Clausen
Peta Sergeant
Patrick Brammall
Alyssa McClelland
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerJo Horsburgh
ProducerSusan Bower
Running time45 minutes
Original release
NetworkNine Network
Release16 April (2008-04-16) –
13 December 2008 (2008-12-13)

The 13-part series went to air from 16 April 2008. The series debuted to mixed critical reception and only average ratings, which were further eroded when the series was moved to a later timeslot.[1] Nine removed Canal Road from its schedules after the seventh episode, which drew in only 360,000 viewers;[2] however the eighth episode was still made available online. Nine eventually aired the remaining episodes during August and December 2008.[3][4][5]

Canal Road was released on DVD on 4 August 2008 in Australia.

Synopsis edit

Canal Road is a medical and legal advisory centre where the lives of inner-city professionals and their patients entwine in a story of mystery and intrigue. At the heart of the series are the tragic deaths of the wife and son of central character Spencer MacKay. Spencer is the centre's psychiatrist who is confronted by the killer of his loved ones and sets out on a journey of revenge which will implicate friends, workmates and his darkest demons.[6]

Cast edit

 
The cast of Canal Road.

Internet downloads edit

Since 1 April 2008, full episodes of Canal Road were offered as a free download as part of ninemsn's "Catch Up TV" service, with new episodes made available before their broadcast on Nine.[8] In order to view them a third-party video player must be downloaded, which includes advertisements in the file and disables the ability to skip the ads.

Episodes were later made available for purchase through the iTunes Store.[9]

Episode list edit

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"Kevin CarlinSarah Smith16 April 2008 (2008-04-16)
Dr McKay's world is thrown into turmoil when the man responsible for killing his wife and son comes back into his life.
22"Episode 2"Kevin CarlinJohn Ridley23 April 2008 (2008-04-23)
Holly, a Parole office, is being stalked by one of her clients and suspects Jack Logan.
33"Episode 3"Shawn SeetJohn Ridley30 April 2008 (2008-04-30)
Olivia's personal and professional lives collide when a troubled former friend, Bianca, re-enters her life.
44"Episode 4"Shawn SeetJohn Ridley7 May 2008 (2008-05-07)
Steve attempts to land himself a high-profile case but his plans backfire when he falls into his old habits and has sex with a client and her mother.
55"Episode 5"Ian WatsonSarah Smith28 May 2008 (2008-05-28)
Holly finds herself increasingly involved in Jack's criminal life, which compromises her position as a parole officer.
66"Episode 6"Ian WatsonJohn Ridley & Dave Warner4 June 2008 (2008-06-04)
Bridget's life spirals out of control when she is arrested for vandalism, evicted from home, and is left owing money to everyone, including her drug dealer.
77"Episode 7"Kevin CarlinDave Warner18 June 2008 (2008-06-18)
Skye's world is rocked when her sister, Tanya, is found murdered.
88"Episode 8"Kevin CarlinJohn Ridley10 July 2008 (2008-07-10)
A young clairvoyant, who claims the voices of the deceased instructed her to kill her father, starts channeling the voice of Spence's wife.
99"Episode 9"Daniel NettheimSarah Smith12 July 2008 (2008-07-12)
Dr Spence is shocked when he learns that the man who admitted having an affair with his wife was lying to cover something up.
1010"Episode 10"Daniel NettheimDave Warner13 July 2008 (2008-07-13)
Although claiming her relationship is over, Holly plans to break her convicted robber boyfriend, Jack, out of jail.
1111"Episode 11"Ian WatsonDave Warner20 July 2008 (2008-07-20)
Skye becomes infuriated when she learns that the person who murder her sister still hasn't been caught by the police.
1212"Episode 12"Ian WatsonJohn Ridley5 December 2008 (2008-12-05)
When Bridget falls ill, some suspect her drug-using party lifestyle is to blame. As her symptoms worsen, however, Bridget becomes convinced that her flatmate, Diana, is trying to poison her.
1313"Episode 13"Kevin CarlinSarah Smith13 December 2008 (2008-12-13)
Convinced that he has solved the mystery of his wife and son's murder, Spence feels free to explore a relationship with an ex-patient, Diana. Diana is later revealed to be the serial killer.

Ratings edit

Episode No. Airdate Timeslot Ratings
(5 capital cities)
Timeslot rank Overall nightly rank
1.01 Wednesday 16 April 2008 21:30 – 22:30 1,089,000 1st 12th
1.02 Wednesday 23 April 2008 21:30 – 22:30 811,000 3rd 20th
1.03 Wednesday 30 April 2008 22:30 – 23:30 433,000 28th
1.04 Wednesday 7 May 2008 22:30 – 23:30 386,000
1.05 Wednesday 28 May 2008 22:30 – 23:30 372,000
1.06 Wednesday 4 June 2008 22:30 – 23:30 308,000
1.07 Wednesday 18 June 2008 22:30 – 23:30 360,000 42nd
1.08 Sunday 10 August 2008 22:30 – 23:30 259,000
1.09 Tuesday 12 August 2008 22:30 – 23:30 340,000
1.10 Wednesday 13 August 2008 22:30 – 23:30 345,000
1.11 Wednesday 20 August 2008 22:30 – 23:30 306,000
1.12 Friday 5 December 2008 22:45 – 23:45 288,000
1.13 Saturday 13 December 2008 22:30 – 23:30

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b When Aussie drama is not what it seems
  2. ^ Canal Road: episode guide
  3. ^ Returning: Canal Road, Big Bang Theory
  4. ^ Returning: Canal Road
  5. ^ Knox, David (1 December 2008). "Far Canal". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  6. ^ "Coming Soon on Channel NINE – Canal Road – Australian Drama at its Best!". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
  7. ^ "Cast — Canal Road". Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  8. ^ Nine offers free Canal Road downloads
  9. ^ iTunes downloads TV (at last)

External links edit