The Shields Stories was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on W in 2004.[1] A short-run dramatic anthology series produced by Shaftesbury Films, the series dramatized six short stories by Carol Shields.[2]
| The Shields Stories | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 0:30 (per episode) |
| Production company | Shaftesbury Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | W |
| Release | March 9 – April 13, 2004 |
The series was a sequel of sorts to Shaftesbury's prior The Atwood Stories, which dramatized six short stories by another Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood.[3] A third series, which would have dramatized short stories by Alice Munro, was planned but did not materialize.[4]
The series was a Gemini Award nominee for Best Drama Series at the 19th Gemini Awards.[5]
Episodes
edit| # | Title | Director | Writer | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hazel" | Norma Bailey | David Young | March 9, 2004 | 1-01 |
|
Hazel (Sheila McCarthy), a newly widowed housewife still haunted by visions of her dead husband (Peter Keleghan), finds new meaning in life when she takes a job selling kitchen gadgets. | |||||
| 2 | "A Wood" | Lori Spring | Lori Spring | March 16, 2004 | 1-02 |
|
Following the death of their father, musician Elke Wood (Jayne Collins) prepares for an important recital while her brothers Ross (Patrick McKenna) and Stanley (Mark Ellis) argue over how to protect her emotionally. | |||||
| 3 | "Windows" | Lynne Stopkewich | Lynne Stopkewich | March 23, 2004 | 1-03 |
|
Married artists MJ (Aidan Devine) and Anne (Kate Greenhouse) find their art and their relationship tested when a government bureaucrat forces them to cover the windows in their house. | |||||
| 4 | "Various Miracles" | Mina Shum | Esta Spalding | March 30, 2004 | 1-04 |
|
Camilla (Sara Botsford), a successful writer, encounters intriguing little synchronicities as she tries to sell her latest novel. | |||||
| 5 | "The Harp" | Sarah Polley | Sarah Polley | April 6, 2004 | 1-05 |
|
Already having pretty much the worst day of her life, Tracey (Robin Brûlé) confronts the irony in life when she gets knocked down on the street by a musician throwing a harp out his window. | |||||
| 6 | "Dolls, Dolls, Dolls, Dolls" | Lori Spring | Lori Spring | April 13, 2004 | 1-06 |
|
When her husband dismisses her doll collection as a childish pastime, Emmy (Torri Higginson) recalls the childhood experience that made her dolls so important to her. | |||||
References
edit- ^ "Shields' shorts adapted for TV; Stories inspire 6 half-hour shows". Toronto Star, March 9, 2004.
- ^ "Shields has success on small screen: TV not natural home for written word". Calgary Herald, March 14, 2004.
- ^ "Shields and Atwood on TV? What took so long?". The Globe and Mail, March 9, 2004.
- ^ "More short stories for Original Pictures". Playback, January 5, 2004.
- ^ "CBC-TV miniseries Human Cargo leads 2004 Gemini list". Whitehorse Star, October 26, 2004.
