NBC Picks Up CTV’s The Listener

TORONTO, February 4: To
fill gaps in its schedule in the wake of the writers’ strike, NBC has ordered
13 episodes of the one-hour drama series The Listener (working title), originally produced by Shaftesbury
Films for Canadian broadcaster CTV.

This is the second pick up
in a week for a CTV-developed Canadian series by a major U.S. network. American
broadcasters have increasingly been turning to Canada for programs to fill
their schedules.

The series was greenlit by
CTV last December and is currently in pre-production, with shooting set to
begin this spring. The Listener tells
the story of a young man who can read people’s thoughts and acts on them. Executive
producers are Emmy and Gemini award-winning Christina
Jennings (ReGenesis, The Murdoch Mysteries), Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury Films, Russ
Cochrane (Whistler) and Michael
Amo. The Listener is distributed in the U.S. by Program Partners.

“Two different series, two
different American networks, two different producers—one huge success for
CTV’s original development team,” said Susanne Boyce, the president of creative,
content and channels for CTV. “It’s been an incredible week. Canadian
television stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best content in the world. We
have a long and successful relationship with Shaftesbury Films and we are proud
to partner with them on bringing The Listener to such a
wide audience.”

“We’re delighted The Listener will be broadcast by NBC in the U.S. and CTV in Canada,” said
Christina Jennings, the chairman and CEO of Shaftesbury Films. “Shaftesbury has
built strong relationships with U.S. networks over the years. This opportunity
to partner with CTV and NBC on a prime-time series is the next logical step.
There seems to be a new pattern emerging at American TV networks, which have
lately become more open to working with production companies outside the U.S.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski