Crave Begins Production on Underbelly

Crave and Shaftesbury have begun production on the six-episode crime drama Underbelly, starring Stephen Amell (Arrow), Hamza Haq (Transplant) and Minnie Driver (The Serpent Queen).

The drama takes place in a quiet riverside town in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario, where Officer Henry Roland finds evidence linking a case of missing illegal substances to his childhood best friend Tommy, with whom he shares a dark secret. As he goes on a mission to save his friend, a ruthless British crime family also goes on the hunt for the missing drugs and Tommy.

As Roland faces the concerns of his police chief father-in-law and a rival officer, he continues to dig deeper and uncovers unexpected ties between the crime, his friend’s daughter and her partner.

In addition to Amell, Haq and Driver, the cast includes Christopher Heyerdahl (Van Helsing), Tamara Podemski (Reservation Dogs), Katia Edith Wood (8-Bit Christmas) and Jeremy Watson (SurrealEstate).

Underbelly has begun filming in the Thousand Islands and is continuing production on location across Southern Ontario, including in Grimsby, Brantford, Cobourg and Bowmanville. Filming will eventually move to Toronto.

All episodes are being directed by Robert Budreau (Stockholm). The writing team is led by Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin (Slasher). Fifth Season co-financed the series and is handling worldwide rights, excluding Canada.

“Underbelly is the perfect addition to Crave’s ever-growing slate of originals,” said Justin Stockman, VP of content development and programming at Bell Media. “With exceptional creative vision from Graeme Stewart, Aaron Martin and Robert Budreau and rich, multi-dimensional characters, the series delivers a gripping narrative that we know will resonate deeply with all audiences.”

“Underbelly is set on a picturesque river, home to 1,000 islands and serving as the border between Canada and the U.S.,” noted Christina Jennings, chairman and president of Shaftesbury. “It is the perfect setting for this returnable crime series from writers Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin. We are delighted to be working with Fifth Season and Bell Media/Crave with a cast led by Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, Hamza Haq and Tamara Podemski.”

Prentiss Fraser, president of television distribution at Fifth Season, added, “Shaftesbury has a fantastic track record in producing must-watch TV series and–together with the amazing team at Bell Media, who we love working with–they’ve now brought to life a returnable crime drama, which has all the ingredients we know global buyers and audiences alike are going to love. Underbelly promises a remarkably talented, globally known ensemble cast with Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver and Hamza Haq, along with plenty of intrigue and intricate plot twists crafted by Graeme Stewart.”