THE LISTENER Returns With New Boss, New Baby, and Extraordinary Crime-Solving, May 26 on CTV

THE LISTENER Returns With New Boss, New Baby, and Extraordinary Crime-Solving, May 26 on CTV


- Natalie Krill (ROOKIE BLUE) joins the cast, and Anthony Lemke (LOST
GIRL) returns as Brian Becker -



- Season 5 guest stars include Shawn Doyle (REIGN), Natalie Brown
(BITTEN), and MASTERCHEF CANADA judges Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile -



- CTV commissions new, exclusive digital series for CTV EXTEND, which
digs deeper into mind-reader Toby Logan's past -



"The success story of Canadian television" - Andrew Ryan, The Globe and Mail


To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/1fMk04k


TORONTO, May 5, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadians are invited back into the
dangerous and exciting world of the Integrated Investigative Bureau
(IIB) with the Season 5 return of CTV's hit original series THE LISTENER, Mondays at9 p.m. ET/PT beginning May 26 on CTV and CTV GO. The all-new season sees the IIB team moving forward
professionally and personally as telepathic crime-solver Toby Logan
(Craig Olejnik) advances in his policing skills to become an even-more
effective member of the elite unit, while Sgt. Michelle McCluskey
(Lauren Lee Smith) struggles to balance motherhood and a fulfilling
career. Complicating matters further is the return of Supervising
Inspector Brian Becker (Anthony Lemke, LOST GIRL), whose unfinished
business with Toby from Season 1 creates problems for the team.



For the third season in a row, CTV is commissioning a digital series
that chronicles characters and storylines that branch off from the
broadcast series. The Season 5 digital series expands upon Becker's
(Lemke) suspicions about Toby (Olejnik), as Becker digs deeper into his
questionable crime-solving abilities and mysterious background. Becker
doesn't trust Toby, and he intends to find out his secret through
interrogations with key individuals from his past. The series will
launch mid-season on CTV's exclusive new digital hub CTV EXTEND,
located at CTV.ca.


THE LISTENER continued to drive million-plus audiences in its fourth season,
including a series-high 1.4 million viewers, resulting in an average
audience of 1.1 million. The series ranks among the Top 5 most-watched
Canadian series in all genres.



"Season 5 of THE LISTENER promises viewers more of the action and
intrigue they love, with new and returning characters shaking up the
team dynamic, and unusual and exciting cases challenging the IIB," said
Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. "Fans
across the country will be captivated as they watch their beloved
characters tackle new situations and roles in their personal and
professional lives."


** Media Note ** Download photos from THE LISTENER at BellMediaPR.ca


In the Season 5 premiere episode entitled "The Wrong Man," Toby
(Olejnik) and Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks) investigate a serial killer who
leaves live snakes with his victims, echoing the calling card of a past
culprit (Shawn Doyle, REIGN) who Michelle (Smith) had previously put
behind bars. Meanwhile, Michelle is trying to enjoy her maternity leave
with her new baby girl and husband Adam (Kris Holden-Ried, LOST GIRL),
but when her credibility is doubted with the suggestion that she may
have arrested the wrong suspect, she must return to the IIB in order to
save her professional reputation.


THE LISTENER's IIB team investigates a series of complex crimes this season,
including the abduction of a ballerina; murder by magic when a tattooed
illusionist's stunt goes awry; the death of a legendary treasure
hunter; and the poisoning of a cooking show contestant on live
television. But their biggest obstacle might be the return of
Supervising Inspector Brian Becker (Lemke), who is sceptical about
Toby's contributions to the IIB and must be cautiously won over by the
team. Alex Kendrick (Natalie Krill, ROOKIE BLUE) also joins the team as
a forensics technician. Her savvy doesn't go unnoticed by Dev, who is
thrilled to have an attractive new colleague and collaborator.



Toby also contends with the new status of his romantic life. Having
moved in with crime reporter Tia Tremblay (Melanie Scrofano, BEING
ERICA), he treads a fine line between being too open about his work and
holding back, while Tia begins to look into his mysterious past.
Michelle juggles motherhood with her policing duties, and
disappointment at being passed over for a promotion. Meanwhile, Toby's
best friend, Oz Bey (Ennis Esmer), steps away from hospital
administration and the world of EMS to take care of people in new ways
- as the owner of a popular gastropub.



Guest stars on THE LISTENER this season include Shawn Doyle (REIGN, BIG LOVE) as a manipulative
suspect who may have been wrongly imprisoned; Natalie Brown (BITTEN,
CRACKED, SOPHIE) as a scheming psychiatrist; acclaimed Canadian chefs
and restaurateurs Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile, who serve as judges
on Season 1 and the upcoming Season 2 of CTV's hit culinary competition
MASTERCHEF CANADA; and Gabriel Hogan (HEARTLAND), who plays an
ambitious mayoral candidate implicated in the disappearance of a young
campaign worker.



Viewers can catch encore episodes of THE LISTENERSaturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV starting May 31, Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two starting June 1 (visit CTV.ca for local broadcast times), and Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo (visit bravo.ca for local broadcast times) starting May 30. The day after each episode
of THE LISTENER airs on CTV, viewers can watch the full episode on CTV.ca and the CTV GO app.



The cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik as telepathic former paramedic Toby Logan;
Lauren Lee Smith as IIB Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Ennis Esmer as
Toby's best friend, Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun Francks as IIB security and
technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Peter Stebbings (THE BORGIAS) as
IIB head Alvin Klein; Kris Holden-Ried as Adam Reynolds, Michelle's
reformed gambler husband; Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS) as Sandy
Wardwell, Oz's girlfriend and St. Luke Hospital triage nurse; Melanie
Scrofano as crime reporter Tia Tremblay, Toby's girlfriend; Anthony
Lemke as Supervising Inspector Brian Becker; and Natalie Krill as
forensics technician Alex Kendrick.



One of Canada's top-rated homegrown dramas, THE LISTENER is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada, ION Television in the United
States, Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by
Shine International. The series has been licensed in 120 countries and
33 languages worldwide. Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV
and Fox International Channels, the series is executive produced by
Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Craig Olejnik, and Peter Mohan (LOST
GIRL, THE BRIDGE), who is also showrunner. Tina Grewal (HEARTLAND) is
producer. Sharon Tal Yguado is executive producer for Fox International
Channels. Tom Hastings and Rebecca DiPasquale are production executives
for Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production,
Bell Media and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent
Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President,
Programming, CTV Networks, Bell Media. Phil King is President,
President CTV Sports and Entertainment Programming. THE LISTENER is
produced with the financial participation of The Canadian Film or Video
Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.


SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_Television
@CTV_PR
@ShaftesburyTV

THE LISTENER onTwitter:
@listenertv

Craig Olejnik: @craigolejnik

Ennis Esmer: @heyennisshutup

Lauren Lee Smith: @L_L_S

Rainbow Sun Francks: @RainbowFrancks

Tara Spencer-Nairn: @TSpencerNairn

Anthony Lemke: @ranthonylemke

Natalie Krill: @nkrilova


Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CTV.TheListener

About Shaftesbury

With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is a thought leader
and innovator of original content for television and multiple platforms
in more than 120 countries. Shaftesbury's slate includes five seasons
of THE LISTENER for CTV, Fox International Channels and ION Television;
eight seasons of MURDOCH MYSTERIES for Citytv, UKTV, ITV STUDIOS Global
Entertainment and CBC; and the hit kids series LIFE WITH DEREK.
Shaftesbury's groundbreaking digital media division, Smokebomb
Entertainment, creates convergent experiences for television and
original digital content including the comedy series BACKPACKERS for
The CW and CTV Extend; tween series TOTALLY AMP'D and UNLIKELY
HEROES for YTV.com and Hulu; and 3D sci-fi series STATE OF SYN for Hulu
and Google Glass. Visit us online at http://shaftesbury.ca and http://smokebomb.ca.


About Bell Media Independent Production

Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and
most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian
independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings
success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, MOTIVE, and THE AMAZING RACE
CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced complementary version of
the hit international series. New to CTV in 2014 are hit international
format MASTERCHEF CANADA and multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, one of
the most-watched new comedies of the season. Among the scripted series
on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the two-time
Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN
BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN,
Bravo's most-watched new drama 19-2, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, and
upcoming dramas SENSITIVE SKIN, and KILLJOYS. Bell Media specialty
channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL and
CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. In 2013, Bell Media ordered 27
original Canadian series and currently has 84 projects in various
stages of development.


About CTV

CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of
quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV
has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 12 years
in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia
company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and
Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's
largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found
on the network's website at CTV.ca



- CTV -



Source: BBM Canada, 1/1/2013-12/1/2013


SOURCE CTV

CTV

CONTACT: Tanya Koivusalo, CTV, 416.384.2664, tanya.koivusalo@bellmedia.ca
Carolyn Fell, CTV, 416.384.2817, carolyn.fell@bellmedia.ca


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