Street Legal Original Series
Street Legal is a Canadian legal drama television series that aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1994 before returning with six new episodes starting March 4, 2019. [1] Street Legal was the longest one-hour drama script in Canadian television history, holding the record for twenty years before being surpassed by the 139th episode of Heartland on March 29, 2015. [2] The creators of the 2019 series are Bruce M. Smith and Bernie Zukerman. [34] The series is co-produced by IGP Productions and Broken Clown Company. Executive producers are Zukerman and Smith, while producers are Cynthia Dale and Rayne Zukerman. Filming for all six episodes took place primarily in Montreal, with some work done in Toronto. [2] Street Legal`s concept of relaunch in 2019 was first discussed at a luncheon attended by Cynthia Dale and Sally Catto, CBC`s Director of Programming. Over a later lunch, producer Bernie Zukerman and Catto began planning the details of a relaunch. [11] The takeover focuses on Olivia Novak (Dale), who joins a small law firm, RDL Legal, after losing her job at a powerful Bay Street law firm. In addition to Dale in his original role, the cast also included Cara Ricketts, Steve Lund and Yvonne Chapman.[1] Eric Peterson and Anthony Sherwood made appearances as Leon Robinovitch and Dillon Beck, but were not part of the full-time cast.[2] Actors Allan Hawco, Patrick Labbé, Leni Parker, Rosemary Dunsmore and Tom McCamus have also appeared in supporting roles. In the first episodes, the three main characters of the series were Carrie Barr (Smits), Leon Robinovitch (Peterson) and Chuck Tchobanian (Johnson), partners in the small law firm Barr, Robinovitch and Tchobanian in downtown Toronto. The three did not necessarily always agree: Tchobanian was a flashy, confident, conservative lawyer who was very interested in bringing high-profile cases that would get his name in the media; Robinovitch was a labour activist lawyer who believed in defending the little guy and launched a campaign for the mayor of Toronto during the series.
Barr was a soft-spoken and initially naïve young lawyer who was sometimes forced to mediate between her most stubborn partners. According to series producer Maryke McEwen, “If you want to label the characters as Liberals, Conservatives and NDP, I would call them Liberals, Conservatives and NDP.” [3] Street Legal is a Canadian television series that aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1994. The pilot of the original series aired in 1986 on CBC television as Shellgame, a TV movie by William Deverell, in which Brenda Robins defends accused murderer André (Germain Houde) as a lawyer. However, the film was not well received by audiences or critics, and the project was reorganized and revamped before being serialized in 1987.[4] The series debuted on January 6, 1987 with six episodes in that season.[5] [3] Maryke McEwen was the executive producer. Early critical reactions to the series often compared it to the contemporary American series L.A. Law, with some critics even using the derogatory nickname T.O. Law. The series then returned for a second, longer season in September 1987.[6] [7] The series is clearly Canadian in its use of Canadian customs and judicial procedures.
Much of the show`s music was composed by Eric Robertson, who was nominated for a Gemini Award in 1987 for his work on the show. The last regular weekly episode of the show aired on February 18, 1994. Production ended with the two-hour TV movie Last Rights, which aired on November 6, 1994.[8] Loosely based on the case of Sue Rodriguez, an assisted suicide activist who died a week before the last regular episode of Street Legal aired, the film focuses on Olivia`s criminal trial after she helped a terminally ill friend (Brent Carver) commit suicide. [9] The film attracted 1.6 million viewers. [10] The new six-episode season aired on September 4. It first aired on CBC Television in March 2019. [2] After each episode aired, it was also available on the CBC Gem streaming service. The main theme of the six episodes is the opioid crisis in Canada,[12] including a class action lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company that manufactures a highly addictive drug. [2] [13] During the 2019 revival, Olivia lost her job at a Bay Street firm and joined RDL Legal, a boutique firm with which she used to compete for a big deal. From the third to seventh seasons, Brenda Greenberg was first lead producer and then executive producer, while Nada Harcourt took over for the final season. Olivia and Mina meet in Montreal with a familiar face. Lilly and Adam are looking for a new witness.
In April 2019, the CBC announced that the reboot would not be renewed for a second season. The ninth season premiered on September 21. It premiered on Ovation in the US in June 2021 and was also released on app streaming service Ovation NOW in the “Mystery Alley” channel section shortly before its premiere. [15] Characters introduced later included Mercedes (Sealy-Smith), the company`s simple office manager; Olivia Novak (Dale), an aggressive and risky new lawyer at the firm, who was a foil to Carrie and a love interest to Chuck; Alana Newman (Khaner), a judge who was married to Leon; Rob Diamond (Schultz), who joined the firm as a lawyer; Dillon Beck (Sherwood), a prosecutor who married Carrie; and Laura Crosby (del Mar), a new lawyer who joined the firm after Carrie was killed by a drunk driver. The defence presents its arguments. RDL and Olivia argue over strategy. A judge dies; Leon arrives. The class action lawsuit will go to court.
Street Legal focuses on the professional and personal lives of partners in a small law firm in Toronto, Ontario. The film stars Sonja Smits, Eric Peterson and C. David Johnson, and the cast also includes Julie Khaner, Albert Schultz, Cynthia Dale, Maria del Mar, Ron Lea, Anthony Sherwood and Diane Polley.