New Canadian Original Series ‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ Premieres Amid High Expectations

Nobody wants to be the person who mucked up the ‘Law & Order’ franchise. It’s a fear that’s haunted veteran procedural writer Tassie Cameron since she embarked on the most daunting responsibility of her career: turning Dick Wolf’s beloved legal drama into the new spinoff ‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.’ Despite years of experience writing on ‘Rookie Blue,’ ‘Pretty Hard Cases’ and ‘Mary Kills People,’ she quivers at her latest responsibility as the one holding the reins for a major event in Canadian television.

Sitting alongside fellow executive producer Erin Haskett at their production office, the pair are discussing how far they’ve come in only a few months. It’s December of last year and the Canadian ‘Law & Order’ has one shooting day left in its whirlwind season, which came together on tight timelines as dual Hollywood writer and actor strikes halted many U.S. films and TV series. “The show got greenlit the first week of June, with one script,” Haskett said. “Then it was like, oh my God, we need nine more,” added Cameron.

Each one pulls inspiration from real Toronto crime headlines and reimagines them as fictional investigations led by detectives Henry Graff and Frankie Bateman, played by Aden Young and Kathleen Munroe. The first episode revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a cryptocurrency investor. Other storylines this season involve leaders at Toronto’s city hall, a car-theft ring, retail price fixing, and crimes in fine art and hockey circles, a publicist for the series confirmed.

Many ‘Law & Order’ hallmarks are here, from the famous dun-dun sound and its accompanying title cards to familiar visual cues, such as tracking shots of the detectives wandering around Toronto while intensely discussing the crimes. These pieces fell into place without resources the Canadian creators would’ve been able to tap into any other year.

In the rehearsals, the all-Canadian lead actors discussed how to bring the conventions of the series to life, while still keeping their performances “fresh,” Munroe said of playing detective Bateman. Karen Robinson, who plays Insp. Vivienne Holness, credits the diversity of Toronto’s neighbourhoods and its citizens as giving a unique flavour to the homegrown spinoff.

“Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” is a co-production of Cameron Pictures and Lark Productions, in partnership with Rogers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2024.