The long-running Law & Order franchise has been a staple of television since the original American series premiered in 1990. Now, Canadians have their own adaptation of the show in Citytv’s Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. After attracting more than 1.1 million viewers in its premiere, it became the number one primetime drama of the year in Canada and was quickly renewed for second and third seasons.
Adapted from the American original, the series is created by Canadian showrunner Tassie Cameron, Montreal-born René Balcer and American Dick Wolf. The show also features a primarily Canadian cast, led by Aden Young, Kathleen Munroe and K.C. Collins.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent follows detectives from the specialized criminal investigations unit of the Toronto Police Service as they investigate crimes throughout the city. The unit is led by detective sergeants Henry Graff (Young) and Frankie Bateman (Munroe), deputy crown attorney Theo Forrester (Collins) and inspector Vivienne Holness (Karen Robinson).
As with all series in the Law & Order franchise, many of the stories are “ripped from the headlines,” meaning they are inspired by high-profile real-life cases. While many episodes open with a disclaimer that the stories presented are fictional and do not depict real individuals, those who keep up with the news may recognize stories when they see them on screen.
One notable example is the episode “Crack Reporter,” which references the infamous viral video of the late former Toronto mayor Rob Ford ranting while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Described by Ben Okazawa of Exclaim as a “thinly veiled dramatization” of the incident, the episode escalated the incident from scandal to murder. Taking place during the re-election campaign of the Ford counterpart (Ian Tracey), the reporter (Georgia Leva) assigned to break the story of the Ford-equivalent video is killed in a sneak attack — which I interpreted to be representative of the potential dangers that journalists face when covering high-profile cases, particularly when politics are involved.
Another example of Law & Order Toronto’s “ripped from the headlines” style comes in the episode “Face Value.” The episode follows a well-liked couple, Rod and Gloria Abalos (Von Flores and Catherine Thomas), who are found murdered at their business in what was initially believed to be the aftermath of a robbery. However, investigators soon discover that the killings may not have been by chance after learning of the pressure they placed on their son, Jerome (Joshua Dela Cruz) to succeed academically. Suspicion of Jerome grows when they discover that his diplomas and degrees are fake.
The plot closely resembles another famous Toronto crime — the case of Jennifer Pan. Like the fictional Jerome, Pan had a difficult relationship with her parents and was pressured to succeed academically. Feeling that they were controlling and strict, Pan lied about diplomas, employment and transcripts — just as Jerome does in “Face Value.” Pan was eventually charged for hiring hitmen to murder her parents after they discovered her lies. Her mother was killed in the attack, but her father survived.
My viewing experience of this show was enhanced by knowing the real stories they were inspired by, recognizing the similarities and seeing depictions of how the investigations play out. As with all shows, certain aspects are often enhanced for drama, but I found the stories to be compelling in their realism, displaying sensible steps that investigators take to solve a crime.
Another aspect of shows like the Law & Order franchise that I enjoy is when I recognize an actor in the show from another role. Often, these appearances are surprising, but nothing surprised me more in “Face Value,” than seeing Josh Dela Cruz, who is best known as the most recent host of the children’s show Blue’s Clues & You. Seeing him in such a different role from his jovial, friend-to-all-children persona in Blue’s Clues was a surprise, and playing such a dramatic role showed his versatility.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent takes a tried-and-true concept from south of the border, and successfully adapts it to the Canadian market with stories familiar to local audiences and a strong showcase of local talent. It will be interesting to see the stories that the show will cover in the future.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is available to stream on major platforms such as Citytv, Apple TV and Prime Video.
