TV-14 | 10 episodes Season 1 | Procedural | 2025
Dick Wolf’s durable police procedural franchise has inspired many international remakes, including British and Russian versions. However, this new Canadian spin-off is the first to produce entirely original stories, rather than re-purposing old scripts.
If you suspect that means more hockey references, you wouldn’t be wrong. In fact, the eighth episode, “Boys Will Be Boys,” explores the dark side of semi-professional youth hockey. Still, franchise fans should rest assured the basic formula remains the same.
Wisely, Mike Post’s instantly recognizable opening theme and the dramatic “dun-dun” cues were also adapted for the new Canadian series. There is enough of the tried and true to reassure the pre-existing American fanbase when creator-showrunner Tassie Cameron’s “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” makes its American debut.
Even the opening narration, “In Toronto’s war on crime, the worst offenders are pursued by the detectives of the specialized criminal investigations unit,” shrewdly uses its American predecessor as a cut-and-paste template. The structure and pacing of each episode also follow the examples set by the various U.S. series; there is however, perhaps even less space allowed to establish the characters’ personal lives.
Bateman and Graff
All we know about Detective Sergeant Kathleen Munroe (Frankie Bateman) after eight episodes is her single-parent status. We know even less backstory for her partner Detective Sergeant Henry Graff (Aden Young), but he’s definitely a character. A fount of odd trivial facts, Graff was clearly inspired by Vincent D’Onofrio’s character in the American “Criminal Intent,” but he’s more personable and more self-aware of his foibles.
Karen Robinson is a credibly grouchy and grounded presence as their boss, Inspector Vivienne Holness. Araya Mengesha frequently adds refreshingly humane reactions as tech expert Mark Yohannes. However, K.C. Collins plays Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester like an arrogant obstacle for Graff and Munroe to up-manage, rather than an equal colleague (unlike the prosecutors in the other American series). His thin character needs further development.
Regardless, Graff’s random knowledge often comes in handy during his investigations, like his familiarity of tidal patterns in the pilot, “The Key to the Castle,” written by Cameron. The real-life source material is also more readily identifiable in the opener than many subsequent episodes.
The murder of cryptocurrency investor Daniel Siddiqui (Ali Kazmi) bears a strong resemblance to the mysterious demise of Gerald Cotten. Many suspected Cotten of faking his own death to plunder the crypto funds stored on the Canadian QuadrigaCX exchange. However, Siddiqui’s body quickly washes up, conclusively dead from poisoning, leaving behind a widow and several angry investors.
Clever Script
Frankly, many New Yorkers will probably personally relate to the second episode, “Good Neighbors,” because the murder is somehow related to the potential sale of an apartment. Cranky Dennis Embers (Torren Sylvain) refused to sell out to a real estate development, so his neighbors were out to get him. Notably, Sam Godfrey’s surprisingly clever script shoehorns a fair amount of misdirection into this episode.
Arguably, some traditional cultural critics will most enjoy “The Real Eve,” written by Jillian Locke. The episode exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of the fine art world. Of course, know-it-all Graff also has a keen eye for art, which serves him well while investigating the murder of trendy artist Eve Kinwood (Sonja Bennett).
Some on the other side of the ideological spectrum will likely enjoy the portrayal of scandal-plagued conservative Mayor Craig McCreigh (Ian Tracey), whose grotesque caricature is transparently based on former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Graff and Bateman also uncover the dirty laundry of both the opposition and the media in the snarkily-titled “Crack Reporter.”
Likewise, the seventh episode, “The Sound of Silence” shares noticeable similarities with the sexual assault prosecution of radio broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi. Canadian viewers would quickly recognize her as the model for the chief murder suspect, Roman Rush (Tim Rozon). (It should be stipulated that the real-life Ghomeshi was never accused of homicide.) Again, the depiction of the media (satellite radio in this case) is decidedly mixed.
That relatively balanced approach continues in “Bleeding Heart,” written by Annmarie Morais, inviting sympathy for its illegal immigrant victim, Sam Falade (Percy Anane-Dwumfour). The episode also depicts the harm he did unto others as a cog in the illegal criminal enterprises operated by the gang that trafficked him into Canada. There is some nuance to the writing that viewers don’t always get from American network TV.
Arguably, the anti-trust-themed “Minnow and the Shark” represents one of the weaker installments, but Rachael Ancheril delivers an amusingly villainous guest performance as Nadia Betts. This ruthless grocery-store magnate is known for her phony down-home commercials, and her colleague just met an untimely end.
Hockey Script
However, the most memorable guest-starring work comes from Gage Munroe as Kai Powell, a potential star hockey player whose ambitions were sabotaged by a hazing scandal in “Boys Will Be Boys.” It was largely the fault of Rory Findley (Stephen Kalyn), the team captain, who logically becomes this week’s homicide victim.
So far, nobody in the “Toronto” series has been murdered by poisoned poutine, but a full two seasons have already aired in Canada, with a third season on the way, so maybe that will happen eventually. Based on the first eight episodes, there’s just enough Canadianizing to satisfy the north-of-the-border market, without losing the essence of the franchise that spawned it. Cameron and company handle the procedural business in a briskly consistent manner, while Young and Bateman develop an appealing camaraderie that wears well over time. Odds are that if you like any of the prior American series, you’ll equally enjoy “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.”
“Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” airs on CW Sept. 24.
‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’
Director: Holly Dale, Peter Stebbings, David Wellington, Sudz Sutherland, Winnifred Jong, David Straiton
Starring: Aden Young, Kathleen Munroe, Karen Robinson, K.C. Collins, Araya Mengesha
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 10 episodes (approx. 45 minutes each)
Release Date: Sept. 24, 2025
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to features@epochtimes.nyc
