stringtranslate.com

Trickster (Canadian TV series)

Trickster is a Canadian coming-of-age supernatural thriller drama television series, which premiered on CBC Television on October 7, 2020.[1] The series is created by Tony Elliott and Michelle Latimer with Latimer also directing, and is adapted from Eden Robinson's 2017 novel Son of a Trickster.[2][3][4]

The series was renewed for a second season prior to the first season's premiere; however, these plans were eventually cancelled on January 29, 2021, due to controversy around Michelle Latimer's Indigenous heritage.[5]

Premise

The series centres on Jared, an Indigenous Haisla teenager and small-time drug dealer in Kitimat, British Columbia, who becomes increasingly aware of the magical events that seem to follow him.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Episodes

Production

Despite being set in British Columbia, the majority of the show was filmed in and around North Bay, Ontario,[8] although some outdoor establishing shots were filmed in Kitimat.[9] The costume designer for the series was Adriana Fulop.[10]

In advance of the television premiere, two episodes of the series were screened in the Primetime program at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival,[11] and at the 2020 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury.[12]

The first season was directed and co-written by Michelle Latimer. Following the emergence of questions about the legitimacy of her indigenous status, producers Tony Elliott and Danis Goulet resigned in protest on December 18, 2020,[13] and Latimer resigned from the series three days later.[14] The network did not immediately announce any decision on whether to replace her or simply cancel production of the followup seasons;[14] the show's cancellation was announced in January 2021.

Writer Drew Hayden Taylor criticized the network's decision to cancel the series, writing that "if the chief executive officer of a company does something questionable, you fire the CEO, you don’t dissolve the company."[15] He pointed out that a significant number of indigenous filmmakers are working in the contemporary Canadian film industry, who could easily have been hired to continue the show under new leadership: "The Indigenous film community is thriving, eager and capable of maintaining, maybe even improving, the framework that is already there and continue it forward. Just get a new showrunner. Showrunners come and go all the time in the television industry. I know three that are baristas."[15]

International broadcast

In Australia, SBSOnDemand acquired the broadcast rights for the series, where it premiered on October 27, 2020.[16][17]

In the UK, Syfy acquired the broadcast rights for the series, where it premiered on November 23, 2020.

In the US, The CW acquired the broadcast rights for the series, where it premiered on January 12, 2021.[18]

In Brazil, Globoplay acquired the broadcast rights for the series, where it premiered on March 5, 2021.[19]

Response

In its December 2020 year in review, the Canadian film and television industry magazine Playback named Trickster the Scripted Series of the Year.[20]

Writing for The Globe and Mail, Drew Hayden Taylor positioned the series as a leading voice in the contemporary emergence of indigenous speculative fiction, alongside authors such as Cherie Dimaline, Waubgeshig Rice and Yvette Nolan. He linked the genre to indigenous storytelling traditions, which are often based on stories of the fantastical and mystical, and concluded that "Earlier, I mentioned that it was a genre we were interested in exploring. I may have been wrong. I think it’s a genre our Elders were familiar with. We’re just rediscovering it and putting new moccasins on it."[21]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Hank, Melissa (May 28, 2020). "CBC announces new fall TV series, returning favourites". O Canada. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  2. ^ van Koeverden, Jane (May 29, 2019). "Adaptation of Eden Robinson's Trickster series coming to CBC-TV". CBC. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Trickster – About the Show". CBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c van Koeverden, Jane (September 18, 2019). "Cast revealed for CBC's upcoming series, The Trickster". CBC. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ "CBC says second season of Trickster will not go forward". The Globe and Mail. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mutabdzija Jaksic, Vanja (September 30, 2020). "Introducing the stars from CBC's Trickster". CBC. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Trickster – Listings". Next Episode. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Pinto, Jordan (September 18, 2019). "CBC drama The Trickster goes to camera in North Bay". Playback. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  9. ^ Friend, David (September 15, 2020). "'Trickster' actor Joel Oulette on the 'overwhelming' rise of CBC's new series". Vancouver Courier. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  10. ^ Jaksic, Vanja Mutabdzija (20 November 2020). "Secrets behind Trickster's fashion choices that make the characters pop". CBC Television. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  11. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (July 30, 2020). "TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Sudbury festivals adapting to COVID-19". Sudbury Star. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Deer, Ka’nhehsí:io; Barrera, Jorge (December 18, 2020). "Trickster producers resign amid Michelle Latimer Indigenous identity questions". CBC News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Hertz, Barry (December 21, 2020). "Michelle Latimer resigns from CBC's Trickster week after addressing questions of Indigenous ancestry". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Taylor, Drew Hayden (January 31, 2020). "Why the CBC should reconsider cancelling Trickster". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Top new series in October 2020". SBS. September 28, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Northover, Kylie (October 30, 2020). "Canadian Gothic tale is the scariest thing you'll see this Halloween". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  18. ^ Pedersen, Erik (October 29, 2020). "The CW Sets Season Premiere Dates For 'Flash', 'Batwoman', 'Riverdale', 'Nancy Drew', 'Charmed', 'Walker' Reboot & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Scalon, Roberto (March 5, 2021). "Série inédita, "Trickster" estreia no Globoplay". VCFAZ (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Pinto, Jordan (December 14, 2020). "Scripted Series of the Year 2020: Trickster: How the coming-of-age drama from Streel Films and Sienna Films has created a new narrative around Indigenous storytelling and become a red-hot commodity in an international marketplace hungry for new voices". Playback. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  21. ^ Taylor, Drew Hayden (December 16, 2020). "CBC's Trickster shows how Indigenous storytelling has developed". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  22. ^ Brent Furdyk, "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada, March 30, 2021.

External links