Da Vinci's Inquest
is a Canadian
crime drama
television series which originally aired on
CBC Television
from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes.
The show, set and filmed in
Vancouver
, starred
Nicholas Campbell
as Dominic Da Vinci, once an undercover officer for the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, but now a crusading
coroner
who seeks justice in the cases he investigates.
[1]
[2]
The cast also included
Gwynyth Walsh
as Da Vinci's ex-wife and chief pathologist Patricia Da Vinci,
Donnelly Rhodes
as detective Leo Shannon, and
Ian Tracey
as detective Mick Leary.
- Nicholas Campbell
as Coroner (Mayor in season 8) Dominic Da Vinci
- Suleka Mathew
as Dr. Sunita "Sunny" Ramen (credited as "Sue Mathew" in the first season) (seasons 1?5 & beginning of season 6)
- Donnelly Rhodes
as Detective Leo Shannon (seasons 1?7)
- Venus Terzo
as Detective Angela Kosmo
- Ian Tracey
as Detective (Coroner in season 8) Mick Leary
- Gwynyth Walsh
as Dr. Patricia Da Vinci (seasons 1?4)
- Robert Wisden
as Chief Coroner James Flynn (seasons 1?2 & beginning of 3)
- Sarah-Jane Redmond
as Sergeant Sheila Kurtz (seasons 3?7, recurring in seasons 2 and 8)
- Gerard Plunkett as Chief Coroner [formerly Crown Prosecutor] Bob Kelly (seasons 3?7; recurring in seasons 1?2 and 8)
- Kimberly Hawthorne
as Detective Rose Williams (credited as "Kim Hawthorne") (seasons 4?7)
- Alex Diakun
as Forensics Detective Chick Savoy (seasons 5?8, recurring in 1?4)
- Sarah Strange
as Helen (seasons 5?7, recurring in 1?4)
- Simone Bailly as Constable Jan Ferris (season 8)
- Brian Markinson
as Police Chief Bill Jacobs (season 8; recurring in seasons 6?7)
- Mylene Dinh-Robic
as Rita Mah (season 8)
- Benjamin Ratner
as Sam Berger (season 8)
Da Vinci's Inquest
was loosely based on the real life experiences of
Larry Campbell
, the former chief coroner of
Vancouver
,
British Columbia
, who was elected mayor of that city in 2002. The part of Da Vinci, however, was written specifically for actor
Nicholas Campbell
. Elements of the series storylines were also taken from sociopolitical issues faced by Vancouver itself, such as the plight of the homeless, the controversy over a designated injection site for drug users, the idea of establishing a
red light district
, and the disappearance of homeless women and sex workers ? similar to the case of
Robert Pickton
.
Da Vinci's Inquest
is notable for its unconventional story formats. Unlike most crime dramas, many cases on
Da Vinci's Inquest
aren't fully explained, and some aren't even solved; often the episodes end with the resolution implied or withheld entirely. Many of the show's fans hail this characteristic as one of its finest qualities. Also unusual is its handling of story arcs. Some arcs span the length of one or more seasons, but aren't touched on at all for several episodes at a time, similar to the Mythology / Monster of the Week format of
The X-Files
(which was also a Vancouver production, though not at the same time as
Da Vinci's Inquest
); several main and many guest actors appeared on both shows. An exception to this is Season 7, which features at least three main plots that are addressed in every episode. Two episodes, Season 3's "It's Backwards Day" and Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me," are notable for their extended opening takes, which follow Da Vinci as he walks around a location and speaks with multiple characters in one continuous, ten-minute shot; the former episode is also noted for playing out largely in real time.
[
citation needed
]
Major story arcs include: Da Vinci's attempts to balance his work life with his ex-wife and daughter, as well as his battles with alcoholism; Leo Shannon struggling to care for his mentally ill wife and facing pressure to retire from the force; the relocation of an old mental hospital's cemetery and the intrigue that follows; Sunny overseeing an archaeological dig at a construction site; Angela Kosmo's battle with a corrupt Vice cop and the teenage prostitute who tries to manipulate both of them; and Da Vinci's quest to establish a red light district and safe injection site to protect the
sex workers
and drug addicts of Vancouver, which leads him to run first for police chief and then mayor. The sex trade is a recurring theme throughout the entire series, and early season premieres and finales center around high numbers of homicides where prostitutes are the victims, which often turn out to be the work of a serial killer. Relationships between characters (such as Da Vinci's many romantic flings and that between Mick Leary and Sunny Ramen) are left in the background of or take place between episodes.
[
citation needed
]
In
Internet
fandom
, the plot line following Mick Leary's downward spiral into depression after an unstable female
constable
infatuated with him commits suicide is often considered one of the most powerful and best-written arcs in the entire series by many fans.
[
citation needed
]
Availability outside Canada
edit
The original run of
Da Vinci's Inquest
was always available in certain U.S. markets (e.g., Seattle) where the CBC could be viewed either over the air or on cable. It made its formal U.S. debut, however, the week of September 17, 2005, when it was already in syndication after the original run. The show has continued to air in syndication, along with multiple networks (including
Retro TV
,
Cloo
,
WGN America
, and
Court TV Mystery
) due to its low-cost syndication arrangement. The series is distributed in the United States by PPI Releasing, a large distributor of Canadian programming to the American market.
In Australia, the series aired late Monday nights on the
Nine Network
, and its affiliates
WIN
(although on a different night) and
NBN
, and later on
13th Street
. It has also been aired in late night slots on
RTE One
in Ireland. In
Iceland
,
Skjar einn
has aired the show in various slots, including Saturday evening.
Acorn Media UK
has released the first three seasons on DVD in Region 1 (US only).
[3]
In Canada,
Alliance Atlantis
released the first season on DVD on 14 October 2003.
[4]
Season 2 was released on 3 February 2009 by
Alliance Films
, more than five years after the release of the first season.
[5]
DVD Name
|
Ep#
|
Region 1 (US)
|
Region 1 (CAN)
|
Season 1
|
13
|
February 27, 2007
|
October 14, 2003
|
Season 2
|
13
|
November 13, 2007
|
February 3, 2009
|
Season 3
|
13
|
June 10, 2008
|
N/A
|
Season One is available on Amazon Prime.
[
citation needed
]
As of 2017, season one has been released online for free on
Canada Media Fund
's Encore+ YouTube Channel.
[
citation needed
]
Awards and nominations
edit
Nicholas Campbell received the
Gemini Award
for Best Performance in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his work on the series and has guest-starred in American shows such as
Monk
and
T.J. Hooker
.
Donnelly Rhodes
also received a
Gemini Award
for Best Actor in 2002 and the
Earle Grey Award
in 2006. The series was critically acclaimed as the best television series in Canada after winning the Gemini Award for Best Dramatic Series for five of its first six seasons. When
Da Vinci's Inquest
completed its seventh and final season, it was continued in 2005 as
Da Vinci's City Hall
. In 2002, actress
Keegan Connor Tracy
won a Leo Award for her guest appearance in Season 4's "Pretend You Didn't See Me" and was brought back for a second appearance in 2005.
Da Vinci's City Hall
and TV movies
edit
In Canada, a spin-off series,
Da Vinci's City Hall
, premiered on 25 October 2005.
In the U.S.,
Da Vinci's City Hall
airs as part of the
Da Vinci's Inquest
rerun package, regarded as the eighth season of the series (even using the titles from the last three seasons of
Inquest
instead of the titles for
City Hall
).
City Hall
debuted in the U.S. on
Superstation WGN
on April 27, 2007, and released into national syndication to local stations, also as part of
Da Vinci's Inquest
, on November 4, 2007.
A TV movie following up on the two series,
The Quality of Life
, aired on CBC on 14 June 2008.