Cardinal rules for two more seasons

Canadian broadcaster CTV has renewed its crime drama Cardinal for second and third seasons soon after European broadcasters acquired the first run.

Cardinal has sold around Europe

The series, which follows the eponymous detective as he attempts to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young girl, will return to CTV in 2017/2018.

The double 6×60′ order marks the first time CTV has ordered two consecutive seasons of a drama.

BBC4 in the UK, C More in Scandinavia and Calle 13 in Spain recently bought the first season of the show from distributor Entertainment One (eOne).

The series is adapted from Giles Blunt’s award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of his John Cardinal Mysteries series.

The drama is written for television by Audrey Nealon and Russ Cochrane and produced by Sienna Films and eOne for Bell Media’s CTV. It was commissioned for French-language Canadian broadcast by Super Écran.

Financial participants include Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp, Canada Media Fund and the Cogeco Program Development Fund.

“In just six episodes, Cardinal has grabbed the attention of viewers and critics alike, cementing its position as the event series of the season and landmark Canadian television,” said Mike Cosentino, senior VP, CTV and Specialty.