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The Listener Returns This Month With New Boss, New Baby And Extraordinary Crime-Solving

CTV [1]Canadians are invited back into the dangerous and exciting world of the Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) with the Season 5 return of CTV’s hit original series The Listener [2], Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning May 26th on CTV and CTV GO. The all-new season sees the IIB team moving forward professionally and personally as telepathic crime-solver Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) advances in his policing skills to become an even-more effective member of the elite unit, while Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) struggles to balance motherhood and a fulfilling career. Complicating matters further is the return of Supervising Inspector Brian Becker (Anthony Lemke, Lost Girl), whose unfinished business with Toby from Season 1 creates problems for the team.

For the third season in a row, CTV is commissioning a digital series that chronicles characters and storylines that branch off from the broadcast series. The Season 5 digital series expands upon Becker’s (Lemke) suspicions about Toby (Olejnik), as Becker digs deeper into his questionable crime-solving abilities and mysterious background. Becker doesn’t trust Toby, and he intends to find out his secret through interrogations with key individuals from his past. The series will launch mid-season on CTV’s exclusive new digital hub CTV Extend, located at CTV.ca [3].

The Listener [4]

Craig Olejnik as Toby Logan from CTV’s The Listener (Image: CTV)

The Listener continued to drive million-plus audiences in its fourth season, including a series-high 1.4 million viewers, resulting in an average audience of 1.1 million. The series ranks among the Top 5 most-watched Canadian series in all genres.

“Season 5 of The Listener promises viewers more of the action and intrigue they love, with new and returning characters shaking up the team dynamic, and unusual and exciting cases challenging the IIB,” said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. “Fans across the country will be captivated as they watch their beloved characters tackle new situations and roles in their personal and professional lives.”

In the Season 5 premiere episode entitled “The Wrong Man,” Toby (Olejnik) and Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks) investigate a serial killer who leaves live snakes with his victims, echoing the calling card of a past culprit (Shawn Doyle, Reign, Endgame) who Michelle (Smith) had previously put behind bars. Meanwhile, Michelle is trying to enjoy her maternity leave with her new baby girl and husband Adam (Kris Holden-Ried, Lost Girl), but when her credibility is doubted with the suggestion that she may have arrested the wrong suspect, she must return to the IIB in order to save her professional reputation.

The Listener’s IIB team investigates a series of complex crimes this season, including the abduction of a ballerina; murder by magic when a tattooed illusionist’s stunt goes awry; the death of a legendary treasure hunter; and the poisoning of a cooking show contestant on live television. But their biggest obstacle might be the return of Supervising Inspector Brian Becker (Lemke), who is skeptical about Toby’s contributions to the IIB and must be cautiously won over by the team. Alex Kendrick (Natalie Krill, Rookie Blue) also joins the team as a forensics technician. Her savvy doesn’t go unnoticed by Dev, who is thrilled to have an attractive new colleague and collaborator.

Toby also contends with the new status of his romantic life. Having moved in with crime reporter Tia Tremblay (Melanie Scrofano, Being Erica), he treads a fine line between being too open about his work and holding back, while Tia begins to look into his mysterious past. Michelle juggles motherhood with her policing duties, and disappointment at being passed over for a promotion. Meanwhile, Toby’s best friend, Oz Bey (Ennis Esmer), steps away from hospital administration and the world of EMS to take care of people in new ways – as the owner of a popular gastropub.

Guest stars on The Listener this season include:

Viewers can catch encore episodes of The Listener Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV starting May 31, Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two starting June 1 (visit CTV.ca  [3]for local broadcast times), and Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo (visit bravo.ca [5] for local broadcast times) starting May 30. The day after each episode of The Listener airs on CTV, viewers can watch the full episode on CTV.ca [3] and the CTV GO app.

The cast of The Listener includes:

One of Canada’s top-rated homegrown dramas, The Listener is broadcast on CTV and Bravo in Canada, ION Television in the United States, Fox International Channels internationally, and distributed by Shine International. The series has been licensed in 120 countries and 33 languages worldwide.

Produced by Shaftesbury in association with CTV and Fox International Channels, the series is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Craig Olejnik, and Peter Mohan (Lost Girl, The Bridge), who is also showrunner. Tina Grewal (Heartland) is producer. Sharon Tal Yguado is executive producer for Fox International Channels. Tom Hastings and Rebecca DiPasquale are production executives for Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production, Bell Media and Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks, Bell Media. Phil King is President, President CTV Sports and Entertainment Programming.

The Listener is produced with the financial participation of The Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.

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1 Comment To "The Listener Returns This Month With New Boss, New Baby And Extraordinary Crime-Solving"

#1 Comment By Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer) On Monday May 5, 2014 @ 4:14 am

.@ShaftesburyTV Series @listenertv Returns May 26 With New Boss, New Baby & Extraordinary Crime-Solving [10] #eyeoncanada