Paul Gross (star/executive producer), George Bloomfield (director/creative producer), David Marciano, Gorden Pinsent, Callum Keith Rennie, Beau Starr, Ramona Milano, Tony Craig, Debi Drennan (the best makeup artist in Canada) and various actors discuss the making of Due South!
This was quite a cinderella story in that we started off as a US/Canada co-production between CBS & CTV with each network committing to doing 13 episodes. Well, as Hollywood suits often do, ...they cancelled the show. We were all devastated, especially since Due South was a big employer here in Toronto. CTV said no way were they cancelling. They knew the show would be a hit, so after CBS backed out, CTV vowed to go on alone committing to their obligation to do 13 episodes. The French seeing the quality of the show, decided to kick in financing for a bit, making it a Canada/France co-production for a while, and allowing for the 26 episodes required to complete a season. After a few ups & downs, Paul took over the helm as both star and executive producer. Seizing on a uniquely Canadian solution of a hybrid of both public & private financing, we continued on. I don't know how Paul did it. He'd shoot 12 hrs a day... do the job of executive producer, AND write many of the scripts. I can remember days when they'd be finishing up the script and handing actors revised sides just seconds before the cameras rolled. I'd memorize lines, we'd do a take or two... then a PA would walk in with completely revised lines. lol. It was wild, ...but it worked. Sure enough, CBS's lineup bombed, ...and they had to come crawling back to get Due South. By that time, their option had expired, so rather than having the right to air Due South exclusively on CBS, ...they had to share it with everyone else, because the show was already sold into syndication all over the world with fans the world over loving it! Due South then went on to save CBS's ad revenue for Thursday nights. It wouldn't be the last time Americans said "Thank God the Canadians were there"
btw - did I mention Debi Drennan is the best makeup artist in Canada?! That woman made me look sooooo good!
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