So, I love Vancouver. I love escaping up there for the weekend in the Summer or going to penguin 
shuffle the half-marathon each Spring, and lately I’ve been telling everyone who will listen that I just love the Vancouver-based cop show, Da Vinci’s Inquest. After watching I don’t know how many thousand hours of the ubiquitous yet duly beloved Law & Order franchise, fond return visits to the tremendous, hugely entertaining Homicide: Life on the Street, and enduring the challenge of scheduling my life around 5 hours of The Wire each day (see our If You Like The Wire Reading List), I was feeling a little left out in the cold by the current network fare. The only real remedy involved staying up ’til midnight on Sundays to catch this great Canadian cop show that nobody knew about. With the first three seasons now available on DVD (and at your library), I have a feeling that is 
about to change. Dominic Da Vinci, the lone-wolf coroner with a conscience, a sardonic eye, and a terrific understated delivery, is hugely appealing, but this is really an ensemble piece, and it is the overall texture of verisimilitude with lots of thrown away lines and untied threads that raises this series above the norm. It might be overstating the case to talk about the series ‘respecting our intelligence,’ but it might make you realize just what age level most American TV seems to be aimed at. Also, there is the gift of a backdrop that is not NYC or LA. You can read more about the series here or here, but if you love cop shows just take my word for it and take this one for a spin, before the secret is out and the reserves list gets long.
Da Vinci’s Inquest: The Best Hour on TV?
2 responses to “Da Vinci’s Inquest: The Best Hour on TV?”
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Hi David,
Da Vinci’s Inquest began airing in Canada in 1998 and ran 7 seasons. It’s based on real life coroner turned mayor Larry Campbell and there was one season of Davinci’s City Hall in whcih Mick Leary (Ian Tracey) who was a detective in the first series, becomes the coroner. There are two episodes, shot in 2004, where if you know when and where to look, you can see my son, newly arrived in Vancouver, walking home from work.
Nicholas Campbell, and most of the cast, really, are remarkable actors.
Want to see another great Canadian cop show full of great Canadian actors? Check out Flashpoint which is airing on some American chanel or other. It’s set in Toronto, which, in spite of thinking it is the centre of the universe, isn’t as cool a Vancouver but it stars Hugh Dillon, front man for the now defunct rock band the Headstones. We have a smaller population than the States, everyone has to multitask. Oh, he has a new band Hugh Dillon Redemption with second album eagerly anticipated.
Winnie
PS D o you remember Quincy, starring Jack Klugman? The technical adviser was the Vancouver Coroner at the time. What is it with these guys and the limelight? -
My husband is often surfing the channels in the wee hours of the morning. He stumbled on Da Vinci’s Inquest about two years ago. Caught it here and there and then couldn’t find it anymore. He doesn’t think much of most series on our stations so when he kept exclaiming about this series, I knew it had to be a winner. Not one to be up at 2:00AM watching TV, I decided to buy the first season (since donated to the library where I work). Two episodes in and I was hooked. Bought the second season and then waited with great anticipation for season 3 to be released this past June. Besides the characters; Shannon is my favorite, what I like about the show is the subtle humor, the humanness of the main personalities, and the realistic portrayal of life. The good guy doesn’t always win, the bad guy doesn’t always get caught, all is not always wrapped up in a neat package. The actors are not all beautiful, but you’ll start being attracted to them just the same. After watching the first season, I read that the producers intended to get less involved in the personal lives of the characters. I don’t think this was true and I’m not complaining. There’s still enough of the daily life of each to make you care about the characters. The show can be gritty, but there are also moments that will touch even the worst cynic’s heart. Who could not help but love big, clumsy Shannon, taking a dancing lesson in episode 4 of the 3rd season, “Do You Wanna Dance?”. Or the last one I watched where Da Vinci takes a piano lesson with his daughter’s teacher.
My only regret is that I’m on vol. 3 of the third season and wonder how long I’ll have to wait for season 4. I’m savoring each episode to prolong the pleasure.
Fine acting, good stories and Vancouver as a backdrop. What could be better? Take David’s word for it, and give Da Vinci’s Inquest a try.
And if you’re looking for another fine series, not already mentioned, McCallum might be worth a look. Produced by the BBC, this series ran from 1995-1998, stars John Hannah as Dr. Ian McCallum, a forensic pathologist for St. Patrick’s Hospital in London. Heavier on the love life of the main characters, and leaving less to the imagination than Da Vinci, I still find much to like in this show. Character development is prime. The producers seem to get London’s seamy side right, and my husband likes them too, a real plus in our house. Hannah has a heavy accent which took time to adjust too, but now I find it delightful.
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