Continuing efforts to build a slate of exclusive program acquisitions, Channel 5 has picked up the Canadian detective drama Bellevue starring Anna Paquin.
Bellevue is a psychological crime thriller series set in a blue-collar mining town in Canada. The mini-series has previously aired in Canada and the US, and now, it is finally crossing over to the UK.
The series comes from actress-turned-writer Jane Maggs. Adrienne Mitchell directed the series. Both serve as executive producers on the series alongside series lead Anna Paquin.
What is Bellevue about?
Bellevue offers a complex mystery thriller with many layers to unravel. The logline reads:
Bellevue is a small town with big secrets. Twenty years ago, the murder of a young woman traumatized the community. Now the killer is back. Or is he?
When a high school hockey star wrestling with his gender identity goes missing and all signs point to foul play, Detective Annie Ryder (Canada-born Paquin) must unravel all the pieces to this mystery before her own life falls apart. Along the way, Annie must navigate a complicated relationship with her on again/off again ex, Eddie and her boss on the force, Police Chief Peter Welland.
When Ryder jumps on the case, she begins to receive riddles and letters from a mystery antagonist. As she explores connections between this case and one from many years before, her findings cast suspicion on people she has known and trusted her whole life.
Who is in the cast?
Anna Paquin plays local Detective Annie Ryder
Ryder is a troubled character with much of her internal struggle stemming from the loss of her father. She is equal parts strong and flawed. Unravelling events become difficult to stomach as they remind her of a similar case from years before, one that ultimately led to her father’s suicide. Working on the case also pulls Ryder away from her daughter and simultaneously forces her to confront a ghost from her past.
Ryder’s reckless and brazen personality has always been at odds with her quiet hometown. Describing her character to Collider, Paquin says, “There’s a scene, later on in the season, where Eddie and Peter talk about her driving a man to drink, but she’s hard to not want around.”
Paquin has previously appeared in True Blood, Alias Grace, and Flack. You may also recognise her from her role as Rogue in the X-Men films.
Shawn Doyle plays Chief Peter Welland
“He was a young cop under her father, as the police chief, when she was a child,” Paquin says in her interview with Collider.
“He’s known her, her whole life, and knows exactly why she is the way she is and has always felt protective towards her, but she’s also rebelled against him, constantly, because she just doesn’t want to do things by the book or play by the rules, as written.
Doyle has previously appeared in Fargo, Frontier, and House of Cards.
Allen Leech plays Eddie Roe
“Eddie is her on-again/off-again love or loathe of her life, depending on the day of the week,” Paquin also tells Collider. “They can’t live with each other and can’t live without each other. They have a beautiful daughter, and she’s kind of the only grown up in the family. There’s a lot of love, but absolutely oodles of dysfunction.”
Leech has previously appeared on Downton Abbey, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Imitation Game.
Sadie O’Neil plays Jesse Sweetland
Sweetland is the transgender teen whose disappearance sparks events in Bellevue. Sweetland’s gender identity becomes a point of contention within the small-town community.
Additional cast members include Billy MacLellan, Sharon Taylor, Janine Theriault, Madison Ferguson, and Amber Goldfarb.
When does Bellevue air?
The 8-episode series aired in Canada on CBC in 2017. It was later picked up by WGN America and aired in the US in 2018.
Bellevue will become available for VOD streaming in the UK via My5 on June 28.
Are other seasons in the works?
The second season of Bellevue was in development with CBC leading up to its US air date. Unfortunately, development ceased just before the series aired in the US.
“To clarify, though Season 2 of Bellevue has been in development with CBC, unfortunately, production of a follow-up season is currently not moving forward,” Mitchell told TV, Eh?
“We are incredibly proud of our talented cast and crew who worked so tirelessly to bring this beautiful series to life. We also feel there are more stories to tell and we’ll be looking for other opportunities to bring this to fruition. In a town like Bellevue, the future is never as it seems!”
While a follow-up season of Bellevue has not yet come to fruition, the existing first season works as a standalone and is still worth checking out, especially if you’re into chilly small-town thrillers. Find out what you’re in for in this trailer: