Frankie Drake Mysteries Explained

Creator:Carol Hay
Michelle Ricci
Country:Canada
Num Seasons:4
Num Episodes:41
Runtime:43 minutes
Company:Shaftesbury Films
UKTV
Network:CBC Television
Related:Mary and Flo On the Go!

Frankie Drake Mysteries is a Canadian drama that ran on CBC Television from November 6, 2017 to March 8, 2021. The series stars Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley as Frankie Drake and her partner Trudy Clarke who run an all female private detective service in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 1920s.

Overview

Lauren Lee Smith portrays the fictional Frankie Drake, the first female private detective in 1920s Toronto, with Chantel Riley as her crime solving partner Trudy Clarke.[1] [2] Frankie and Trudy are often assisted on their cases by Mary Shaw (Rebecca Liddiard), a morality officer in Toronto's police force, and Flo Chakowitz (Sharron Matthews), a morgue attendant at the Toronto City Morgue.[3]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Series overview

Season 4 (2021)

Production

The series was created by Carol Hay and Michelle Ricci; both women also served as writers and producers on Murdoch Mysteries.[4] [5] It is produced by Shaftesbury Films.[6]

On April 5, 2018, the show was renewed for a second season.[7] On March 25, 2019, the show was renewed for a third season.[8] The third season premiere was filmed in England, with Honeysuckle Weeks playing the role of British author Agatha Christie.[9] On May 27, 2020, Frankie Drake Mysteries was renewed by CBC for a fourth season. On February 28, 2021, CBC announced the show would not be renewed for a fifth season.[10]

In May 2020, an animated spinoff for kids called Mary and Flo On the Go! was reported as being in production;[11] the web series was released in March 2022.[12]

Broadcast

Alibi in the United Kingdom aired the second season starting January 21, 2019, with the third season aired in 2020.[13] Ovation in the United States aired seasons one and two back to back, beginning on June 15, 2019,[14] [15] and started airing season three on April 4, 2020.[16] The fourth and final season premiered on October 2, 2021, following the broadcast of the new special titled Frankie Drake Mysteries: Music at Midnight, and the series concluded on December 4, 2021. Co-produced by Ovation in conjunction with the Toronto Sympathy Orchestra and Shaftesbury Films, this special features interviews and performances from series stars Chantel Riley, Sharron Matthews, and more. The special wasn't aired in Canada, instead released onto YouTube by Shaftsbury on their channel earlier in February 2021, and premiered on Ovation on September 25, 2021 at 7PM ET/4PM PT. Additionally, PBS has started broadcasting the show and offering it on-demand through its membership program, Passport.[17] The show was further picked up in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.[18]

Home media

DVDs
TitleRegion 1Region 2Region 4
Season OneMay 8, 2018May 9, 2018 (also Blu-ray, Region B locked)June 27, 2018
Season TwoJune 25, 2019April 8, 2019 (also Blu-ray, Region B locked)June 26, 2019
Season ThreeSeptember 8, 2020April 6, 2020N/A
Season FourSeptember 7, 2021May 31, 2021 (also Blu-ray, Region B locked)N/A

Reception

The series has received generally positive reviews from critics since its release.[19] John Doyle of The Globe and Mail remarked "it's a hoot and as silly as all get-out," and concluded that "thanks to its charm and the frocks, skirts, suits and, well, the gorgeous furniture, it's frightfully good entertainment."[20] Johanna Schneller of the Toronto Star wrote that "the messaging in CBC series sometimes hits you over the head, but it's fun to watch women run their own show."

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2017/04/04/the-tv-home-of-murdoch-mysteries-is-getting-a-new-detective-drama.html "The TV home of Murdoch Mysteries is getting a new detective drama"
  2. Web site: Frankie Drake . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170901142625/http://shaftesbury.ca/frankie-drake/ . September 1, 2017 . August 28, 2017 . Shaftesbury.
  3. Web site: Flo Chakowitz - Characters - Frankie Drake Mysteries . September 2, 2021 . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  4. News: Female-detective drama 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' set to debut on CBC . National Post . November 3, 2017 . December 16, 2017.
  5. News: Schneller . Johanna . November 12, 2017 . In Frankie Drake Mysteries, some characters get a chance to sashay . Toronto Star . December 16, 2017 . 0319-0781.
  6. http://playbackonline.ca/2017/04/04/cbc-greenlights-shaftesburys-frankie-drake/ "CBC greenlights Shaftesbury’s Frankie Drake"
  7. Web site: April 5, 2018 . UKTV Co-Production 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Renewed For Season 2 . May 24, 2020 . Tvwise.co.uk.
  8. Web site: March 25, 2019 . CBC announces first round of renewals for the 2019–20 season . tv-eh.com.
  9. Web site: May 16, 2019 . 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Heads To London For Season 3, Honeysuckle Weeks To Guest Star . September 4, 2019 . Tvwise.co.uk.
  10. Web site: CBC'S FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES ENDS AFTER FOUR SEASONS . tv-eh.com . February 28, 2021 . February 28, 2021.
  11. Web site: Mary and Flo from 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' get their own animated TV series . Thespec.com . May 12, 2020 . May 18, 2020.
  12. CBCFrankieDrake . 1500931098959880196 . Inspired by #FrankieDrake Mysteries, Mary & Flo On The Go is an animated series following #MaryAndFlo as they travel the world meeting inspirational women of the 1920s Watch now on http://youtube.com/shaftesburykids.
  13. Web site: Alibi Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Season 3 . March 1, 2021 . TVWise.co.uk.
  14. Web site: Ovation Sets Premiere Dates for 'Murdoch Mysteries' and "Frankie Drake Mysteries" . January 7, 2019 . TheFutonCritic.com.
  15. Web site: OVATION CELEBRATES THE ART OF MYSTERY WITH THE RETURN OF MURDOCH MYSTERIES . Ovationtv.com.
  16. Web site: February 4, 2020 . FRANKIE AND TRUDY ARE BACK! OVATION ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR SEASON THREE OF FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES . February 4, 2020 . Ovation TV.
  17. Web site: Frankie Drake Mysteries – Summer in the City . December 10, 2020 . Twin Cities PBS.
  18. Web site: U.S. Deal for Frankie Drake Mysteries . October 11, 2018 . Worldscreen.com.
  19. Web site: Frankie Drake TV, eh? . December 16, 2017 . www.tv-eh.com.
  20. News: CBC's Frankie Drake Mysteries is fabulously fun Canadian content . December 16, 2017.