Dun dun: “Law & Order Toronto” has investigated its way into a leading 20 Canadian Screen Award nominations.
The Citytv series, a homemade spinoff of the American “Law & Order” franchise and, specifically, its “Criminal Intent” version, earned the most nominations of any TV show, movie or digital program this year.
The most nominated movie is Matthew Rankin’s absurdist comedy “Universal Language,” with 13.
“Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” was arguably the most high-profile Canadian TV series to debut in 2024.
Although based on a familiar U.S. product, it is set and shot in Toronto and inspired by ripped-from-the-headlines Canadian crime stories. It stars Toronto-born Aden Young and Hamilton-born Kathleen Munroe as Toronto homicide detectives who must puzzle out the who and how of the killings they investigate.
Both actors earned CSA nominations for best lead performer, among six acting nods for the show; the others are for supporting performer Karen Robinson, and guest performers Blessing Adedijo, Amanda Brugel and Sydney Ozerov-Meyer.
Besides competing for best TV drama, “Law & Order Toronto” is also up for best writing for showrunner Tassie Cameron; best direction for both Sharon Lewis and Holly Dale; and awards in the photography, picture editing, sound, production design, casting, stunt co-ordination, and costume, hair and makeup categories.
The next highest number of TV series nominations was shared by three shows: 12 apiece for the CBC/APTN residential school drama “Bones of Crows”; CBC comedy “Run the Burbs” and CTV comedy “Children Ruin Everything.”
“Bones of Crows,” a limited series that was originally a feature film, is competing for best drama alongside “Law & Order Toronto,” CBC’s “Allegiance,” Hollywood Suite’s “Potluck Ladies” and CTV’s “Sight Unseen.” It also received best directing and writing nods for creator Marie Clements, and performance nominations for lead actor Grace Dove and guest star Karine Vanasse.
Both “Run the Burbs” and “Children Ruin Everything” are going into the Screen Awards having ended their runs: “Burbs,” which starred “Kim’s Convenience” alumnus Andrew Phung as a stay-at-home, Vietnamese-Canadian father raising kids in the suburbs with his Indo-Canadian wife, was cancelled after three seasons.
“Children Ruin Everything,” a series about the frazzled parents of three young kids described as a love letter to parenting by creator Kurt Smeaton, finished after four seasons in February.
Only “Children” is competing for best comedy series. It’s up against another cancelled show, CBC workplace comedy “One More Time,” and three Crave series: “Late Bloomer,” “The Office Movers” and APTN co-production “Don’t Even.”
Both “Children” and “Burbs” are nominated for best comedy ensemble performance alongside “One More Time,” the Crave series “Letterkenny,” which ended with its 12th season in December 2023, and Crave’s blue-collar comedy “The Trades.”
The parent duos from the two shows — Aaron Abrams and Meaghan Rath in “Children,” and co-creator Phung and Rakhee Morzaria in “Burbs” — are also going head to head in the best lead performer category.
“Burbs” also picked up supporting nominations for Zoriah Wong, Julie Nolke and Jonathan Langdon, and guest performer nods for Kimberly-Ann Truong and Nicole Power, while “Children” earned Lisa Codrington and Ennis Esmer supporting performer nominations.
On the film side of things, the 13 nominations for “Universal Language” include best motion picture, best directing, original screenplay, editing, art direction, casting, costume design, makeup and five acting nods: lead performance in a comedy for Rojina Esmaeili and Pirouz Nemati, and supporting performance for Danielle Fichaud, Mani Soleymanlou and Saba Vahedyousefi.
David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds” has the next highest number of film nominations with nine.
“Universal Language,” written by Rankin, Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi, and directed by Rankin, is set in a Winnipeg mostly populated by Iranian immigrants, where everyone speaks Farsi.
The film missed the cut for an Oscar nomination for best international feature, but it has racked up other prizes, including the Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at the Cannes Film Festival. It was named one of the Toronto International Film Festival’s best Canadian films of 2024 and best Canadian film by the Toronto Film Critics Association.
The other movies in the running for best motion picture at the CSAs include Karen Chapman’s “Village Keeper,” Meryam Joobeur’s “Who Do I Belong To,” Henry Bernadet’s “Gamma Rays,” Naomi Jaye’s “Darkest Miriam” and Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice.”
If that last one sounds familiar, it may be because the story of a young Donald Trump, which despite its American subject matter was shot in Toronto, was recently nominated for two Oscars, including one for star Sebastian Stan.
Romanian-born American actor Stan is also nominated for a CSA for best lead performance in a drama for “The Apprentice” and he’s not the only Hollywood star whose name is on the ballot.
Cate Blanchett is nominated for lead performance in a comedy for “Rumours,” while Britt Lower, a star of the super-buzzy TV drama “Severance,” is up for lead in a drama for “Darkest Miriam.”
The most nominated digital series, with eight, is “My Dead Mom,” a Wendy Litner comedy about a woman (Lauren Collins) who talks to her deceased mother, played by Megan Follows.
The Canadian Screen Awards will be handed out in Toronto in 149 categories over three days, culminating in the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards on June 1, hosted by Canadian comedian Lisa Gilroy and streaming live on CBC Gem at 8 p.m. ET.
