Northern Rescue

Northern Rescue
GenreDrama
Created byMark Bacci
David Cormican
Dwayne Hill
Starring
Opening theme"Family" by Mother Mother
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producersDon Carmody
David Cormican
ProducersDon Carmody
David Cormican
Running time44–45 minutes
Production company
  • Don Carmody Television
Original release
NetworkCBC Gem
ReleaseMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)

Northern Rescue is a Canadian drama television series produced by Don Carmody Television (DCTV), distributed by CBC Television in Canada and internationally on Netflix. The first season of 10 episodes debuted on March 1, 2019. It stars William Baldwin as a search and rescue commander who, after the death of his wife, relocates from Boston with his three children to live with his sister-in-law in the fictional small town of Turtle Island Bay, Ontario, where he grew up.

Premise

After his wife dies, search and rescue commander John West uproots his three children, moving from Boston to his rural hometown of Turtle Island Bay. The death affects each of their lives as John and his kids cope with their loss.

Cast

  • William Baldwin as John West
  • Kathleen Robertson as Charlie Anders, Sarah's sister
  • Michelle Nolden as Sarah West, John's deceased wife (narrates her diary and seen in memories)
  • Amalia Williamson as Madelyn "Maddie" West, Sarah's oldest child
  • Spencer MacPherson as Scout West, John and Sarah's only son
  • Taylor Thorne as Taylor West, John and Sarah's youngest child
  • Sebastien Roberts as Alex, Charlie's estranged boyfriend
  • Evan Marsh as Henry, Maddie's budding love interest
  • Eliana Jones as Gwen, friend of Maddie and Henry
  • Devyn Nekoda as Allison

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateCanada viewers
(millions)
1"Que Sera"Bradley WalshMark BacciMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
After the death of Sarah West, the family faces some difficult choices, and relocates from Boston to the parents' Canadian hometown to live with Sarah's sister Charlie.
2"Making Lemonade"Bradley WalshUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
Charlie's house burns down, so the family moves into a defunct public aquarium. John meets his SAR team, and Maddie attends court-ordered therapy.
3"Sarah's Stuff"Gail HarveyUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
The family searches Sarah's belongings for keepsakes; John rescues an injured hiker from a forest fire; Charlie needs the signature of her estranged boyfriend Alex in order to collect insurance.
4"D-U-A-L-I-T-Y"Gail HarveyUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
Taylor is determined to win the school spelling bee; Scout clashes with a wrestling team rival; Maddie discovers her mother's diary and concludes she was cheating on her father with a man named Rick Walker.
5"12 Months to the Day"Eleanore LindoDavid CormicanMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
A blown distribution transformer leaves the town powerless and injures two teens playing a sports rivalry prank; Taylor organizes a party for her parents' anniversary; Maddie's wayward friend gets her arrested for shoplifting.
6"The Little Things"Eleanore LindoUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
Scout gets kicked off the wrestling team; Taylor is cyberbullied with a video of her fainting while winning the spelling bee; Maddie and Henry share a kiss while playing truth or dare.
7"The Dividing Line"Michael McGowanDavid CormicanMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
John's team rescue victims of an island plane crash; Scout hides getting kicked off the team from his father; Maddie's attempt to defend Taylor backfires.
8"The Bear"Michael McGowanDavid CormicanMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
Scout calls on John to help a critically injured bear; Maddie finds a letter to Rick Walker returned to her mother; Taylor makes a friend of her spelling bee rival.
9"Wake Up"Bradley WalshUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
John is hurt while rescuing a motocross biker and placed in an induced coma; Alex proposes to Charlie, and asks her to leave Turtle Island Bay.
10"Dad Knows Best"Bradley WalshUnknownMarch 1, 2019 (2019-03-01)N/A
Charlie discovers the truth about Alex; Maddie's determination to find Rick Walker reveals an ugly family secret: he is actually her biological father, and had been blackmailing her mother.

Production

The show is produced in Ontario by Don Carmody Television (DCTV). It is streamed in Canada on CBC Television's CBC Gem service[1] and distributed internationally on Netflix.[2][3] The first season of 10 episodes debuted on both services on March 1, 2019.[4] Northern Rescue was filmed in Parry Sound, a town in Ontario, and in Toronto, Canada.[5]

As of the end of 2023, there has been no word of the show's demise or return since the Covid hiatus but the longer the hiatus, the less likely a second season will happen.

References

  1. ^ "Canada's Public Broadcaster Launches CBC Gem Streaming Service with More Than 4000 Hours of Live and On-Demand Programming Available For Free" (Press release). Toronto: CBC. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "CBC AND NETFLIX FAMILY DRAMA NORTHERN RESCUE CONFIRMS ADDITIONAL CASTING AS PRODUCTION BEGINS; 10-PART SERIES HAILS FROM DON CARMODY TELEVISION - CBC Media Centre".
  3. ^ "Netflix Nabs William Baldwin's 'Northern Rescue' Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. May 24, 2018.
  4. ^ CBC [@CBC] (February 25, 2019). "Meet the Wests – who pack up and move north after a family tragedy. Season 1 of #NorthernRescue is streaming on CBC Gem March 1! @BillyBaldwin" (Tweet). Retrieved March 4, 2019 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "Northern Rescue on Netflix location: Where is Northern Rescue filmed? Where's it set?". 6 March 2019.