New CTV series 'Flashpoint' picked up by CBS

A new CTV original drama currently in pre-production has been picked up by American network CBS for broadcast later this year.


"Flashpoint," whose working title was "Sniper," is a police drama about an elite group of cops known as the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). They are highly-skilled enforcement officers that rescue hostages, bust gangs, and defuse bombs.


The SRU are also trained to get inside a suspect's head and find their emotional breaking point, or the "flashpoint," which triggered the crisis.


The team is inspired by Toronto's real-life Emergency Task Force.


"Today's announcement is a significant achievement for CTV's development team and Canada's independent production community," said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.


"Flashpoint" will be the first Canadian series since CTV's "Due South" aired in network primetime in both Canada and the United States in 1994.


CBS has picked up 13 episodes of the one hour drama series. Production of "Flashpoint" begins in April in Toronto.


"Flashpoint" is written and created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. The series is executive produced by multiple Gemini Award-winner Anne Marie La Traverse ("Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story") for Pink Sky Entertainment and Bill Mustos for Avamar Entertainment in association with CTV and CBS Paramount Network Television.


"It's an exciting privilege to be able to reach so many people, and we're thrilled that we have a chance to do it with Flashpoint," said La Traverse and Mustos.


"It's the brainchild of two brilliant creators, Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, and showcases the superb visual work of director David Frazee, and the spellbinding talent of Hugh Dillon and Enrico Colantoni."


The series stars Enrico Colantoni ("Veronica Mars"), Hugh Dillon ("Durham County") and David Paetkau ("Whistler").

*CTV.ca