• By: Keith Whittier

Female-Driven Canadian Action Drama Picked Up by American Broadcaster

Photo courtesy of Skycron

Three street-smart women will be stepping on screen to “return what is taken” and “heal what is wounded,” next fall. The Undersigned will air initially on ABC-TV affiliate WSYR-TV in Upstate New York.

The new show is a female-driven action drama. The action might take place in Syracuse, N.Y., but the show itself has Canadian connections.

Produced by Skycron and created by Ottawa native Cory Carlick, the show will be the effort of a mostly Ottawa-based cast and crew. Ottawa actress Samantha Roy will play one of the leads, Sam Roy and University of Ottawa alumni Mahaa Nadeau will take on a significant supporting roles within the series.

The first episodes of the series were partially funded through an Indiegogo campaign in February. On the campaign page, Carlick, who is the chief creative officer of Skycron, describes the show as a “labor of love.”

The series itself deals with themes of crime, revenge and domestic abuse. Three women with abusive relationships in their past band together after they are left homeless and attempt to use their intelligence and skills to steal from white collar criminals. Instead of becoming thieves, they end up working with the Syracuse police to apprehend these criminals. The women must learn to face their abusers and resist the urge to exact revenge on them.

According to Carlick, the show has a Robin Hood theme—the women steal from rich criminals and give the reward they receive for their first case away to a women’s shelter.

This act of kindness has a real life dimension as well. When the show airs at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse this coming September, all proceeds from the Gala screening will go to Vera House, a domestic and sexual violence service agency.

“This is not an afterthought with a charity slapped on after as a ploy to get sympathy,” Carlick writes on the Indiegogo page. “It is an integral part of the show and you’ll see it.”

The Undersigned is officially partnered with Vera House, and Carlick says he plan to use funds from the project to continue donating to the agency. He says he also plans on reaching out to other communities in Albany, Kingston and Ottawa as the show progresses.

Click here to learn more about the Undersigned.