Frankie Drake Mysteries
Frankie Drake Mysteries is a Canadian drama that ran on CBC from November 6, 2017 to March 8, 2021. The series starred Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley as Frankie Drake and her partner Trudy who ran an all female private detective service in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 1920s.
| Frankie Drake Mysteries | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Carol Hay Michelle Ricci |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 41 |
| Production | |
| Production locations |
|
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Production companies | Shaftesbury Films UKTV |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC |
| Original release | November 6, 2017 – March 8, 2021 |
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
- Lauren Lee Smith as Frankie Drake, Toronto's first female private detective and the owner of Drake Private Detectives
- Chantel Riley as Trudy Clarke, Frankie's partner and friend
- Rebecca Liddiard as Mary Shaw, a morality officer in Toronto's police force who often helps Frankie with her cases
- Sharron Matthews as Flo Chakowitz, a morgue attendant at the Toronto City Morgue who provides information to Frankie
Recurring
- Wendy Crewson as Nora Amory, Frankie's mother, a con artist
- Karen Robinson (seasons 1-3; guest season 4) as Mildred Clarke, Trudy's mother, a good Christian woman who is not afraid to speak her mind when needed
- Grace Lynn Kung (seasons 1–3) as Wendy Quon, the owner of Quon's Cafe, a speakeasy in the Ward that is frequented by the main cast
- Romaine Waite as Bill Peters a friend of Trudy's who works at city hall and helps the women out with information at times. At the beginning of season four, was engaged to Trudy. He had a job offer in Ottawa, which caused Trudy to break off the engagement
- Emmanuel Kabongo as Moses Page (seasons 1 & 3), Frankie's boxing instructor with whom she has a casual romantic relationship
- Steve Lund as Ernest Hemingway (season 1), a writer and reporter for the Toronto Star
- Richard Walters (seasons 1–3) as Tickles Malone, a musician who Frankie bumps into at different clubs around Toronto
- Anthony Lemke as Detective Grayson (season 2), recently transferred to the Toronto police and a thorn in Frankie's investigations
- Johnathan Sousa as Alessandro Contento (season 4), a European race car driver who is Frankie's boyfriend
- Ben Sanders as Steven Reid (season 4), a journalist for the Worker's Gazette and Mary's boyfriend
- Patrick Garrow as Harvey Lyle (season 4), a detective in Mary's precinct, who suspects Mary is smarter than she lets on and tries to catch her snooping
- Mac Fyfe as Sebastian West (season 4), Frankie's neighbour, a carpenter, who has a passing interest in Frankie
Guest
- Jonny Harris as George Crabtree (season 1), who has retired from the Toronto police and was a successful investor
- Derek McGrath as Abraham Amory (season 1)
- Romane Portail as Coco Chanel (season 2), who hires Frankie to determine who shot at her in Toronto
- Honeysuckle Weeks as Agatha Christie (season 3), whom Frankie meets in England
- Dillon Casey as Jack Drake (seasons 3 & 4), Frankie's younger half brother
- Geraint Wyn Davies as Ned Drake (season 4), Frankie's dead father, who she discovers is alive and well
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2017–2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Mother of Pearl" | Ruba Nadda | Michelle Ricci | November 6, 2017 | |
| Frankie partners with a surprising ally when she's named as the number one suspect in a robbery that looks like the work of her dead father. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Ladies in Red" | Ruba Nadda | Cal Coons | November 13, 2017 | |
| Frankie and Trudy are hired by a factory owner to root out communists working for him, but things are not as they appear. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Summer in the City" | Norma Bailey | Carol Hay | November 20, 2017 | |
| When a dead body turns up in the luggage of a young man, the case brings Frankie and Trudy into Toronto's elite social circles. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Healing Hands" | Sudz Sutherland | Andrew Burrows-Trotman | November 27, 2017 | |
| When Trudy gives shelter to a faith-healing preacher's daughter, she and Frankie find themselves investigating Toronto's Jazz scene. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Out of Focus" | Sudz Sutherland | John Callaghan | December 4, 2017 | |
| Frankie and Trudy go undercover in the glamorous world of film in order to solve a seemingly impossible murder on a silent movie set. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Whisper Sisters" | Leslie Hope | Adriana Maggs | December 11, 2017 | |
| After a shooting injures the young son of a friend, Frankie and Trudy's investigation leads them into the dangerous world of bootlegging. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Ties That Bind" | Eleanor Lindo | Carol Hay | January 8, 2018 | |
| Mary recruits Frankie and Trudy to find a missing teacher, but their investigation leads them to family secrets, Chinatown and murder. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Pilot" | Leslie Hope (as Alanis Smithee) | Carol Hay | January 15, 2018 | |
| A day off turns into a day at the office for Frankie and Trudy when the infant son of a charismatic aviator is kidnapped during an air show. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Ghosts" | Peter Stebbings | Ian Carpenter | January 22, 2018 | |
| The horrors of war haunt Frankie when an investigation into a soldier's murder reunites her with a friend left traumatised by his tour of duty. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Anastasia" | Cal Coons | Michelle Ricci | January 29, 2018 | |
| Frankie is hired to confirm the identity of a young woman claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia and protect her from those who want her dead. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Once Burnt Twice Spied" | Peter Stebbings | Michelle Ricci | February 5, 2018 | |
| When Frankie gets a mysterious call from a British spy, Mary discovers how she and Trudy met, and how Drake Private Detectives was formed. | ||||||
Season 2 (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | "The Old Switcheroo" | Ruba Nadda | Carol Hay | September 24, 2018 | |
| Nora has a legitimate job at the Toronto Museum, where an old enemy of Frankie's tries to pull a con job and almost pulls a con on Nora herself. In the end, Frankie goes to the United States to meet up a famous archeologist to get some information. Meanwhile, Flo and Mary unite to find out the truth about a mysterious man involved in a seemingly straight-up death. | ||||||
| 13 | 2 | "Last Dance" | Ruba Nadda | James Hurst | October 1, 2018 | |
| A case of mistaken identity has a diabetic man kidnapped during a dance marathon. Frankie meets Detective Grayson for the first time. The accidental kidnapped victim is diabetic and is on a ticking clock to get a newly invented medication called insulin. | ||||||
| 14 | 3 | "Radio Daze" | Cal Coons | Ruba Nadda | October 8, 2018 | |
| A producer of a local radio station tries to use a radio play as a cover to pull a bank job, but Mary figures it out and tries to warn Frankie. | ||||||
| 15 | 4 | "Emancipation Day" | Ruba Nadda | Andrew Burrows-Trotman | October 15, 2018 | |
| Marcus Garvey is in town to lend his support to a fundraiser for a black girls' orphanage and offers a Trudy a job in Chicago. Flo and Mary take a trip to a Rochester, NY police station, where they encounter a female police officer. | ||||||
| 16 | 5 | "Dressed to Kill" | Sudz Sutherland | Jessie Gabe | October 22, 2018 | |
| Coco Chanel hires Frankie, while visiting Toronto, when someone tries to shoot her when the police did not take it seriously. A local gossip columnist in the Toronto Star called Lipstick writes about the goings-on happening before Coco's fashion show. Lipstick is revealed to be Nora. | ||||||
| 17 | 6 | "Extra Innings" | Sudz Sutherland | John Callaghan | October 29, 2018 | |
| A female baseball player is killed while playing, who Frankie finds out that was being paid to throw the game. Mary joins the team to help solve the murder, while Frankie meets Bessie Starkman, who is a racketeer. | ||||||
| 18 | 7 | "50 Shades of Greyson" | Cal Coons | Jessie Gabe | November 5, 2018 | |
| Mary suspects Detective Greyson of hiding evidence and decides to spy on him on her own, only to get caught by Greyson himself and fired instead. It is revealed that the case is familiar to Greyson because it is similar to one at his old precinct. They discover that one of the killers is someone from Mary's past. | ||||||
| 19 | 8 | "Diamonds are a Gal's Best Friend" | Peter Stebbings | Carol Hay | November 12, 2018 | |
| A famous diamond is stolen and Frankie and Trudy take the case with some help from Nora. | ||||||
| 20 | 9 | "Dealer's Choice" | Ruba Nadda | John Callaghan | November 19, 2018 | |
| Frankie and Trudy agree to help a young man retrieve his pocket watch, which has sentimental value. Their search takes them to Bessie Starkman's casino, who is not happy to see Frankie, but admits her casino has been robbed at gunpoint a few times. The two women agree to help each other out. | ||||||
| 21 | 10 | "Now You See Her" | Ruba Nadda | James Hurst | November 26, 2018 | |
| Frankie goes undercover as a magician's assistant when his first assistant dies in a magic act gone wrong. | ||||||
Season 3 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | "No Friends Like Old Friends" | Ruba Nadda | Carol Hay | September 16, 2019 | |
| Agatha Christie helps Frankie solve the disappearance and poisoning of an old friend of hers from the war, while Frankie is visiting in England. Trudy and the gang help Frankie out at home, while dealing with leaky plumbing. | ||||||
| 23 | 2 | "CounterPunch" | Mina Shum | John Callaghan and Keri Ferencz | September 23, 2019 | |
| Frankie steps into the boxing ring to stop illegal boxing and meets up with her old friend Moses Page. | ||||||
| 24 | 3 | "School Ties, School Lies" | Ruba Nadda | Jennifer Kassabian | September 30, 2019 | |
| A favourite teacher at a private school is killed and Frankie is hired to find the killer. | ||||||
| 25 | 4 | "A Brother in Arms" | Mina Shum | Karen Hill and Ley Lukins | October 7, 2019 | |
| Frankie discovers her long lost half brother, who asks her help in exonerating a condemned friend. | ||||||
| 26 | 5 | "Things Better Left Dead" | Ruba Nadda | Cal Coons | October 14, 2019 | |
| Frankie investigates a murder involving a medium she suspects to be a con artist. | ||||||
| 27 | 6 | "Life on the Line" | Stephen Reizes | Keri Ferencz | October 28, 2019 | |
| Finding a man ready to throw himself off a bridge, Frankie investigates who is trying to ruin his life. | ||||||
| 28 | 7 | "Out on a Limb" | Ruba Nadda | Carol Hay | November 4, 2019 | |
| Frankie investigates the murder of a flapper club dancer. | ||||||
| 29 | 8 | "Ward of the Roses" | Stephen Reizes | Andrew Burrows-Trotman | November 11, 2019 | |
| When a friend of Trudy's is running for office, she and Frankie try to figure out who's attempting to wreck her campaign. | ||||||
| 30 | 9 | "A History of Violins" | Cal Coons | John Callaghan | November 25, 2019 | |
| When a famous violinist has her instrument stolen in the middle of a concert, Frankie is called in to look for it. | ||||||
| 31 | 10 | "A Sunshine State of Mind" | Ruba Nadda | Jennifer Kassabian & Keri Ferencz | December 2, 2019 | |
| As a heatwave washes over the city, the ladies help track a con man who bilked Nora and Mildred. | ||||||
Season 4 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 1 | "Scavenger Hunt" | Eleanore Lindo | Mary Pedersen | January 4, 2021 | |
| The gals attend an outdoor scavenger hunt to celebrate Trudy's engagement, but find themselves investigating a murder when one player is killed. | ||||||
| 33 | 2 | "Prince in Exile" | Eleanore Lindo | Peter Mitchell | January 11, 2021 | |
| When a prince is kidnapped in Toronto, Frankie and the team are hired to discreetly find to him to avoid an international incident. | ||||||
| 34 | 3 | "The Girls Can't Help It" | Gary Harvey | Mary Pederson | January 18, 2021 | |
| A priceless bottle of wine is stolen, leading Frankie and Trudy to investigate a trio of flappers, infamous for their wild lifestyles. | ||||||
| 35 | 4 | "A Most Foiled Assault" | Gary Harvey | Jennifer Kassabian | January 25, 2021 | |
| The gals are hired to discover who is responsible for the murders at a female fencing trial of Olympic hopefuls. | ||||||
| 36 | 5 | "Ghost in the Machine" | R.T. Thorne | Keri Ferencz | February 1, 2021 | |
| While staying at Frankie's office, Nora is convinced she was visited by the ghost of a murdered woman. Persuaded to search the building, Frankie and Trudy are led to a shocking discovery. | ||||||
| 37 | 6 | "The Guilty Party" | R.T. Thorne | Carol Hay | February 8, 2021 | |
| The team investigates whether a man acquitted of a grisly murder is indeed innocent or guilty. | ||||||
| 38 | 7 | "Life is a Cabaret" | Bosede Williams | Keri Ferencz & Sharron Matthews | February 15, 2021 | |
| After witnessing a man's murder, Frankie's search for his lady-friend suspect leads her to an underground cabaret and surprising results. | ||||||
| 39 | 8 | "Sweet Justice" | Bosede Williams | Jennifer Kassabian & Robina Lord-Stafford | February 22, 2021 | |
| When Trudy discovers that her new dream home has contaminated water, the gals investigate the source with help from nighttime vigilante, Lady Justice. | ||||||
| 40 | 9 | "Showstoppers" | Peter Stebbings | Peter Mitchell & Rebecca Liddiard | March 1, 2021 | |
| Mary looks into a morality violation by Rita Hart's modern dance troupe, but as a sudden illness begins striking down the members of the troupe, Frankie questions if they've brought the Spanish Flu to Toronto. | ||||||
| 41 | 10 | "A Family Affair" | Harvey Crossland | Jennifer Kassabian & Keri Ferencz | March 8, 2021 | |
| Frankie's father reappears in her life, alive but in danger, with both Nora and Jack determined to be involved in Ned Drake's scheme. Mary risks her chances at becoming an official police officer by going on record to speak up against corruption in the police force, while Flo confronts her sister to protect her niece. Meanwhile, Trudy accepts a job at an insurance company only to discover her new employers are far more unscrupulous and dangerous than she realizes. | ||||||
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
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season One | May 8, 2018 | May 9, 2018 (also Blu-ray, Region B locked) | June 27, 2018 |
| Season Two | June 25, 2019 | April 8, 2019 (also Blu-ray, Region B locked) | June 26, 2019 |
| Season Three | September 8, 2020 | April 6, 2020 | N/A |
| Season Four | September 7, 2021 | May 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."[5]
Notes
References
- "The TV home of Murdoch Mysteries is getting a new detective drama". Toronto Star, April 4, 2017.
- "Frankie Drake". Shaftesbury. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- "Flo Chakowitz - Characters - Frankie Drake Mysteries". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- "Female-detective drama 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' set to debut on CBC". National Post. November 3, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- Schneller, Johanna (November 12, 2017). "In Frankie Drake Mysteries, some characters get a chance to sashay". Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- "CBC greenlights Shaftesbury’s Frankie Drake". Playback, April 4, 2017.
- "UKTV Co-Production 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Renewed For Season 2". Tvwise.co.uk. April 5, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- "CBC announces first round of renewals for the 2019–20 season". tv-eh.com. March 25, 2019.
- "'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Heads To London For Season 3, Honeysuckle Weeks To Guest Star". Tvwise.co.uk. May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- "CBC'S FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES ENDS AFTER FOUR SEASONS". tv-eh.com. February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- "Mary and Flo from 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' get their own animated TV series". Thespec.com. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- @CBCFrankieDrake (March 7, 2022). "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 youtube.com/shaftesburykids" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Alibi Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' Season 3". TVWise.co.uk. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- "Ovation Sets Premiere Dates for 'Murdoch Mysteries' and "Frankie Drake Mysteries"". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "OVATION CELEBRATES THE ART OF MYSTERY WITH THE RETURN OF MURDOCH MYSTERIES". Ovationtv.com.
- "FRANKIE AND TRUDY ARE BACK! OVATION ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR SEASON THREE OF FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES". Ovation TV. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- "Frankie Drake Mysteries – Summer in the City". Twin Cities PBS. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- "U.S. Deal for Frankie Drake Mysteries". Worldscreen.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- "Frankie Drake | TV, eh?". www.tv-eh.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- "CBC's Frankie Drake Mysteries is fabulously fun Canadian content". Retrieved December 16, 2017.
External links
- Frankie Drake Mysteries at CBC.ca
- Frankie Drake Mysteries at IMDb
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