Family Law (Canadian TV series)

This article is about the 2021 Canadian series. For the 1999 American series, see Family Law (American TV series). For the 2016 Australian series, see The Family Law.

Family Law
Genre	Legal drama
Created by	Susin Nielsen
Starring	Jewel Staite Zach Smadu Genelle Williams Lauren Holly Victor Garber
Opening theme	"Uh-Oh" by Jeremy Fisher featuring Serena Ryder
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producers	Tom Cox and Jordy Randall Erin Haskett
Production companies	SEVEN24 Films Lark Productions Corus Entertainment One
Original release
Network	Global
Release	September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16) – present (present)

Family Law is a Canadian legal drama television series that premiered in Italy on Sky Investigation on July 6, 2021, and in Canada on Global on September 16, 2021.

Premise

Abigail Bianchi, a recovering alcoholic and lawyer, goes to work with her estranged father and two half-siblings. She has never worked in family law before and suddenly finds herself having to manage not just her clients' family dysfunction, but her own. She must learn to navigate working with her father and siblings she does not know as part of her probation, all while trying to maintain her sobriety.

Cast and characters

Main

• Jewel Staite as Abigail (Abby) Bianchi, a recovering alcoholic lawyer who hits rock bottom after a video of her vomiting in court goes viral.
• Victor Garber as Harry Svensson, Abigail's estranged father and boss. A noted womanizer, he married three times; first to Abigail's mother, second to Daniel's mother, and last to Lucy's mother.
• Zach Smadu as Daniel Svensson, Abigail's half-brother and lawyer who is working for his father.
• Genelle Williams as Lucy Svensson, Abigail's half-sister, her mother died when she was eight. She works at the law firm as a psychologist.
• Lauren Holly as Joanne Kowalski, Abigail's alcoholic mother and Harry's first ex-wife (seasons 2 & 3; recurring: season 1)

Recurring

• Bobbi Charlton as Jerri Rifkin, Harry's office manager and closest advisor
• Luke Camilleri as Frank Bianchi, Abigail's ex-husband
• Eden Summer Gilmore as Sofia Bianchi, Abigail's daughter
• Brendan Sunderland as Nico Bianchi, Abigail's son
• Brett Kelly as Cecil Patterson, Svensson and Associates' paralegal
• Yvonne Chapman as Danielle Lim, Daniel's ex-fiancée (season 1)
• Ali Liebert as Maggie Roth, Lucy's ex-wife who is a paramedic (seasons 1 & 2, guest season 3)
• Celia Reid as Asha, the woman who Lucy is having an affair with (season 1)
• Kelli Ogmundson as Nina Beasley, the receptionist at Svensson Associates who later leaves the firm in early Season 2 to go backpacking with her dad. (seasons 1 & 2, guest season 3)
• Ryan Lino as Winston Verdad, the receptionist, who takes over for Nina (seasons 2 & 3)
• B.J. Harrison as Cordelia, Abby's divorce lawyer and Harry's old flame (season 2)3)
• Peter Bryant as Phillip Sterling, a lawyer and a friend of Harry
• Birkett Turton as Yannick Krol, a lawyer and a friend of Daniel
• Miranda Edwards as Martina Hadish, a chef and Danie's lover/friend (seasons 2 & 3)
• Paul McGillion as Chip Crombie, a lawyer turned judge. (seasons 2 & 3)
• Spencer Lord as Aiden, a freighter and Abby's younger boyfriend (seasons 2 & 3)
• Benjamin Ayres as Ben Cohen a criminal lawyer., who has a passing interest in Abby (season 3)
• Aliyah O'Brien as Kelly Garcia a psychologist and Lucy's girlfriend (season 3)
• Thomas Cadrot as Quinn, Martina's boyfriend (season 3)

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	10		September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)	November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)
2	10		May 22, 2023 (2023-05-22)	July 31, 2023 (2023-07-31)
3	10		TBA	TBA

Season 1 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	Canadian viewers
1	1	"Sins of the Fathers"	Jordan Canning	Susin Nielsen	September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)	411390-1	652,000
Abigail, an alcoholic lawyer, shows up during a court proceeding hungover and throws up on her client. The video of the event goes viral on the internet. Her life hits rock bottom as she loses her position at her firm and moves to her mother’s house, separated from her husband Frank and her two children. Three months later, Abigail's estranged father, Harry, offers her a menial position in his law firm during her probation where she meets her half-brother, Daniel who is lawyer working for their father and her half-sister, Lucy who is a lesbian psychologist. Initially, Abigail doesn’t get along with her half-siblings. Abigail soon becomes involved in a case where a teenage girl wants to locate her biological father and when Abigail does locate him, the teen girl's single mother worries about her daughter becoming too attached to the man she once had a fling with.
2	2	"Parenthood"	Jordan Canning	Susin Nielsen	September 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)	411390-2	N/A
Daniel’s girlfriend Danielle is helping the firm to revamp and modernize its online presence. Daniel and Abigail represent a pregnant Down Syndrome couple who are afraid that the Social Security will take away their baby as they find them incapable of parenting. Meanwhile, Abigail is banned from her son Nico’s school after she confronts and physically threatens her son’s bullies. Harry asks Abigail not to be part of the group photo for the firm’s website because of her infamy and bad reputation. Elsewhere, Lucy panics at her spouse, Maggie’s, suggestion that they have a baby; she meets a woman, Asha, at a girl bar and the two make out.
3	3	"Addicted to Love"	David Frazee	Susin Nielsen	October 1, 2021 (2021-10-01)	411390-3	N/A
Daniel and Abigail defend a stay-at-home mother with an online gaming addiction after her husband sues her for custody of their children due to her negligent parenting and her gaming avatar having sex with another player’s avatar. Daniel arbitrates the custody of a divorced couple's dog. Daniel and Danielle get engaged while Abigail, feeling melancholic after stalking Felicity, her ex-husband Frank's new girlfriend, on Instagram, falls off the wagon and gets drunk at Harry’s office.
4	4	"Mama Don't Preach"	David Frazee	Story by : Corey Liu Teleplay by : Sonja Bennett	October 8, 2021 (2021-10-08)	411390-4	N/A
Harry confronts Abigail about her drinking while she hydrates to avoid alcohol detection on a breath analyzer. Daniel and Abigail represent a gay teenager, Aaron, who wants to be emancipated from his conservative parents because they are forcing him to attend a gay conversion camp. Abigail sends Cecil, the firm’s paralegal, undercover to the gay conversion camp, where he rescues Aaron from electrical shock treatment aversion therapy at the camp, following which Aaron’s father starts accepting his sexuality. Also, Harry meets his grandchildren Sofia and Nico for the first time at his office. Jerri accompanies Abigail to her first AA meeting.
5	5	"Until Death Do Us Part"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Damon Vignale	October 15, 2021 (2021-10-15)	411390-5	N/A
Harry’s girlfriend Clemence informs him that he gave her Chlamydia which he contacted from another woman he was seeing during the relationship. Abigail and Daniel represent Ira, Daniel’s onetime neighbor, who wants his wife, Helen, moved from a care home that he claims is worsening her Alzheimer's; Ira's daughter, Mariam, doesn't want Helen moved and holds power of attorney. Ira challenges her in court, revealing that Helen is in a relationship at the care home. Clemence sues Harry, and Harry asks Abigail to represent him against Clemence, who has hired Abigail’s ex-boss. Meanwhile, Maggie’s parents are visiting, which annoys Lucy. Also, Daniel is having second thoughts about marrying Danielle, and Harry gives him advice to get a prenup. Abigail visits her old office with Harry and settles the case with Clemence with an apology from Harry. Daniel refuses to marry Danielle.
6	6	"Baby Off Board"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Sarah Dodd	October 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)	411390-6	N/A
Abigail starts seeing a psychiatrist. At the same time, Abigail represents a couple during an adoption process, but later the couple find that their adopted baby has a serious medical condition. The wife wants to keep the child, the husband doesn't. Daniel and Abigail represent the wife, but Harry is concerned that the husband is hiding something and he hires Abigail’s private investigator to find out what. Daniel pushes to be made partner at Svensson and Associates but Harry declines saying Daniel is not business-minded enough. Abigail and Frank go out to dinner to meet Sofia’s boyfriend, where Abigail sees Lucy making out with Asha. Also, Daniel and Danielle’s breakup is out in the open.
7	7	"Three's Company"	Mathias Herndl	Ken Craw	October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)	411390-7	N/A
Abigail and Daniel represent a starving artist who was once the third member of a polyamorous relationship involving a famous conservative political commentator, Crystal Steele. Abigail confronts Lucy about her ongoing extra-marital affair with Asha. The Svensson Associates office gets attacked by the followers of Crystal Steele. After Abigail’s home address is doxed online and she gets abusive and threatening texts from Steele’s followers, Frank and the kids stay with her at her mother's house. Daniel regrets dumping Danielle. Harry beefs up the office security while they start losing clients. Frank and Abigail bond and sleep together at her mother’s house. Crystal hires Harry as her divorce attorney. To Daniel's dismay, Harry picks Abigail to assist him with Crystal's case.
8	8	"Truthiness"	Mathias Herndl	Sonja Bennett & Ken Craw	November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05)	411390-8	N/A
Harry and Abigail represent Crystal in her divorce settlement. Abigail agrees to defend a longtime friend who is anti-vaccine, refusing to vaccinate her child. Daniel is bitter over Harry's rejection of his partnership proposal. Nico gets suspended from school when he is caught forging parents' signatures for other students for money, forcing Abigail and Frank to reconsider their parenting agreement. Lucy comes clean to Maggie about her affair, and Maggie forgives her and they reconcile. Lucy later runs into Asha and they make out.
9	9	"Blame It on the Mother"	Andy Mikita	Sarah Dodd	November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)	411390-9	N/A
Abigail and Daniel represent two sisters who are being sued by their estranged mother for parental support. Harry’s speech at his alma mater becomes fodder for internet memes and trolling. Daniel considers leaving Svensson for a rival firm. Lucy is sad and angry as Harry fails to show up on their planned meeting on her deceased mother’s birthday. Daniel, Lucy, Abigail and Jerri get upset when they learn that Harry is dating Crystal, and Daniel quits the firm. Lucy tells Maggie that she is ready to have a baby.
10	10	"Legacy"	Andy Mikita	Susin Nielsen	November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)	411390-10	N/A
Maggie undergoes insemination at a fertility clinic. After Nina, the receptionist at Svensson, discovers she is not her father's biological daughter, Abigail traces a history of malpractice at the fertility clinic where Nina was conceived. Abigail asks Harry to re-hire Daniel, and Harry makes him a partner at the firm. Abigail and Daniel file a class action lawsuit against Dr. Peterson, with Nina and her father as plaintiffs. Harry asks Abigail to stay at Svensson after her probation saying the firm needs her legal skills. Maggie runs into Asha, who tells her about her last encounter with Lucy. Maggie ends her relationship with Lucy and informs her that she is pregnant. Abigail catches Frank meeting Felicity. Lucy goes to Abigail and breaks down.

Season 2 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
11	1	"Revisionist History"	Andy Mikita	Susin Nielsen	May 22, 2023 (2023-05-22)	411390-11
A woman, Norma, hires Abigail and Daniel to track down her presumed-dead husband, a failed inventor who left her heavily in debt. When found, the man claims to suffer from amnesia and Abigail convinces Norma to sue him for emotional distress to recover her money. In her psychiatric evaluation, Lucy concludes the husband's amnesia may be genuine, causing tension between her and Abigail. Hoping to get his kids to accept his relationship with Crystal, Harry arranges a family dinner, which backfires disastrously. Maggie angrily rejects Lucy's attempt to apologize for her infidelity. Abigail considers reconciling with Frank, but Sofia finds text messages proving his affair was serious and shows them to Abigail.
12	2	"I Now Pronoun You"	Andy Mikita	Corey Liu	May 29, 2023 (2023-05-29)	411390-12
Sofia's friend Chloe wants to start taking transitional therapy, but the grandfather files a motion to intercede, forcing Abigail and Daniel to take her case. Daniel tries to make changes around the office, irritating Abigail and Lucy. When reporters from a conservative news network show up at Chloe's school, Harry realizes Crystal tipped them off after he discussed the case with her, and breaks up with her. Abigail deals with Frank's attempts to make amends and Sofia's refusal to see him.
13	3	"Under the Influence"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Sarah Dodd	June 12, 2023 (2023-06-12)	411390-13
Abigail and Daniel work on a divorce case for Sabine, a woman whose husband claims she is in thrall to a cult posing as a wellness program. Abigail and Lucy do an undercover investigation at the program and help Sabine leave. The firm's class-action suit against Dr. Peterson falters when they learn his assets are protected by shell companies. Daniel works hard to find a legal argument to access the assets, however Harry steals his thunder by arguing the case in court himself. Cecil works up the courage to ask Nina out, but before he can do so, she says she is taking a leave of absence to travel the world. After couples therapy with Frank, Abigail decides to end the marriage.
14	4	"Return to Sender"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Sonja Bennett	June 19, 2023 (2023-06-19)	411390-14
Abigail and Daniel represent Karolinka, a Slavic mail-order bride whose husband plans to annul their marriage and have her deported. Though unable to prevent the annulment, Abigail finds her a job with the marriage agency that placed her so she can stay in Canada. In the aftermath of a failed date, Daniel gets to know Martina, a chef. Meanwhile, Lucy learns Maggie has moved on to a new relationship. Elsewhere, Harry works on a prenup with Phil Sterling for an influencer couple. Their demands become ever more complicated, until eventually Harry convinces them not to sign a prenup at all. Also, Nico is upset by Abigail's divorce; Harry consoles him. Abigail's separation negotiations with Frank bog down and she hires Cordelia, an old flame of Harry's, to represent her in her divorce.
15	5	"Fifty Shades of Judginess"	Gail Harvey	Susin Nielsen	June 26, 2023 (2023-06-26)	411390-15
Phaedra is a recent widow who hires Harry and Abigail to represent her; Phaedra was a wealthy man's escort before marrying him and his daughter wants her written out of his will. Abigail and Cordelia have their first meeting with Frank and his divorce lawyer. Daniel gives an interview suggesting he is the future of the firm and Harry is old-fashioned; Harry reacts angrily. Meanwhile, Daniel and his new girlfriend Clara spend some time with Lucy and Martina. When Joanne leaves Abigail's children unsupervised to go out drinking while Abigail is on a blind date, Sofia sneaks out and comes home drunk and Nico runs away. In response, Frank files for custody, requiring Abigail's parenting to be thoroughly evaluated by a psychiatrist.
16	6	"Wicked Games"	Gail Harvey	Ken Craw	July 3, 2023 (2023-07-03)	411390-16
Abigail and Daniel take the case of Jessie, a teacher with a neurodivergent son who claims her ex-husband is harassing her to make her look crazy. Daniel suspects Jessie may be inflicting the harassment on herself; Abigail and he eventually discover Jessie's new boyfriend Gary is the culprit. Meanwhile, Abigail is asked on a date by Aidan, a fireman she meets while working on Jessie's case. Also, Cecil befriends Winston, the firm's new receptionist. Elsewhere, Clara breaks up with Daniel upon realizing he can't accept she previously dated Harry. A psychiatrist interviews Abigail for her custody evaluation and she becomes emotional, accusing Frank of wanting to take away her children and causing the psychiatrist to end the interview abruptly.
17	7	"Arrested Development"	David Frazee	Ken Craw	July 10, 2023 (2023-07-10)	411390-17
Abigail and Daniel represent Drew, an unemployed 40-year-old man whose overprotective parents are trying to evict him from their basement. Incensed Frank is representing the parents, Abigail insists on going to court but loses. Ultimately Drew's parents allow him to stay in exchange for him working on his career for the time being. Meanwhile, Cecil is forced to take the paralegal exam after Jerri discovers he never qualified; with Winston's help, he overcomes his fears and passes. Elsewhere, a client of Harry's switches to Phil Sterling's firm after reading Daniel's interview; Harry wins her back by tipping her off about a case Phil botched. Also, the psychiatrist interviews Abigail's family for the custody evaluation: Daniel hedges when asked whether Abigail is still drinking; Harry strongly defends Abigail but admits he's been out of her life for decades; Lucy dismisses the psychiatrist's questions and asserts Abigail is a good parent; and Joanne hints she forced Abigail to take her side against Harry's in their divorce. Also, Abigail's first date with Aidan goes badly until she finally opens up about her personal problems, and they become intimate. At the end, Frank's lawyer informs Abigail she can have equal joint custody on condition that the children have no contact with Joanne, a high-functioning alcoholic herself, thus making it impossible for Abigail to comply.
18	8	"The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly" "Family History"	Sarah Wayne Callies	Sarah Dodd	July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)	411390-18
Jerri's estranged daughter Christina refuses to let Jerri see her granddaughter. Believing this is due to transphobia, Abby confronts Christina but learns that isn't the reason for the estrangement. Harry persuades Christina to attend counseling with Jerri, where it is revealed Jerri suppressed memories of her alcoholism and erratic behavior which frightened Christina as a child. Later Jerri and Christina begin to reconcile. Meanwhile, Abigail brings Aidan to a professional gathering as her plus-one in order to antagonize Frank. Also, Harry counsels Lucy on her separation from Maggie, advising her not to offer support for Maggie's child. The former owner of Daniel's dog Craig blackmails Daniel into paying to keep Craig. Lucy finds Maggie bleeding and calls 911.
19	9	"Acting Out"	David Frazee	Sonja Bennett & Corey Liu	July 24, 2023 (2023-07-24)	411390-19
The firm takes the case of Charisma, a pop starlet whose erratic behavior prompted her brother to file for a conservatorship. Realizing Charisma is rebelling against the stress and restrictions of her career, Abigail convinces the judge not to grant the conservatorship. Meanwhile, Maggie's baby, Harmony, is delivered by C-section and Lucy bonds with her while Maggie recuperates in the hospital. Elsewhere, Daniel botches a live interview with comical results. Also, Joanne stays at a friend's place so that Abigail can have time with her kids. After meeting Nico, Aidan suggests spending time with Abigail's kids but she replies she would only allow it if the relationship were serious. Daniel impulsively kisses Martina causing her to run off. The psychiatrist's custody evaluation is critical of both Abigail and Frank over her alcoholism and his frequent infidelity, however Frank refuses to back down and opts to go to court rather than resolve his and Abigail's differences informally. Maggie refuses to allow Lucy to participate in Harmony's life.
20	10	"All Happy Families"	Andy Mikita	Susin Nielsen	July 31, 2023 (2023-07-31)	411390-20
On finally completing her probation, Abigail receives a lucrative job offer from her old law firm and a stingy one from Harry, causing friction between father and daughter. The judge in Abigail and Frank's divorce case awards 50/50 custody and mandates they alternate weeks living in the same house for their children's sake. Meanwhile, Daniel is forced to lay off Cecil in order cut the firm's costs. Having signed away her parental rights for Harmony on Harry's advice, Lucy hires Abigail to sue to get them back. Lucy wins but afterwards discovers Maggie has abandoned her apartment and disappeared with the baby. Harry makes Abigail a better offer and she accepts, irritating Daniel who had expected her to leave the firm. Harry then rehires Cecil, anticipating Abigail will bring in more money. Daniel visits Martina to apologize for kissing her; before he can do so, she kisses him. At the end, Abigail catches Joanne in bed with Harry.

Season 3

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
21	1	"The Fine Line" "What Came First?"	Andy Mikita	Susin Nielsen	TBA	411390-21
22	2	"A River in Egypt"	Andy Mikita	Sarah Dodd	TBA	411390-22
23	3	"It's the End of the World as We Know It"	Jordan Canning	Ken Craw	TBA	411390-23
24	4	"Play It Straight"	Jordan Canning	Corey Liu	TBA	411390-24
25	5	"Between a Rock and a Hard Place"	David Frazee	Story by : Jordan Hall Teleplay by : Susin Nielsen	TBA	411390-25
26	6	"When the Chip Hits the Fan"	David Frazee	Susin Nielsen	TBA	411390-26
27	7	"Bass Fishing"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Sarah Dodd	TBA	411390-27
28	8	"Where There's a Will"	Alysse Leite-Rogers	Corey Liu	TBA	411390-28
29	9	"To the End of Love" "Catch 22"	Agam Darshi	Sonja Bennett	TBA	411390-29
30	10	"The Chickens Come Home to Roost"	Andy Mikita	Susin Nielsen	TBA	411390-30

Production

On December 20, 2019, Corus Entertainment announced that the series created by Susin Nielsen for SEVEN24 Films and Lark Productions had been given a ten episode series order. Executive produced by Tom Cox, Jordy Randall and Erin Haskett, the show would be produced and set in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In February 2020, it was reported that principal photography would begin on March 2, 2020. The primary cast members were announced as being all Canadian - Jewel Staite, Victor Garber, Zach Smadu and Genelle Williams.

In advance of the series premiere, Global announced in May 2021 that it had renewed for a second season.

On May 17, 2022, Global announced a third season.

Release

International

The series premiered in Italy on Sky Investigation on July 6, 2021. International distribution is managed by eOne.

Nine Network carries the series in Australia. Season 2 premiered on October 5, 2022. Season 3 premiered on March 29, 2023.

In the United States, the series premiered on October 2, 2022 on The CW. Season 2 premiered on July 7, 2023. Season 3 will premiere on January 17, 2024.

In the Nordics, season 3 premiered on April 19, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Family Law at IMDb