Hard Rock Medical
| Hard Rock Medical | |
|---|---|
| Genre | medical drama |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production locations | Sudbury, Ontario |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | TVOntario |
| Release | June 9, 2013 – present |
Hard Rock Medical is a Canadian television drama series, which debuted on TVOntario in 2013 and APTN in 2014.[1]
Filmed in Sudbury, Ontario,[2] the series revolves around a group of medical students attending Boréal Medical School, which is loosely based on the real-life Northern Ontario School of Medicine.[3]
First announced in 2011,[3] production on the series began in 2012[4] and the series premiered on June 9, 2013 with a 13-episode first season.[5][6] TVOntario announced in February 2014 that it had greenlit a second season for the series,[7] premiering February 15, 2015.[8]
Premise
The series focuses primarily on a core group of eight medical students at Boréal Medical School in Sudbury: Nancy Siebolski (Angela Asher), Cameron Cahill (Jamie Spilchuk), Gary Frazier (Mark Coles Smith), Melanie Truscott (Melissa Jane Shaw), Charlie Rivière (Stéphane Paquette), Eva Malone (Andrea Menard), Gina Russo (Tamara Duarte) and Farida Farhisal (Rachelle Casseus).
The students are learning both a traditional medical curriculum, and how to cope with the unique demands of the school's focus on rural medicine, from professors and consultants including dean Raymond Dallaire (Christian Laurin), associate dean Fraser Healy (Patrick McKenna), doctor Louise Helvi (Danielle Bourgon) and First Nations elder Julie Cardinal (Kyra Harper).
Supporting and guest actors appearing over the course of the series include Jennifer Tocheri, Marc Bendavid, Michael Cleland, Derek Miller, Mike Bernier, Jim Calarco, Jeremy Cormier, Megan Fahlenbock, Ron Lea, Jennifer Matthies, Billy Merasty, Atticus Mitchell, Greg Odjick, Samantha Reed and Julian Robino. Many, but not all, supporting and guest actors in the series are local performers from Sudbury and North Bay.[8]
Production
The series is a coproduction of three Canadian production firms, Title Entertainment, Carte Blanche Films, and Distinct Features, and an Australian firm, Moody Street Productions.[9] In addition, the series received funding assistance from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.[5]
The series also airs on NITV, a channel operated by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service, as of 2014.[10]
Music used in the series was performed by Patricia Cano, Kevin Closs, Brian Dunn, Ox, Pistol George Warren, Kate Maki, Frederick Squire and Derek Miller. All except Miller are Sudbury-based artists, while Miller is a First Nations artist.
In conjunction with the show's second season, Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger issued a civic proclamation declaring February 15, 2015 to be "Hard Rock Medical Day" in the city.[8]
References
- ^ "Hard Rock Medical is a Canadian drama series that always surprises". The Globe and Mail, February 18, 2014.
- ^ "New TV show inspired by northern medical school". Northern Life, December 9, 2011.
- ^ a b "Canadian Drama 'Hard Rock Medical' Gets Full-Season Order". The Hollywood Reporter, December 9, 2011.
- ^ "Action! On downtown streets", Northern Life, September 24, 2012.
- ^ a b "Hard Rock Medical a kind of Canadian Grey’s Anatomy". Toronto Star, June 6, 2013.
- ^ "TVO's first commissioned drama series Hard Rock Medical premieres June 9 at 8 pm ET". The Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2013.
- ^ "TVO’s Hard Rock Medical set for season two". Playback, February 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Med-school series kicks off second season". Sudbury Star, February 9, 2015.
- ^ "TVO, APTN order half-hour drama Hard Rock Medical". Playback, December 12, 2011.
- ^ "Indigenous channel reappraises its strategy in reaching out to a broader range of viewers". The Australian, January 27, 2014.