Hudson & Rex

Hudson & Rex is a Canadian police procedural drama television series, based on the Italian-Austrian drama Komissar Rex, which premiered on Citytv on March 25, 2019. Filming commenced in October 2018, with ongoing production in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[2]

Hudson & Rex
Genre	Police procedural Comedy-drama
Directed by	Felipe Rodriguez Alison Reid John Vatcher
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	32
Production
Executive producer(s)	Oliver Bachert Scott Garvie Friedemann Goez Paul Pope Nataline Rodrigues Ken Cuperus (Showrunner)
Running time	44 mins.[1]
Production company(s)	Shaftesbury Pope Productions Beta Film
Release
Original network	Citytv
Picture format	1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	March 25, 2019 (2019-03-25) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Inspector Rex
External links
Website

On May 30, 2019, Shaftesbury and Pope Productions announced Citytv had renewed for season two,[3][4] and was scheduled for the 2019-2020 season.[5] Season 2 premiered on September 24, 2019.[6]

In June 2020, it was announced on Breakfast Television that season 3 will begin production sometime in July, ensuring to work within provincial public health guidelines in respect to COVID-19.[7]

Premise

Detective Charlie Hudson is a Major Crimes detective of the fictional St. John’s Police Department. He is partnered with Rex, a multi-scent trained German Shepherd with an excellent ear for unique sounds. Hudson grew up reading mystery novels and as a result always wanted to be a police detective.[8] He is partnered with Rex after Rex's K9 human partner died and Rex was scheduled to be euthanized.[9] Rex's keen nose and ears are instrumental in helping Detective Hudson advance the investigations in each episode. The duo receive assistance from Superintendent Donovan, Forensics Chief Truong, and IT Specialist Mills every episode in gathering and interpreting evidence. The first season begins some time after Hudson has arrived back in St. John's, his hometown, following a divorce from his wife.[10] The first case for the series is a kidnapping. Most of the episodes case different murders, each with unique twists.

Cast

• John Reardon as Detective Charlie Hudson, Rex’s partner
• Mayko Nguyen as Chief of Forensics Sarah Truong
• Kevin Hanchard as Superintendent Joseph Donovan
• Justin Kelly as IT Specialist Jesse Mills
• Diesel von Burgimwald as Rex
• Raven Dauda as Sergeant Jan Renley, Rex's police trainer (series 1)

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	13		March 25, 2019 (2019-03-25)	July 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)
	2	19		September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24)	March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)

Seasons 1 and 2 combined have a total of 32 episodes according to distributor Beta.[11] Season 1 filmed a total of 16 episodes but the last three episodes of season 1 became the first three episodes of season 2. Season 2 also filmed 16 episodes.[12] This unusual result means there are 19 episodes to be shown as season 2.

Season 1 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date [13]	Canada viewers (millions)
1	1	"The Hunt"[14]	Alison Reid	Ken Cuperus	March 25, 2019 (2019-03-25)	0.22[15]
Hudson and Rex must track down a kidnapped girl before it's too late.
2	2	"Fearless Freaks"	Felipe Rodriguez	Ken Cuperus	April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)	0.29[16]
Hudson and Rex investigate the death of a parkour daredevil.
3	3	"Haunted by the Past"	Felipe Rodriguez	Paul Aitken & Simon McNabb	April 8, 2019 (2019-04-08)	0.24[17]
The body of a woman who may be linked to a cold case is found in a graveyard.
4	4	"School Days"	Alison Reid	Ken Cuperus & Celeste Parr	April 15, 2019 (2019-04-15)	0.32[18]
Jesse goes under cover to investigate the death of a controversial university professor.
5	5	"The Pet Sitter"	Alison Reid	John Callaghan	April 22, 2019 (2019-04-22)	0.40[19]
Charlie and Rex investigate the death of a pet sitter.
6	6	"Murder She Thought"	Alison Reid	Ken Cuperus & Laura Harbin	April 29, 2019 (2019-04-29)	N/A
Hudson and Rex investigate a string of recent deaths at a retirement home.
7	7	"Trial and Error"	John Vatcher	John Callaghan	June 13, 2019 (2019-06-13)	N/A
Sarah finds herself in the middle of a hostage situation at a medical testing lab that stores lethal viruses. When the team realizes there's no way inside without aggravating the gunman, Charlie sends Rex in to monitor the situation.
8	8	"Fast Eddie's"	John Vatcher	Avrum Jacobson	June 20, 2019 (2019-06-20)	N/A
After a reviled restaurateur´s food truck explodes, killing one of his employees, Charlie and Rex find themselves with a few too many suspects. A flirtation has Charlie torn between a possible new love and Rex's reaction.
9	9	"The Mourning Show"	Felipe Rodriquez	Mary Pedersen	June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)	N/A
Charlie investigates the host of a local morning show after her media mogul husband is suddenly found dead.
10	10	"Art of Darkness"	John Vatcher	Jessie Gabe	July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04)	N/A
Sarah, Charlie and Rex are introduced to the world of high art after the murder of an art gallery curator during a robbery at the gallery.
11	11	"Bad Water Rising"	John Vatcher	Jessie Gabe	July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)	N/A
When an activist is killed during a break-and-enter at a water bottling plant, all evidence points towards his partner-in-crime, but Charlie and Rex aren’t convinced.
12	12	"A Cult Education"	Sherren Lee	Derek Schreyer	July 18, 2019 (2019-07-18)	0.58[20]
When Superintendent Donovan's ex, a recovering addict, wakes up with blood on her hands and a dead roommate in her apartment, the team moves quickly, finding there's more to the story.
13	13	"The Rex Files"	Sherren Lee	Jessie Gabe	July 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)	0.63 [21]
When a deadly car accident leads Charlie and Rex to investigate reports of a mysterious blue light in the sky, they discover the truth is more science than fiction.

Season 2 (2019–20)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date [22]	Canada viewers (millions)
14	1	"Man of Consequence"	Felipe Rodriquez	Ken Cuperus and Avrum Jacobson	September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24)	0.25[23]
Charlie and Rex discover a wanted criminal has been living under a fake identity in St. John's for the past 20 years and end up in the cross-hairs when the man's past catches up with him.
15	2	"Over Ice"	Felipe Rodriquez	Céleste Parr	October 1, 2019 (2019-10-01)	0.24[24]
Charlie and Rex investigate the death of a figure skater's coach who is found dead on her club's ice rink.
16	3	"Blind Justice"	Felipe Rodriquez	Derek Schreyer	October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)	N/A
A murder at the St. John's docks opens an investigation into a high stakes smuggling operation where Charlie and Rex must team-up with an old antagonist of Charlie's.
17	4	"Strangers in the Night"	T.J. Scott	Story by : Carol Hay & Duncan Hay Jennings Teleplay by : Carol Hay	October 15, 2019 (2019-10-15)	N/A
Charlie and Rex pull apart the secrets of a local band when their lead singer is found dead on the beach.
18	5	"Dead Man Walking"	Felipe Rodriguez	Ken Cuperus	October 22, 2019 (2019-10-22)	N/A
The clock is ticking as Charlie and Rex attempt to find a murderer before the victim can succumb to the poison slowly killing them.
19	6	"Under the Influencer"	Eleanore Lindo	Jessie Gabe	October 29, 2019 (2019-10-29)	N/A
Charlie and Rex are on the case after a social media star dies while livestreaming her wedding.
20	7	"The Woods Have Eyes"	T.J. Scott	Julian Doucet	November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)	N/A
As Charlie and Rex head into the woods to track a missing photographer, a mysterious organization throws the investigation off its trail.
21	8	"Game of Bones"	Eleanore Lindo	Stephanie Tracey	November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)	N/A
Charlie and Rex investigate a fantasy role-playing game turned deadly when a player is found slain by a sword.
22	9	"Bullet in the Water"	Mars Horodyski	Derek Schreyer	November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)	N/A
Charlie and Rex are in deep water after a university rower is shot by a sniper during team practice.
23	10	"The French Connection"	John Vatcher	Derek Schreyer and Alex Pugsley	November 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)	N/A
Cultures clash when the death of a Parisian journalist has Charlie and Rex partnering with a French detective, in an investigation that whisks the team to Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
24	11	"Rex Machina"	Felipe Rodriguez	Vivian Lin	January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)	N/A
An automotive engineer is found dead in the self-driving SUV she has been designing and building.
25	12	"Rex and the City"	John Vatcher	Jackie May	January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)	N/A
When a prominent member of an exclusive dating app is found with an arrow through his heart, Charlie must go undercover in the online dating scene.
26	13	"In Pod We Trust"	Stephanie Morgenstern	Pierre Mur and Stephanie Tracey	January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)	N/A
When the circumstances of a murder appear to mimic a contentious crime from twenty years earlier, Charlie and Rex must connect the past to the present while fending off a true crime podcaster.
27	14	"Tunnel Vision"	Felipe Rodriquez	Ken Cuperus	February 4, 2020 (2020-02-04)	N/A
Charlie and Rex head underground into an allegedly haunted mine after a crew member turns up dead during a horror film shoot.
28	15	"Finger Foodie"	Adriana Maggs	Jessie Gabe	February 11, 2020 (2020-02-11)	N/A
Charlie and Rex investigate the long list of enemies surrounding a vitriolic celebrity chef after a finger turns up in his Beef Wellington.
29	16	"Flare of the Dog"	Felipe Rodriquez	Derek Schreyer & Vivian Lin	February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)	N/A
Charlie is unable to let a serial arsonist case rest even when he is in the hospital with a broken leg; working from his bed Charlie hopes to identify the arsonist before he strikes again.
30	17	"The Graveyard Shift"	John Vatcher	Ken Cuperus and Joseph Milando	March 3, 2020 (2020-03-03)	N/A
Charlie and Rex find themselves at the mercy of a dangerous crime kingpin from their past when they try to enlist his help on a case.
31	18	"Old Dog New Tricks"[25]	Felipe Rodriquez	Julian Doucet	March 17, 2020 (2020-03-17)	N/A
When Sarah's former professor is allegedly framed for murder, Sarah calls Charlie and Rex to untangle the perfect crime.
32	19	"In a Family Way"[26]	Harvey Crossland	Derek Schreyer	March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)	N/A
After a woman is found dead in the snow, have a pool of unconnected suspects with only one thing in common -- the victim was convinced they were all her family.

Reception

Canadian ratings

The first six episodes of season one reached more than 2.5 million viewers in Canada.[27]

Broadcast

Hudson & Rex premiered March 25, 2019, on CityTV with season one planned for 16 episodes.[28] However, only the first 13 episodes were used for season one. The remaining three episodes were broadcast as part of season two.[29]

Syndication

Beta Film has the international English distribution rights for Hudson & Rex. Broadcaster RAI will begin showing episodes in Italy on Rai 3.[30] Beta Film also secured deals in the Netherlands with CLT UFA, in Germany with TNT Serie and Latin America with the Belleville Group. Other distributions are in France with France Televisions via Mediawan Rights, in Lithuania with LRT, in Latvia with LTV, in Puerto Rico with Telemundo, and in Uruguay with Channel 12.[31]

NBC Universal secured rights for Eastern Europe and Africa.[32] As of July 2020, the show is being broadcast in the Czech Republic on Televize Prima[33].

Production

Casting

Diesel vom Burgimwald (Rex) is a 15th descendant from the shepherd who starred in the 1990s Austrian show Inspector Rex that Hudson & Rex is based on. Two other German Shepherds, Izzy and Iko, who are nephews of Diesel vom Burgimwald, stand-in for some of the stunts. Diesel vom Burgimwald had mobility training before being cast as Rex.[34] This is Diesel's first show according to his owner/handler Sherri Davis and training continues on non-shooting days in preparation for future scripts. While on set Diesel has full star treatment with his own trailer, chef, and chauffeur.[35] Diesel is an honorary firefighter with the St. John's Regional Fire Department (SJRFD)[36] as a result of the episode Fast Eddie's.

Filming

Hudson and Rex films at various locations across the City of St. John's, most prominently on the Memorial University of Newfoundland campus. The Bruneau Centre (formerly the INCO Centre) doubles as the headquarters for the fictional St. John's Police Department, whilst the rest of the campus has been used to portray the equally fictional Heritage University of Newfoundland and Labrador.

• 
  The Bruneau Centre, seen here standing in for the St. John's Police Department.
• 
  A sign for the fictional Heritage University.
• 
  Filming at Paton College
• 
  The orange muscle car belongs to protagonist Charlie Hudson, played by John Reardon.
• 
  Filming at the Bruneau Centre.

References

1. "Productions / Shaftesbury". Shaftesbury Films. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
2. Petski, Denise (11 October 2018). "'Rex' Police Drama Based On International Series Set For Canada's Citytv". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
3. "Canines, Corpses, and a Cosmic Queen… This is Canadian TV Citytv Celebrates Canadian Storytelling with New 2019/20 Original Programming Slate" (Press release). Toronto: Rogers Media. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
4. "#1 Citytv original scripted series Hudson & Rex renewed for Season 2". www.tv-eh.com. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
5. "Citytv adds two new Canadian shows and renews canine-cop drama 'Hudson & Rex'". www.mymcmurray.com. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
6. @hudsonandrex (19 August 2019). "New season Sept 24" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. https://www.tv-eh.com/category/hudson-rex/
8. "John Reardon & Diesel talk Hudson & Rex". youtube.com. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
9. "In Hudson & Rex, a detective's best friend is his dog". thestar.com. 24 March 2019. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
10. "Hudson & Rex's John Reardon on Why He Loves Working With His Canine Costar". thetvjunkies.com. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
11. "Hudson & Rex". Retrieved 26 Nov 2019.
12. "C21 Drama Quarterly: Just add Diesel". 15 Aug 2019. Retrieved 26 Nov 2019.
13. "Hudson & Rex". City TV. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
14. "Hudson & Rex". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
15. Brioux, Bill (March 27, 2019). "NUMBERS IN CANADA: Street Legal hits pot hole in Week Four". Brioux.tv. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
16. Brioux, Bill (April 3, 2019). "NUMBERS IN CANADA: Big Brother Canada an overnight success". Brioux.tv. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
17. Brioux, Bill (April 11, 2019). "NUMBERS ACROSS CANADA: Final verdict reached on Street Legal". Brioux.tv. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
18. Brioux, Bill (April 17, 2019). "NUMBERS IN CANADA: Leafs remain biggest Stanley Cup draw". Brioux.tv. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
19. Brioux, Bill (April 24, 2019). "Rogers minus Leafs face months of make goods". Brioux.tv. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
20. "Numeris: Top Programs - Total Canada (15 July - 21 July 2019)" (PDF).
21. "Numeris: Top Programs - Total Canada (22 July - 28 July 2019)" (PDF).
22. "Hudson & Rex". City TV. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
23. Brioux, Bill (September 26, 2019). "Tuesday overnights bring more good news for Global".
24. Brioux, Bill (October 3, 2019). "Ratings races tighten in Monday-Tuesday overnights".
25. "Old Dogs New Tricks". Gracenote. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
26. "In a Family Way". Gracenote. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
27. "MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT: #1 CITYTV ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES HUDSON & REX RENEWED FOR SEASON TWO" (PDF). shaftesbury.ca. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
28. "How Shaftesbury got Hudson & Rex off the ground after 12 years". playbackonline.ca. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
29. @hudsonandrex (31 July 2019). "They will be in season 2 coming this fall!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
30. "How Shaftesbury got Hudson & Rex off the ground after 12 years". playbackonline.ca. 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
31. "Beta Closes Major European Deals for Hudson & Rex, Starring John Reardon". 12 Oct 2019. Retrieved 26 Nov 2019.
32. "MIPCOM: Canuck Cop and Dog Show Hudson & Rex Sells Wide". 13 Oct 2019. Retrieved 26 Nov 2019.
33. https://prima.iprima.cz/hudson-a-rex (in Czech)
34. "In Hudson & Rex, a detective's best friend is his dog". thestar.com. 24 March 2019. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
35. "DOG GOES HOLLYWOOD: Ready for his closeup Ancaster pooch stars in TV's Hudson and Rex". youtube.com. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
36. "Diesel the dog — already a TV star — can now add honorary St. John's firefighter to resume". youtube.com. 8 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Hudson & Rex on IMDb
• Hudson & Rex on Facebook
• Hudson & Rex on Twitter
• Hudson & Rex on Instagram