Cynthia Dale as Olivia Novak, with Allan Hawco. Courtesy of CBC. Photo by Eric Myer
CBC has released an exclusive first look at the highly anticipated revival of STREET LEGAL The highly anticipated series premiered Monday, March 4, 2019 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service. In addition to the sneak peek released online, I've attached two first look photos from the series.
STREET LEGAL picks up 25 years after the original series as Olivia Novak, now a partner at a major Bay Street law firm, is beaten to the punch on filing a massive class-action lawsuit by an upstart firm of young social-activist lawyers. Olivia pursues the firm as an acquisition target, but when her own firm goes down in a flame of egos and departing partners, she finds herself starting over at the boutique firm with new younger colleagues.
CBC's Street Legal Starring Cynthia Dale. The reboot of the Canadian series sees Cynthia Dale reprise her role as Olivia Novak, with Cara Ricketts (The Book of Negroes), Steve Lund (Haven) and Yvonne Chapman (The Crossing) joining the series as the next generation of Toronto lawyers fighting the good fight. Original cast members Eric Peterson (“Leon Robinovitch”) and Anthony Sherwood (“Dillon Beck”) are also confirmed to return for special guest appearances.
L to R: Yvonne Chapman as Mina Lee, Steve Lund as Adam Darling and Cara Ricketts as Lilly Rue.
Courtesy of CBC. Photo by Robin Cymbaly
The iconic character-driven legal drama STREET LEGAL returns with familiar faces and new characters. Bringing STREET LEGAL into the 21st century, we pick up with Olivia Novak (CYNTHIA DALE), now a named partner at a major Bay Street law firm. As she prepares a massive class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer of a widely-prescribed and ultra-addictive opioid that her firm is depending on to keep solvent during a time of upheaval, she is blindsided when the case is stolen out from under her. RDL Legal, an unknown boutique law firm has been working on the same case and files with the courts first, leaving Olivia’s partners to question why she didn’t see this coming.
Lilly Rue (CARA RICKETTS), Adam Darling (STEVE LUND) and Mina Lee (YVONNE CHAPMAN) are the named partners and only lawyers of RDL Legal — three tenacious young lawyers whose mutual respect and admiration challenges Olivia and her usual methods. Adam is a charmer and the lawyer with personal stakes in the opioid case. It was his father, an Anglican priest, who brought him the idea of a lawsuit after Adam’s mother became heavily addicted to the opioids she was prescribed. Mina’s specialty is organization, preferring to do the work behind the scenes, using her sharp mind for research and strategy. Finding her skills went unrecognized on Bay Street, she brought together Adam, her close friend since law school, and the virtuoso, Lilly Rue, to form their own firm. Lilly is a star litigator and the type to pick causes, looking to effect change through the cases she takes on. To Olivia’s amusement, her own investigator, Derek Leiber, can’t help being drawn in by Lilly’s allure and unconventional lifestyle.
Compelled to work together, Olivia maneuvers to find her place among these do-it-yourself millennials, stepping into an established rhythm that is not her own. They clash with her in personality and strategy but manage to adapt to the new dynamics in a way that’s surprising to Olivia. She knows she’s not on Bay Street anymore.
A CBC original series, STREET LEGAL is co-produced by IGP Productions and Broken Clown Company. Bernie Zukerman (Remedy, King) and Bruce M. Smith (19-2) are executive producers. Bruce M. Smith is showrunner. Cynthia Dale and Rayne Zukerman are producers. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Helen Asimakis is Senior Director, Drama, Scripted Content; and Deborah Nathan is Executive in Charge of Production.
Start Streaming on CBC Gem and CBC for the Street Legal Premiere
on Monday, March 4 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT)
Cynthia Dale is one of Canada's most acclaimed and sought-after performers. She is a true and veritable 'triple sensation', garnering rave reviews as an award-winning actor, singer, and dancer onstage and on screen.
Cynthia Dale stars as Olivia Novak in Street Legal
Dale has been working professionally since she was five years old when she began her career in a production of Finian's Rainbow at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She has since worked extensively in theatre from New York to Stratford, and on screen in countless film and television productions.
Dale began working in television as a young child, performing with Tommy Hunter and Wayne and Shuster and in many CBC variety specials. At the age of eight, she played the role of a young ‘Emily Carr’ in a musical special about the life of the Canadian painter. Her film and television credits include eight seasons as ‘Olivia Novak’ on the highly popular CBC series, STREET LEGAL. Other credits include Moonstruck, The Boy in Blue, Heavenly Bodies, A Broken Life, Spenser For Hire, Taking the Falls, Thanks of a Grateful Nation, Witness To Yesterday, Barnum, Made in Canada, and as a judge for two seasons on Triple Sensations. She also starred in and co-produced the musical film Christmas Dreams for CBC.
Having spent 12 seasons with the Stratford Festival, her vast list of theatre credits include Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music, Fosca in Passion, Outside Looking In concert production, Myra Arudal in HayFever, Red Queen in Alice Through The Looking Glass, Dorothy Brock in Forty-Second Street, and Linda English in Pal Joey, which won her a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Actress in a musical.
With three albums of well-loved show tunes under her belt, ...to dream, More... and Enchanted, she is also a recording artist.
In recent years Dale has done concerts across the country with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Orchestra. Dale has a star on the Stratford Bronze Star Walk of Fame, an Honorary Degree from Fanshawe College, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from McMaster University.
Cara Ricketts plays Lilly Rue in Street Legal
Cara can currently be seen in the recurring role as ‘Mary’ in the highly acclaimed CBC / Netflix series Anne with an E, and also as a guest star in the DC Entertainment series Titans. Her previous credits include guest starring on BBC America’s Emmy Award winning series Orphan Black, as well as NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, CTV’s Saving Hope, CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries and eOne’s mini-series The Book of Negroes. Her feature film credits include Jean of the Joneses, Across the Line, and The Anniversary.
Ricketts has also developed quite a fan base for playing the leading role of ‘Sayla’ in Ubisoft’s Far Cry Primal.
In theatre Ricketts has performed extensively in both Canada and the US including several seasons as a leading lady at Canada’s esteemed Stratford Festival, the leading role of ‘Isabella’ in Measure for Measurefor Theatre for a New Audience in New York, and most recently Time and the Conways on Broadway. Her other selected credits include ‘Queenie’ in The Wild Party (Acting Up Stage) for which she was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance, ‘Hedda’ in Hedda Gabler (Necessary Angel), ‘Marianne’ in Constellations and ‘Susan’ in Race (Canadian Stage), opposite Jason Priestley.
Steve Lund plays Adam Darling in Street Legal
Steve Lund is a proud Nova Scotia native, Steve Lund left a career in hockey when he decided to turn his family’s inherent penchant for entertainment into a profession. Once graduated from the Vancouver Film School Acting program, he started to get roles on TV shows like Hemlock Grove, Beauty and the Beast, and Blue Mountain State as well as a recurring role as ‘The Colorado Kid’ on Haven, filmed in his home province.
Perhaps best known for his series regular role as the coy consigliere ‘Nick Sorrentino’ on Space’s Bitten, Lund has also enjoyed portraying controversial local ‘Jake’ of Schitt’s Creek alongside Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, ‘Prince Narcisse’ in The CW’s Reign and ‘Ernest Hemingway’ in CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries.
He has also made guest-appearances in Lost Girls, Being Erica, Alphas, Suits, Defiance, Nikita and more.
In his free time, Lund enjoys watching hockey and travelling, and is currently taking a crash-course in Class Action Lawsuits.
Yvonne Chapman plays Mina Lee in Street Legal
Yvonne Chapman is a second generation Canadian of Chinese descent, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Her love for acting and storytelling began in her early teens when she performed in school plays. This later led to a successful commercial and modelling career, during which she completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Calgary.
After university, she took a slight detour from acting to work in Corporate Finance and despite having a promising career ahead of her, the itch to perform and her love for the arts called her back to acting. In 2014, she packed her bags and headed west to Vancouver to pursue her dream. Chapman quickly made a name for herself and has been featured in numerous television series and feature films. Most recently, she starred in The Crossing for ABC and The 100 for The CW. She also starred in the feature film DARC by Julius R. Nasso, and the television movies The Mechanics of Love, and The Birthday Wish for Hallmark, and Rufus for Nickelodeon.
Chapman is a passionate advocate of the arts. For several years she served as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer for the Calgary Film Festival, making use of her financial background. She acted in and produced numerous short films in support of young artists, many of which have been featured in prominent film festivals such as Cannes, the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, and the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
Off screen, Chapman is frequently found on basketball and volleyball courts, or at a boxing/Muay Thai gym. She also enjoys reading and friendly (but also not so friendly) board game nights with friends.
Start Streaming on CBC Gem and CBC for the Street Legal Premiere
on Monday, March 4 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT)