The Listener Renewed — In Canada

This summer I fell in love with two very different shows airing on NBC but originating outside the U.S. One was the brash, exuberant update of the Merlin story starring Colin Morgan. Bright and colorful, with swordfights and dragons leavening its witty scripts, it was a perfect fit for American television.

And the other was The Listener, a soft-hued Canadian series about a young paramedic (Craig Olejnik) coming to terms with his ability to hear others' thoughts. It was low-key, intelligent, and charming, carefully building its stories and characters, but even in the low-impact summer season NBC lost patience with its low ratings (it was posting well below a 1 rating among adults 18-49) and yanked it before it had even completed its run here. It continued playing in Canada to perfectly fine ratings and positive reviews, but NBC, which had never really promoted the show, was no longer interested.

The good news is that Canadians, and those with access to certain international channels, will be getting more. Shaftesbury Films announced that The Listener was renewed for a sophomore season by Canada's SPACE and CTV as well as Fox International Channels.

The Listener hasn't secured a new U.S. outlet for its second season, but with its solid performance in Canada, and with international sales in place, the show can continue even without a U.S. buyer.

"We don't need a U.S. outlet right now, for sure," said Shaftesbury chairman-CEO Christina Jennings. "But once the story department starts up in the new year, and we get some scripts under our belt, we'll canvas the U.S. outlets to see. Certainly The Listener had fans in the States."

At least one [points at self], anyway.