Frankie Drake Mysteries
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | November 6, 2017 |
| Defunct | March 8, 2021 |
| Fate | Ended |
Area served | Canada; United Kingdom; United States; Europe; Australia; New Zealand; Greece |
| Products | Television drama series |
| Parent | Shaftesbury Films |
Frankie Drake Mysteries is a Canadian dramatic series that was broadcast on CBC Television from November 6, 2017, until March 8, 2021. The show features Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley portraying Frankie Drake and her colleague Trudy Clarke, who run a private detective agency staffed entirely by women in 1920s Toronto.
Overview
Set in the 1920s, Lauren Lee Smith embodies Frankie Drake, recognized as Toronto's pioneering female private investigator. She teams up with Trudy Clarke (played by Chantel Riley), a skilled crime solver. Their work often involves collaboration with Mary Shaw (Rebecca Liddiard), a morality officer within Toronto's police department, and Flo Chakowitz (Sharron Matthews), who serves as an attendant at the Toronto City Morgue.
Main
- Lauren Lee Smith as Frankie Drake, the first female private detective in Toronto and proprietor of Drake Private Detectives
- Chantel Riley as Trudy Clarke, Frankie's close partner and confidante
- Rebecca Liddiard as Mary Shaw, a morality officer with the Toronto police who aids Frankie
- Sharron Matthews as Flo Chakowitz, morgue attendant who provides essential insights to Frankie
Recurring
- Wendy Crewson as Nora Amory, Frankie's mother and a skilled con artist
- Karen Robinson (seasons 1–3; guest appearance season 4) as Mildred Clarke, Trudy's forthright mother
- Grace Lynn Kung (seasons 1–3) as Wendy Quon, proprietor of Quon's Cafe, a speakeasy frequented by the main characters
- Romaine Waite as Bill Peters, Trudy’s friend from city hall and former fiancé who relocated to Ottawa
- Emmanuel Kabongo as Moses Page (seasons 1 & 3), Frankie's boxing coach and occasional romantic interest
- Steve Lund as Ernest Hemingway (season 1), journalist for the Toronto Star
- Richard Walters (seasons 1–3) as Tickles Malone, musician encountered by Frankie in Toronto nightclubs
- Anthony Lemke as Detective Grayson (season 2), a newly transferred officer to Toronto police who complicates Frankie's investigations
- Johnathan Sousa as Alessandro Contento (season 4), European race car driver and romantic partner of Frankie
- Ben Sanders as Steven Reid (season 4), reporter for the Worker's Gazette and Mary's boyfriend
- Patrick Garrow as Harvey Lyle (season 4), detective skeptical of Mary's investigative methods
- Mac Fyfe as Sebastian West (season 4), Frankie's neighbor and carpenter with romantic interest in her
Guest
- Jonny Harris as George Crabtree (season 1), former Toronto police officer turned investor
- Derek McGrath as Abraham Amory (season 1)
- Romane Portail as Coco Chanel (season 2), who hires Frankie following an assassination attempt in Toronto
- Honeysuckle Weeks as Agatha Christie (season 3), whom Frankie encounters in England
- Dillon Casey as Jack Drake (seasons 3 & 4), Frankie's younger half-brother
- Geraint Wyn Davies as Ned Drake (season 4), Frankie's father previously believed dead but later found alive
Series overview
Production
Carol Hay and Michelle Ricci, known for their roles as writers and producers on Murdoch Mysteries, developed the series. Production is handled by Shaftesbury Films.
The series was confirmed for a second season on April 5, 2018, with a third season renewal announced on March 25, 2019. The third season's filming took place in England and featured Honeysuckle Weeks portraying the British novelist Agatha Christie. On May 27, 2020, CBC extended the show for a fourth season. However, CBC declared on February 28, 2021, that there would be no fifth season.
In May 2020, production began on a children's animated spinoff titled Mary and Flo On the Go!, which was released as a web series in March 2022.
Broadcast
In the United Kingdom, Alibi aired the second season starting January 21, 2019, followed by the third season in 2020. In the United States, Ovation broadcast the first two seasons back-to-back beginning June 15, 2019, and launched season three on April 4, 2020. The fourth and final season debuted on October 2, 2021, succeeding the special episode Frankie Drake Mysteries: Music at Midnight, with the series concluding on December 4, 2021. This special was co-produced by Ovation, the Toronto Sympathy Orchestra, and Shaftesbury Films, featuring interviews and musical performances by cast members such as Chantel Riley and Sharron Matthews. Shaftesbury released it on YouTube in February 2021 before its television premiere on Ovation on September 25, 2021.
PBS also airs the series and provides access through its Passport membership service. The show has expanded its reach to markets across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In Greece, it is broadcast on ERT3 under the title "Frankie Drake" (Φράνκι Ντρέικ) during weekends but has not achieved the same popularity as Murdoch Mysteries (Ντετέκτιβ Μέρντοχ).
Home media
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season One | May 8, 2018 | May 9, 2018 (also available on Blu-ray, Region B locked) | June 27, 2018 |
| Season Two | June 25, 2019 | April 8, 2019 (also available on Blu-ray, Region B locked) | June 26, 2019 |
| Season Three | September 8, 2020 | April 6, 2020 | N/A |
| Season Four | September 7, 2021 | May 31, 2021 (also available on Blu-ray, Region B locked) | N/A |
Reception
Critical response to the series has been largely favorable. John Doyle from The Globe and Mail described it as "a hoot," commending its engaging charm and authentic period atmosphere as "frightfully good entertainment." Johanna Schneller of the Toronto Star emphasized the show's strength in depicting women managing their own business ventures. Hanh Nguyen of IndieWire praised its diverse casting and innovative portrayal of Toronto in the 1920s, calling it both thought-provoking and engaging without being preachy.
External links
- Articles with short description
- CBC Television original programming
- 2010s Canadian crime drama television series
- 2020s Canadian crime drama television series
- 2017 Canadian television series debuts
- 2021 Canadian television series endings
- Canadian historical television series
- Canadian mystery television series
- Cozy mystery television series
- Detective television series
- Cultural depictions of Ernest Hemingway
- Cultural depictions of Coco Chanel
- Cultural depictions of Agatha Christie
- Cultural depictions of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
- Television series by Shaftesbury Films
- Television series set in the 1920s
- Television shows set in Toronto
- Television shows filmed in Toronto