Nordic Noir and other moody crime dramas have been some of the most popular binge watching in the past decade. Set in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay, Cardinal’s snowy Sudbury vistas and dark themes match any of its Scandinavian counterparts.
Over four seasons, detectives John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) look for serial killers, drug kingpins, cult leaders, and elaborate hit men, and nearly everyone they encounter along the way has something to hide, including both detectives. In the first season the duo team up for the first time to solve the murder of an Indigenous child, while Delorme is tasked with investigating Cardinal to see if he’s been leaking information to a drug lord.
The series ran from 2017 to 2020, winning 20 Canadian Screen Awards. The awards include Best Limited Series, and an array of acting honors, but also celebrate the music, photography and picture editing, because the show is beautiful. From the gorgeously haunting opening sequence to the frequent aerial shots capturing the frozen lakes and vast forests of Northern Ontario, Cardinal is a sight to behold.
