The Bridge is a Canadian police drama television series created by former Toronto police union head Craig Bromell and loosely based on his experiences which follows street cop Frank Leo who - after being unanimously elected head of the union - sets out to clean up the corruption in the force while working in the best interests of the rank-and-file.
The series aired in Canada on CTV from 5 March to 21 May, 2010. There are 13 hour-long episodes in one season.
The series originally aired in South Africa on DStv's Sony Entertainment Television (SONY) channel from 1 July to 23 September, 2010, on Thursdays at 20h30. It later aired on DStv's Sony Max channel. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
The Bridge premiered on Sony Max on Wednesday 22 June 2011, at 22h00. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Synopsis
Written by Alan Di Fiore, The Bridge peels away the veneer of a big-city police force to reveal the political machinations underneath.
The Bridge is a drama about a tough and dedicated police officer who is voted to become the police union's dynamic leader. To serve the public as well as his 8,000 fellow officers, charismatic Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) battles criminals on the street, corruption in the ranks and his own bosses.
On the force is his able partner and confidante Tommy Dunn (Paul Popowich), who rides with Frank across the bridge that spans the divide between the rich and the poor in the area they patrol; Staff Sergeant Bernie Kantor (Frank Cassini), a voice of reason and moral sounding board; Jill (Inga Cadranel), a detective with a lot of attitude who is moving up the ranks; Billy (Theresa Joy), a young female cop who is determined to prove herself to the guys; and Ed Wycoff (Michael Murphy), the shrewd Chief of Police.
Abby St. James (Ona Grauer) is a sharp prosecutor who begins working with the police union, and shares a mutual attraction with Frank.
In his new position, Frank Leo takes on the politically-motivated department brass and makes many powerful enemies in the process. The old boys' network running the police force and the city's self-serving politicians are not about to sit idly by while a former street cop makes up his own rules.
Frank walks a thin blue line as he battles wiretaps and a concerted campaign to bring him down, letting nothing stop him from fulfilling his unwavering vow that when cops are in trouble, he will be there.
Seasons
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 1 Jul 2010 | Finale: 23 Sep 2010 | Thursdays, 20h30
Channel: Sony Max | Premiere: 22 Jun 2011 | Finale: 14 Sep 2011 | Wednesdays, 22h00