CTV’s forthcoming Whistler is being touted as the most expensive drama series the network has ever produced, and joins in a revival of indigenous B.C. series work that also includes the likes of Da Vinci’s City Hall, Godiva’s, Robson Arms and newbie Alice, I Think.

Whistler is a sexy 13 x 60 primetime soap opera/murder mystery currently in production in Langley, about 100 miles south of the titular ski resort town, for Toronto’s Blueprint Entertainment and Vancouver’s Boardwatch Productions. Created by executive producer/showrunner Kelly Senecal (Going the Distance), the series is an ensemble piece with the murder of a champion snowboarder at its center. His family and friends deal with the death and its mysterious circumstances, while seeing to their own interpersonal issues.

According to Senecal, the show being made is a far cry from the one first suggested to him by the network and production partners.

‘They had some sort of initial concept about five stoner snowboarders living in a cabin or something, but that got tossed and I started from scratch,’ he says. ‘The only thing that stayed was the setting.’

But, according to Senecal, Whistler isn’t just another multigenerational soap opera. Shot in HD, the budget for the series has been reported at $1.4 million per episode. Although the producers would not confirm this amount, Blueprint’s Noreen Halpern says the ‘significant budget’ will all go on the screen.

Whistler will include a needle-drop soundtrack using a range of tracks from contemporary and older artists, because ‘it’ll give the show more of a realistic feel… as opposed to the standard composed music,’ says Senecal.

The show boasts a large cast that includes locals David Paetkau (LAX), Nicholas Lea (Deadly Isolation) and Amanda Crew (15/Love).

Because of the lack of studio space in Whistler, a warehouse in Langley has been converted to a studio to facilitate the show, although some second unit/stunt photography will take place in the mountains.

Funding for the project has come in from CTF, Telefilm Canada, CanWest Western Independent Producers Fund, Rogers Telefund, tax credits, CTV and U.S. broadcaster The N. The producers say that The N jumping aboard before production commenced demonstrates the show’s international appeal and its sexy location.

Whistler comes in for CTV on the heels of its cancelled newsroom drama The Eleventh Hour, perhaps signaling a new trend whereby although the setting may be Hoserland, the content is not, as Senecal calls it, ‘on-the-nose Canadian.’ While Eleventh Hour was on the side of the angels, dealing in topical Canadian issues, Whistler is looking for mass appeal in sinful intrigue and the class divide of a resort town.

Commercial but quirky

‘We’re not emulating American product, but we’re not being afraid to be like it either,’ Senecal says. ‘It’s going to be a very polished, commercial show, with some quirkiness that will make it Canadian.’

The CTF money was hard to come by for Whistler. In May, according to Louise Clark, CTV’s director of western independent production, it received a lesser amount than any other one-hour series that applied, essentially getting the leftovers, which wasn’t enough.

‘We know the estimates around funding are often and appropriately conservative, so we felt it was worth going back after a few months,’ says Clark. ‘We felt it was incredibly important for CTV to have a strong one-hour series, and feel we have stepped out and taken risks on a number of shows. The only way to have success is to take these kinds of risks.’

After Clark and Bill Mustos, CTV’s senior VP dramatic programming, made their CTF pitch, the funder allotted some newfound cash to the show, and Whistler went ahead.

The series is exec produced by Senecal, Halpern, John Morayniss, Sam Feldman and Janet York, with Clark acting as CTV’s exec overseeing the production. John Fawcett (Ginger Snaps) has already helmed the first two episodes, both penned by Vancouver-based Senecal, who feels Whistler is a tremendous boon to the local industry.

‘We don’t have a lot of our own productions,’ says Senecal. ‘[Local crews] are used to being the hired hands for U.S. shows and movies, so there is a real sense of pride in being able to do a Canadian show set in Canada with a Canadian crew and creators.’

But while some are touting Whistler as a savior of sorts for B.C. production, Gerry Rutherford, business agent with IATSE Local 669, says it is also important not to forget those who have played integral roles in keeping the province’s indigenous production industry alive over the past few years.

‘We absolutely appreciate that it is here, but I wouldn’t over-blow it against what [producer] Chris Haddock [the Da Vinci’s franchise] or Gigi Boyd [Godiva’s, Cold Squad] have done for the community,’ he says. ‘They are the ones who have stuck with this community for years, [and represent] hundreds of television episodes.’

But what Whistler represents is a good chance for CTV to score with another Canadian-made hit from the West, in the recent tradition of Corner Gas out of Regina and Vancouver’s Robson Arms. A tie-in with CTV’s hard-earned 2010 Olympics coverage seems a certainty, should the show last that long. Only time will tell if the net’s costly investment will pay off, but after seeing the early footage, the partners are confident.

‘We feel like we have something completely unique that will not look like anything else on TV right now,’ says Senecal.

An airdate and distributor options are still being discussed, with Halpern saying that several distribs have expressed interest.

‘The show is getting a lot of buzz here and internationally,’ she says. ‘We’ll be talking to the companies and, at the end of the day, do what is best for Whistler.’