Despite the recent changes at CHUM, Across the River to Motor City makes its national debut on what used to be its Citytv channels this week.

The 6 x 60 mystery, coproduced by Devine Entertainment and Jonsworth Productions, spans four decades of in the life of Bob Ford (played by Sasha Roiz and David Fox), a Windsor/Detroit border-hopping gumshoe whose girlfriend went missing on Nov. 22, 1963 — the day John F. Kennedy was shot.

‘We tried desperately to do a 10-out-of-10, CTF-supported program that acknowledged that the events in the U.S. affect Canada,’ says Robert Wertheimer, co-creator/writer and exec producer.

CHUM picked up the series for the Citys and a possible cable stint on Bravo!. The broadcaster also picked up an option for 13 more eps, but Wertheimer says that’s now up in the air following CHUM’s dissolution and the Citys’ sale to Rogers.

‘Back in the day, the broadcast execs at CHUM had given us encouragement that there would be a second series depending on ratings,’ he says. Renewal is now his biggest concern — not only to flesh out the story, but to make the title more appealing for international sales.

While some distributors were interested in signing up the series after six hours, Richard Mozer and David Devine from Devine Entertainment decided to hold off, believing the series would hold greater value worldwide with a second season. ‘A six-hour miniseries has a certain value, but a longer series showing a committed domestic buy is more attractive,’ Wertheimer says.

Ratings are important, but they might not be enough to prolong Motor City, as it’s not certain which direction Rogers will take the Citys. If Rogers invests more in the youth-oriented programming the stations are known for, it could hurt future drama commissions.

But Wertheimer is pretty confident another season will shape up. While in post, he worked with a group of writers to draft the next season, and he’ll sit on the rough scripts until he’s given the green light. His original co-writing partner, Denis McGrath (The Border), has left the project.

Motor City will begin its six-week run at 10 p.m. on City channels in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Alberta on Nov. 22, with the affiliate in Winnipeg launching the series on Nov. 20.