The Super Channel has greenlit Forgive Me, its first original drama series.

The 12-episode half-hour series is written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald and produced by Halifax-based Emotion Pictures.

The project, the shoot of which begins Dec. 10 in Halifax, marks the series television debut for Fitzgerald, whose feature film director credits include The Hanging Garden, Cloudburst and The Event.

Super Channel says the series will premiere in spring 2013.

In Forgive Me, a young priest is torn by his own secrets that are becoming ever harder to keep to himself in a gossipy small community where the townsfolks are wrestling with the myriad thorny religious issues of 21 century living, such as same-sex marriage and reproductive technology.

“The series looks at the challenge people face trying to reconcile religious faith with the real problems of today’s technological, boundary-free society,” Fitzgerald said.

Marguerite Pigott, head of creative development for Super Channel said, “Forgive Me explores a world in which it’s almost impossible to know what’s right.”

Forgive Me stars Mike McLeod and John Dunsworth. It is produced by Doug Pettigrew and Fitzgerald of Emotion Pictures in association with Super Channel with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund.