The series features a core cast of five main characters. There are two "stars," played by Kari Matchett and Michael Riley, and three supporting stars, played by Dean McDermott, Caterina Scorsone, and Gordon Pinsent. There are also some regular guest stars, including Jonathan Rannells, Mark Lutz, Normand Bissonnette, Al Waxman, and Lori Alter.
Riley plays Brett Parker, who was born and raised in Hamilton, but left to seek out fame and fortune in the big city. It's only an odd twist of fate, and the death of an old friend, that lands him in the position of being general manager to the floundering Hamilton Steelheads. But rather than just offload the team at the first opportunity, Parker soon surprises himself when he's willing to do anything, no matter how unethical or underhanded, to save the team from failure. The only humanizing aspect comes from the occasional hallucinations Parker experiences, and his less-than-perfect relationship with his daughter, Michelle, who he has been practically a stranger to for years.
Matchett, who truly steals the show, plays Colleen Blessed, the Steelheads' president. She's there for Duff McArdle, but what she really wants is to move the team to Houston. As the series progresses, though, Colleen begins to change, becoming more human, as well as a better person in general. This is an excellent contrast to Parker, who seems to become, well, a jerk, as the series continues. The romantic tension between these two is similar to the tension in the first "Due South" series between Frasier and his female boss, and although Blessed and Parker come close, it's always Parker's own mistakes that keep them apart.
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