Due South: One Cup American, Two Cups Canadian? (pt. 2)

A few months later, CTV got the break they were hoping for. Luckily, there were overseas companies willing to invest in "Due South", and in September of 1997, fans who had fought for the return of "Due South" were over-joyed to open their TVGuide and learn that "Due South" had spawned a spin-off, also entitled "Due South". *

Fans were soon surprised to note, though, that not all of the originals had come back for the spin-off. Most notable was the absence of David Marciano. The official reason for Marciano not returning was that he had signed a contract with CBS to produce a pilot, and would be unavailable for the new series, but there have been a number of unverifiable rumors concerning Marciano's reluctance to put the time into a show that would end up on the chopping block within a year, and problems with the fact that Marciano was the only cast member that did not have Canadian citizenship. **

David Marciano was not the only one who did not take part in the new series. Actress Catherine Bruhier (recurring character Elaine Besbriss) opted instead to continue her career south of the border, and starred in only the first few episodes of the new series. Unseen, but definitely noted, were the changes behind the camera. Executive producer / creative consultant Paul Haggis (who also happened to be the show's creator) and executive producer Kathy Slevin opted not to continue their association with the show. Their shoes were filled by Paul Gross and R. B. Carney. Jeff King, originally the third executive producer, moved into a different job field, that of executive consultant. In fact, of all the major behind-the-scene crew members, only King, George Bloomfield ([creative] producer), Malcolm Cross (director of photography), Jay Semko (music and theme), and Jack Lenz (music) took part in the spin-off.

The new series brought in a number of new faces. Callum Keith Rennie, who is most notable for not even going into acting until he was in his thirties and then making a name for himself very quickly, surprised fans by accepting the role of Stanley Raymond Kowalski, an undercover detective pretending to be Ray Vecchio (Marciano did the series premiere, where they established that he was deep undercover in the mob, and returned again in the series finale). Three years earlier, Rennie, not wanting to tie himself down to a television series, had turned down the role of Alex Krycek in the popular Can/Am nighttime serial "The X Files" (the role was later offered to a former co-star ("The Raffle", 1994) of Rennie's, Canadian Nicholas Lea). With his spiky blond hair, bad boy looks, and versatility, the young-looking Rennie was an excellent choice to fill the gaping hole that Marciano's exit left in the show.

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