Ion Television re-enters the cable network series arena for only the 2nd time in four years with the award-winning Canadian thriller, Durham County. And Canadian television now earns my WTF? award (I just made it up, dunno if I will make this official, yet) for American Delayed Television Series for 2009, finally toppling Brit's reign for the last few years. Durham County just finished airing it's season two finale Aug. 17th, and is likely to run a third. So, if you never heard of the series, don't feel so bad, neither had I. Heck, I have never seen ION, even though it's among my DirecTV channel line-up. What's even stranger to me, is Durham County reminds me of the Showtime series, Meadowlands (or Cape Wrath as known to the Brits), which I really enjoyed but was cancelled after a single 8 episode season. Durham County began two months earlier than Meadowlands, so if anything this is THE original story (and I seem to be the only one online who notices the simularities between the two shows, but no worries ... there are plenty of differences). Only 6 episodes per season for Durham County, so I am not sure how Ion will handle them, but it premieres to us Americans tonight - September 7th, 2009, alongside reruns of CBS's hit Criminal Minds.

NO SECRET STAYS BURIED FOREVER

The Sweeney Family relocates from the big city life of Toronto, to find some much needed peace and quiet of the tiny suburb of Durham County. Detective Mike Sweeney's partner was recently murdered, while his wife Audrey has found out she has breast cancer. The Sweeneys have two daughters, Sadie and Maddie. Across the street is The Prager family, Ray, his wife Traci, and their teenage son, Ray jr. Mike and Ray have a somewhat of a shakey past, and both families have their own little secrets. Well, not so little secrets, as murders in the neighborhood begin to pop up and worry everyone ... 'cept of course, the one doing all the nasty killing!

• Mike Sweeney - Hugh Dillion (Last seen as Ed Lane on CBS's Flashpoint, The Gathering mini-series, 2005 remake of Assault on Precinct 13, ReGenesis tv series, Ginger Snaps Back: the Beginning, the original BBS series The Eleventh Hour, Starhunter series ... he is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, so listen for the song "Puzzle I Am" in the first episode)
• Audrey Sweeney - Helene Joy (Murdoch Mysteries, The Secret World of Og, ReGenesis, The Collector, Faireez, Puppets Who Kill, Andromeda tv series, The Twilight Zone, Night Visions, The New Outer Limits, First Wave tv series, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
• Sadie Sweeney - Laurence Leboeuf (Being Erica)
• Maddie Sweeney - Cicely Austin (Dead Like Me: Life After Death)
• Ray Prager - Justin Louis (good old Art in Saw IV and Saw V, The Andromeda Strain mini-series, The Lazarus Child, Dawn of the Dead remix, Mutant X, Relic Hunter, The New outer limits, Star Trek: Voyager, Millenium tv series, Highlander: The Series, Blood and Donuts, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Night Owl, Friday the 13th: The Series, and get ready to watch him playing Everett Young in the upcoming SyFy series - Stargate Universe!)
• Traci Prager - Sonya Salomaa (Malibu Shark Attack, Watchmen, Odysseus and the Isle of the Mists, Flash Gordon tv series, Painkiller Jane tv series, Stargate SG-1, The Tooth Fairy, Kyle XY, Hollow Man 2, The Collector, Thralls, Andromeda, Dead Like me, House of the Dead, Glory Days, Special unit 2)
• Ray Prager, Jr. - Greyston Holt (Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, The 4400, Blood Ties, Smallville, Killer Bash and next years' Seven Deadly Sins tv series)

Now, the killer next door isn't a new concept, nor is the everyone-up-and-down-the-block-is-hiding-something idea. What is different with this very dark, and very violent series is that it was created, written and directed by some very talented women: Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik, Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, and Holly Dale. In fact, network suits encouraged creators to actually go darker with it. It'll be interesting to see how such terrible violence against the women characters are handled in this series.

For more info on the new-to-us-Americans tv show, check out the uber-creepy interactive website for the show:

http://www.durhamcountysecrets.com