Motive Renewed For Season 3 By CTV!

Status: Motive Renewed

CTV Orders Third Season of Hit Original Drama MOTIVE
– Canada’s #2 homegrown drama grows 22% in Season 2 with an average audience of 1.3 million viewers –
– New episodes continue tomorrow, with the Season 2 finale next Thursday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT –
– Encore episodes of MOTIVE’s second season to air Wednesdays this summer in simulcast with ABC –

TORONTO (May 21, 2014) – CTV announced today the order of a third instalment of its hit original crime drama MOTIVE (@MotiveTV) from Foundation Features and Lark Productions. The announcement comes in advance of tomorrow night’s all-new episode which leads into the gripping second season finale, next Thursday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. With a “whydunit” format that reveals the killer and victim at the start of each episode, 13 additional one-hour episodes have been ordered with production on Season 3 set to begin this fall in Vancouver.

In its stand-alone Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT timeslot on CTV and CTV GO, MOTIVE has an average audience of 1.3 million viewers, a 22% increase over Season 1. The series has also delivered double-digit audience growth in the key A18-49 and A25-54 demos, and has had two series-high audiences this season. MOTIVE ends its season as the second most-watched Canadian drama of the season (following CTV’s SAVING HOPE), and the third most-watched Canadian series overall (with MASTERCHEF CANADA).

“Enjoying a strong run with a compelling sophomore season, MOTIVE has not only continued to build its audience, but has also built on the strength of its characters and delivered storylines that are captivating viewers week after week,” said Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, an‎d Entertainment Programming. “We look forward to again working with the amazing production team to bring together what promises to be an incredible third season.”

Starring Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira, Brendan Penny, Warren Christie, and Lauren Holly, MOTIVE is from Daniel Cerone (DEXTER, THE MENTALIST) and Executive Producers Louise Clark (CORNER GAS) and Rob Merilees (Capote). The series received four 2014 Canadian Screen Awards nominations for its inaugural season, including nods in the Best Dramatic Series and Best Direction in a Dramatic Series categories.

“Our CTV partnership continues to be exceptional, and this opportunity to develop the series into a third season will allow us to continue to pursue creative excellence and to grow our audience,” said Executive Producers Rob Merilees and Louise Clark. “We’re looking forward to Season 3 with Angie and the team, and consider ourselves fortunate to be working alongside our exceptional cast and crew in Vancouver once again.”

Heading into the final two episodes of Season 2, CTV will also air encore presentations of MOTIVE’s second season in simulcast with ABC beginning tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Viewers can also catch up on full episodes of MOTIVE on demand at CTV.ca and on the CTV GO app.

In tomorrow night’s all-new episode of MOTIVE entitled “Kiss of Death” (Thursday, May 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV), when a best-selling murder mystery author dies from a rare but extremely potent toxin, Detectives Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and Vega (Louis Ferreira) must determine fan from foe. The investigation intensifies when a prime suspect turns out to be a second victim. Further complicating matters, prosecutor Samantha Turner (guest star Laura Mennell) pushes Angie for the truth about her past with Sergeant Cross (Warren Christie), and Angie receives a pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, Detective Lucas (Brendan Penny) struggles with his marriage.

In the second season finale of MOTIVE entitled “For You I Die” (Thursday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV), with the League of Nations trial looming, a major case from Detective Flynn (Lehman) and Sergeant Cross’ (Christie) past resurfaces, and the fallout causes anguish for both. Angie knows they must come clean about their past, but is she ready to face her future? Detective Vega (Ferreira) offers his support, but even he has his limits. At the same time, a current case hits a personal note with Cross who disobeys a direct order not to get involved. And Detective Lucas (Penny) and Officer Sung (Valerie Tian) open the door for the possibility of romance.

MOTIVE is produced by Foundation Features and Lark Productions in association with Bell Media. Executive Producers are Daniel Cerone (DEXTER, THE MENTALIST), Louise Clark (CORNER GAS, THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER), Rob Merilees (Capote, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus), Erin Haskett (THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER), Rob LaBelle (MENTAL), Lindsay Macadam (Battle in Seattle), and Dennis Heaton (CALL ME FITZ, Fido). The series was developed by James Thorpe and Daniel Cerone is the series creator. MOTIVE is distributed internationally by NBC Universal International.

Michele McMahon is Production Executive, Drama, Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Drama, Independent Production, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President – CTV, Sports, an‎d Entertainment Programming.