The Listener, a Canadian show which has been airing on ion for the last several months kicks off it’s fifth season, in America, September 30.  Yes, this is a case where the Canadians have already seen the entire season, and now we lucky Americans are getting a chance to watch this fun show that is set in, and filmed, up in Toronto.

The Listener centers on Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik), a man who can hear the surface thoughts of those around him — when he chooses to listen in.  As a child he had not learned that sense of control, but now, as an adult, fortunately for his own sanity, he has.  In season 1 he was a paramedic who used his gift to help better understand how people came to be in need of a paramedics services, how they came to be injured, if they were overdosing what drug might have led to the situation, that sort of thing.

In time he met a cop who realized just how much help Toby could be in solving cases… and Toby is a man who wants his gift to be a gift.  He wants to use it to help people, wants to believe it has a good purpose and can be used for good reasons.  At heart he is a good man looking for a good life.

Now, as season 5 opens, he is part of the IIB, Integrated Investigation Bureau, where he works with tech genuis Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks), and IIB Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) as part of a team put together by Alvin Klein (Peter Stebbings) who realized early on that there was more to Confidential Informant and “face reader” Toby Logan than he was being told.  (Yeah, they come up with a few fun ways to try not to tell people what Toby is up to.)

This show has a lot going for it, not the least of which is well written characters.  The friendship between Toby Logan and his best friend Osman (Oz) Bey (Ennis Esmer) is fantastic.  In Season 1 they shared an ambulance, but Toby’s changing and evolving life did not create distance between these two friends.  They are a great example of always remembering the people who are an important part of your life, and making sure you make time for them.

If you have not already tuned in to an episode of The Listener, add it to the list of shows you give a chance, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and reminded that Canada is turning out a lot of quality shows these days.

LInks:

The Listener @ Wikipedia
The Listener @ ion
The Listener @ Fox International
The Listener @ IMDB
The Listener @ NBC (7 episodes of the first season aired on NBC)

Fans may recognize Peter Stebbings from Jeremiah or Crossbones, Lauren Lee Smith from Mutant X, Rainbow Sun Francks from Stargate: Atlantis, or Ennis Esmer from L.A. Complex – and he currently has a pilot on Amazon called Red Oaks.