Canadian Screen Award-winner Shailyn Pierre-Dixon stars as Detective William Murdoch’s time-travelling great-great-great granddaughter
(TORONTO, October 12, 2022) – Shaftesbury announced today that production is now underway on Macy Murdoch (8×11), a new CBC Gem original tween series that follows the adventures of Detective William Murdoch’s time-travelling great-great-great- granddaughter. A spinoff of Shaftesbury and CBC’s hit long-running drama Murdoch Mysteries based on novels written by Maureen Jennings, the series is currently shooting in Toronto and will debut on CBC Gem in spring 2023.
Sixteen-year-old Macy is a forensic wunderkind who unravels a century-old mystery with the help of her two friends Zane and Billie. When a villain uses a time machine to frame famous Edwardian-era Detective William Murdoch for murder, Macy and her friends travel back in time to find the real perpetrator of the crime. Not only are the teens trying to crack a difficult case, but the trio are undercover, trying to solve a mystery in 1910 without the help of modern technology.
Macy Murdoch captures the playful, mystery-loving spirit of Murdoch Mysteries withCanadian Screen Award-winner Shailyn Pierre-Dixon (Pretty Hard Cases, The Book of Negroes) co-leading the series with Beau Han Bridge who plays Zane, and Raffa Virago as Billie. The series will have a special guest appearance by Spencer West, while Shanice Banton (“Mrs. Violet Hart”) and Lachlan Murdoch (“Constable Henry Higgins-Newsome”) from the beloved CBC series will appear in the series as guides to help the young detectives absolve Murdoch of a crime he did not commit.
“Macy Murdoch is as much about time travel and solving a 112-year-old mystery, as it is about searching for identity and belonging,” says Christina Jennings, Chairman and President of Shaftesbury. “It’s exciting to extend the world of Murdoch Mysteries and bring fans of all ages into a present-day setting.”
“We’re incredibly proud to bring this series to CBC Kids,” says Jennifer McCann, Executive Producer and Vice President of Kids & Family. “Our talented cast of fresh faces, brilliant showrunners, writers, director and crew have created an exciting series that will make for a great co-viewing experience.”
“Macy Murdoch will engage young viewers on CBC Gem with fresh, relatable teen characters and an all-new mystery set in the hit Murdoch Mysteries universe,” said Marie McCann, Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids. “We look forward to sharing the series with tween audiences next year.”
The digital series is directed by Laurie Lynd, and showrunners are Jennifer Kassabian and Robina Lord-Stafford. The series was initially developed by JP Larocque and Jessica Meya. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Marie McCann is Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids; and Lisa Cinelli is Executive in Charge of Production, Children’s and Youth Programming.
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital, established in 1987 by Christina Jennings, Chairman and President. Shaftesbury’s current primetime slate includes 16 seasons of the international hit series Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, ITV Studios and UKTV, and five seasons of Hudson & Rex for Citytv, both are available in over 120 countries worldwide. Other projects include: the acclaimed horror anthology series Slasher on Shudder and Hollywood Suite, with Emmy® Award-winner Eric McCormack starring in the upcoming fifth season; three seasons of the acclaimed six-part event series Departure for Global starring Emmy® Award-winner Archie Panjabi and the late Academy® Award-winner Christopher Plummer; and SisterS, a new Irish Canadian co-production by and starring Sarah Goldberg (Barry) and Susan Stanley, for Crave, RTÉ and IFC.
shaftesbury.ca.
About CBC/Radio Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
For more information
Alison Fraser, Director of Publicity, Shaftesbury
afraser@shaftesbury.ca Teaghan Hawke, CBC PR
teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca