Season 4 of CTV's Hit Original Drama SAVING HOPE Starts Production on June 1

â€' Kim Shaw (THE GOOD WIFE) and Max Bennett (Anna Karenina) join the cast of the series, as Travis Milne (ROOKIE BLUE) joins in four-episode arc â€'
â€' Erica Durance returns to lead ensemble cast including Michael Shanks, Wendy Crewson, Michelle Nolden, Benjamin Ayres, Julia Taylor Ross, and Huse Madhavji â€'
â€' Jason Priestley, Michael Shanks, and Peter Stebbings are set to direct episodes this season â€'

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1RuxIay

TORONTO, May 29, 2015 /CNW/ - CTV announced today in association with Ilana Frank's ICF Films and Entertainment One (eOne), that production is set to begin Monday, June 1 on Season 4 of its hit original drama SAVING HOPE. The start of production announcement comes ahead of CTV's 2015 Upfront presentation taking place June 4 in Toronto, where the 18-episode fourth season will shoot until December 2015. A finalist for a Golden Screen Award at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards, SAVING HOPE stars Erica Durance as Dr. Alex Reid.

SAVING HOPE ranked in the Top 30 of Canada's most-watched programs in key adult A18-49 and A25-54 demos last fall, and ended its third season in February as the #1 Canadian drama series in the key adult demos, as 1.7 million viewers watched the shocking Season 3 finale. All past episodes of SAVING HOPE are streaming now on CraveTV™.

"The Season 3 finale was shocking and gripping, and left fans wanting more. We can't wait to begin a new season of engaging twists and turns, and emotional highs and lows, featuring both our exceptional returning cast, and intriguing new characters," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. "With such a talented team, led by ICF Films and eOne, Season 4 is looking to be another remarkable season for SAVING HOPE."

**Media Note** â€" Download photos for SAVING HOPE at BellMediaPR.ca

SAVING HOPE's emotional Season 3 finale saw life and death collide as Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance) became a new mom, delivering a healthy baby boy named Luke Reid. In a shocking turn of events, the episode culminated in a devastating accident at an off-site army base, which saw the death of one of Hope Zion's own. Season 4 picks up nine months after the devastating accident, as the Hope Zion staff continue to deal with the aftermath of the death of their colleague and friend, Dr. Joel Goran. Alex (Durance) is back at work following maternity leave, trying to balance motherhood and a busy O.R. Meanwhile, Dr. Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks) continues to be haunted by his ghost-seeing abilities and the looming question of whether or not he is Baby Luke's biological father.

Joining the cast this season in recurring roles are Kim Shaw (THE GOOD WIFE) as Dr. Cassie Williams, a book smart intern learning how to practice medicine, not just read about it, and Max Bennett (Anna Karenina) as Dr. Patrick Curtis, a surgical fellow who has been filling in during Alex's mat leave. Travis Milne (ROOKIE BLUE) will also appear in a four-episode arc. Canadian Screen Award-winner Jason Priestley (CALL ME FITZ), series star Michael Shanks, and Peter Stebbings (THE LISTENER) return to direct episodes this season.

SAVING HOPE stars 2013 Canadian Screen Award nominee Erica Durance (SMALLVILLE), Michael Shanks (STARGATE ATLANTIS), 2013 Canadian Screen Award-winner Wendy Crewson (REVENGE), Michelle Nolden (REPUBLIC OF DOYLE), Benjamin Ayres (LESS THAN KIND), Julia Taylor Ross (ROOKIE BLUE), and Huse Madhavji (CALL ME FITZ).

SAVING HOPE is produced by ICF Films with eOne, in association with CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive produced by Ilana Frank, John Morayniss, and Margaret O'Brien for eOne. Adam Pettle is Executive Producer and Showrunner. All distribution rights are handled by eOne. For Bell Media, Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy is Production Executive, Drama, Independent Production; Tom Hastings is Director, Drama, Independent Production; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production; Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV; Phil King is President â€" CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
SAVING HOPE: @SavingHopeTV
Erica Durance: @ED_DURANCE
Michael Shanks: @MichaelShanks
Huse Madhavji: @HuseM
Michelle Nolden: @noldenmichelle
Benjamin Ayres: @BenjaminAyres
Kim Shaw: @ItsMeKimShaw
Travis Milne: @TravisMilne

Facebook:
facebook.com/CTV
facebook.com/SavingHopeTV

Instagram:
instagram.com/BellMediaPR
instagram.com/CTV_Television

Hubub:
hubub.com/252233

About Entertainment One (eOne)
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE: ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 35,000 film and television titles, 2,800 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks. Through strong relationships with broadcasters and content providers, eOne Television International has successfully sold eOne's original and third-party productions to over 500 broadcasters in 150 countries, including key US networks and international pay TV channels.

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA. Among the scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the three-time Emmy^®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN, Bravo's most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, the upcoming adventure series KILLJOYS, and upcoming cult comedy, LETTERKENNY. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 13 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Source: Numeris (BBM Canada), Fall 2014 (Sept 22-Dec 14, 2014), BYTD 2014-15 (Sept 22, 2014 â€" May 17, 2015), final data

SOURCE CTV