Most people have watched
"Due South at one time or another but don`t normally remember until you mention "the mountie". Then the penny drops.

The Basis

It all starts when Benton Fraser, a constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, comes to Chicago on the trail of the
killers of his father. There he teams up with Chicago cop Ray Vecchio, who has been assigned "..the dead mountie thing."
Reluctantly, Ray helps Fraser and together they solve he case. In doing so,
they become friends and Fraser stays in Chicago as liason with the Canadian consulate. The two men work together from this point on
and become more like brothers than friends. Thus
we have the framework for Due South.

The Cast

The element which makes the show really work, like many others, is it`s cast. The way the actors interact
with each other off screen as well as on plays it`s part in this. Judging by what we see onscreen, this cast has lots of fun together. The cast is as follows.

Paul Gross (Benton Fraser)

Fraser is the epitome of
all that is polite and noble. He is always holding
doors open for people and helping those in need. This
constantly irritates Ray.

David Marciano (Ray Vecchio)

Ray is the typical cynical and streetwise Chicago cop. He does have a heart of gold though, and Fraser often gets him round to his way of thinking.

Diefenbaker

Diefenbaker is Fraser`s deaf pet. He is half wolf, half dog and can only lip read. The two teamed up after Dief saved Fraser`s life some years before.

Ramona Milano (Francesca Vecchio)

Francesca is Ray`s neurotic sister who has a major obsession with Fraser. Some of the funniest scenes are of her pursuit of him.

Beau Starr (Lieutenent Welsh)

Welsh is Ray`s long suffering boss. He is possibly the show`s strongest character but does on occasion show his softer side.

Gordon Pinsent (Sergeant Bob Fraser)

Bob Fraser is Benton`s dead father who can only be seen by him. It sounds very bizarre but makes perfect sense when watching.

Camilla Scott (Inspector Thatcher)

Thatcher is Fraser`s boss at the consulate. Incidentally, her first name Margaret (coincidence?). The two don`t see eye to eye at first but soon the sexual tension is flowing.

Dean McDermott (Constable Turnbull)

Turnbull is Fraser`s colleague at the consulate.
Let`s just say he`s not the
brightest star in the sky.

Callum Keith
Rennie (Stanley Kawalski)

Kawalski is Fraser`s new
partner in season three. He
is also the typical big city cop but with added quirkyness.

Episode Guide

In all there were three seasons of the show, which in itself was a miracle. It`s future was in doubt after each one. The show struggled to make it`s mark
because it was so hard to pigeon hole. Was it a comedy, drama or light entertainment show? No-one seemed to know. Despite this the show went on to it`s third season with the help of BBC funding. The episodes are as follows.

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

The Real Ray Vecchio

The third season sees the introduction of Callum Keith Rennie who was brought in to replace David Marciano as the character Ray Vecchio, who could not appear due to work commitments. Unlike other shows, they didn't just replace one actor with another. They writers decided to make it that the real Ray (Marciano) had gone undercover as a major mob figurehead. Kawalski (Rennie) was brought in to act as the Ray Vecchio. The first episode of season three explains this better than i ever could.

My Favourites

The thing i most enjoy about the show is the way the relationship of the two main men is portrayed. The episodes where they share their past and feelings. The episodes which best show this are, "Victoria's Secret", "Juliet Is Bleeding" and "North". After the pilot episode these are a good place to start.

Flashback

So there you have it. I hope this will inspire you to watch the show next time it's re-run. It's a cult classic in the truest sense of the phrase. It has a devout, if small, following around the world who often meet to share their love of the show. If you do decide to watch, i gaurantee you won't be disappointed.

"There's four dirctions on this map but we're only going one way- Due South"

Thank you kindly!