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The Associates
GenreLegal drama
Created byGreg Ball
Steve Blackman
Alyson Feltes
StarringDemore Barnes
Shaun Benson
Tamara Hickey
Gabriel Hogan
Jennie Raymond
R. H. Thomson
ComposerRobert Carli
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes30
Production
Executive producerAlyson Feltes
ProducerBrian Dennis
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time60 minutes
Production companyAlliance Atlantis Communications
Original release
NetworkCTV
ReleaseJanuary 16, 2001 (2001-01-16) –
May 17, 2002 (2002-05-17)

The Associates is a Canadian television drama series that aired on CTV in 2001 and 2002.[1] The show centred on the professional and personal lives of five junior associate lawyers at the Toronto office of the multinational law firm of Young, Barnsworth & King.[2]

The show's cast included Demore Barnes as Benjamin Hardaway, Shaun Benson as Jonah Gleason, Tamara Hickey as Robyn Parsons, Gabriel Hogan as Mitch Barnsworth and Jennie Raymond as Amy Kassan, as well as R.H. Thomson as Angus MacGregor, the firm's senior partner, and Sean Sullivan as Dale Friesen, the associates' supervising partner.[3] The show also sometimes made differences between Canadian and American law into plot points, notably by writing both Robyn Parsons and Benjamin Hardaway as American transplants who sometimes ran into trouble because of their greater familiarity with U.S. courtroom procedure.[3]

The series was co-created by Greg Ball and Steve Blackman, themselves former associates at a law firm in Edmonton who based it on some of their own experiences.[4]

The show was successful in its first two years of ratings, but due to tax cutbacks from the government, the show could not continue into a third season.[5]

Critical response

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail panned the first episode, but wrote that the series improved significantly thereafter. He criticized Hogan's performance as Mitch, writing that "his accent wobbles and wanders all over the United Kingdom and Ireland and he looks nothing like anyone's picture of an upper-class, well-connected Brit lawyer. Instead he looks like the younger sibling of one of the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, with a bad, blond dye job." He opined that the show's real saving grace was Hickey's portrayal of Robyn, whose brashness in the first episode was gradually revealed as a front for insecurity and shyness, making her the show's most relatable character and grounding it the same way Patrick McKenna's Marty had served as the "everyman" anchor in Traders.[6]

Dan Brown of the National Post criticized the characters of Benjamin Hardaway and Amy Kassan as unsympathetic, writing that Barnes played Benjamin like he was auditioning for the role of Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager.[7]

Tony Atherton of the Ottawa Citizen similarly wrote that the first episode was weak, but that the series improved over the course of the season.[8]

Awards

Awards and nominations received by The Associates
Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Gemini Awards 2001 Best Dramatic Series Brian Dennis, Anne Marie La Traverse, Steve Blackman, Greg Ball, Alyson Feltes, Maureen McKeon Nominated [9]
Best Actor, Drama Series Gabriel Hogan Nominated
Demore Barnes Nominated
Best Actress, Drama Series Tamara Hickey Nominated
Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series or Program Sean Sullivan Nominated
Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series or Program Marnie McPhail Nominated
Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series Philip Earnshaw Nominated
2002 Best Actor, Drama Series Demore Barnes Nominated [10]
Best Actress, Drama Series Tamara Hickey Nominated
Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series or Program Marnie McPhail Nominated
Rebecca Jenkins Nominated
Best Guest Actor, Drama Series Michael Riley Nominated
Best Direction in a Dramatic Series Kelly Makin Nominated
Best Writing in a Dramatic Series Maureen McKeon Nominated
Best Makeup Marilyn O'Quinn, Cindy Lou Tache Nominated

Episodes

Season 1: 2001

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Headfirst Into Hell"David WuGreg BallJanuary 16, 2001 (2001-01-16)
Five young lawyers are starting their first day as junior associates at Young, Barnsworth & King, on the same day that three of the firm's senior partners are arrested for stock fraud.
22"Disclosure"George BloomfieldGreg BallJanuary 23, 2001 (2001-01-23)
33"Ten"Scott SmithPaul AitkenJanuary 30, 2001 (2001-01-30)
44"Encumbered"George BloomfieldMaureen McKeonFebruary 6, 2001 (2001-02-06)
55"CYA: Cover Your Ass"Michael DeCarloGreg BallFebruary 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
66"Sue Everybody"E. Jane ThompsonPaul AitkenFebruary 27, 2001 (2001-02-27)
77"E Pluribus Unum"Eli CohenMichelle LovrettaMarch 6, 2001 (2001-03-06)
88"Don't Ask Don't Tell"UnknownAlyson FeltesMarch 13, 2001 (2001-03-13)
99"Family Values"George BloomfieldUnknownMarch 27, 2001 (2001-03-27)
1010"Care & Control"Jerry CiccorittiMichelle LovrettaApril 3, 2001 (2001-04-03)
1111"Killing the Rat"E. Jane ThompsonPaul AitkenApril 10, 2001 (2001-04-10)
1212"Sirens"UnknownUnknownApril 10, 2001 (2001-04-10)
1313"Should I Stay or Should I Go?"David WuAlyson FeltesApril 17, 2001 (2001-04-17)

Season two

#TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Go Heart or Go Home"George BloomfieldMaureen McKeonJanuary 18, 2002 (2002-01-18)
2"Your Place or Mine?"E. Jane ThompsonUnknownJanuary 25, 2002 (2002-01-25)
3"Take This Job..."UnknownUnknownFebruary 1, 2002 (2002-02-01)
4"The Hitler Paradox"Kelly MakinUnknownFebruary 8, 2002 (2002-02-08)
5"Walking the Line"UnknownUnknownFebruary 15, 2002 (2002-02-15)
6"Soulmates"Paul FoxGregory NelsonFebruary 22, 2002 (2002-02-22)
7"Revelations"E. Jane ThompsonUnknownMarch 1, 2002 (2002-03-01)
8"Mea Culpa"Kelly MakinUnknownMarch 8, 2002 (2002-03-08)
9"Liar, Liar"Gary HarveyUnknownMarch 15, 2002 (2002-03-15)
10"Parents: Who Needs 'Em?"UnknownUnknownMarch 22, 2002 (2002-03-22)
11"Freedomia"Philip EarnshawPaul AitkenMarch 29, 2002 (2002-03-29)
12"Spare the Rod"Paul FoxGregory NelsonApril 5, 2002 (2002-04-05)
13"Heart's Desire"UnknownUnknownApril 12, 2002 (2002-04-12)
14"Definitely Maybe"UnknownUnknownApril 19, 2002 (2002-04-19)
15"Winner Take All"Gary HarveyUnknownMay 3, 2002 (2002-05-03)
16"All About C"UnknownMichelle LovrettaMay 10, 2002 (2002-05-10)
17"Something About Love"Kelly MakinUnknownMay 17, 2002 (2002-05-17)

References

  1. ^ Jane L. Thompson, "The associates deliver their verdict: How close does CTV's new television series come to life at a law firm?". National Post, January 13, 2001.
  2. ^ John McKay, "CTV's The Associates promises to make Canadians `proud'". Brantford Expositor, January 13, 2001.
  3. ^ a b "Law with heart, soul, sex appeal". Toronto Star, January 16, 2001.
  4. ^ Daphne Gordon, "Coming of age in the courtroom; Fresh-faced lawyers struggle to make a name for themselves on The Associates". Toronto Star, January 14, 2001.
  5. ^ Bonnie Malleck, "Bye-bye to The Associates; CTV's retooled legal drama ends its two- year run tonight". Hamilton Spectator, May 31, 2002.
  6. ^ John Doyle, "The Associates improves with age". The Globe and Mail, January 16, 2001.
  7. ^ Dan Brown, "There just aren't enough lawyers on TV these days: Although in The Associates they're less idealistic than usual". National Post, January 16, 2001.
  8. ^ Tony Atherton, "Series about cute lawyers clearly aimed at syndication". Ottawa Citizen, January 15, 2001.
  9. ^ "Gemini Awards nominations announced without fanfare". Sarnia Observer, September 18, 2001.
  10. ^ John McKay, "Made in Canada, Da Vinci and Cold Squad score multiple Gemini nominations". Canadian Press, September 24, 2002.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Associates_(Canadian_TV_series)