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Back in 1998, there was the Canadian series Cold Squad on CTV that followed the investigations of the Vancouver Police Department while they are hot on the trail of unsolved cases. Now, a reality show will continue that legacy.
“To Catch a Killer” is the new reality show that will look at real Canadian cold case files, which includes cases like a babysitter who was sexually assaulted, a newcomer to Toronto who was attacked on her jog, a University of Toronto fine arts lecturer discovered murdered right in his office by a cleaning lady, and the disappearance of a woman following the evening shift at a snack bar.
The show is set to air on Saturday at 8 p.m. on OWN Canada. The show is an eight-part series that joins other Canadian shows.
OWN wasn’t an instant success since it first premiered in January 2011, but failed to meet the high expectations of viewers and fans. Though, the number of viewership is not a problem, the time is the same as that of Oprah. During that time, Oprah was shown the same time as those cheap reality shows.
Still, there are those that are better than the rest like To Catch a Killer, which is anchored by host Mike Arntfield, a true cop and a university professor at the same time.
He heads a team of six, each specializing in their division. Together, they track down clues that have been long forgotten.
There is always the comparison to A&E's popular Cold Case Files hosted by Bill Kurtis, but the latter show use a bigger budget and got some actors to act, while the Canadian version would focus on real facts that the party can get live.
"They raped her, they beat, her, they strangled her. And then they stared into her face and watched her life slip away. What kind of animal does this?" asks Carolyne Awcock, the mother of Donna Jean Awcock, the babysitter that never comes back to their home in October 1983.
Later, her body was found near the house, where she used to babysit.
The reality show is unlike the scripted Cold Squad since there won’t be any guarantee that the case would have a neat ending.
The actual names of the people concerned will not be used in the show for legal reasons.
In general, the show shall serve as a public service announcement dressed up as middling entertainment.
But, there is also the possibility that it can help catch a killer. That would give mothers some sense of peace with them.
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