Breaking News: Flashpoint Being Moved To New Timeslot on CBS

Hey Moonies: Before I start this article I know a few of our readers (and probably then some) are a little concerned with us covering Flashpoint more than anything else as of late. I'm trying really hard to catch up with other updates but if I have an article that's going to be several pages versus one that's a couple of paragraphs, I'm more inclined to work on the shorter one and get it up faster, and nibble slowly at the other one. Plus, if other VAs had bigger ventures we'd be giving them the same amount of coverage too. At Moon Chase, we don't favor one star over another because we have such a diverse group of readers so we try to find a happy medium and please everyone. A few key players involved in the production of Flashpoint have been reading this blog and that also adds a little more pressure on me because I have to make sure that I catch everything as much as I can so that I'm keeping them interested too (and up to speed on where fan buzz is going). Putting this together does take a lot.

Back to the topic at hand: CBS announced earlier yesterday that Flashpoint and Swingtown are swapping timeslots as of this week. We have a feeling this is because Swingtown wasn't as successful as the network had expected. Flashpoint is now moving to Thursday nights at 10PM EST (check your local listings), and Swingtown is taking over Flashpoint's old timeslot. Now as of this writing, CTV has not made an announcement if the show is going to switch timeslots on their network too. CTV shows Law and Order: Criminal Intent on thursdays during the timeslot that CBS is moving it too. This could mean potential trouble for the Canadian ratings, as those Canadians with cable are likely to watch the show on Thursday and skip the Friday airing. This would skew the numbers and could also put the show in some uneasy situations if a second season is ordered because of a potential decreased success in Canada. We will keep you posted if CTV decides to change the timeslot.

EDIT: Today, CTV also announced that it was moving the show to the same Thursday timeslot as CBS! It also looks like both networks are keeping the encores on Sunday evenings. And we can also report you numbers for the second episode's viewership! 7.1 million viewers in the United States, and 980,000 viewers in Canada caught the show last Friday!

Stephanie Morgenstern Comments On Flashpoint

This morning's Montreal Gazette featured a story about Flashpoint by Brendan Kelly. Kelly writes that he is dismayed by the show's lack of promotion in Quebec. Quebeckers typically take a lot of pride in anything produced by personalities from there, and Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) was raised in Montreal. She even acted in a French sitcom, La Vie, La Vie. Last week when the numbers came out for the premiere, we were really happy to hear of her success with the show, but we wondered why all over Canadian television it was always the executive producers Bill Mustos and Anne Marie La Traverse appearing and not the creators. The Gazette was able to get comment from Stephanie about the show. She has a lot of really good things to say about how she and Mark present the stories each week, and we've pasted her bit after the jump!


For Morgenstern - who plays a terrified hostage in the first episode - Flashpoint is much more than a standard-issue police procedural show.

"What we're delivering are universal human stories," said Morgenstern, who was born in Switzerland, raised in Montreal and left our town for Toronto after studying English and German at McGill.

"From one episode to the next, at the heart of it is always one desperate or frightened person who did not expect to be facing a tactical team, living the most terrifying moment of their life," added Morgenstern, whose previous credits include roles in Maelstrom and The Sweet Hereafter.

"I think people respond to that. Some of the stories are about career criminals, but more of them are about ordinary people who've been pushed to the edge because of something they desperately believe in whether it's saving their daughter's life or protecting a brother.

"In addition, there's the way that the team responds to these emotional incidents. Emotions go right through their bullet-proof vests. You can take off the vests at the end of the day, but what's gone into your eyes or ears, you can't get rid of that. You've had a front-row seat to the most frightening moment of someone's life and you can't shake that at the end of the day."

Breaking News: Flashpoint Being Considered For An Extended Run

Last Friday at the Television Critics Association's Annual Summer Press Tour, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler admitted that she was both surprised and gratified by Flashpoint's early success. She also had this to say: "It started as an aberration of the strike and it's turned into something terrific. We have a great relationship with CTV and the producers. We're pleased with the numbers." The production has encouraged CBS to take a closer look at international productions. She also added that the network is considering extending the order beyond 13 episodes if the show continues its success.

On another note, the ratings slipped for last Friday's timeslot, but we probably have a hunch that a good number of viewers were out watching The Dark Night. Last week saw 8 million viewers, and this week saw 7.5 million viewers. Courtesy of Media Week, here are the numbers for CBS. It's thought that more viewers turned in during the second half after a story ended on NBC's Dateline.


10:00 p.m.

ABC – 20/20
Viewers: 4.41 million (#3), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#2t)

CBS – Flashpoint
Viewers: 6.75 million (#1), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#2t)

NBC – Dateline
Viewers: 5.94 million (#2), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#1)


10:30 p.m.

ABC – 20/20
Viewers: 4.86 million (#3), A18-49: 1.6/ 6 (#1t)

CBS – Flashpoint
Viewers: 7.46 million (#1), A18-49: 1.6/ 6 (#1t)

NBC – Dateline
Viewers: 5.76 million (#2), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#3)

Flashpoint in A Flash: Season 1 - Episode 2: First In Line

Gomen Nasai (translation: Sorry) readers! I posted this late at night and in a rush and I forgot that some readers do not appreciate spoilers! Full summary of last night's episode after the jump!



Episode 2: First In Line

Here we go again with our coverage and episode summaries of Stephanie Morgenstern's (Sailor Venus #1) and Mark Ellis's hit show, Flashpoint. We begin in an operating room. A man is dying, and standing over him is a man with a gun ready to fire. We see Gregory Parker attempt to negotiate with the man telling him he doesn't have to do it, and the man yells "YES I DO!" and he looks like he's about to pull the trigger ; and rewind! We are taken to 2 hours earlier where the man (Jack Swanson) is sitting with his daughter Phoebe, who is ailing at her home in a nursing unit. They reminisce about a fishing trip years ago. They get a page with the news of a new heart. The SRU breaks in the new Rookie who proves everyone wrong in his first simulation. Back to the man's house - Ruby, her nurse prepares her to get in the car to rush to the hospital with her father. As he is speeding, he is caught by a policeman who soon empathizes with his situation and escorts him to the hospital. At Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, they prepare her for surgery, where the administration notifies Swanson that a computer glitch has bumped his daughter off the list for a much older man. He walks away, but pulls a fast one taking an unaware security guard's gun and turns on the hospital staff declaring "The Heart Belongs to Phoebe!" ROLL OPENING! And Commercials! Why is the ad for Swing Vote so corny? Rickard's White Ale is sponsoring this week's closed captioning. And the show returns! SRU prepares for a trip to the hospital and takes off in two black Chevy Suburbans. The Administrator tells Swanson again that the heart isn't Phoebe's, and he makes his way to the O.R. with the gun, and the intent of shooting the man who is going to be receiving the heart. The Suburbans arrive at the beautiful entrance of Mt. Sinai and they head inside, setting up a command post in the Security Room. Jules takes over, and a nurse comes in telling them what happened. The crew goes silent, and a little unsure what to do. Greg is sent off to start negotiations as they have only an hour left before the heart is no longer viable. The crew works out a plan, but as the negotiation starts, Jack gets a little uneasy. Commercials! I want some Szechuan style chicken from KFC. And some Kraft Dinner. Back to the show! Greg is still negotiating with Jack. Jules learns that Jack might be feeling guilty over the loss of his wife in a car accident where he was driving some time ago. Greg tries to soften the situation by asking him a few questions about his family. The heart arrives, and the clock is ticking. We're lead into this awkward scene where the negotiator convinces Jack to check and see if the patients are okay because the crew can't tell from the cameras very well. The Forensic Psychologist Luria arrives on the scene. The crew sends the rookie out to ... go to Tim Horton's for coffee? Errm... isn't this supposed to be a tense situation -_-'. More planning ensues, and a paramedic brings the heart into the hospital, and the rookie lets him in. This is a big mistake because as soon as he enters the CICU, he surrenders the heart to Jack. Now things are complicated. The man is wheeled into the OR, and Jack fires... at an officer coming from behind! OH THE SUSPENCE AND COMMERCIALS! David Suzuki reminds everyone to turn the AC one degree higher to save enough energy for 38K homes among a bunch of penguins. Blargh who cares about Canadian Idol?! Back to the show! Jack is sorry about shooting the officer, who is okay thanks to his vest. Greg works his words to get the heart to the Doctor to make sure the heart is okay... and it works. The Doctor can examine the heart but only if he stays in front of Jack. The negotiator manages to get Phoebe out of the situation by saying she is going to be prepped just in case. Jules accompanies her. And we have less than half an hour left on the heart. Luria catches Sam and informs him on his mistake lighting up the fire. She suggests he takes her fishing rod up to the girl. Greg and Jack talk about car racing. We learn that Greg's son is with his ex-wife and he hasn't seen him in 9 years. We see a softer side of Greg who tried to change his life for his family but in the end, just couldn't. Jack wants Phoebe to have her life. 15 minutes left for the heart... Greg reveals to Jack that Phoebe is not getting the heart. Jack breaks down and Greg tells him that he just has to let go and Phoebe will get a heart eventually. The conflict seems to be at an end... but then Jack makes his way into the OR. How will this end? After the commercials of course. Those Pedigree puppies are cute ~ next time I am in Toronto I want to visit Ward Island. Back to the show - the snipers are in position. Greg has minutes left on the heart, and lies to Jack saying the heart is damaged and it's no good, in a last ditch effort to get him to drop the gun. The Rookie comes in with his daughter's fishing rod, and Greg gives it to Jack. Jack enters another room where he thinks his daughter is, but she is not there. He is swarmed from all angles by members of the SRU. Jack catches on to the lie, and he is taken into custody. Greg walks out of the command post disturbed and drives off. Jules watches as the man who got the new heart is wheeled off... but wait, there's a change of plans, Phoebe is getting the heart, and the man tells the nurse "it wasn't his turn". So a somewhat happy ending, and Greg visits her as she recovers and gives her Capretti's autographed racing glove. Greg sits with Jack in his jail cell, where he breaks down. Commercials ~ eww Simply Orange and African Lion Safari looks like fun! And next week's episode features the SRU dealing with gangs and drugs.

This episode was a definite improvement on last week's premiere. Amy Jo Johnson's and Enrico Colantoni's characters definitely had more substance. We thought the scenes where they sent off the rookies to Tim Horton's in the middle of the situation and when Jack asked around if everyone was okay were a little awkward. Nonetheless, the ending wasn't as grim as last week's and we really look forward to next week's episode!

Breaking News: Flashpoint Numbers For Sunday Are In!

Hot on the heels of yesterday's breaking news about Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and Mark Ellis' Flashpoint sailing to the top of the ratings for Friday night, we have learned the ratings for the Sunday encore. In the United States, 5.6 million viewers watched it, and in Canada, there were 625,000 viewers. For those of you keeping a running total, this brings the weekend's total to 13.7 million viewers for the United States and 1.7 million viewers for Canada. These are absolutely phenomenal numbers for the show's debut and we wish the cast and crew the best of luck for coming episodes! We hear this Sunday focuses on Ed Lane, the team's negotiator. Lane is played by Enrico Colantoni, which some of our readers may recognize from Veronica Mars. He played Keith Mars. This is also Enrico's second venture with a Sailor Moon VA - in 2001's AI: Artificial Intelligence, he played The Murderer. The film also featured Sabrina Grdevich (Sailor Pluto #1, Ann) as the cyborg in the film's beginning scene.

Breaking News: Flashpoint IS #1 !

Happy tears everyone! Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband Mark Ellis' new TV show Flashpoint is a big hit in the United States! Nobody predicted this because CBS did not do very much promotion for the show compared to CTV which had commercials running frequently, as well as behind the scenes stories on etalk. A whopping 8.13 million viewers tuned in for Friday's premiere, making it the top rated show in households for that evening! The show also scored first with adults aged 25 to 54, and adults 18 to 49. Canadian numbers are expected to be released sometime today. All of our stories covering the show even from the very beginning stages are becoming very popular, and the summary we posted of the first episode is the article people are reading most at this site. Late Friday night we had to add in a Flashpoint tag so people would be able to access the stories a lot easier. On behalf of all the staff at Moon Chase, we would like to thank every Sailor Moon fan who watched the show on Friday and Sunday, and also to every fan who went out and promoted the show on blogs, websites, forums, and by word-of-mouth. We did it, and we definitely helped bring the show to the top in very difficult circumstances. We had heard from several sources in and out of the industry that the show was a desperate acquisition from CBS , that it was likely going to be canceled within a few episodes and the only reason the network cared was because they wanted something new in case the Writers Strike wasn't resolved. But we never lost faith because we've caught most of Stephanie's work and she always put in a lot of effort to make the best production she possibly could. Congratulations to Stephanie and Mark, and thanks again to all the fans!

EDIT: Canadian ratings are in and here they are quoted from CTV. CTV also congratulated the cast, creators, and creative team behind the show!

Across Canada, the series delivered 1.11 million total viewers, 140% more than the next closest 10 p.m. competitor, winning both its time-slot and the night. The series premiere also finished #1 in Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 demos.

The episode was #1 at 10 p.m. in each of Canada's three metered markets; Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Nationally, the audience grew in its second half-hour, peaking at 1.26 million viewers.

BREAKING NEWS - Flashpoint to Repeat Tonight!

Hey Moonies - meant to update yesterday but didn't get the time to. Stephanie Morgenstern's (Sailor Venus#1) Flashpoint is going to get a second chance on CBS and CTV tonight - check your local listings. It will probably be at the same time it aired on Friday. Please tell everyone you know who didn't catch it on Friday to watch it tonight. Maybe you could even throw a viewing party, where everyone brings in some Sailor Venus relic to cuddle up with on the couch ^_^. There is a rumor going around that if the show does better with ratings tonight, it may be moved permanently to Sunday.

Flashpoint in A Flash: Season 1 - Episode 1: Scorpio

Read our episode summary and opinion after the jump! Since this was written as the show aired, there's no paragraph formatting. Readers, feel free to leave your opinions on the show after the jump!





Episode 1: Scorpio

So our episode begins somewhere in downtown Toronto, in medias res. Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) is terrified and being held hostage by an older man with a gun speaking a different language. We see a mediator trying to calm the situation, and a sniper on the roof ready to pull the trigger... then we rewind to 2 hours earlier. Our sniper, Ed Lane (played by Hugh Dillon) is at home and tells his wife he has to miss her parents’ anniversary. He is picked up by his buddy, officer Wordsworth, and they sing asong “when constabulary duty’s to be done, to be done, a policeman’s job is not a happy one, happy one”. We’re then taken to a scene all too familiar to Torontonians, a TTC subway car. Our hostage taker is riding the train up to Osgoode station with his son, and kisses him goodbye. Of course, there’s haunting music playing in the background and we know something bad is going to happen, eventually. Then it goes to the training facility/home base for the Special Response Unit. We get a little taste of the banter between the officers interspersed with shots of the hostage-taker walking through a subway station , and eventually encountering his ex-wife who works as a caretaker in an office building. He shoots her in the head, and.. Roll Credits! Ahh, we feel so proud when we see “Created by Mark Ellis & Stephanie Morgenstern” on the screen. Commercials ensue. The hostage taker is now walking through a mall, encounters Stephanie (who could potentially be shopping for a Sailor V plushie, you never know) and he is confronted by a security guard. Both draw their weapons, and she is taken hostage and pulled out of the building. The guard calls for help, and pretty soon the whole square is surrounded by SRU forces. They all move into position, and the negotiator Sargent Gregory Parker (played by Enrico Colantoni) figures out what language the hostage-taker is speaking. The mundaneness of these few minutes where everyone moves into position is broken by elevator humor and Jules (Amy Jo Johnson) having to take the stairs to the top of the building. We learn that his ex-wife probably won’t survive the gunshot. Ed locks his sniper on the suspect and everyone runs their checks. Commercials - and the Joker looks a lot scarier in HD. Back to the show - the son is in the crowds and runs past the tape. Despite the best efforts of the Officer to calm him down, it is futile, and the situation leads Ed to shoot the suspect dead. Stephanie survives, but is visibly shaken and covered with blood. An officer takes her aside. Now the story begins: we see Ed go through many emotions as he deals with his conscience after killing someone. Commercials - Moore’s is having some sort of summer sale on menswear?! He is taken away by police who investigate the shooting, everyone around him assures him he did a good job. Jules meets Braddock in an odd encounter. Ed is in an interrogation room where he is “de-briefed” and joined by his lawyer as he is questioned by a detective. He’s interrupted by his wife who calls to see if that was him this morning. Ed is still in a daze after what has happened and the show cuts to his son at violin practice. He turns still after hearing what has happened from his mom. Back at HQ, he encounters the forensic pychologist, but he isn’t ready to talk yet and goes to shoot a few practice rounds. Commercials - now I want a Tim Hortons’ Hazlenut Iced Capp Supreme... ooh X-Files Trailer! The gang goes to a bar where there’s a retirement party happening. Everyone is introduced properly to Braddock, who is the newest addition to their team. Another member is promoted and they lose one. Everyone at the table is chatty except for Ed, who is still frozen from what happened. He heads to the men’s room to regain his composure. Greg walks in as he washes his face, and tells Ed that even though he says he is fine, he should count how many times he says it. A song plays, and there’s a montage of the son looking at his father’s body in the morgue, Jules at her door, Braddock in a hotel room, and Ed looking over a report and signing it. He finally comes home to a snowy tv screen, and he is greeted by his son who comes down the stairs. He holds his son as his wife looks on. Again, no words , only feeling. Commercials - Simply Orange juice is too bitter for my tastes... and a preview of the next episode. A father of a child waiting for a heart transplant turns his gun on the hospital staff.

Whoo! That was a mouthful, and now for our impressions. The show is definitely a welcome take on the cop show genre. Amy Jo Johnson is playing an all-too-familiar female action character, but we really hope that she has a bit more depth as the show goes on. The same goes for Enrico Colantoni’s character - his negotiation skills seemed a little empty this episode. We thought that the portrayal of Hugh Dillon's daze and anguish was very well done. But, this is only the pilot, and it’s hard for an actor in one episode to really know what their characters are like this early on. We look forward to the rest of this series, and we once again extend our congratulations to Stephanie and Mark from every Sailor Moon fan!

Flashpoint Premieres Today!

Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband Mark Ellis' brainchild Flashpoint premieres tonight on CTV and CBS (check your local listings). We've read a little shaky buzz over the fact that the show is premiering on a Friday, and after reruns of Numb3rs. But most of the reviews we have read are very positive. This is why it's important for every fan who can to watch it tonight. I was planning on liveblogging it tonight but unfortunately I have to be somewhere when it airs. Nonetheless, I will have a summary up tonight, I'm recording the show and if that fails , I will catch it on timeshift at the very least.

We've learned a lot more details about the show in the last day. It costs nearly 2 million dollars to create each episode of the show, and to date is Canada's most expensive TV production. There are eight episodes finished , with five left to go. Stephanie Morgenstern appears in a few places throughout the series, and she and Mark spoke very candidly about the show in an interview with Blogtalk radio/TV Eh?. Mark even fills in during readings for parts that haven't been cast yet! Fans should definitely give this podcast a listen if they haven't already! The first episode Scorpio, is a twist of a real incident which happened in the summer of 2004. The show's story involves a Croatian man who is very disturbed over a divorce, and he takes an innocent woman hostage in the middle of downtown at lunch. The second episode, First in Line involves a hospital blip where a father learns a heart promised to his ill daughter has been given to someone else. The father then turns the gun on the hospital team leaving the SRU faced with a difficult decision. The third episode The Element of Surprise tells of how drug gangs tear apart families. Cast member Amy Jo Johnson (best known as Kimberly the Pink Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) has a song that will be used at the end of the this episode, to the delight of her fans everywhere!

Again, this is a huge year for all the VAs of Sailor Moon and we here at Moon Chase really want to see them continue on their ventures (so that every year can be bigger than the last)! It's important for us fans to support them in everything that they do to the best of our abilities. So please, catch this show when it airs! We'd like to extend a huge thank you to Jay Navok at Genvid who has assisted us in promoting this show!

Flashpoint Update!

We are two days away from the premiere of Stephanie Morgenstern's Emergency Task Force drama, Flashpoint. While the show has no standalone official website, we have found that the networks sites each offer something different - and that they don't like to share. Exclusive content that CTV has can't be accessed from the US, and vice versa for CBS. Thankfully we have at least one member on either side of the border to have all our bases covered :). We're gonna try to liveblog the premiere as best as blogger will allow us to! The show is already garnering lots of positive buzz on both sides of the border.

CBS's site doesn't have a whole lot aside from cast bios, but they do have something that CTV does not: a 5 minute interview with the creators and the actors. Fans get to see Stephanie Morgenstern and her husband Mark Ellis talk about the show, along with the cast members and their takes on their characters. There's even some behind-the-scenes footage of the show and the cast learning more about their craft from real officers! The promo can be watched here, however it is not viewable on CBS's site by Canadians.

CTV on the other hand doesn't have any videos other than a short 1 minute teaser. But, they do have a lot of reading for those of you wanting to learn a lot more about how the series came to be. Fans can check out a bio of Stephanie here, and a very long story about how the show came to be here. Stephanie and Mark had been working on a film adaptation of their short, Remembrance, and we had almost thought that was abandoned in light of Flashpoint (thankfully, we read here that it wasn't!). We're disappointed Stephanie neglected to mention her role on Sailor Moon. Sailordees attended a convention in 2004 where she had the opportunity to meet her and she spoke highly of the show saying that it was such a starting point for putting Canadian talent on the map. And we all have to agree because every star on that show has gone on to bigger and better ventures (even we have a hard time keeping up with them all). Hey, if Amy Jo Johnson can get away with mentioning she was a Power Ranger, why be so shy?

Fans who are all over the world can check out an interview they did over Blogtalk Radio here. We are reminding every fan that reads this website in the U.S. or Canada to please check your local listings for this Friday night so we can all support Stephanie Morgenstern and congratulate her on this huge achievement! We wish her the best of luck with this series!

Quickie Flashpoint News

For anyone who wants more background on Flashpoint, it seems etalk is probably going to be doing a few special behind the scenes spots this week and next week. We encourage all our readers to watch the show - you may even see Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1)!

Count Down To Stephanie Morgenstern’s Big TV Debut!

Look where the poll is - we’re counting down to the premiere of Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband Mark Ellis’s brainchild, Flashpoint! The show will be running simultaneously on both CBS in the USA and CTV in Canada July 11th at 10PM EST (check your local listings). CBS has started to put together an official website for the show here, but CTV hasn’t put one up yet. We will be watching the show and keeping you updated with show summaries , but we think that this deserves a really big celebration. In the past, we have featured clips of the VAs appearances on TV shows, but for this show we will not because it is currently on the air and episodes are viewable online. We will only post if we get a clip from Stephanie or the producers themselves. We encourage all Sailor Moon fans to come together and watch this when it premieres, grab your family and friends to show Stephanie support for her new venture! In the meantime, check out this sneek peek at CBS’s site - Stephanie Morgenstern herself appears as the hostage! Flashpoint also stars Amy Jo Johnson as Julianna. Amy is probably better known among our readers as the Pink Ranger from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (don’t be afraid to admit it, you used to watch it as a kid)!
In another sighting we completely forgot to mention last time, Stephanie also appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation in the episode right before Dennis Akayama appeared. In Death Or Glory: Part 1, she appeared as Dr. Rota, and gave Spinner the diagnosis that he was suffering from cancer. Fans can watch the episode online at CTV (in Canada) or The N (in the United States).

Stephanie Morgenstern is Coming To Your TV Soon!

The wait is almost over for Stephanie Morgenstern's (Sailor Venus #1) new TV show, Flashpoint! The show is in production as we speak and set to start airing on CBS and CTV in July! Though no specific date has been announced, we will keep you posted - and for fans thinking they would not see Stephanie past a name in the credits, you can all breathe a sigh of relief! She will appear as a hostage in the first episode - but will not likely transform into Sailor Venus at the last second to save the day. Those heroic responsibilities have been passed on to cops now :(. Still no word about the production of Ice Planet. Last we heard some preliminary animation had begun, sets were built and things were ready to go, however contractual issues kept the production from starting.

Stephanie Morgenstern’s Pilot Picked Up By Major US Network!

As of last week, the Writers Guild of America’s strike had ended. However, before that, networks were faced with a problem, should the strike have carried on for longer. What were they to do about the upcoming television season? Many turned to Canada, where the writers were not on strike, and signed deals with many Canadian television productions. One such production was one that we have been following since last fall, Flashpoint (A.K.A. Sniper and Critical Incident). Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband, Mark Ellis, created the show and are also writers for it! We are incredibly happy that finally, fans across the border can also catch this sighting, as CBS is the lucky network who has picked up the first season’s 13 episodes! Most times, a former VA will appear on a Canadian television show and their fans in the United States are unable to catch them - unless a pilgrimage is made to Canada! Flashpoint is the first series since Due South to be sold to a US network! The show has been in development since 2005 and got the greenlight for a pilot last summer. CTV greenlighted the drama last December. CTV has put a video preview of the show on their site, however the link appears to be broken as it takes you to a video of Canada AM. We will as always, keep you informed on future developments of this show! According to a press release, Flashpoint is about "an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops in the SRU (inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force). They're unique cops that can do what ordinary cops can't: rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, climb the sides of buildings and talk down suicidal teens. Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they're also trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect's head at the very emotional breaking point (the "flashpoint") that triggered the crisis. They'll do whatever it takes to diffuse the situation to try to save lives - all in a day's work." Congratulations again to Stephanie and Mark!

Almost There!

Hey Moonies! I'm still under the weather but there was major news yesterday for all you Stephanie Morgenstern fans! Because of the Writers' Strike, networks are scrambling to find ways to bring new content to their networks. American Network CBS has just picked up Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and Mark Ellis's Sniper which has just been renamed again to Flashpoint! It's difficult for our readers that are south of the border to catch work from their favorite Sailor Moon VA's, so we are elated to hear that this is a sighting that all of our North American readers can make with ease! Congratulations again to Stephanie and Mark!

Speaking of Stephanie Morgenstern...

It appears that her and Mark's pilot has been successful in their pitch to CTV and has been given picked up for a 13 episode run on CTV! Though it seems the title has been changed from Critical Incident to Sniper. We wish both of them the best of luck with this new venture which begins shooting in the Spring of this year.