The Associates (Canadian TV series)

*The Associates*
The Associates
Genre	Legal drama
Created by	Greg Ball; Steve Blackman; Alyson Feltes
Starring	Demore Barnes; Shaun Benson; Tamara Hickey; Gabriel Hogan; Jennie Raymond; R. H. Thomson
Composer	Robert Carli
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	30
Production
Executive producer	Alyson Feltes
Producer	Brian Dennis
Production locations	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Alliance Atlantis Communications
Original release
Network	CTV
Release	January 16, 2001 –; May 17, 2002

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
		Best Actor, Drama Series	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
		Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series or Program	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	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Headfirst Into Hell"	David Wu	Greg Ball	January 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.
2	2	"Disclosure"	George Bloomfield	Greg Ball	January 23, 2001 (2001-01-23)
3	3	"Ten"	Scott Smith	Paul Aitken	January 30, 2001 (2001-01-30)
4	4	"Encumbered"	George Bloomfield	Maureen McKeon	February 6, 2001 (2001-02-06)
5	5	"CYA: Cover Your Ass"	Michael DeCarlo	Greg Ball	February 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
6	6	"Sue Everybody"	E. Jane Thompson	Paul Aitken	February 27, 2001 (2001-02-27)
7	7	"E Pluribus Unum"	Eli Cohen	Michelle Lovretta	March 6, 2001 (2001-03-06)
8	8	"Don't Ask Don't Tell"	Unknown	Alyson Feltes	March 13, 2001 (2001-03-13)
9	9	"Family Values"	George Bloomfield	Unknown	March 27, 2001 (2001-03-27)
10	10	"Care & Control"	Jerry Ciccoritti	Michelle Lovretta	April 3, 2001 (2001-04-03)
11	11	"Killing the Rat"	E. Jane Thompson	Paul Aitken	April 10, 2001 (2001-04-10)
12	12	"Sirens"	Unknown	Unknown	April 10, 2001 (2001-04-10)
13	13	"Should I Stay or Should I Go?"	David Wu	Alyson Feltes	April 17, 2001 (2001-04-17)

Season two

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Go Heart or Go Home"	George Bloomfield	Maureen McKeon	January 18, 2002 (2002-01-18)
2	"Your Place or Mine?"	E. Jane Thompson	Unknown	January 25, 2002 (2002-01-25)
3	"Take This Job..."	Unknown	Unknown	February 1, 2002 (2002-02-01)
4	"The Hitler Paradox"	Kelly Makin	Unknown	February 8, 2002 (2002-02-08)
5	"Walking the Line"	Unknown	Unknown	February 15, 2002 (2002-02-15)
6	"Soulmates"	Paul Fox	Gregory Nelson	February 22, 2002 (2002-02-22)
7	"Revelations"	E. Jane Thompson	Unknown	March 1, 2002 (2002-03-01)
8	"Mea Culpa"	Kelly Makin	Unknown	March 8, 2002 (2002-03-08)
9	"Liar, Liar"	Gary Harvey	Unknown	March 15, 2002 (2002-03-15)
10	"Parents: Who Needs 'Em?"	Unknown	Unknown	March 22, 2002 (2002-03-22)
11	"Freedomia"	Philip Earnshaw	Paul Aitken	March 29, 2002 (2002-03-29)
12	"Spare the Rod"	Paul Fox	Gregory Nelson	April 5, 2002 (2002-04-05)
13	"Heart's Desire"	Unknown	Unknown	April 12, 2002 (2002-04-12)
14	"Definitely Maybe"	Unknown	Unknown	April 19, 2002 (2002-04-19)
15	"Winner Take All"	Gary Harvey	Unknown	May 3, 2002 (2002-05-03)
16	"All About C"	Unknown	Michelle Lovretta	May 10, 2002 (2002-05-10)
17	"Something About Love"	Kelly Makin	Unknown	May 17, 2002 (2002-05-17)

References

^ 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.
^ John McKay, "CTV's The Associates promises to make Canadians `proud'". Brantford Expositor, January 13, 2001.
^ ^a ^b "Law with heart, soul, sex appeal". Toronto Star, January 16, 2001.
^ 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.
^ Bonnie Malleck, "Bye-bye to The Associates; CTV's retooled legal drama ends its two- year run tonight". Hamilton Spectator, May 31, 2002.
^ John Doyle, "The Associates improves with age". The Globe and Mail, January 16, 2001.
^ 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.
^ Tony Atherton, "Series about cute lawyers clearly aimed at syndication". Ottawa Citizen, January 15, 2001.
^ "Gemini Awards nominations announced without fanfare". Sarnia Observer, September 18, 2001.
^ John McKay, "Made in Canada, Da Vinci and Cold Squad score multiple Gemini nominations". Canadian Press, September 24, 2002.