If you're an armchair sleuth who enjoys nothing more than a bit of Broadchurch (we're with you on that), we've got just the thing for you. Cardinal is the exceptionally good detective drama with a troubled and rather rugged detective at the heart of it, which is so good it's got a slew of awards to its name - and, despite hailing all the way from Canada, it's available to watch in the UK now.
Adapted from Giles Blunt’s popular novels, The John Cardinal Crime Series, the drama swaps Broadchurch's glorious Dorset setting with a small town in Northern Ontario where Detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) returns to the homicide unit after a demotion (spoiler: he became obsessed with a case). When he's partnered with the enigmatic Detective Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), the pair get to work investigating a series of dark murders - but it seems they each have secrets of their own.
With the detective drama now available to binge on U, here’s everything you need to know about Cardinal, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Cardinal about?
Adapted from Giles Blunt’s award-winning novels, the Canadian series transports us to the small, icy fictional town in Northern Ontario called Algonquin Bay. At the centre of the drama is Detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) who's brought back to the homicide unit after he was demoted due to an suspected obsession with the case of a missing girl.
When the body of the missing teenager is found down a mine, he's reassigned to the case and given a new partner in the form of Detective Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse). But what Cardinal doesn't know if that Delorme has been told to investigate him in relationship to a federal police corruption probe; he is, in fact, suspect of working with a drug dealer.
No spoilers, but both Cardinal and Delorme so return for three further series, which see them taking on all manner of investigations, including the case of a woman discovered with a bullet in her head with no memory of who she is, a complex double murder and a bizarre missing-persons case. Sue Deeks, BBC Head of Programme Acquisition, has called the series "a finely nuanced, atmospheric thriller which is completely gripping from beginning to end" and we couldn't have summed it up better.
What to read next
Who's in the cast of Cardinal?
The cast of Cardinal includes:
- Billy Campbell (Enough) as Detective John Cardinal
- Karine Vanasse (Polytechnique) as Detective Lise Delorme
- Kristen Thomson (I, Claudia) as Detective Sergeant Noelle Dyson
- Glen Gould (Tulsa King) as Detective Jerry Commanda
- Deborah Hay (The Taming of the Shrew) as Catherine Cardinal
- Alanna Bale (Humane) as Kelly Cardinal
- Zach Smadu (Family Law) as Detective Ash Kular
- Eric Hicks (Romance Retreat) as Detective Sergeant Ed Sterling
- James Downing (Total Recall) as Detective McLeod
- David Richmond-Peck (Cruel and Unusual) as Malcolm Musgrave
- Aaron Ashmore (Ginny & Georgia) as Randall Wishart
- Alex Ozerov-Meyer (Natasha) as Jack
Is there a trailer for Cardinal?
Yes – you can watch the trailer for Cardinal below.
Is Cardinal any good?
Yes - fans of Broadchurch (pictured above) will no doubt enjoy Cardinal thanks to its complex characters, slow-burn mysteries and the detective duo at the centre of it. In fact, it's easy to draw parallels between Billy Campbell's performance as Cardinal and David Tennant’s as DI Alec Hardy, who's equally headstrong and tenacious. If you're looking for a series you can spent many hours watching, Cardinal is the one.
How can I watch Cardinal?
You can stream all four series of Cardinal on U.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
We'd highly recommend working your way through all three series of The Tower, which stars Sarah Whelan as Detective Sarah Collins, who investigates the dark side of policing. The drama kicks off at a southeast London tower block, where a Metropolitan police officer and 15-year-old refugee have plummeted to their deaths - and it's the beginning of a catalogue of compelling mysteries. You can The Tower now on ITVX. An equally engrossing series is Case Histories, which follows former soldier and policeman, Jackson Brodie (Jason Isaacs), as he attempts to crack a range of unconventional cases. Case Histories is available to watch now on U.
