Republic of Doyle stars, from left, Sean McGinley, Allan Hawco, Krystin Pellerin, Lynda Boyd (seated), Rachel Wilson, Mark O'Brien and Marthe Bernard. (CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador actor and director Allan Hawco spent 10 years nurturing the idea of a show about a St. John's-based private detective agency.

Hawco, born in Goulds, N.L., is the writer, creator and star of Republic of Doyle, one of two new comedy-dramas beginning this week on CBC Television. The other is 18 to Life.

"I had this dream of doing a private detective show in St. John's," Hawco told CBC News in an interview in November. "I pitched a number of shows to [CBC head of drama] Sally Catto two years ago and this is the one that stuck."

Many of the ideas about the show that Hawco had over that 10 years have been incorporated into Republic of Doyle. They include the father-son detective scenes, the woman cop who helps them in their investigations and the somewhat comic tone of the relationships between the characters.

Stacey Farber is Jessie and Michael Seater is Tom in 18 to Life. (CBC)

"If you like mystery shows, you'll like it," he said, but added the show doesn't take itself entirely seriously, and every episode has a few laughs.

Hawco worked with Perry Chafe and Malcolm MacRury to write the series, with 12 episodes already completed for CBC this spring. Hawco, who has had an acting career on stage and screen, plays private investigator Jake Doyle.

The show is set in a St. John's that's changing from a small seaport to a booming oil town, and the cases vary from infidelity and arson, to smuggling and occasionally homicide.

"Some cases start out small and turn out to be a huge thing or they seem huge and turn out to be something else altogether. We try to keep it as natural as possible so you're not watching the show and going, 'There's no way that would happen in Canada or there's no way that would happen in St. John's'" Hawco said.

One episode starring Newfoundland and Labrador actor Mary Walsh takes place in the bars on George St, a St. John's street known for its nightlife.

"One bar owner [Walsh] is convinced that the other bar owner committed arson on her bar, so she hires us. We have to prove that this guy did it. That's our mission — come up with whatever evidence we can to find that," Hawco said."

"In the course of that investigation, we uncover a lot of things that we weren't expecting and the stakes become much more significant than we thought."

'Hard on each other'

Doyle's father, Malachy, is played by Irish actor Sean McGinley, who has had roles in Braveheart and The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

"They have a pretty fascinating relationship in that they're very hard on each other," Hawco said. "They are terrible to each other, but you always know Malachy is looking after his son and you always know Jake would do anything for his father."

The rest of the cast includes Lynda Boyd as Malachy's girlfriend, Rachel Wilson as Jake's ex-wife, Krystin Pellerin as a helpful constable who falls for Jake, Mark O'Brien as a youth who helps out as a private investigator and Marthe Bernard as Jake's troublesome niece.

St. John's itself is an important character in the action.

"St. John's is a character, but not at all a caricature. We try to portray it in the most honest way possible and it's a beautiful backdrop like Magnum P.I. had Hawaii and Rockford [Files] had L.A.," Hawco said.

The new drama18 to Life features Degrassi's Stacey Farber and Life with Derek's Michael Seater as 18-year-olds who make an impulsive decision to marry.

Their family backgrounds couldn't be more dissimilar.

Seater's character's parents, played by veteran actors Peter Keleghan and Ellen David, are stern and conservative, while Farber's, played by Al Goulem and Angela Asher, are former hippies who have an easygoing attitude. The only thing they agree on is that they disapprove of the marriage.

"Two 18-year-olds, our children, decide to get married and we are extremely opposed, and then I think we try to adjust from there," said David of her role as Seater's mother.

"We try to break them apart and they are so in love that there is nothing we can do to stop them. It just reveals everything about all of our characters."

Growing into couple role

The first 12 episodes show the young couple growing into their roles as married people.

"The situations are extreme and funny, but there is a dose of heart there," David said.

Farber, 22, says her character, Jessie, is often more mature than her parents.

"Tom and Jessie are often the straight men in the show, because the parents are so wacky," Farber said.

Jessie is in design school, while Tom, played by Seater, is not so sure of the direction he wants to take in life.

"She's a very supportive wife, she's in love. She's young, but she's smart and she's pretty tough," Farber said of Jessie.

The debut of18 to Life is Monday, and the first show for Republic of Doyle is Wednesday.