Hawco keeps hopes high for Republic of Doyle renewal
Republic of Doyle finished its third season with a bang, and co-creator and star Allan Hawco is keeping his hopes high for a fourth season.
The season finale — which featured private investigator Jake Doyle seeing his beloved car blow up, moments before his scrappy sidekick Des gets shot in the stomach — aired Wednesday night, just hours after CBC announced it was making dramatic cuts to its programming, including its prime time television lineup.
"That's the hope. We haven't had official word or anything yet," Hawco told CBC News.
"So we'll just keep our fingers crossed, and I'll keep my mother saying her prayers, and we'll see how it goes."
Hawco said that he has been working on scripts since December for what he described as "a dream season four," but he and the crew are awaiting word as to whether Jake Doyle will be able to solve new cases in a fictionalized version of St. John's.
CBC executives have said the cuts will be especially evident in the prime-time television lineup, and that the public broadcaster will have to rely more heavily on repeats because it will not be able to commission as much new material.
Republic of Doyle finished its third season in a strong position. Audiences for the 13-episode season averaged 1.2 million, "which is pretty epic," Hawco said, particularly since it competes with U.S. juggernauts like American Idol and Modern Family. "We're holding our own," he said.
The season launched with an episode featuring Australian superstar Russell Crowe, who appeared as an undercover investigator posing as a criminal. Hawco, who met Crowe years ago in Toronto, is not shy about admitting he would love to see the character return.
"Russell is certainly one of the best and busiest actors in the world. Having him back would certainly be a pure delight," he said.
"The great thing about something like [Crowe's guest appearance] is that it validates a show like ours to people who are non-believers, or who wouldn't necessarily give the show a chance."