'Da Vinci' cancelled
CBC Television has cancelled Da Vinci's City Hall, the prime-time drama about politics at Vancouver city hall – inspired by the work of former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell.
The program had begun as the highly rated Da Vinci's Inquest, featuring crusading coroner Dominic Da Vinci, again based on Campbell's experiences.
 Actor Nicholas Campbell on the set of "Da Vinci's City Hall" with creator and executive producer Chris Haddock. |
But when the Da Vinci TV show followed Campbell's career from the coroner's office to city hall, not enough viewers followed suit.
Campbell ran in and won the 2002 mayoralty race in Vancouver, leading the left-wing COPE party to a sweeping victory, with many of his supporters wearing "Mayor Da Vinci" buttons.
Campbell decided not to run for re-election in 2005, and was appointed to the Senate by then Prime minister Paul Martin.
Da Vinci's City Hall will have its final air date Feb. 28. It is in its seventh season.
- INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Rick Cluff speaks with actor Nicholas Campbell, who portrays Dominic Da Vinci.
CBC Television is also cancelling This is Wonderland and The Tournament.
"These are three programs that CBC believed in and attached significant resources to," said CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles.
"Unfortunately the audiences for all three have been in steady decline and did not resonate with Canadians. These decisions are always difficult but they had to be made."
Soles said Da Vinci's City Hall had been averaging 394,000 viewers, Wonderland 376,000 and The Tournament 268,000. Da Vinci had lost about 40 per cent of its audience from its high point a few years ago.
There's no word yet on what programs may replace them.