Entertainment

Back in court: Street Legal reboot in the works

Over 20 years after it ended, a reboot of the Canadian courtroom drama Street Legal is on the horizon.

Original cast member Cynthia Dale involved

A reboot of Canadian courtroom drama Street Legal is in the works. Broadcast from 1987 to 1994, the original series followed a group of lawyers at a Toronto firm and included, from left, actors Cynthia Dale, Eric Peterson and Sonja Smits. (Canadian Press)

Over 20 years after it ended, a reboot of the Canadian courtroom drama Street Legal is on the horizon.

The CBC tells The Canadian Press it is in development on six new episodes of the series with Bernie Zukerman, president of Indian Grove Productions.

The public broadcaster says original cast member Cynthia Dale is attached. It adds that "no further details are confirmed at this point."

The popular Gemini Award-winning series aired from 1987 to 1994 and followed a group of lawyers at a firm in Toronto. Storylines focused not just on their cases but also on their personal lives, adding a soapy quality.

Dale played aggressive lawyer Olivia Novak in a cast that also included Eric Peterson, Sonja Smits, C. David Johnson, and Albert Schultz, among others. Shot in Toronto and featuring a saxophone-heavy theme song, the drama featured many guest appearances.

Career boost

Dale, Peterson, Smits, and Johnson are all theatre stars whose careers have continued to thrive after Street Legal.

Dale has had a longtime presence at the Stratford Festival and other theatres, as well as a singing career and appearances on series including Working the Engels.

Peterson, well-known for Billy Bishop Goes to War and other stage productions, has racked up scores of onscreen credits, most notably his role as grouchy dad Oscar Leroy on the Canadian series Corner Gas and its new animated version.

Smits left Street Legal in 1992 to pursue other projects and spend more time with her family. She went on to star in Traders and has recently appeared on Mary Kills People.

Johnson's recent credits include the series The Blacklist and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Schultz went on to become the founding artistic director of Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto. He recently resigned, after four actresses filed separate lawsuits against him and the company, alleging sexual misconduct. None of their allegations have been tested in court.

Other series from Indian Grove Productions include Remedy and King.