due South
Season 2 Background Information

General Information

After spending a whole year in Chicago, Fraser is adjusting to life in the city. Due to the strain that Victoria put on his friendship with Ray Vecchio, Fraser and the Detective seek to put the past behind them and move forward with life.

Fraser gets a new superior officer that causes a lot more friction in the workplace. His new boss is determined not to like him, but she may be hiding some different feelings for the Constable.

Life pretty much goes on as it did during season 1 though. Ray and Fraser continue to partner up in solving various crimes in the Chicago area.

Main Characters

Returning Characters:

• Constable Benton Fraser: Adjusting to life in the big city proves to be a constant adventure for Fraser who is more at home in the remote regions of the Northwest Territories. Fraser has a basic trust in people and believes in the goodness inside everyone.
• Detective Raymond Vecchio: A streetwise cop, Ray is used to life in the big city. The complete opposite of Fraser, he believes that everyone is up to something. Very outspoken and likes to complain, but a good cop who believes in doing his job the best way he can. Ray tends to wear more toned down suits and nicer clothes this season.
• Diefenbaker: Fraser's deaf wolf (1/2 wolf actually) and companion. Diefenbaker is fiercely loyal to the Mountie and has been with Fraser for quite some time. However, his deafness is sometimes wondered about as the wolf tends to develop selective hearing.
• Civilian Aide Elaine Besbriss: Whenever you need information, Elaine is the one to ask at District 27. A whiz at computers, she can find just about anything you need quickly. However, she just can't seem to attract the eye of Fraser.
• Detective Jack Huey: One of Ray's rivals, Jack (and for a while his partner Louis Gardino) compete with Ray for cases and generally helps to get on the other Detective's nerves. Known as being the more level-headed of the 'Duck Boys.' Jack and Ray tend to get along a little better after Louis leaves the show.
• Lieutenant Harding Welsh: The Detective's superior officer, Welsh oversees all actions for the Violent Crimes division of District 27. He is a tough but fair boss.

New Characters:

• Inspector Margaret Thatcher: Fraser's new boss. She appears to be tough and demanding, and at first shows a strong dislike for Constable Fraser. As the season progresses though, she softens a bit and becomes a more flexible superior.

Departing Characters:

• Detective Louis Gardino: Louis leaves the due South universe in the episode "Juliet is Bleeding." Daniel Kash, the actor who played Louis wanted to move on to other roles.

Memorable Supporting Characters

• Fraser Sr.: Fraser's father appears mainly as a ghost during this season to offer his son advice.
• Francesca Vecchio: Ray Vecchio's loud and outspoken sister. Definitely has feelings for the Canadian Mountie.
• Duncan 'Buck' Frobisher: Long time family friend of the Fraser family. Frobisher returns during this season to help Fraser and the RCMP Musical Ride in the episode "All the Queen's Horses." Played by legendary actor Leslie Nielsen.
• Ian MacDonald: Returning in the episode "Starman," Ian is a character that you either love or hate. A pathological liar, Ian shows back up begging for the boy's help in finding his lost fiancee.
• State's Attorney Louise St. Laurent: Appearing several times throughout the early season, Louise is starting to warm up to Ray and Fraser. She originally thought that they were dirty cops. The tension between Louise and Ray grows until they finally have a date, but she quickly disappears from the show after that.
• Commander Sherry O'Neill: Lt. Welsh's superior officer. She makes brief appearances throughout the season. She doesn't seem to like Ray all that much, but tolerates Fraser.
• Angie Vecchio: Ray's ex-wife. She appears twice this season in the episodes "One Good Man," and "The Duel." The character was played by the real-life wife of David Marciano.
• Ray's Father: Just as Fraser's father appears to his son as a ghost, Ray's dead father pops in from time to time to offer his son advice.

Locations

All locations for this season (except for stock Chicago footage) are located in Toronto, Canada. The show was filmed in Canada because of the cheaper rates of producing a television series. For a partial list of Filming Locations, please see: http://home.hiwaay.net/~warydbom/duesouth/location.htm.

• Fraser's Apartment: 221 West Racine, apartment 3J. The apartment is in a run-down building not noted for being in a nice area of town. Fraser likes it for practical reasons -- it is close to work.
• Canadian Consulate: The Consulate changes locations for this season, but that fact is never mentioned in the show.
• District 27th Precinct: During the break between seasons 1 and 2 the building used for the District 27 Precinct was torn down, so a new building was used in season 2.

Awards

For a list of awards that due South won for this season, please see: http://home.hiwaay.net/~warydbom/duesouth/awards.htm

Interesting Trivia

• CBS cancelled the show after the first season. CTV managed to secure funding to produce a second season of the show in Canada. When CBS's fall lineup failed in 1995, they ordered more episodes of the series as a mid-season replacement. However, CBS again cancelled the show and due South appeared to be shelved for good. The sets were broken down and the actors moved on to other projects. CTV managed to secure more funding from foreign investors though and the show was brought back for 26 more episodes in Canada.
• The tradition of naming characters after famous people in the world contines with the introduction of Inspector Margaret Thatcher, who was named after the former British Prime Minister of the same name.

Crew

Executive Producer - Jeff King
Executive Producer - Kathy Slevin (123-132)
Co-Producer - George Bloomfield
Creative Consultant - Peter Mohan
Creative Consultant (123-128) - Paul Haggis
Creative Consultants (129-140) - Paul Haggis, James Kramer, Seth Freeman
Story Editor (123-126) - Michael Teversham, George Walker
Story Editor (127-140) - Michael Teversham
Director of Photography - Malcolm Cross
Production Designer - Harold Thrasher
Costume Designer - Suzette Daigle
Music - Jay Semko, John McCarthy, Jack Lenz
Editor (Even Episodes) - Eric Goddard
Editor (Odd Episodes) - David B. Thompson