19-2 is a Canadian-made Police Procedural drama television series set in the Greater Montreal Area of the province of Quebec in Canada. There are two version of the show. The first one is the original French-Canadian version produced in French under the direction of Radio-Canada, with the first episode aired in 2011 for three seasons and starred Claude Legault as Benoît "Ben" Chartier and Réal Bossé as Nicolaï "Nick" Berrof. The other is the English-Canadian adaptation in English under the direction of Bravo Channel
, starring Adrian Holmes and Jared Keeso as Nick Barron and Ben Chartier respectively with the first episode of the English-language remake airing in 2014. The French version has a total of three seasons being aired with the third season being the last while the English version has four season with Bravo renewing the last season with 8 episodes. However, CTV will be responsible for airing all of it instead of Bravo.
The series centers on the lives of police officers working under the Service de Police Métropolitain police force, stationed in "Station 19", as they work to protect the residents of the Greater Montreal Area while they try to balance their personal and professional lives. The shows center on Nicolaï "Nick" Berrof/Nick Barron, an experienced police officer who was able to return to active duty after his partner, Jean-Pierre Harvey, was shot by an armed intruder while answering a call on a break-in. The SPM decided to partner Nicolaï "Nick"/Nick with another officer named Benoît "Ben"/Ben Chartier, who had transferred to Montreal from the Sûreté du Québec. But unknown to the SPM, Ben is still acting under covert orders from the SQ in order to assess whether the SPM has a mole working on behalf of Montreal-based criminals or not.
Both series contain examples of:
- Boom, Headshot!: A subplot involving Nicolaï/Nick trying to cope with the paralysis and loss of his partner, Jean, after he gets shot by an armed suspect.
- Fictional Counterpart: Service Métropolitain for the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal. Averted with the Sûreté du Québec, but both forces in the show have their logos, markings and patches altered so that the public does not mistake the cast for actual officers just in case they stumble onto them during a film shoot in Montreal.
- Generic Cop Badges: Actual uniforms and gear used by the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal are depicted, except for the patches/logos. While the SPVM did assist to help get the English/French versions filmed, a standard practice for anyone filming a TV show/movie in Quebec is to use fictional versions. This also extends to patches/logos of the Surete du Quebec.
- Product Placement: Various Ford and Dodge vehicles used by the SPM, with some of the logo decals removed. Almost all the main characters prominently drive Kias.
- The Oner: An absolutely harrowing 13-minute long one-shot take during the season 2 premiere, "School."
- Ripped from the Headlines: One of the episodes centers on SPM officers responding to a shootout at a local high school. This is based on the Dawson College shootout in 2006.
- Shown Their Work: The principal and supporting cast worked with the actual Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal by riding alongside actual SPVM officers when they are on duty to make sure that they can act like actual officers in the show. The SPVM also helped them by conducting training courses as well.
- The use of the Walther P99, which is the actual sidearm used by SPVM. The FN P90 is seen as the standard submachine gun of the Groupe tactique d'intervention or Tactical Intervention Group.
- SWAT Team: The Tactical Group, serving as the SPM SWAT team when their presence is needed against heavily-armed criminals and terrorists.
- Not so fictional, though, as it is the actual name of the SPVM's SWAT.
- Not so fictional, though, as it is the actual name of the SPVM's SWAT
The French version contains examples of:
- All There in the Manual: The various webisodes made to give more background details to the secondary cast.
- Dirty Cop: Nick freely enjoys the perks of both his police job and his ties to organized crime, and he sure isn't above playing them against one another.
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Licensed Game: Operation Antigang, which is available for the Iphone in French. - Token Minority: Benz Antoine (Haitian-Canadian) as Tyler Joseph in the principal cast.
The English version contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Throughout the series, via flashbacks and stories Ben tells, a good picture of his alcoholic father's neglect and emotional abuse is built. From driving his drunk father home at the age of eight to being left in a park for the day at the age of seven and more.
- Adaptation Name Change: Nicolaï "Nick" Berrof is now Nick Barron and Benoît "Ben" Chartier is called Ben Chartier.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: In "Labour Day", a fake SPM officer enters the 19th Precient and began to shoot up any officer he sees. JM shoots at him in the chest, but the fake officer is saved thanks to the same LE-made vest and ventilates him in the chest.
- Call-Back: At the end of the 4th season, Nick calls Ben "Bambi" one more time and during Ben's interaction with Tyler, he shows him the view of the Greater Montreal Area from the roof in the day. He also tells Ben about his "wife"
- Collateral Angst: Amelie's death's sole purpose is to create angst and sow a rift between her lover, Ben, and her brother, Nick.
- Gratuitous French: Happens when characters are addressed if they have a French-based name. French signs/posters/logos are also present. Otherwise, everyone speaks English.
- Impersonating an Officer: Takes a dark turn in "Labour Day" when a fake officer is busted and one of the 19th Precient officers mentioned that in her previous station, anyone who's busted for pretending to be an officer is released. He takes revenge and shoots any officer he can spot. It's assumed that he took his own life due to being shot at by JM.
- Race Lift: As part of the adaptation, Nick Barron is played by Black Canadian actor Adrian Holmes.
- Shot-for-Shot Remake: Most of the episodes are heavily based on those done in the French version.
- Token Minority: Benz Antoine again as Tyler Joseph and Adrian Holmes (British-Canadian of Black descent) as Nick Barron in the principal cast.
