Da Vinci's Inquest (1998–2006)

A Vancouver cop turned coroner searches for truth and justice with the help of his friends.

Creator:

Chris Haddock

Stars:

Nicholas Campbell, Donnelly Rhodes, Venus Terzo

35 wins & 57 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Nicholas Campbell	...	Dominic Da Vinci (91 episodes, 1998-2005)
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Det. Leo Shannon (91 episodes, 1998-2005)
Venus Terzo	...	Det. Angela Kosmo (91 episodes, 1998-2005)
Ian Tracey	...	Det. Mick Leary (91 episodes, 1998-2005)
Sarah Strange	...	Helen (84 episodes, 1998-2005)
Alex Diakun	...	Chick Savoy (80 episodes, 1998-2005)
Sarah-Jane Redmond	...	Sgt. Sheila Kurtz (75 episodes, 1998-2005)
Gerard Plunkett	...	Chief Coroner Bob Kelly (71 episodes, 1998-2005)
Suleka Mathew	...	Dr. Sunita 'Sunny' Ramen (66 episodes, 1998-2003)
Gwynyth Walsh	...	Dr. Patricia Da Vinci (52 episodes, 1998-2002)
Kim Hawthorne	...	Det. Rose Williams (44 episodes, 2000-2005)

Storyline

Vancouver City Coroner Dominic Da Vinci is an ex-police officer who brings his police mentality into his current job. Da Vinci is opinionated which has caused him to make many friends but also many enemies along the way of his professional career path. Although he has the admiration of most that work with him, especially a very loyal secretary, Helen, he also often butts heads with even his most ardent of supporters in the Coroner's Office and the Homicide Department of the Vancouver Police Force. These include his bosses, the homicide detectives and the pathologists, one of whom is his ex-wife Patricia. Da Vinci, the staff at the Coroner's Office and the Homicide Department work together to try and undercover some of the mysteries surrounding the deaths that take place in Vancouver. Da Vinci tries to balance his professional life with his personal life, which includes taking care of his teen-aged daughter with whom he has joint custody with Patricia. More often than not, he is ...

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Plot Keywords:

coroner | police | detective | medical | murder | 

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Taglines:

He has a way with people, especially when they're dead.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

CBC Haddock Entertainment Inc. [Canada]

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1998 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Coroner Da Vinci

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Da Vinci Productions, Haddock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Dominic Da Vinci was based on the real-life B.C. Chief Coroner Doctor Larry Campbell, who after his tenure of coroner acted as a technical advisor on the show. In 2002 Larry Campbell was elected mayor of Vancouver.

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Quotes

Dominic Da Vinci: I'll tell ya that, for free.

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Connections

Followed by Da Vinci's City Hall (2005)

User Reviews

The Best One-Hour Dramatic Show On Television. Period.

DA VINCI'S INQUEST may well be the very best 1-hour television drama ever. If it isn't, there are no more than a handful - from whatever country or era - that can even come close.

It's new to American television (at least as far as I know), and I've only seen a dozen or so episodes, but their promos don't lie: one episode and I was hooked. The writing, the acting; you almost forget that what you're watching is, well, written and acted! 'Verisimilitude' is one of those words one doesn't come across much these days, but it's appropriate to describe this show. The characters are complex, their interactions so 'real life,' that watching them almost gives a feeling of eavesdropping.

Also, as in real life, there is not always a resolution. Some episodes end with matters left hanging and loose ends untied. Life doesn't always supply us with all the why's and wherefore's; neither does DA VINCI'S. This is a show that does not treat the viewer like an idiot. Perhaps a lot of Canadian TV is like that, but it's a novelty down here.

Nicholas Campbell, as Vancouver coroner Dominic Da Vinci, is the on-screen engine that powers this show. The acting of all of the series' regulars - Ian Tracey, Donnelly Rhodes, Sue Mathew, Sarah Strange and others - is of a uniformly high order, but each is even better when playing a scene with Campbell, whose presence, style and energy make everything just crackle with authenticity (oh, hell, I don't know; does authenticity crackle? If it doesn't, it should). If you've been a regular viewer of U.S. shows such as "X-Files" and the "Stargate's" - which were/are produced in Canada - you'll see a number of familiar faces.

Be warned: this show could spoil you for all American television drama. My viewing companion and I watched an episode of "Law & Order" - which we enjoy - immediately after viewing a DA VINCI; big mistake. Anything else is going to suffer by comparison. But here's some good news: if you jump in now, you've got seven seasons worth of episodes to see. That should tide you over for a while, and you'll want to catch each one.