Homicide in a Small City arrived within the 2024 TV schedule as a homicide thriller procedural starring Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk. Though Sutherland had loads of TV credit earlier than debuting on Fox as Police Chief Karl Alberg, this present is his first community TV lead position within the U.S. In response to govt producer Jeff Wachtel, the objective was initially for the star to work reverse his father, the late Donald Sutherland. Sadly, the movie and tv legend handed away earlier than he may achieve this, however the EP make clear what might need been.
I spoke with Jeff Wachtel for final week’s Season 1 finale of Homicide in a Small City, together with about hopes for Season 2 within the 2025 TV schedule and a difficult state of affairs writing for Kristin Kreuk’s Cassandra. I famous to the EP that I hadn’t been too acquainted with Rossif Sutherland previous to the Fox sequence because of most of his earlier exhibits airing in Canada, and was impressed by his work as Alberg. Wachtel responded with a narrative concerning the “pleasant coincidence” that Donald Sutherland had been hooked up to an adaptation earlier than his son had:
It is so good of you to say. I wasn’t [very familiar] both. It was the community’s concept, and I have been the community so it is good once I can provide them credit score. It was their casting division that mentioned, ‘You actually ought to take a look at this man.’ After which there was, in fact, the pleasant coincidence that when the script was first developed, Donald Sutherland was hooked up to do it as a film thirty years in the past.
Because it seems, Rossif Sutherland’s father was initially hooked up to a movie primarily based on the books of L.R. Wright, many years earlier than this incarnation of TV present may have even been imagined. The reveal that the community had introduced Rossif up as a possible lead additionally provides extra context to what the star advised us about being approached to play Alberg.
The film model of L.R. Wright’s story by no means occurred, however Donald Sutherland’s son would in the end get the possibility to deliver Karl Alberg to life on the small display screen years later. And if his well being had allowed, Donald Sutherland would have appeared reverse Rossif, as Jeff Wachtel went on:
When it got here to my consideration a few years in the past, Donald was hooked up to play George Wilcox within the first episode. We had all hoped for that. His well being didn’t permit him. When Rossif was forged within the lead, that solely made him wish to do it extra. They have been very shut, however sadly, that did not get to occur. But it surely was enjoyable, a minimum of honoring Donald’s presence within the challenge.
Because it seems, Donald Sutherland would have performed George Wilcox, the important thing character within the supersized sequence premiere who Alberg and Cassandra needed to examine. (You may stream the premiere with a Hulu subscription now.) James Cromwell would in the end play Wilcox, and the Homicide in a Small Group did go the additional mile to honor Sutherland in that first episode by airing this card on the very finish:
Whereas we’ll by no means know what Donald Sutherland would have dropped at the position of George Wilcox if he’d gotten to play the character as meant, however James Cromwell was a giant title and gifted actor to play the half in his place. I am glad that Homicide in a Small City was in a position to embrace that dedication, although, in honor of the roles that Sutherland may have performed in addition to Rossif Sutherland in shedding his father. The present premiered a couple of months after the elder Sutherland handed away on the age of 88.
For extra of Donald Sutherland, you’ll be able to try our record of his finest motion pictures and methods to watch them. As for his son, you will discover the complete first season of Rossif Sutherland’s Homicide in a Small City streaming on Hulu now.