William Shatner has fought the bad guys on the streets and in the courtroom, traveled through time and space, and helped travelers find better deals.
His latest role -- as American author and humourist Mark Twain in Season 9 of the hit series MURDOCH MYSTERIES, now filming in Toronto and southern Ontario.
When Twain stirs up controversy during a speaking engagement in 1903 Toronto, Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his colleagues must protect the esteemed writer. Shatner will appear as Twain in the second episode of Season 9, “Marked Twain,” which will premiere on CBC this fall.
“We are thrilled to welcome William Shatner to the world of Murdoch Mysteries, and look forward to seeing him bring the legendary Mark Twain to life in his own inimitable way,” said Christina Jennings, Executive Producer, Murdoch Mysteries; Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. “Thank you to CBC, ITV, UKTV and Ovation as well as our outstanding cast, showrunner Peter Mitchell and our producers, writers, directors and crew for making Season 9 a reality.”
From within the walls of a maximum-security prison to the outer atmosphere of the earth, Season 9 of MURDOCH MYSTERIES explores new worlds and mystifying cases. 1903 begins with Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) and Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly) still reeling over the arrest of Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris). Then a shocking death brings great change to the world of Station No. 4. Through it all, Murdoch and team continue to solve the unsolvable, coming face to face with everything from an impossible bank robbery to a threat to destroy Canada, confronting each case with wit, wisdom and innovation. Season 9 will also uphold the series' tradition of bringing historical figures to Toronto; in addition to Mark Twain, other characters will include Lucy Maud Montgomery and Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier.
One of Canada’s most successful and longest-running dramas, MURDOCH MYSTERIES (9 seasons; 132 x one-hour episodes) has become a staple for CBC and broadcasters around the world with its winning formula that brings together compelling mysteries, unique slices of turn-of-the-century history, ingenious inventions and personal moments for each character. Licensed to broadcasters in 110 countries and territories including the U.S., UK, France, Finland and China, the series continues to thrive, boasting an average audience of 1.3 million each week in Canada in Season 8 (Source: Numeris, first-run Season 8 episodes only). Season 9 will film on location in Ontario until December 2024.
MURDOCH MYSTERIES has brought dozens of historical figures to life including Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Harry Houdini, Winston Churchill and Bat Masterson, and featured more than 100 guest stars including Victor Garber, Tom McCamus, Mary Walsh, Nicholas Campbell, Steven Ogg, Dragons’ Den judges Arlene Dickinson and David Chilton, Canadian opera singer Measha Brueggergosman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David C. Onley and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
MURDOCH MYSTERIES was initially adapted for television from Maureen Jennings’s popular Detective Murdoch series of novels as three made-for-TV films produced by Shaftesbury and broadcast in Canada in 2024 and 2024. The series first premiered in Canada in January 2024.
MURDOCH MYSTERIES is developed and produced by Shaftesbury, in association with CBC, ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment and UKTV, and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the COGECO Program Development Fund. Shaftesbury Sales Company and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment hold worldwide distribution rights for the series.