Jake and Malachy Doyle
Created by Allan Hawco, Perry Chafe and Malcolm MacRury

"Why are you such an arse, Jake Doyle?"
-- Leslie puts Jake in his place

At last! The Rock gets some P.I. love!

JAKE and MALACHY DOYLE are a father and son team of PIs working St. John's, Newfoundland in Republic of Doyle, an endearingly quirky new show that has, so far, consistently delivered the private eye goods, and has been getting some favourable buzz.

Now, steady – it hails from Canada. Or more specifically, Newfoundland, that storm-tossed hardscrabble province of fishermen, loggers, wisecrackers, drinkers, yarn-spinners, musicians, actors, brawlers, artists and the father/son private eye team of Malachy and Jake Doyle.

Jake, the son, is played by the show's creator/writer and one of its executive producers, Allan Hawco. He and long-suffering father (played by Irish stage vet Sean McGinley), both ex-cops, run the agency out of Malachy's home -- when they're not taking verbal pot shots at each other.

But this isn’t the smarmy, mug-for-the-cameras familial squabbling so prevalent these days – this is based on real characters whose differences are rooted deep in their characters and not mere plot contrivances.

Jake’s the eternal rowdyman -- an affable rogue and failed prodigal, the rough-around-the-edges son with a good heart and a dreadfully bad sense of restraint (or timing) when it comes to women. And that includes his (possibly) crazy ex-wife Nikki and attractive Constable Leslie Bennet of the Newfoundland Constabulary. Meanwhile, Mal is a by-the-books sort of guy; an old-fashioned law-and-order man trying to come to terms with a world he doesn't quite understand anymore.

It helps that Hawco is an avowed fan of the genre. There are echoes of such classic seventies P.I. fare as The Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I., and the connections are more than reinforced by the old-school Pontiac GTO that Jake drives.

The producers and writers also seem to care about getting St. John's right. According to Hawco, "We wanted the story lines to flow naturally out of the city. We wanted it to be believable and no one could say 'that would never happen in St. John's... It's a fun show, without making a charicature out of the city. It has a sense of humour about itself," Hawco told CBC News.

As for the father-son relationship, Hawco says "They're very hard on each other and pretty cutting," he said. "But it's always clear that Malachy is looking out for his son and Jake would do anything for his father."

THE EVIDENCE

• "That's an astute observation, Banacek."
  -- Jake tries to put Dad in his place
  
  
• "When are you going to grow up, Jake?"
  -- Leslie
  
  
• Jake: "You've got a second shot at life here. Figure out what you want to do with it. You're old."
  Malachy: "You're stupid."
  
  
• Jake: "I need a coffee."
  Malachy: "You need a kick in the arse -- not a coffee."

TELEVISION

• REPUBLIC OF DOYLE
  (2010, CBC)
  25 episodes
  Created by Allan Hawco,
  Writers: Allan Hawco, Perry Chafe, Kerri MacDonald, Malcolm MacRury, Avrum Jacobson, Jesse McKeown, John Callaghan
  Directors: Mike Clattenburg, Steve DiMarco, Robert Lieberman, Larry A. McLean, Jerry Ciccoritti, Philip Earnshaw
  Starring Allan Hawco as JAKE DOYLE
  and Sean McGinley as MALACHY DOYLE
  Also starring Lynda Boyd as Rose Miller
  Rachel Wilson as Nikki Renholds
  Krystin Pellerin as Leslie Bennett
  Marthe Bernard as Tinny Doyle
  and Mark O'Brien as Des Courtney
  Guest stars: Shaun Majumder, Russell Crowe,

• Season One...Buy this season on DVD
• "Fathers and Sons" (January 6, 2010)
• "The Return of the Grievous Angel" (January 13, 2010)
• "Duchess of George" (January 20, 2010)
• "Blood is Thicker Than Blood" (January 27, 2010)
• "Hit and Rum" (February 3, 2010)
• "The One Who Got Away" (February 10, 2010)
• "The Woman Who Knew Too Little" (March 3, 2010)
• "The Tell-Tale Safe" (March 10, 2010)
• "He Sleeps With the Chips" (March 17, 2010)
• "The Pen Is Mightier Than the Doyle" (March 24, 2010)
• "A Horse Divided" (March 31, 2010)
• "The Fall of the Republic" (April 7, 2010)
  
  
• Season Two...Buy this season on DVD
• "Live and Let Doyle" (January 12, 2011)
• "Popeye Doyle" (January 19, 2011)
• "A Stand Up Guy" (January 26, 2011)
• "The Son Also Rises" (February 2, 2011)
• "Something Old, Someone New" (February 9, 2011)
• "The Ryans and the Pittmans" (February 16, 2011)
• "Crashing on the Couch" (February 23, 2011)
• "Sympathy for the Devil" (March 2, 2011)
• "Will the Real Des Courtney Please Stand Up?" (March 9, 2011)
• "The Special Detective" (March 16, 2011)
• "Don't Gamble with City Hall" (March 23, 2011)
• "St. John's Town" (March 30, 2011)
• "Family Business" (April 6, 2011)

RELATED LINKS

• Republic of Doyle
  Official CBC site.

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks, Keith.