(Hulu)

US Network: Hulu.
Episodes: 24 (hour).
Seasons: Four.

TV show dates: June 16, 2017 — December 24, 2021.
Series status: Ended.

Performers include: Billy Campbell, Karine Vanasse, Kristen Thomson, Allie MacDonald, Glen Gould, Deborah Hay, Alden Adair, James Downing, Eric Hicks, David Richmond-Peck, Alanna Bale, Gale Maurice, Robert Naylor, and James Thomas.

TV show description:
Based on the Giles Blunt novels, the Cardinal TV show centers on demoted Algonquin Bay Police Detective John Cardinal (Campbell). When a missing 13-year old girl, Katie Pine, is found dead in an abandoned Ontario mineshaft, Cardinal and his new partner, Lise Delorme (Vanasse), take on the investigation into her disappearance and death.

As they grow more involved in the grisly case, a secret from Cardinal’s past as an undercover cop in Toronto, threatens to derail their probe. As Cardinal works to correct the mistakes of the past, and handle family issues, he grows suspicious of Lise’s motives, while the serial killer hones in on another victim.

Because his bright, creative wife Catherine (Hay) is living with bipolar disorder, life at home can be extra challenging. Due to her illness, John has done the lion’s share of parenting their daughter, Kelly (Bale).

Intelligent and resolute, Cardinal has a dry wit. Because he values his privacy, he can come off as aloof. He is inclined to use work as an escape and is determined to get justice for Katie and end her killer’s spree.

A workaholic, Lise is a top-notch investigator, and a bit of a binary thinker. Although she develops a good working relationship with John, she is not without her own secrets — she’s investigating him.

Jaded Staff Sergeant Noelle Dyson (Thomson) often finds herself at odds with Cardinal, but privately, she does respect his work, and his work ethic, even though it wreaks havoc with her budget. Then there’s Malcolm Musgrave (Richmond-Peck). Haunted by his own professional disappointments, he is convinced Cardinal is corrupt and resolves to take him down.

Sadistic psychopath Eric Fraser (Fletcher) delights in dominating other people. He manages to recruit Edie Soames (MacDonald) into his sick, twisted world, and enlists her help in luring his young prey. Can Cardinal nail them, before they strike again?

Series Finale:
Episode #24 — John & Lise
Having made a surprise arrest, Cardinal and Delorme must now extract enough information to get a lead on the killer, and fast, because in the meantime he has made off into the depths of the forest with his last two chosen victims.
First aired: December 24, 2021.

What do you think? Do you like the Cardinal TV series? Should it have ended or been renewed for a fifth season?