Bad Blood

Series premise and narrative structure

Bad Blood is set primarily in Montreal, spanning the early 2000s to the early 2010s, and chronicles the internal and external conflicts of the Rizzuto crime family. The first season follows the family's boss, Vito Rizzuto, as he seeks to maintain peace in the city's criminal underworld. His ambitions are derailed when he is arrested and imprisoned for his alleged role in triple murders committed in 1981. With Vito incarcerated, he places his trusted right-hand man, the fictional character Declan Gardiner, in charge of operations. This power vacuum leads to instability and the gradual crumbling of Vito's empire. Upon his eventual release from prison, Vito returns to Montreal intent on reclaiming his position and exacting revenge on those who betrayed him.

The second season is a fully fictional narrative, following Declan Gardiner as the preeminent crime figure in Montreal who now faces new rivals from outside the city. The primary antagonists are the Langana twins, Teresa and Christian, who are the children of a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mob boss in Italy seeking to expand their territory into Canada. Their efforts are supported by the Cosoleto crime family, a 'Ndrangheta branch based in Hamilton, Ontario. This season explores the clash between Declan's established regime and these ambitious new forces. The narrative is presented in a chronological, real-time fashion, though it frequently employs flashbacks to provide crucial context and fill in gaps from the characters' pasts. The show's setting expands in the second season beyond Montreal to include Hamilton, reflecting the geographic spread of the criminal conflicts it portrays. The series was initially intended as a miniseries before being renewed for a second season.

Development and production origins

The series was developed by the production company New Metric Media, which purchased the rights to the 2015 book Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's Last War by journalists Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards. Show creator Simon Barry was approached with the concept and recognized its potential for television, teaming up with writer Michael Konyves who served as showrunner for both seasons. Barry scripted the pilot episode before handing primary writing duties to Konyves, who cited making changes to some scripts the day before production for legal reasons. The creators consulted with the book's authors early in the process to gather anecdotes and deepen their understanding of the real-life figures. A key creative decision was the invention of the character Declan Gardiner, portrayed by Kim Coates, as a high-ranking, non-blood member of the Rizzuto clan, a composite of several real-world individuals, who could drive the narrative during Vito's extended imprisonment.

The series was initially conceived as a six-part miniseries. Following strong viewer response and critical acclaim for the first season, Rogers Media renewed Bad Blood for a second season in March 2018. Nataline Rodrigues, Director of Original Programming at Rogers Media, stated the decision was easy due to the calibre of talent and overwhelming viewer response. The second season was explicitly developed as a fully fictional story, with Coates noting the creative freedom this afforded. Principal filming for the series took place in Montreal, Quebec, and Sudbury, Ontario, with Sudbury chosen in part to take advantage of provincial tax credits and financial incentives. Showrunner Michael Konyves employed a two-camera setup during production, which he credited with saving significant time during filming and in the editing room, allowing for more efficient coverage of scenes within a tight six-day schedule for each hour-long episode. The production took care to cloak locations in Sudbury during initial shooting days.

Cast and character dynamics

The ensemble cast of Bad Blood features a mix of established Canadian and international actors portraying both historical and fictional figures within the criminal underworld. The central figure of the first season is Vito Rizzuto, the boss of the Montreal crime family, played by Anthony LaPaglia, who immersed himself in the role by studying wiretap evidence and footage of the real Rizzuto. The fictional linchpin of the series is Declan Gardiner, Vito's right-hand man and eventual successor, portrayed by Kim Coates. Paul Sorvino played family patriarch Nicolo Rizzuto, while Enrico Colantoni portrayed the family's consigliere, Bruno Bonsignori. Other key members of the Rizzuto organization in season one included Brett Donahue as Vito's son Nico Jr., Tony Nappo as soldier Gio, and Maxim Roy as Vito's confidante Michelle, with Michelle Mylett appearing as Vito's mistress Sophie.

The first season also featured antagonists like Joris Jarsky as New York Bonanno crime family acting boss Sal Montagna and Vincent Leclerc as biker gang boss Jacques Pilote, alongside Clauter Alexandre as Haitian gang boss Papa Lou. The legal pursuit of the family was represented by Claudia Ferri as Quebec Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau, with Simu Liu and Amber Goldfarb appearing as her colleagues Guy and Rachel. For the second season, Kim Coates was the only main cast member to reprise his role, leading a largely new ensemble announced by Rogers Media in May 2018. The new antagonists included Louis Ferreira and Daniel Kash as the Cosoleto brothers, Domenic and Enzo, from Hamilton, with Franco Lo Presti and Dylan Taylor playing their sons Luca and Ignazio 'Nats' Cosoleto. Anna Hopkins and Gianni Falcone played the ambitious Langana twins, Teresa and Christian.

The season also introduced Sharon Taylor as Rose Sunwind, the head of a family involved in cigarette smuggling across the border through their Indian reserve, with Ajuawak Kapashesit and Brandon Oakes as her brothers Twix and Bobby Sunwind. Lisa Berry joined as RCMP officer Nellie Bullock, who had been tracking the Cosoletos for years, assisted by Eric Hicks as Officer Ken Tucker. Other new characters included Melanie Scrofano as Nats' wife Valentina Cosoleto who turns informant, Ryan McDonald as Declan's nephew Reggie Ross, and Pedro Miguel Arce as Mexican cartel boss Jorge Ramirez. Recurring characters across both seasons included Angela Asher as lawyer Renata, Frank Schorpion as the crooked RCMP Inspector Aucoin, Romano Orzari as Toto Bianchi, Ryan Blakely as Marc Desjardins, Nicholas Campbell as Declan's father Lonnie Gardiner, David La Haye as biker gang boss Alex, and Lisa Codrington as Declan's surveiller Shelley. Additional recurring roles featured Valerie Buhagiar as Loredana and Joel Gagne and Moe Jeudy-Lamour as prison inmates Luke and Marlon.

Broadcast history and distribution

Bad Blood premiered in Canada on Citytv on Thursday, September 21, 2017, in the 8:00 pm timeslot. A French-language version of the first season, titled Les liens du sang, premiered on Ici Radio-Canada Télé on November 11, 2017. Following its renewal, the second season of eight episodes aired on Citytv beginning on October 11, 2018, and concluded on November 29, 2018. The second season was also broadcast on FX Canada on Sundays at 10:00 pm. The series reached a significant Canadian audience, with the first season attaining a total viewership of 3.2 million people across its broadcast.

In November 2018, the global streaming service Netflix acquired international distribution rights for the series. Netflix released the first season on its platform on December 7, 2018, and followed with the second season on May 31, 2019. Both seasons were removed from the Netflix library globally in June 2022. The broadcast and release timeline illustrates the series' journey from a domestic Canadian broadcast to international streaming and back. The availability on a major international streamer like Netflix significantly amplified its profile beyond Canada.

Critical reception and award recognition

Bad Blood received largely positive reviews from Canadian television critics throughout its two-season run. The first season holds an 80% score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on five critic reviews with an average rating of 8 out of 10. Reviewers frequently drew comparisons to prestigious American crime dramas, with the Toronto Star labelling the series a Canadian answer to The Sopranos. John Doyle of The Globe and Mail offered strong praise for the first season, describing it as very superior docu-drama that was gripping, richly textured and focused on the violent dynamics of a mob operation and the disintegration of power. Doyle also commended the second season, noting that it was not only nifty entertainment but a deftly made, superior crime drama, forensically smart about family and business power.

The series and its cast were recognized with nominations and wins at the Canadian Screen Awards. The show itself was nominated for Best Dramatic Series. Actor Kim Coates won the award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his portrayal of Declan Gardiner. Writer and showrunner Michael Konyves won the award for Best Writing in a Drama Series. These accolades affirmed the quality of the performances and writing that defined the show's gritty and intense atmosphere. The positive critical reception focused on several consistent strengths including the strong performances from the lead and supporting cast, particularly LaPaglia's and Coates' commanding presence. The series was praised for its production values, authentic Montreal settings, and its intelligent, paced storytelling that blended historical events with fictional drama. The first season's success led to its renewal, demonstrating strong viewer engagement.

Cultural significance and production context

Bad Blood occupies a distinct place in Canadian television as a high-profile drama directly engaging with the country's own history of organized crime. By dramatizing the story of the Rizzuto family, the series brought a well-documented chapter of Montreal's recent past to a mainstream audience. The decision to base the first season on the work of journalists Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards lent the project a foundation in investigative reporting, aiming for a docu-drama realism amidst its fictionalized elements. This approach provided viewers with a narrative that was informed by years of trial coverage and investigation into Montreal's extensive mob violence and activity. Creator Simon Barry emphasized that the story needed to be done in Canada by Canadians, a sentiment reflected in its largely Canadian cast, crew, and filming locations.

Shooting in Montreal and Sudbury not only provided economic benefits through tax incentives but also ensured an authentic visual backdrop for the story. The use of Canadian urban and industrial landscapes helped ground the drama in a recognizable national context, distinguishing it from American mob stories set in New York or Chicago. Bad Blood contributed to a period of increased ambition and quality in Canadian English-language dramatic television. Its critical success and award recognition demonstrated that domestically produced crime dramas could achieve high artistic standards and resonate with audiences, reaching 3.2 million viewers with its first season. The show's blend of domestic and international talent, like Coates, LaPaglia, and Sorvino, alongside Canadian actors such as Maxim Roy, Tony Nappo, and Enrico Colantoni, illustrated the ability of Canadian productions to attract notable performers. The series was part of a wave of Canadian crime dramas gaining international attention in the late 2010s.

Key themes and narrative devices

The series explores several central themes, primarily focusing on the corrupting nature of power and the fragile loyalties within criminal organizations. The narrative meticulously examines what happens when a strong leader is absent and the centre of power disintegrates, as noted by critic John Doyle. This is portrayed through Vito Rizzuto's imprisonment and the subsequent power struggle between his son Nico, his consigliere Bruno, and his appointed successor Declan. The theme of revenge drives much of the second half of the first season, as Vito returns to Montreal to reclaim his empire and punish those who betrayed him during his absence. The series also examines the conflict between old-world traditions of blood relations, represented by the Rizzutos and later the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, and the meritocratic, albeit brutal, rise of an outsider like Declan Gardiner.

Family, both biological and criminal, serves as a recurring motif throughout the two seasons. The first season contrasts the Rizzuto blood family with the fictional 'family' built around Declan, including his drug-addicted father Lonnie. The second season expands this exploration to include the Cosoleto family in Hamilton, their internal generational conflicts between Domenic, Enzo, and their sons Luca and Nats, and the external threat posed by the Langana twins who are related to them. The series uses flashbacks as a key narrative device to fill in gaps from the past, providing context for character motivations and historical events like the 1981 murders for which Vito was imprisoned. This chronological, real-time storytelling interspersed with flashbacks allows the series to cover a broad timeline from the early 2000s to the early 2010s while maintaining narrative cohesion and depth.

The show also engages with themes of institutional corruption and the often-blurred line between law enforcement and criminality. This is represented by characters like the crooked RCMP Inspector Aucoin and the dedicated but challenged Quebec Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau and her team. The second season introduces the Sunwind family's cigarette smuggling operation on an Indian reserve, touching on issues of jurisdiction, border security, and alternative economies. The partnership between Declan and Rose Sunwind for drug smuggling further illustrates the pragmatic, often opportunistic alliances that define the criminal landscape. These thematic layers contribute to the series' rich texture, moving beyond simple gangster tropes to present a complex portrait of power dynamics in a Canadian urban setting. The character of Declan Gardiner was conceived as similar to Tom Hagen from The Godfather, an outsider brought into the family core.

Questions about Bad Blood

Is Bad Blood based on a true story?

The first season of Bad Blood is a dramatization based on the real-life Rizzuto crime family of Montreal. It draws heavily from the 2015 non-fiction book Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's Last War by journalists Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards. The series depicts real events such as Vito Rizzuto's imprisonment for the 1981 triple murders and the subsequent power struggles within the family, though it creates composite characters like Declan Gardiner for narrative purposes. The second season departs completely from the historical record and is a fully fictional story about new criminal rivals from Hamilton and Italy.

Where can I watch Bad Blood in Canada?

Bad Blood originally aired on Citytv in Canada on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm, with the second season also broadcast on FX Canada on Sundays at 10:00 pm. The series was available for international streaming on Netflix from December 2018 for season one and May 2019 for season two until its removal from the platform globally in June 2022. The French-dubbed version, Les liens du sang, aired on Ici Radio-Canada Télé beginning November 11, 2017. As of now, the series may be available through digital purchase or rental platforms.

Who are the main actors in Bad Blood?

The series features an ensemble cast led by Anthony LaPaglia as Vito Rizzuto and Kim Coates as Declan Gardiner. The first season also starred Paul Sorvino as patriarch Nicolo Rizzuto, Enrico Colantoni as consigliere Bruno Bonsignori, Brett Donahue as Nico Jr., and Maxim Roy as Michelle. For the second season, Kim Coates returned as the lead, joined by new main cast members including Louis Ferreira as Domenic Cosoleto, Anna Hopkins as Teresa Langana, Daniel Kash as Enzo Cosoleto, Melanie Scrofano as Valentina Cosoleto, and Lisa Berry as RCMP officer Nellie Bullock. Supporting cast included Tony Nappo, Sharon Taylor, and Gianni Falcone.

How many seasons and episodes of Bad Blood are there?

Bad Blood ran for two seasons, comprising a total of 14 episodes. The first season, which aired in the fall of 2017, consists of six episodes. The second season, which aired in the fall of 2018, consists of eight episodes. The series was conceived initially as a six-part miniseries but was renewed for a second season by Rogers Media in March 2018 due to strong viewer response and critical acclaim. The complete story arc spans these 14 episodes.

Did Bad Blood win any awards?

Yes, Bad Blood received recognition at the Canadian Screen Awards. Kim Coates won the award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his performance as Declan Gardiner. Writer and showrunner Michael Konyves won the award for Best Writing in a Drama Series. The series itself was also nominated for the award for Best Dramatic Series. These awards highlight the critical appreciation for the show's acting and writing quality within the Canadian television industry.

Where was Bad Blood filmed?

Bad Blood was filmed on location in Canada, primarily in Montreal, Quebec, and Sudbury, Ontario. Montreal served as the authentic backdrop for the story's primary setting. The production also utilized Sudbury, Ontario, taking advantage of the province's financial incentives and tax credits for film and television production, with care taken to cloak locations during initial shooting. Some filming for the second season also took place to represent Hamilton, Ontario, which is depicted as the home base of the rival Cosoleto crime family. Showrunner Michael Konyves used a two-camera setup during filming to save time.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-24.