Sidestreet
Encyclopedia
Sidestreet was a Canadian
television drama
, which aired Sundays on CBC
from 1975 to 1978. It starred Sean McCann
and Donnelly Rhodes
as police working in 1970s Toronto
.
as the CBC's main series drama. Program developers aimed to move Sidestreet away from the violence that the The Collaborators had by focusing on protagonists who were community service officers instead of ordinary detectives. They aimed to concentrate on issues such as blockbusting
, strikebreaking, rape
, poverty
, and the problems of the elderly in the city, instead of major crimes.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, which aired Sundays on CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
from 1975 to 1978. It starred Sean McCann
Sean McCann (actor)
Sean McCann is one of Canada's most successful character actors and has been in the business for over 40 years. Winner of the prestigious Earle Grey Award for his lifetime achievement in television, Sean McCann has appeared in over 150 movies, television shows and plays.- Notable roles and awards...
and Donnelly Rhodes
Donnelly Rhodes
Donnelly Rhodes is a Canadian actor. He recently starred as Doctor Cottle on the Sci Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica. Before Battlestar Galactica he was probably best known to American audiences as the lovestruck, hapless escaped convict "Dutch Leitner" on the 1970s soap-opera...
as police working in 1970s Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Background
Sidestreet succeeded The CollaboratorsThe Collaborators
The Collaborators was a Canadian police procedural crime drama television series which aired on CBC Television between December 1973 and December 1974.- Plot :...
as the CBC's main series drama. Program developers aimed to move Sidestreet away from the violence that the The Collaborators had by focusing on protagonists who were community service officers instead of ordinary detectives. They aimed to concentrate on issues such as blockbusting
Blockbusting
Blockbusting is a business practice of U.S. real estate agents and building developers meant to encourage white property owners to sell their houses at a loss, by implying that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities — Blacks, Hispanics, Jews et al. — were moving into their previously racially...
, strikebreaking, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, and the problems of the elderly in the city, instead of major crimes.