Cardinal
AtmosphericMood and place thick enough to touch.This show: 9/10Detective mysteryCrime-solving from the investigator's side of the table.This show: 9/10Nordic noirScandinavian-style crime: somber, procedural and socially aware.This show: 8/10Dark toneShadowy mood and subject matter, a shade short of outright bleak.This show: 8/10Slow burnDeliberate pacing where the payoffs are earned over long stretches.This show: 7/10Small townA tight community where everyone knows everyone.This show: 7/10SerializedContinuous arcs where every episode builds on the last.This show: 7/10TenseSustained suspense and pressure from start to finish.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Billy CampbellKarine VanasseKristen ThomsonGlen GouldJames DowningDeborah Hay
Starring
Billy CampbellKarine VanasseKristen ThomsonGlen GouldJames DowningDeborah Hay
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
Cardinal Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.2 | |
| S2 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.9 | |
| S3 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.2 | |
| S4 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.1 |
Download Infographic
About
"Grief and guilt frozen into a snowy procedural"
Cardinal follows a haunted small-town detective in snowbound Northern Ontario, paired with a partner who's secretly investigating him, as they work a string of unsettling cases. Each season builds a self-contained mystery around missing or murdered locals, but the show lingers less on twists than on grief, guilt, and the isolating cold that seeps into every frame. It's a slow, moody procedural where atmosphere and character ache matter more than jump-scares, carried by two leads whose wary partnership slowly deepens into something like trust.
Watch it for
the bleak, wintry atmosphere and the slow-building partnership between two guarded detectives.
Maybe skip if
you want fast-paced twists rather than a somber, character-driven slow burn.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
▶
Forty Words for Sorrow2017
7.83K64h 18m
▶
Blackfly Season2018
7.72K64h 18m
It’s early summer in Algonquin Bay and the blackflies aren’t the only ones out for blood. Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme find themselves with a strange case on their hands involving a young woman with a gunshot wound to the head. The investigation quickly takes a turn as Cardinal and Delorme uncover a series of disturbing, ritualistic killings that may be connected to their young victim.
▶
By the Time You Read This2019
7.92K64h 18m
As Detective John Cardinal and Lise Delorme’s investigation into Algonquin Bay’s most gruesome double murder brings them precariously close to a doomsday cult with nothing to lose, Cardinal launches his own investigation into a case far more personal and dangerous. With doubts about Catherine’s suicide swirling beneath Cardinal’s placid exterior, Delorme stretched thin in her role as lead investigator on an increasingly complex, and far-reaching case, the pursuit of the killers will push them both to the breaking point. Delorme must decide whether she can trust Cardinal, or whether the death of his wife has sent him into a delusional state that puts the entire case at risk.
▶
Until the Night2020
8.02K62h 51m
Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme have grown closer as friends and partners. There’s a strong bond between them that transcends the job, a bond that deepens all the time and yet remains largely unspoken. But when a seemingly mundane missing persons case turns into a spree of nightmarish murders, the ensuing investigation pushes them to their limits as detectives and partners, forcing them each to face what their future holds.
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
Billy Campbell John Cardinal
Karine Vanasse Lise Delorme
Kristen Thomson Noelle Dyson
Glen Gould Detective Jerry Commanda, Det. Jerry Commanda
James Downing Detective McLeod
Deborah Hay Catherine Cardinal
Zach Smadu Detective Ash Kular
Eric Hicks Constable Derek Fox, Constable Fox, Constable K. Fox
Alanna Bale Kelly Cardinal
Alden Adair Josh
Similar Series
Popular picks Shows that people who know this one usually know too. From our AI taste analysis.
Our recommendations Specific picks with the reason, including shows you may not have heard of. From our AI taste analysis.
Trapped
27K 28 2015–2021
isolated snowbound crime investigation
Hinterland
16K 13 2013–2016
brooding rural detective atmosphere
Wallander
18K 12 2008–2016
melancholic Nordic detective introspection
Case
3K 10 2015–present
slow-burn Icelandic mystery mood
19-2
4K 38 2014–2017
gritty Canadian police procedural
Rectify
29K 30 2013–2016
quiet character-driven crime aftermath
Jack Irish
4K 16 2016–2021
weary detective, small-town moral shadows
Marcella
41K 24 2016–2021
psychological detective unraveling
Close in taste Nearest neighbors in our taste profile comparison: shared tone, themes and style.