Traders (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Traders is a Canadian
television drama
series, which was broadcast on Global Television Network
from 1995 to 2000.
's "Must See Thursday
" situation comedies for their Thursday night broadcasts, they lost the rights to broadcast the medical drama ER
to rival CTV
. Traders was broadcast against ER in the 10 p.m. Thursday time slot. Many critics at the time believed the show would die an early death against the time slot competition, as ER had even beaten the other American networks in the time slot in a convincing manner. However, despite the stiff competition, Traders received good ratings, in part thanks to its lead-ins.
The show was set in a Bay Street
investment bank, Gardner Ross. Bruce Gray
and Sonja Smits
starred as the firm's senior partners, Adam Cunningham and Sally Ross. The cast also included Patrick McKenna
, David Cubitt
, Rick Roberts
, Chris Leavins
, Gabriel Hogan
, David Hewlett
, Peter Stebbings
and Alex Carter.
The show, although one of the most popular Canadian television series of its era, was expensive to produce. In the 1998-1999 season, Global entered a joint production arrangement with CBC
, and the series was shown on both networks for several months. However, this arrangement did not last into the show's next season.
Traders reruns are currently shown on Canadian digital television station, MovieTime
, as well as Canadian Learning Television
.
The exterior shots of Gardner Ross are of the Canada Permanent Trust Building
at 320 Bay Street
in Toronto, currently the offices of CIBC Mellon
.
(8 episodes, 1996-1999)
Reid A. Dunlop (6 episodes, 1998-2000)
T. W. Peacocke
(6 episodes, 1998-2000)
Kari Skogland
(5 episodes, 1996)
Gordon Langevin (5 episodes, 1997-1998)
John L'Ecuyer
(5 episodes, 1998-1999)
Stacey Stewart Curtis (4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Alan Goluboff (4 episodes, 1996-1997)
Alan Taylor
(4 episodes, 1996-1997)
Gary Harvey (4 episodes, 1998-1999)
E. Jane Thompson (3 episodes, 1996-2000)
George Mendeluk
(3 episodes, 1996)
Philip Earnshaw (3 episodes, 1998-2000)
David Straiton
(3 episodes, 1998)
Henry Sarwer-Foner (2 episodes, 1997-1998)
Keith Ross Leckie (2 episodes, 1997)
Randy Bradshaw (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Michael DeCarlo
(2 episodes, 1999-2000)
Steve DiMarco (2 episodes, 1999)
Scott Smith
(2 episodes, 2000)
(83 episodes, 1996-2000)
Peter Mitchell (12 episodes, 1998-2000)
Alyson Feltes (7 episodes, 1996-2000)
Graham Clegg (7 episodes, 1998-2000)
Shelley Eriksen (7 episodes, 1998-2000)
Maureen McKeon (6 episodes, 1997-1998)
Jennifer Cowan (6 episodes, 1998-2000)
David Shore
(5 episodes, 1996)
Ann MacNaughton (4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Tim Southam
(4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Raymond Storey (3 episodes, 1996-1997)
Jack Blum
(3 episodes, 1996)
Sharon Corder (3 episodes, 1996)
Paul Aitken (3 episodes, 1998-1999)
Michael Teversham (3 episodes, 1998)
David Cole (2 episodes, 1996-1997)
Allen Booth (2 episodes, 1996)
Robert Sandler (2 episodes, 1996)
David Young
(2 episodes, 1998)
, with several characters disappearing, and some reappearing, throughout the series. As such, like other series with a consistent story arc, it is often best to watch the episodes in order as plot points often cover several episodes and very few episodes stand entirely on their own.
. Fearing that his partner Adam Cunningham will take advantage of his absence to agree to a friendly takeover by a larger bank, he calls on his only child, Sally, to take care of his interests in his absence. Meanwhile, hotshot trader Jack Larkin is looking to break into investment banking and approaches Adam, who agrees to allow Larkin to join the firm if he can land another IPO. Jack undercuts a rival bank and wins the IPO, but as the investment syndicate falls through, Gardner Ross finds itself responsible for most of the underwriting of the issue, and if the sale goes poorly, faces the loss of all of its investment capital. Luckily, head trader Marty Stephens saves the day by making a large profit for the bank selling the issue into a cool market.
The three major players each have different agendas. Sally wishes both to keep the bank independent and to solidify her control of the bank despite her lack of experience. Adam wants to steer a safe course that will bring consistent but relatively low returns on capital. Jack seeks outgrowth at any cost seeking bigger and bigger deals, culminating in a $1 billion financing of a harbour project. This infuriates Marty who sees the plans of the investment bankers stealing capital away from his consistently profitable trading while putting him under pressure to bring more capital into the bank.
Meanwhile, the charges against Cedric are dropped on a technicality. However, Sally discovers that he did take an illegal commission on the IPO
, and refuses to give up her control of the shares. Sally makes a misstep by bragging about the harbour project, nearly defaulting on a progress advance in the process - she has to be bailed out by a much larger bank, making the original deal totally unprofitable. The larger bank gets a share of Gardner Ross in the process, threatening Jack's expansion plans. Sally decides to take the company public to raise capital to pay off the larger bank, but with Adam's help this results in Cedric being able to buy enough shares to re-take control of Gardner Ross and force Sally out for ordering Marty to keep buying Gardner Ross stock in a futile attempt to stop him, technically violating capital requirements.
However, Cedric is soon murdered and his stock goes back to Sally. Adam is caught up in his own betrayal, but Sally keeps him on because his dismissal would end the firm's credibility on the street. Adam and Jack buy back in as partners. However, Jack is betrayed by Ann on a software investment and goes bankrupt when his shares in Gardner Ross don't cover the amount he borrowed to buy them. He unwisely assaults another banker and is suspended as a result.
Although Ann leaves the firm, she is soon wooed back by Adam to run the mutual fund being set up by the firm. Marty wants nothing to do with her although to get him to agree to sell a very poor bond issue (and ruin his reputation in the process), he is given managerial control of the firm. Marty fears another betrayal and the effect the mutual fund will have on the trading floor.
Jack soon recovers as he is reinstated and an investment in a diamond mine pays off huge dividends. However, the success is short lived after the tests turn out to be fraudulent. Benny loses his life savings as a result and gives up trading to marry Jack's sister Cathy. Sally pursues a relationship with a smitten billionaire, Phil Hoagland, but cuts it off when she realizes he suffers from bipolar disorder
and will not take medication to control it. Hoagland first tries to use his influence to destroy Gardner Ross, but when the firm gets in trouble again, he instead agrees to act as a white knight
and save the firm at the expense of Sally leaving the firm. He brings Niko and Paul to the bank to look out for his interests.
Jack plans a new life himself with Ann, but Ann is murdered by a security company who is dependent on an unknowing Jack to launder
their illegally obtained money. Jack finds out about the scheme and runs off with the money. Sally and Grant manage to freeze Jack's assets, but they only manage to enrage the security company when an attempted sting operation on Jack to get their money back can't be carried out because he has lost the funds. Jack is killed as a result. However, Sally uses his money to re-take control of the bank by buying Hoagland's shares.
The bank is once again thrown into crisis when Sally is diagnosed with cancer
and has to undergo surgery
and chemotherapy
to keep it under control. As usual, she has to compete with Adam for managerial control and ownership of the bank during this time. After this major crisis, most of the rest of the series concentrates on the relationship between the character's personal lives and their work at the bank.
David v. Goliath: Throughout the series, Gardner Ross is constantly comparing themselves to their larger competition. The investment bankers often trade blows with the much larger (if fictional) Canadian Corporate Bank (most likely based on one of Canada's Big Five
). The trading floor's key competition is Federated Dundas, a brokerage firm with ten times the staff and capital, and the home of Marty's arch-nemesis "McGrath" (played in a memorable cameo by Joe Flaherty
, although otherwise unseen during the series). Even Canada's status with respect to the much larger economy of the United States is examined, with Sally eventually partnering with both a U.S. venture capital
fund with twice her working capital
and the entrepreneurial Texan
who runs it.
Family: All of the characters have varying family troubles. Ironically, Marty has the most stable "nuclear" family with a wife and children, but even his relationship is rocky. On the other extreme, Ann is so disconnected from a family life that she listed Gardner Ross as her person to contact in case of an emergency. A few characters suffer the loss of a close family member during the series. Chris is alienated from his family, and despite the efforts of a family friend to mend the relationship with his father, he never manages to do it. Donald, similarly disowned, does manage to build bridges with his parents. Niko perhaps has the worst relationship history, cutting herself off from her own son in order to further her career, only to find herself caring for the child when her ex-husband is arrested.
However, obligations to family often prove problematic. Feeling guilty about abandoning his sister to their abusive father, Jack found his sister Cathy a job at the firm, and on her first day of work she engaged in an incident of insider trading. Similarly, fearing that his talented son would drop out of high school, Marty called in all his favours in order to prevent his son from having a job on a trading floor.
Business Ethics: The characters often grapple with ethical issues, and even Adam raises these issues on occasion. For example, to increase its cash flow
, Gardner Ross attempts a takeover of a cigarette
company that is actually trying to get out of the tobacco
business. Marty is constantly "walking the line" on ethical issues, taking advantage of information that doesn't quite meet the criteria for insider trading
on a near daily basis. Although he knows the rules, he consistently breaks the spirit of the law, and occasionally steps over the line. For example, when he took a short position on a stock that was put on the restricted list when Gardner Ross announced a takeover attempt, he covered the short in order to save the firm millions at the expense of its client.
Reputation: Gardner Ross is constantly trying to balance appearances with reality. For example, Adam is known as "The Most Trusted Man on Bay Street
", although he consistently tries to take advantage of Sally. Despite this, rumours swirl around him, one about his wife's death (an assisted suicide) just out of the range of hearing. Conversely, Jack does not mind putting the firm in a position where the rest of Bay Street is "out to get him" - Jack openly steps on the toes of larger rivals in order to get deals. Marty too understands the importance of reputation - on one occasion after being suspended, he comes back to find that no-one will execute a trade with him, leaving him at the end of the day begging an old friend to execute any trade with him whatsoever.
released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only) on November 25, 2003. This release has been discontinued and is now out of print.
Season 2 has not yet been released.
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...
series, which was broadcast on Global Television Network
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
from 1995 to 2000.
Overview
Although Global had locked up most of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's "Must See Thursday
Must See TV
"Must See TV" is an advertising slogan used by the NBC television network to brand its prime time blocks of sitcoms during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured such popular sitcoms as The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, A Different...
" situation comedies for their Thursday night broadcasts, they lost the rights to broadcast the medical drama ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
to rival CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
. Traders was broadcast against ER in the 10 p.m. Thursday time slot. Many critics at the time believed the show would die an early death against the time slot competition, as ER had even beaten the other American networks in the time slot in a convincing manner. However, despite the stiff competition, Traders received good ratings, in part thanks to its lead-ins.
The show was set in a Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...
investment bank, Gardner Ross. Bruce Gray
Bruce Gray
Bruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...
and Sonja Smits
Sonja Smits
Sonja Smits is a television actress who has played roles in many television series, including Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Odyssey 5, The Outer Limits, Street Legal, Traders and The Eleventh Hour.She also played Bianca O'Blivion in the David Cronenberg horror movie, Videodrome.Sonja went to Bell High...
starred as the firm's senior partners, Adam Cunningham and Sally Ross. The cast also included Patrick McKenna
Patrick McKenna
Patrick McKenna born May 8, 1960 in Sylvania, Saskatchewan is a Canadian comedic and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series The Red Green Show, Marty Stephens on Traders, and the Trudeau miniseries. McKenna is a member of Toronto's The Second City comedy troupe...
, David Cubitt
David Cubitt
David Cubitt is a Canadian television actor.Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother and a British father, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months old. He studied at Studio 58 there. He has starred in the Canadian series Traders and the American series...
, Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts (actor)
Rick Roberts is a Canadian actor. His most substantial role to date is as Donald D'Arby in the series Traders, for which he was nominated for a Gemini Award. He played Elizabeth Berkley's husband in the Lifetime made-for-television movie Student Seduction. Roberts has also appeared in L.A...
, Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins is a Canadian actor and writer based in Los Angeles, USA. He has appeared in a number of successful Canadian television shows and been nominated for two Gemini Awards...
, Gabriel Hogan
Gabriel Hogan
Gabriel Hogan is a Canadian actor.Hogan is best known for his continuing roles on Canadian hit dramas Traders and The Associates.- Background :...
, David Hewlett
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
, Peter Stebbings
Peter Stebbings
Peter Stebbings is a Canadian veteran actor who started practicing his trade at the Vancouver Youth Theater when he was just 12 years old. He worked at various odd jobs growing up, including bus boy and bike courier, before making the serious move to acting...
and Alex Carter.
The show, although one of the most popular Canadian television series of its era, was expensive to produce. In the 1998-1999 season, Global entered a joint production arrangement with 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...
, and the series was shown on both networks for several months. However, this arrangement did not last into the show's next season.
Traders reruns are currently shown on Canadian digital television station, MovieTime
MovieTime
MovieTime is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. MovieTime is a commercial service that primarily broadcasts films.-Series list:* Highlander: The Series* Infomercials* TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens...
, as well as Canadian Learning Television
Canadian Learning Television
Oprah Winfrey Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. OWN is a specialty television service targeted to women, offering a blend of lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming....
.
The exterior shots of Gardner Ross are of the Canada Permanent Trust Building
Canada Permanent Trust Building
Canada Permanent Trust Building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is an Art Deco structure built between 1928 and 1930. It was designed by the architect Henry Sproatt. The 18 floor building is located at 320 Bay Street and was built by F...
at 320 Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...
in Toronto, currently the offices of CIBC Mellon
CIBC Mellon
CIBC Mellon was founded in 1996 as a joint venture between the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Mellon Financial Corporation to offer asset servicing to institutional investors...
.
Cast/Characters
- Sally Ross (Sonja SmitsSonja SmitsSonja Smits is a television actress who has played roles in many television series, including Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Odyssey 5, The Outer Limits, Street Legal, Traders and The Eleventh Hour.She also played Bianca O'Blivion in the David Cronenberg horror movie, Videodrome.Sonja went to Bell High...
), a former economicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
professor and the only daughter of Cedric Ross who is one of the partners in the firm. She takes control of the firm when her father is arrested for embezzlementEmbezzlementEmbezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
, loses control of the firm back to him, and regains control on her father's death. - Adam Cunningham (Bruce GrayBruce GrayBruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...
), the Machiavellian elder statesman of the bank, although a junior partner to the Rosses. Like Sally, he comes from a rich family, but he fell on hard times when his father lost the family fortune. Less of a risk taker than Sally or Jack, Adam is often at odds with them. He is very much in love with his wife, who suffers from an unidentified illness. - Marty Stephens (Patrick McKennaPatrick McKennaPatrick McKenna born May 8, 1960 in Sylvania, Saskatchewan is a Canadian comedic and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series The Red Green Show, Marty Stephens on Traders, and the Trudeau miniseries. McKenna is a member of Toronto's The Second City comedy troupe...
), the driven head trader of Gardner Ross, making the firm money through risky short term trades. Stephens often derides the senior partners as "overheads" - a double insult based on the fact that their offices are above the trading floor and, in his view, they eat up rent without bringing in any regular income. Although largely driven by money, he has a soft spot for his wife and two children. - Jack Larkin (David CubittDavid CubittDavid Cubitt is a Canadian television actor.Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother and a British father, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months old. He studied at Studio 58 there. He has starred in the Canadian series Traders and the American series...
), the firm's ambitious young investment banker and junior partner. He grew up as a juvenile delinquent with an abusive father and got through college as a boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He became a traderTrader (finance)A trader is someone in finance who buys and sells financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. A broker who simply fills buy or sell orders is not a trader, as they are merely executing instructions given to them. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2004, a managing...
in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
before coming to Gardner Ross. - Ann Krywarik (Kim HuffmanKim HuffmanKim Huffman is a Canadian actress born in St. Catharines, Ontario.She trained to be an opera singer, but is mostly known for her television and cinema roles.Hoffman played Donna in the Toronto production of Mamma Mia! from 2004-2005...
), the firm's female broker. She started her career by specializing in accounts held by elderly single men. She is at times Jack's paramour. She works as a broker, trader and mutual fundMutual fundA mutual fund is a professionally managed type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities.- Overview :...
manager. - Donald D'Arby (Rick RobertsRick Roberts (actor)Rick Roberts is a Canadian actor. His most substantial role to date is as Donald D'Arby in the series Traders, for which he was nominated for a Gemini Award. He played Elizabeth Berkley's husband in the Lifetime made-for-television movie Student Seduction. Roberts has also appeared in L.A...
), a young, smart and shy investment banker. He usually works for Jack and runs a mutual fund later in the series. D'Arby is from an extremely rich lumberLumberLumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
family. - Grant Jansky (David HewlettDavid HewlettDavid Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
), a brilliant but disturbed derivativesDerivative (finance)A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...
trader. He has extremely poor social skills and tends to keep to himself, although he is close to Donald and Jack. He is in love with Ann and often resents the way Jack treats her. - Chris Todson (Chris LeavinsChris LeavinsChris Leavins is a Canadian actor and writer based in Los Angeles, USA. He has appeared in a number of successful Canadian television shows and been nominated for two Gemini Awards...
), the firm's humourless head currencyCurrencyIn economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
trader. He was raised on a farm in a religion that shuns modern technology (similar to the MennoniteMennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
), but is shunned after he had an affair with an older married woman. He is highly materialistic and has a sister named Lilly. - Ian Farnham (Gabriel HoganGabriel HoganGabriel Hogan is a Canadian actor.Hogan is best known for his continuing roles on Canadian hit dramas Traders and The Associates.- Background :...
), a very handsome young investment banker, hired by Gardner Ross as a favour to his well-connected mother in order to grease the wheels of a pending deal, although Ian is unaware of this fact. - Benny Siedleman (Ron Gabriel), the firm's primary bond trader, and the oldest man on the trading floor. He was Marty's first boss.
- Ziggy McLeod (Angela Vint) is the firm's receptionist early in the series. Later, she becomes a trainee on the trading floor.
- Niko Bach (Rachael CrawfordRachael CrawfordRachael Crawford is an actress known primarily for her role in Show Me Yours as Dr. Kate Langford...
) is brought into Gardner Ross by Phil Hoagland after he takes control of Gardner Ross. She is a beautiful, exotic and brilliant trader. She is the only trader Marty feels is capable of succeeding him as head trader. She has a short, kinky love affair with Chris. - Cedric Ross (David GardnerDavid GardnerDavid Gardner is one of the three founders of The Motley Fool, established in 1993.He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship, graduating in 1988. He was a writer for Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street newsletter before joining the Motley Fool...
), the "Ross" in Gardner Ross, and Sally's father. Sally eventually finds out that he was deeply involved in several illegal financial transactions, and attempts to keep him out of the firm. Although he regains control, his double life leads to his murder shortly thereafter, and Sally once again becomes the senior partner. - Paul Deeds (Peter StebbingsPeter StebbingsPeter Stebbings is a Canadian veteran actor who started practicing his trade at the Vancouver Youth Theater when he was just 12 years old. He worked at various odd jobs growing up, including bus boy and bike courier, before making the serious move to acting...
) is brought into Gardner Ross by Phil Hoagland after he takes control of Gardner Ross. Paul is young, brilliant, but unprincipled investment banker. He steals research material from David Astin (William Pappas).
Directors
Alex ChappleAlex Chapple
-Filmography:-External links:...
(8 episodes, 1996-1999)
Reid A. Dunlop (6 episodes, 1998-2000)
T. W. Peacocke
T. W. Peacocke
TW Peacocke is an award-winning Canadian television and film director. Raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he studied painting at the Banff Centre, French civilization at the Université de Caen in France, and then went on to Yale University, from which he graduated in 1983...
(6 episodes, 1998-2000)
Kari Skogland
Kari Skogland
Kari Skogland is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Career:Skogland started directing award-winning television commercials and music videos. She moved on to television shows with 1996's Traders...
(5 episodes, 1996)
Gordon Langevin (5 episodes, 1997-1998)
John L'Ecuyer
John L'Ecuyer
John L'Ecuyer is a Canadian film and television director. He is the younger brother of Gerald L'Ecuyer, a noted Canadian film and television director. L'Ecuyer studied at Ryerson University in Toronto, where his classmates included screenwriter Brad Abraham.His first feature, Curtis's Charm , was...
(5 episodes, 1998-1999)
Stacey Stewart Curtis (4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Alan Goluboff (4 episodes, 1996-1997)
Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor (director)
Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...
(4 episodes, 1996-1997)
Gary Harvey (4 episodes, 1998-1999)
E. Jane Thompson (3 episodes, 1996-2000)
George Mendeluk
George Mendeluk
George Mendeluk is German-born Canadian film, television director and writer.Throughout his career he has amassed a number of credits in film and television...
(3 episodes, 1996)
Philip Earnshaw (3 episodes, 1998-2000)
David Straiton
David Straiton
David Straiton is an American television director.Since the 1990s he has amassed large a number of notable television credits, first making his directorial debut directing an episode of the Disney Channel series Flash Forward...
(3 episodes, 1998)
Henry Sarwer-Foner (2 episodes, 1997-1998)
Keith Ross Leckie (2 episodes, 1997)
Randy Bradshaw (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Michael DeCarlo
Michael DeCarlo
Michael DeCarlo is a Canadian television director. Some of his directing credits include Queer as Folk, Murdoch Mysteries, The Zack Files, Across the River to Motor City, Wild Roses, The Border, Three Moons Over Milford and Kyle XY.-External links:...
(2 episodes, 1999-2000)
Steve DiMarco (2 episodes, 1999)
Scott Smith
Scott Smith (director)
Scott Smith is a Canadian television and film director, born in Alberta and raised in British Columbia. He has directed episodes of the television series Cold Squad and This Is Wonderland. He has won multiple film festival awards for his 1999 film Rollercoaster...
(2 episodes, 2000)
Writers
Hart HansonHart Hanson
Hart Hanson is an American television writer and producer. Hanson's family moved to Canada when he was a child. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a MFA from the University of British Columbia, where he taught briefly...
(83 episodes, 1996-2000)
Peter Mitchell (12 episodes, 1998-2000)
Alyson Feltes (7 episodes, 1996-2000)
Graham Clegg (7 episodes, 1998-2000)
Shelley Eriksen (7 episodes, 1998-2000)
Maureen McKeon (6 episodes, 1997-1998)
Jennifer Cowan (6 episodes, 1998-2000)
David Shore
David Shore
David Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
(5 episodes, 1996)
Ann MacNaughton (4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Tim Southam
Tim Southam
Tim Southam is an award-winning Canadian television and film director.-Career:Early signs of Southam's directing ability came in 1995 when he was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series for the 1994 documentary Satie and Suzanne about...
(4 episodes, 1996-1998)
Raymond Storey (3 episodes, 1996-1997)
Jack Blum
Jack Blum
Jack Blum is a Canadian writer, producer, director, story editor, actor, educator and communications consultant based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With his longtime partner Sharon Corder, he has written and produced more than fifty hours of television drama for both Canadian and American broadcasters...
(3 episodes, 1996)
Sharon Corder (3 episodes, 1996)
Paul Aitken (3 episodes, 1998-1999)
Michael Teversham (3 episodes, 1998)
David Cole (2 episodes, 1996-1997)
Allen Booth (2 episodes, 1996)
Robert Sandler (2 episodes, 1996)
David Young
David Young (Canadian playwright)
David Samuel D'Arcy Young is a Canadian playwright, novelist, and screenwriter.Born in Oakville, Ontario, Young studied at the University of Western Ontario...
(2 episodes, 1998)
Story arc
The entire series encompasses a large story arcStory arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
, with several characters disappearing, and some reappearing, throughout the series. As such, like other series with a consistent story arc, it is often best to watch the episodes in order as plot points often cover several episodes and very few episodes stand entirely on their own.
Basic story line
Gardner Ross is a small Canadian investment bank that is somewhat profitable, but often faces a takeover by a larger institution due to its inability to compete in a global marketplace. Crisis strikes when senior partner Cedric Ross is jailed after money goes missing from an initial public offeringInitial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
. Fearing that his partner Adam Cunningham will take advantage of his absence to agree to a friendly takeover by a larger bank, he calls on his only child, Sally, to take care of his interests in his absence. Meanwhile, hotshot trader Jack Larkin is looking to break into investment banking and approaches Adam, who agrees to allow Larkin to join the firm if he can land another IPO. Jack undercuts a rival bank and wins the IPO, but as the investment syndicate falls through, Gardner Ross finds itself responsible for most of the underwriting of the issue, and if the sale goes poorly, faces the loss of all of its investment capital. Luckily, head trader Marty Stephens saves the day by making a large profit for the bank selling the issue into a cool market.
The three major players each have different agendas. Sally wishes both to keep the bank independent and to solidify her control of the bank despite her lack of experience. Adam wants to steer a safe course that will bring consistent but relatively low returns on capital. Jack seeks outgrowth at any cost seeking bigger and bigger deals, culminating in a $1 billion financing of a harbour project. This infuriates Marty who sees the plans of the investment bankers stealing capital away from his consistently profitable trading while putting him under pressure to bring more capital into the bank.
Meanwhile, the charges against Cedric are dropped on a technicality. However, Sally discovers that he did take an illegal commission on the IPO
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
, and refuses to give up her control of the shares. Sally makes a misstep by bragging about the harbour project, nearly defaulting on a progress advance in the process - she has to be bailed out by a much larger bank, making the original deal totally unprofitable. The larger bank gets a share of Gardner Ross in the process, threatening Jack's expansion plans. Sally decides to take the company public to raise capital to pay off the larger bank, but with Adam's help this results in Cedric being able to buy enough shares to re-take control of Gardner Ross and force Sally out for ordering Marty to keep buying Gardner Ross stock in a futile attempt to stop him, technically violating capital requirements.
However, Cedric is soon murdered and his stock goes back to Sally. Adam is caught up in his own betrayal, but Sally keeps him on because his dismissal would end the firm's credibility on the street. Adam and Jack buy back in as partners. However, Jack is betrayed by Ann on a software investment and goes bankrupt when his shares in Gardner Ross don't cover the amount he borrowed to buy them. He unwisely assaults another banker and is suspended as a result.
Although Ann leaves the firm, she is soon wooed back by Adam to run the mutual fund being set up by the firm. Marty wants nothing to do with her although to get him to agree to sell a very poor bond issue (and ruin his reputation in the process), he is given managerial control of the firm. Marty fears another betrayal and the effect the mutual fund will have on the trading floor.
Jack soon recovers as he is reinstated and an investment in a diamond mine pays off huge dividends. However, the success is short lived after the tests turn out to be fraudulent. Benny loses his life savings as a result and gives up trading to marry Jack's sister Cathy. Sally pursues a relationship with a smitten billionaire, Phil Hoagland, but cuts it off when she realizes he suffers from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and will not take medication to control it. Hoagland first tries to use his influence to destroy Gardner Ross, but when the firm gets in trouble again, he instead agrees to act as a white knight
White knight (business)
In business, a white knight, or "friendly investor," may be a corporation or a person that intends to help another firm. There are many types of white knights...
and save the firm at the expense of Sally leaving the firm. He brings Niko and Paul to the bank to look out for his interests.
Jack plans a new life himself with Ann, but Ann is murdered by a security company who is dependent on an unknowing Jack to launder
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
their illegally obtained money. Jack finds out about the scheme and runs off with the money. Sally and Grant manage to freeze Jack's assets, but they only manage to enrage the security company when an attempted sting operation on Jack to get their money back can't be carried out because he has lost the funds. Jack is killed as a result. However, Sally uses his money to re-take control of the bank by buying Hoagland's shares.
The bank is once again thrown into crisis when Sally is diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and has to undergo surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
and chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
to keep it under control. As usual, she has to compete with Adam for managerial control and ownership of the bank during this time. After this major crisis, most of the rest of the series concentrates on the relationship between the character's personal lives and their work at the bank.
Themes
Several themes are repeated during the course of the series.David v. Goliath: Throughout the series, Gardner Ross is constantly comparing themselves to their larger competition. The investment bankers often trade blows with the much larger (if fictional) Canadian Corporate Bank (most likely based on one of Canada's Big Five
Big Five banks
Big Five is the name colloquially given to the five largest banks that dominate the banking industry of Canada. The five banks are operationally headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. They are all classified as Schedule I banks that are domestic banks operating in Canada under government charter...
). The trading floor's key competition is Federated Dundas, a brokerage firm with ten times the staff and capital, and the home of Marty's arch-nemesis "McGrath" (played in a memorable cameo by Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
, although otherwise unseen during the series). Even Canada's status with respect to the much larger economy of the United States is examined, with Sally eventually partnering with both a U.S. venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
fund with twice her working capital
Working capital
Working capital is a financial metric which represents operating liquidity available to a business, organization or other entity, including governmental entity. Along with fixed assets such as plant and equipment, working capital is considered a part of operating capital. Net working capital is...
and the entrepreneurial Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
who runs it.
Family: All of the characters have varying family troubles. Ironically, Marty has the most stable "nuclear" family with a wife and children, but even his relationship is rocky. On the other extreme, Ann is so disconnected from a family life that she listed Gardner Ross as her person to contact in case of an emergency. A few characters suffer the loss of a close family member during the series. Chris is alienated from his family, and despite the efforts of a family friend to mend the relationship with his father, he never manages to do it. Donald, similarly disowned, does manage to build bridges with his parents. Niko perhaps has the worst relationship history, cutting herself off from her own son in order to further her career, only to find herself caring for the child when her ex-husband is arrested.
However, obligations to family often prove problematic. Feeling guilty about abandoning his sister to their abusive father, Jack found his sister Cathy a job at the firm, and on her first day of work she engaged in an incident of insider trading. Similarly, fearing that his talented son would drop out of high school, Marty called in all his favours in order to prevent his son from having a job on a trading floor.
Business Ethics: The characters often grapple with ethical issues, and even Adam raises these issues on occasion. For example, to increase its cash flow
Cash flow
Cash flow is the movement of money into or out of a business, project, or financial product. It is usually measured during a specified, finite period of time. Measurement of cash flow can be used for calculating other parameters that give information on a company's value and situation.Cash flow...
, Gardner Ross attempts a takeover of a cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
company that is actually trying to get out of the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
business. Marty is constantly "walking the line" on ethical issues, taking advantage of information that doesn't quite meet the criteria for insider trading
Insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
on a near daily basis. Although he knows the rules, he consistently breaks the spirit of the law, and occasionally steps over the line. For example, when he took a short position on a stock that was put on the restricted list when Gardner Ross announced a takeover attempt, he covered the short in order to save the firm millions at the expense of its client.
Reputation: Gardner Ross is constantly trying to balance appearances with reality. For example, Adam is known as "The Most Trusted Man on Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...
", although he consistently tries to take advantage of Sally. Despite this, rumours swirl around him, one about his wife's death (an assisted suicide) just out of the range of hearing. Conversely, Jack does not mind putting the firm in a position where the rest of Bay Street is "out to get him" - Jack openly steps on the toes of larger rivals in order to get deals. Marty too understands the importance of reputation - on one occasion after being suspended, he comes back to find that no-one will execute a trade with him, leaving him at the end of the day begging an old friend to execute any trade with him whatsoever.
Cameos
The show featured cameos from several notable Canadian personalities playing themselves, including:- Hon. John Manley MPJohn Manley (politician)John Paul Manley, PC, OC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to 2004, and a Cabinet Minister from 1993 to 2003. He is presently President and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.-Background:Manley was...
- At the time was the sitting federalGovernment of CanadaThe Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
Minister for IndustryMinister of Industry (Canada)The Minister of Industry is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada. The Minister of Industry is also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada... - Marianne LimpertMarianne LimpertMarianne Louise Limpert is a former freestyle and medley swimmer who competed the Summer Olympics for Canada in 1992, 1996 and 2000, and won the silver medal in the 200m Individual Medley in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia...
- OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Silver MedalistSilver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
swimmer - Derek PorterDerek PorterDerek Nesbitt-Porter is a gold medal-winning Olympic rower from Canada. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his father Hugh rowed for the United Kingdom at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the eight-oared race.Porter won his gold medal in the...
- Olympic Gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist rower - Edward (Eddie) GreenspanEdward GreenspanEdward Leonard Greenspan, QC is a Canadian lawyer and prolific author of legal volumes. He is one of the most famous defence lawyers in Canada, owing to several high-profile clients and to his national exposure on the popular Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio series, The Scales of Justice .A...
- Noted defense attorney - Bob RaeBob RaeRobert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
- Former Premier of Ontario and current MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. Ironically in the episode there is a scene where he says he will never go back into politics, but he in fact does about 10 years later. - Michie MeeMichie MeeMichelle McCullock , better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actor. As Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.-Early life and career:...
- Rapper - Mike Bullard - Comedian, spoofed himself by playing a telephoneTelephoneThe telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
repairman (Bullard is a former Bell CanadaBell CanadaBell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
employee) - Kim StockwoodKim StockwoodKim Stockwood is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian regional music group Shaye from 2003-2009 with Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean ....
- Singer, performed her song "12 Years Old"
Awards/Nominations
Near the peak of its run, Traders was frequently nominated in the Gemini Awards, earning 28 nominations and nine wins during its run. Most notable of the Gemini wins are the two consecutive awards for Best Dramatic Series in 1998.DVD release
Alliance AtlantisAlliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only) on November 25, 2003. This release has been discontinued and is now out of print.
Season 2 has not yet been released.