Indigenous ‘Trickster’ fans want show saved
Fans of “Trickster” expressed disappointment after Canada’s public broadcaster announced it was cancelling the Indigenous TV series in the wake of controversy over co-creator Michelle Latimer’s claimed ancestry.
Viewers, some of the show’s creators and fellow Indigenous actors took to social media on Friday to question why the CBC didn’t find a new path forward for “Trickster,” even though it had been greenlit for a second season.
“This could have been an opportunity to do it right the second season,” tweeted Mohawk performer and filmmaker Devery Jacobs. “I know dozens of real Indigenous writers and directors who could’ve taken over as show runner and benefitted from this opportunity.”
The series debuted last October as part of a push to bring more Indigenous stories to Canada’s screens. Based on the “Son of a Trickster” novel by Eden Robinson, it was about a young Indigenous man in Kitamaat, B.C., (although it was shot mainly in North Bay) who begins to encounter supernatural phenomena. The show was lauded for combining a relatable family drama with the lore and traditions of B.C.’s Haisla nation.
But its fate was put in doubt when the Indigenous heritage of Latimer was questioned in a CBC investigation in December, which challenged her claims she is of Algonquin, Métis and French heritage, from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and Maniwaki area in Quebec.
On Friday, a representative for Latimer confirmed that lawyers for the filmmaker had served the CBC with a notice of libel. Latimer said in a statement “we have grave concerns about the fairness and accuracy” of the CBC reporting on her ancestry. “The CBC was aware of the questions and concerns I raised about the integrity of the research they used to inform their reporting, as well as the manner in which they approached the story,” she said.
On Friday, CBC said it would not move ahead with a second season of “Trickster” after “many conversations over the last few weeks (with) producers, writers, actors and the author of the books on which ‘Trickster’ is based.”
“Fully respecting everyone’s perspective, Season 2 will not move forward as planned unfortunately.”
In its statement, the CBC said it was “extremely proud we were able to bring this compelling story to the screen and grateful to the many talented individuals who made it possible.”