InSecurity
title: "InSecurity" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2011-canadian-television-series-debuts", "cbc-television-original-programming", "television-shows-filmed-in-regina,-saskatchewan", "television-series-by-lionsgate-canada", "2012-canadian-television-series-endings", "canadian-political-comedy-television-series", "2010s-canadian-sitcoms", "television-shows-set-in-ottawa", "2010s-canadian-workplace-comedy-television-series", "canadian-action-comedy-television-series", "2010s-canadian-comedy-drama-television-series", "canadian-spy-television-series", "canadian-english-language-television-shows"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InSecurity" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | CBC InSecurity.JPG |
| genre | Comedy drama |
| creator | Kevin White |
| Robert de Lint | |
| Virginia Thompson | |
| writer | Kevin White |
| director | Robert de Lint |
| Ron Murphy | |
| Jeff Beesley | |
| starring | Natalie Lisinska |
| William deVry | |
| Rémy Girard | |
| Matthew MacFadzean | |
| Grace Lynn Kung | |
| Richard Yearwood | |
| Ali Kazmi | |
| theme_music_composer | The Asteroids Galaxy Tour |
| opentheme | The Sun Ain't Shining No More |
| country | Canada |
| language | English |
| num_seasons | 2 |
| num_episodes | 23 (and 1 pilot) |
| producer | Kevin White |
| Virginia Thompson | |
| Robert de Lint | |
| location | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| runtime | 22 minutes |
| company | Vérité Films Inc. |
| Company Name Here Productions Inc. | |
| channel | CBC |
| first_aired | |
| last_aired | |
| :: |
| image = CBC InSecurity.JPG | caption = | alt_name = | genre = Comedy drama | creator = Kevin White Robert de Lint Virginia Thompson | developer = | writer = Kevin White | director = Robert de Lint Ron Murphy Jeff Beesley | creative_director = | presenter = | starring = Natalie Lisinska William deVry Rémy Girard Matthew MacFadzean Grace Lynn Kung Richard Yearwood Ali Kazmi | theme_music_composer = The Asteroids Galaxy Tour | opentheme = The Sun Ain't Shining No More | endtheme = | composer = | country = Canada | language = English | num_seasons = 2 | num_episodes = 23 (and 1 pilot) | list_episodes = | executive_producer = | producer = Kevin White Virginia Thompson Robert de Lint | editor = | location = Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | cinematography = | camera = | runtime = 22 minutes | company = Vérité Films Inc. Company Name Here Productions Inc. | channel = CBC | first_aired = | last_aired = | related =
InSecurity is a Canadian spy comedy television series that aired on CBC Television from 2011 to 2012. The series centres on a team of covert operatives working for the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), a fictional Canadian intelligence service. The series is set in Ottawa but filmed primarily in Regina, Saskatchewan. The initial season of 13 episodes premiered January 4, 2011.
One of the producers called it "the 24 of Canada"; one writer described it as "24 without Jack Bauer; CSI minus the science; and James Bond - if James Bond were Mr. Bean."
The initial pilot focused on the tedium involved in electronic eavesdropping but the decision was made that it would be too "niche". A second pilot was done with a more 24 approach.
Overview
The series revolves around a team of incompetent spy-catchers who work for the Canadian National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), a fictional intelligence gathering agency.
- Natalie Lisinska as Alex Cranston, the leader of the team
- William deVry as Peter McNeil, the director of NISA.
- Richard Yearwood as Benjamin N’udu, a loyal and slightly deranged former agent of the fictional Ligerian Secret Service.
- Rémy Girard as Claude Lesage, a veteran French Canadian NISA agent.
- Matthew MacFadzean as Burt Wilson, an incompetent NISA agent that's always getting himself and others into trouble.
- Grace Lynn Kung as Jojo Kwan, a brilliant scientist and NISA agent.
- Ali Kazmi as Nigel
Episodes
Pilot (2010)
|Title = B Team |WrittenBy = Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert De Lint |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex Taylor, a team leader at the Canadian Intelligence and Security Establishment, is tasked to spy on an unemployed shoe salesman who is potentially a Chechen operative. Lesage anonymously gives the Chechen a model train starter kit to enliven his dull life. When Alex sees the surveillance video she believes that the friends who are visiting are using the model train as a cover for a bigger terrorist conspiracy until she gets the translation of video which confirms they are 'nerds playing with trains'. A moment later Burt mistakes modelling clay for C-4 explosives. The A team, led by Alex's ex-boyfriend Peter, are tasked to take down the Chechen and his friends. After Lesage informs Alex that it is not explosives and says that Nathan, the new kid on the team, gave the Chechen the train set Alex confesses to everyone that there are no explosives and it was all a mistake. |LineColor = 000
Season 1 (2011)
|EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = The Doctor |WrittenBy = Jennifer Whalen |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.724 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex Cranston, a team leader at the National Intelligence and Security Agency, is held captive by uranium smugglers. When NISA agents notice her missing, they attempt to rescue her relatively unharmed, while an interrogation specialist — her old high-school classmate Randy Nussbaum — extracts valuable information. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 2 |Title = Keeping Up With The Laslovs |WrittenBy = Kevin White & Jennifer Whalen |DirectedBy = Jeff Beesley |Viewers = 0.526 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Thinking that they are their new neighbors, a Russian couple in possession of stolen Canadian submarine plans unwittingly invite Alex and Peter, who are tasked with retrieving the plans, into their home for vodka. While keeping tabs on the situation, the other team members are caught by uninvited Russian guests. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 3 |Title = View To A Nursing Home |WrittenBy = Jennifer Whalen |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.356 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = After an attempted bombing of the National Arts Council by a right-wing terrorist group known as the "Ottawa Eight", the team runs surveillance on the terrorists responsible from the ideal location — the nursing-home room inhabited by Alex's grouchy grandmother. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 4 |Title = The Ligerian Candidate |WrittenBy = Kevin White & Dylan Wertz |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.523 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Due to post-hypnotic suggestion, N'udu is sent to kill his old friend Masud, a former Ligerian Secret Service agent, and the very man that NISA is protecting at a familiar safehouse. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 5 |Title = Recycle After Reading |WrittenBy = Marvin Kaye & Chris Sheasgreen |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.463 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = After a booze-filled night out with Alex, Peter discovers the Jericho file no longer in his possession. As these documents contain crucial information on all NISA undercover agents, the team is tasked to recover them before they can be made into a young schoolgirl's art project. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 6 |Title = Return of the Deadeye |WrittenBy = Max B. Reid & Adam M. Reid |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.449 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Tasked with assassinating a Spanish assassin, the team becomes desperate as their various plans fail to work. Upset that he wasn't included, Claude goes rogue. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 7 |Title = Spies on Ice |WrittenBy = |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.485 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Burt retrieves nuclear secrets from the car of Dr. Ho Lung, a North Korean spy attending his son's hockey try out. Alex and Peter pose as the parents of Peter's son in order to buy Burt time. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 8 |Title = The Kwan Identity |WrittenBy = Kevin White & Dylan Wertz |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.356 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = JoJo goes undercover as the girlfriend of a Chinese drug dealer who is supplying a neo-Irish Republican Army group with explosives to blow up Queen Elizabeth II. When Alex backs her car into JoJo, she begins to believe that she is Vivian, her undercover alias. The team needs JoJo to continue her work, but Vivian is less than agreeable. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 9 |Title = El Negotiator |WrittenBy = Kevin White & Tim Polley |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.336 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex's night off is interrupted when the party she and the team are attending is taken hostage by Mexican terrorists who demand that Canada's government release a member of the group. While Peter makes unsatisfactory attempts at hostage negotiation, N'udu is shot, and the NISA agents are discovered. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 10 |Title = The Ghost |WrittenBy = Marvin Kaye & Chris Sheasgreen |DirectedBy = Jeff Beesley |Viewers = 0.294 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Claude's old friend, Joshua "The Ghost" Crane, a known master of evasion who left NISA eight years ago, is captured with a USB drive that implicates him as being connected to Somali terrorists. However, while the team learns that the group's leaders' names are actually Arabic translations of popular Middle Eastern dishes, he proves the flaws in NISA's security. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 11 |Title = Going Dutch |WrittenBy = Kevin White & Dylan Wertz |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.409 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex fears that the Dutch Secret Service has reprogrammed Burt, whom the team must exchange for a captured Dutch spy, to serve as a mole against Canada. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 12 |Title = Get Cranston |WrittenBy = Rebecca Addelman & Jennifer Whalen |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.321 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = When a crazed killer targets Alex, NISA must sift through hundreds of suspects but fails to catch the would-be assassin — a university classmate, Penny Cryer, whose nose Alex had broken while playing volleyball. |LineColor = bebfc1 |EpisodeNumber = 13 |Title = Death By Birthday |WrittenBy = Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.362 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex's birthday takes a turn for the worse when someone sends her a card containing highly concentrated anthrax powder, which is set to kill the entire team (with the exception of Burt) inside of four hours. |LineColor = bebfc1
Season 2 (2011)
|EpisodeNumber = 14 |Title = Agent Oo La La |WrittenBy = Mike McPhaden |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.237 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Claude learns that his coworkers have been making fun of his fashion when WikiLeaks releases information on NISA. A series of polygraph tests to find the mole worries Burt, as he is dating the test administrator's girlfriend. Alex attempts to calm the nerves of an informant. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 15 |Title = The Gift of Life |WrittenBy = Kate Hewlett & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.320 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex dons a disguise to gain the trust of a pregnant suspect. Burt is saddened by a friend's declining health, causing N'udu to offer a kidney. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 16 |Title = The Spy Whisperer |WrittenBy = Tim Polley & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.192 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = While under anesthesia, Alex expresses a personal interest in Peter. Meanwhile, after Burt finds a birth certificate for him, N'udu seeks to take advantage of the time he has left. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 17 |Title = The Spy Who Fed Me |WrittenBy = Jenn Engels & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.193 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Alex's mother undermines her authority at NISA. Burt learns about 'stakeout make-out' when he is tasked on a stakeout with JoJo. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 18 |Title = Anger Management |RTitle = |WrittenBy = Jenn Engels |DirectedBy = Ron Murphy |Viewers = 0.239 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = The team is on each other's case when Peter doesn't credit Alex for her role in a secret operation, Claude overhears Burt complaining about him to a psychiatrist, and N'udu suspects Jojo of harboring anger. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 19 |Title = Spies of a Certain Age |WrittenBy = Matt Kippen & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = A visiting tech specialist leads Alex into a night of quickly regretted drunken debauchery. Meanwhile, a slip-up complicates Claude and Burt's rural road-trip. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 20 |Title = Spy Bites Dog |RTitle = |WrittenBy = Denis McGrath |DirectedBy = Jeff Beesley |Viewers = 0.258 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Jojo tries to help Alex overcome her dog problems. Claude resents N'udu over his apparent wealth. Peter feels the need to prove his manliness when he learns that Burt used to wrestle. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 21 |Title = Agent Ex |WrittenBy = Matt Doyle & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = 0.213 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = In attempt to gain intel, JoJo dates an ex of Alex, troubling Burt. As JoJo's relationship becomes less than professional, Alex's resurfacing feelings bother JoJo and Peter. Claude feigns interest in N'udu's homeland to gain intel of his own – strategies for beating a video game. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 22 |Title = The Spy, the Friend and her Lover |WrittenBy = Tim Polley & Kevin White |DirectedBy = Jeff Beesley |Viewers = 0.226 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = An old college roommate visits Alex, and hooks up with N'udu at Alex's condo. The upcoming wedding of two NISA employees stirs JoJo's feelings toward Burt. |LineColor = AE1820 |EpisodeNumber = 23 |Title = I Spy Peter |WrittenBy = Tim Polley |DirectedBy = Robert DeLint |Viewers = |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = JoJo poses as Claude's mail-order bride, Alex investigates Peter under suspicion of unauthorized dealings with a Russian agent, and Burt wastes N'udu's tickets to a soccer game. |LineColor = AE1820
Reception
The CBC Television premiere episode was viewed by approximately 724,000 people.
On February 11, 2011, CBC announced that the show was renewed for a second season.
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Presenter | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role | Grace Lynn Kung | url=http://academy.ca/hist/history.cfm?categid=20932&shownum=26&winonly=0&awards=2&rtype=5&curstep=4 |
| :: |
Home release
'InSecurity: The Complete First Season' is on DVD in region 0. It was released on November 8, 2011.
References
References
- Ryan, Andrew. (April 19, 2012). "CBC puts Battle of the Blades on hold". The Globe and Mail.
- Will Chabun. (2010-12-21). "Filmed in Regina, TV show 'InSecurity' debuts in 2011". vancouversun.com.
- Sheri Levine. (2010-12-28). "InSecure nation". www.canada.com.
- Levine, Sheri. (January 4, 2011). "CBC's InSecurity is a Canadian twist on James Bond". The Province.
- "TRICON LAUNCHES "INSECURITY", A NEW CBC COMEDY SERIES AT MIPCOM".
- Brioux, Bill. (January 12, 2011). "New CBC shows take tumble in Week Two". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (January 20, 2011). "CBC will be in double jeopardy without Jeopardy". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (January 26, 2011). "Rick Mercer Report hits record high". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (February 8, 2011). "Ratings across Canada Jan. 31 – Feb. 6". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (February 11, 2011). "CBC renews 22 Minutes, Erica, Mosque, adds five". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (February 22, 2011). "Ratings across Canada Feb. 14 to 20". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (February 24, 2011). "Out at CBC: 18 to Life and Dragon Brett Wilson". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (March 8, 2011). "Ratings across Canada Feb. 28 to March 6". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (March 15, 2011). "Ratings across Canada March 7 to 13". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (March 22, 2011). "Ratings across Canada March 14 to 20". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (March 30, 2011). "Ratings across Canada March 21 to 27". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (April 5, 2011). "Ratings across Canada March 28 to April 3". TV Feeds My Family.
- Brioux, Bill. (October 12, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Don Cherry helps Hockey Night in Canada to a Top 3 finish behind only Big Bang and House". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (October 19, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Where have all the CBC viewers gone this season?". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (October 25, 2011). "The Brioux Report: CTV wins again with The Big Bang Theory; World Series grounds out". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (November 2, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Big Bang still rules, but Rob Ford gets his 22 Minutes of fame". [[Star Media Group.
- (December 2017). "TBTV Shows – Insecurity". [[CKPR-DT]].
- Brioux, Bill. (November 9, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Bang still big, X Factor no longer a factor in Canadian Top 10". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (November 22, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Goodbye Reege, hello Santa as House and the AMAs make the TV top 10". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (December 7, 2011). "The Brioux Report: Russell Peters beats Wonderful Life in Christmas TV showdown". [[Star Media Group.
- Brioux, Bill. (December 14, 2011). "The Brioux Report: How the Grinch stole Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays". [[Star Media Group.
- (2011-01-06). "Pillars, InSecurity off to secure starts at CBC".
- Weinman, Jaime. (February 11, 2011). "CBC Renews Lots of Stuff". [[Maclean's]].
- "Canada's Awards Database: 26th Geminis".
- (January 2016). "CBC}}{{dead link".
- "InSecurity - Our Spy Spotted a 'Season 1' Set is Coming Very Soon".
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