# Wolf Lake (2001)

> A Seattle detective searching for his missing fiancee uncovers a town of werewolves hiding in plain sight.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/11663

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 9
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, science fiction, mystery
- Created by: John Leekley
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Mia Kirshner, Sharon Lawrence, Tim Matheson, Scott Bairstow, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Graham Greene, Paul Wesley
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281524/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: brooding, tense, melancholic, atmospheric

## What critics say

Critics were largely unimpressed, finding the mystery thin and the characters underdeveloped, though the moody atmosphere and lead performance drew some praise.

## Synopsis

Wolf Lake (2001-2002) is an American network supernatural mystery series created by John Leekley for CBS. Seattle police detective John Kanin (Lou Diamond Phillips) is in love and about to marry Ruby Cates (Mia Kirshner), but she vanishes shortly after he agrees to the wedding. His search leads him to her hometown, where residents are clearly concealing information from him and where Sheriff Matthew Donner (Tim Matheson) keeps a wary eye on the outsider. The engine of the series is a steady drip of clues, closed-mouth townsfolk, and a secret that the investigation keeps circling: the people of this community are werewolves, and so is Ruby. Each episode pulls John deeper into a world where the wolves and the humans share the same streets, and where trust becomes a dangerous currency. The show runs as a single season of nine episodes, a serialized mystery with a continuing thread rather than a case-of-the-week format. Its atmosphere is brooding and tense, with a melancholic romantic undercurrent and a sense of rural dread. Fans of Twin Peaks, Teen Wolf and Forever Knight will find resonance in its blend of small-town secrecy, police investigation and supernatural romance.

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- [Haven (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30366)
- [Blood Ties (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/4841)
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- [Wolf Pack (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/111382)

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