# Motive (2013)

> A Vancouver homicide team led by Detective Angie Flynn works each murder backward from its motive to the killer.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/41986

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 52
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, mystery, drama
- Created by: Daniel Cerone
- Network: CTV
- Cast: Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira, Brendan Penny, Lauren Holly, Cameron Bright, Warren Christie, Katharine Isabelle, Erica Cerra
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2443340/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, methodical, atmospheric, gritty

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with the series praised as a solid Canadian police procedural that grows stronger across its four seasons.

## Synopsis

Motive (2013-2016) is a Canadian crime drama created by Daniel Cerone and aired on CTV. Homicide detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) leads a Vancouver investigative team alongside detectives Oscar Vega (Louis Ferreira) and Brian Lucas (Brendan Penny), with forensic psychologist Dr. Betty Rogers (Lauren Holly) helping read the minds behind the crimes. Each case is built around a puzzling murder, and the team's engine is the search for the motive, which they trace by discovering how the killer was connected to the victim. The show unusually gives viewers a glimpse of the killer before and after the crime, so the question shifts from who did it to why and how the investigators will close in. Across four seasons of thirteen episodes each, the structure is a mix of standalone cases and personal threads for the detectives. The tone is tense and methodical, with a rain-soaked West Coast atmosphere and a steady, character-driven pace. Fans of The Killing, Broadchurch and Columbo will find resonance in its blend of investigation, psychological insight and the humanity of the victims' lives. Its police procedural core makes it a satisfying watch for anyone who likes mysteries that reward close attention.

## Shows like Motive

- [Cold Case (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/2059)
- [Murder in the First (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/53737)
- [Blue Murder (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/12997)
- [Women's Murder Club (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3208)
- [Mary Kills People (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60854)
- [Wild Cards (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157353)
- [Da Vinci's Inquest (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/3624)
- [The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67671)
- [Intelligence (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/4966)
- [Pretty Hard Cases (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/97665)

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