The Listener

Toby Logan is a highly skilled paramedic with a secret – he can read minds. Toby never really knew his parents and grew up in foster care, this coupled with his secret, which he shares with no one, has made him a bit of a loner. Until now, Toby has kept his ability hidden, exploring its possibilities only with his long time mentor and confidante Dr. Ray Mercer.

The Listener (2009-2014) is a Canadian supernatural crime drama series created for CTV and produced by Shaftesbury Films. Craig Olejnik plays Toby Logan, a skilled paramedic who can read minds and hides the ability from almost everyone, sharing it only with his mentor Dr. Ray Mercer. Raised in foster care and never knowing his parents, Toby is a loner whose gift pulls him into police investigations alongside detectives including Osman 'Oz' Bey (Ennis Esmer), Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) and Dev Clark (Rainbow Sun Francks). The engine of the show is the tension between the help Toby can give and the risk of exposure, as each case turns on what a suspect thinks but does not say. Across five seasons, the series moves through a mix of case-of-the-week investigations and longer arcs set in present-day Toronto. Its tone is moody and procedural, with a lonely protagonist, urban night streets and a steady undercurrent of paranoia about who might discover his secret. Fans of Lie to Me, The Mentalist and Psych will find resonance in its blend of crime-solving and psychic intrigue.

Audiences find The Listener a mixed experience, with a strong third season offset by a sharply divided fourth season.

• Lie to Meshared procedural crime structure with a supernatural mind-reading hook, case-of-the-week investigations
• The Mentalistshared psychic-power crime premise and serialized mystery arcs
• Psychshared Canadian-produced supernatural procedural tone and lone outsider with a secret ability

Release Date

2009-06-04

Episode runtime

42 min

Rating

6.8 / 10 (124)

What is The Listener about?

A paramedic who secretly reads minds uses his gift to help investigators while guarding his isolated, hidden life.

What is The Listener like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Listener as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Listener violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Listener as mild.

What did critics think of The Listener?

Audiences find The Listener a mixed experience, with a strong third season offset by a sharply divided fourth season.

Which shows are like The Listener?

Shows with a similar feel include Lie to Me, The Mentalist, and Psych.

How long is The Listener?

The Listener: 5 seasons, 65 episodes.

Is The Listener still running?

No, The Listener was canceled.

Where can I watch The Listener?

In United States, The Listener streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.