John Reardon Returning To ‘Hudson & Rex’ As Charlie Hudson For New Season

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Well, this is going to make a lot of Hudson & Rex fans very happy indeed. Citytv has officially renewed ‘Hudson & Rex‘ for a new 12-episode season, and, in a pretty major turnaround, John Reardon (Van Helsing, Continuum) is returning as Detective Charlie Hudson.

The Canadian crime drama will head back into production this June in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with the new season set to air on Citytv in Canada this autumn. There is no UK premiere date yet, but the series airs here on U&Alibi, where Season 8 only recently launched.

Reardon had led the show from the beginning as Detective Charlie Hudson, alongside Rex, the highly trained German Shepherd who helps the St. John’s Police Department crack cases. However, Season 8 introduced Luke Roberts (Game Of Thrones, Ransom) as Detective Mark Hudson, a new lead character who stepped into the central human partnership with Rex. Mark is not Charlie, nor a relative of Charlie, despite sharing the Hudson name, making it a significant shift for the long-running series.

That change came after Reardon’s reduced role in Season 7, which happened while he was undergoing cancer treatment. The actor later revealed he had received a clean bill of health and was ready to return, but that the production had chosen to move in a different direction. Unsurprisingly, that news led to a considerable backlash from fans who had expected Charlie’s absence to be temporary.

Now, it seems Charlie is very much back.

“I’m excited to step back into the role of Charlie as Hudson and Rex moves into its next chapter,” said John Reardon. “The series has earned a passionate audience around the world, and I’m grateful for the continued support. I’m looking forward to beginning production on the new season with the cast, crew, creative team, production, and network partners – and to sharing more adventures with Rex and the fans.”

When viewers last saw Charlie Hudson, he was heading to South America in search of his missing brother, Jack. According to Citytv, the next season will see Charlie shock everyone by returning to St. John’s with “one final task” to complete before putting the Belize nightmare behind him. However, his return also creates a complicated dilemma for Rex and sets off a chain reaction inside the St. John’s Police Department.

That is probably the most interesting part of this announcement. Rather than simply pretending Season 8 did not happen, the show appears to be leaning into the awkwardness of Rex now having worked alongside both Charlie and Mark. For a series built around the bond between a detective and his dog, that could be a smart way to turn a messy real-world situation into an actual character story.

Also returning are Mayko Nguyen (Killjoys, The Good Doctor) as Dr. Sarah Truong, Kevin Hanchard (Orphan Black, The Expanse) as Superintendent Joseph Donovan, Justin Kelly (Wynonna Earp, Between) as Tech Analyst Jesse Mills, and Luke Roberts as Detective Mark Hudson.

“John is a talented actor, and we’re incredibly pleased to have him return as Detective Charlie Hudson,” said Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. “We know that fans missed him, and so did we. We look forward to getting back to work and bringing fans an exciting new season.”

Kale Stockwell, Head of Original Programming, Rogers Sports & Media, added: “Hudson and Rex has been a staple on the Citytv schedule for nearly a decade and we’re thrilled to bring it back for viewers with John returning as Charlie for another season of action-packed crime-solving drama.”

Produced by Shaftesbury and Pope Productions Ltd., in association with Citytv and Beta Film, ‘Hudson & Rex’ has become a major international export, sold to more than 100 territories including the United States, Italy, Germany, and France. Sherry White serves as showrunner, with Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Lisa Porter, John Reardon, Kevin Hanchard and Sherri Davis as executive producers. Beta Film handles distribution.

For UK viewers, ‘Hudson & Rex’ Season 8 is currently airing on U&Alibi, with episodes also available on demand via Sky, Virgin Media and NOW. 

‘Hudson & Rex‘ Season 9 does not yet have a UK premiere date for the new season, but airs on U&Alibi in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.