White night sees the day again

Two years after having come to an abrupt end on ICI Télé, Sleepless night will see the light of day again on Prime Video and Séries Plus. The international platform is joining forces with the Quebec broadcaster to give an unexpected second season to the soap opera, the cancellation of which had frustrated many viewers.

The filming of the new episodes will begin next summer. Julie Hivon (Alerts, Helping Beatrice) will sign this sequel that we no longer expected. Pixcom (Indefensible, Audrey came back) will produce the series.

The second season of Sleepless night will land first on Prime Video, and then on Séries Plus. The video-on-demand service will also offer its first season, just to refresh the memory of the faithful of the beginnings or to attract new potential enthusiasts.

The family saga against a backdrop of thrillers paints the portrait, with several flashbacks, of Loulou Hébert, an ex-model formerly affiliated with the FLQ who became a businesswoman and owner of a cosmetics empire. This Lise Watier with a troubled past camped by Rose-Marie Perreault (in 1970) and France Castel (in the present time) died in nebulous circumstances in the first episode. Her three children tried to unravel the thick mystery over the following weeks.

For now, only France Castel has signed on to resume her role. No news yet from the side of the heirs, camped by Marilyse Bourke, Valérie Blais and Jean-Philippe Perras. Prime Video will make announcements soon, we are informed. Ron Lea, Iannicko N’Doua, Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen and Michel Rivard also appeared in the credits of the luxury soap opera.

Answered prayers

Radio-Canada had caused a stir among many regular viewers by disconnecting Sleepless nightin December 2021. Since Julie Hivon had planned to spread her plot over three seasons, the series had left the air, leaving several questions unanswered.

An online petition had even been launched to implore a second season, accompanied by many fiery messages. “We can’t take such a good series away from us! “, “We want to see the rest! », « It’s like asking people in a movie theater to leave before the end of the film: it’s not done! »

As of today, the petition has garnered over 23,000 signatures.

To explain its decision to cancel the soap luxury, Radio-Canada had mentioned the ratings (850,000 faithful, according to confirmed data from Numéris) below expectations. Budget and scheduling issues were also cited.

Reached by telephone in Los Angeles, the president of Pixcom, Nicola Merola, indicates that he has never given up hope of bringing Sleepless night on the screen. “The shows that are close to our hearts, they stay with us. Switching from one broadcaster to another, these are things that happen often. »

The producer fed on the enthusiasm of viewers to carry out his rescue operation. “When the public clings to something as much as we do, it’s like blowing on embers. It showed us that it wasn’t just us who wanted to continue this adventure. It gave us an extra boost. »

The second season of Sleepless night will continue to alternate between two decades. But this time, the time jumps will plunge us into the heart of the 1980s. Nicola Merola speaks of an “extremely satisfying” sequel for the audience. “Nice crisp deals are coming. »

A first in fiction

Prime Video has so far relied on humor to boost its number of subscribers in French-speaking Quebec, with LOL: Who will have the last laugh?a competition hosted by Patrick Huard released at the beginning of the year, and For one night onlyevenings of stand up which we can watch from Friday, February 10. With Sleepless nightAmazon’s video-on-demand service is investing in French-language fiction for the very first time.

“It’s the first time and I hope it’s not the last,” comments Nicola Merola. This is great news. For Julie Hivon, for the creatives associated with the show, for Pixcom, for the industry in Quebec… And for Prime Video too. They are really happy to have found a little pearl like that. »