Pretty Hard Cases

Sam Wazowski and Kelly Duff are two forty-something Toronto detectives who handle violent crime and narcotics with equal parts skill and stubbornness. By day they're efficient, tough partners who take calculated risks and get results; off duty their lives are messier, full of awkward relationships, family tension, and quiet loneliness that their badges can't fix. The show balances punchy action and procedural beats with slices of private life, letting the leads crack jokes, argue, chase suspects, and try to make sense of what they want from work and from each other, without resolving everything neatly.

Created by Sherry White and Tassie Cameron, Pretty Hard Cases premiered in 2021 on CBC, produced in Canada and built around the comic chemistry of Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore, with Al Mukaddam and Daren A. Herbert in supporting roles.

The series earned attention from Canadian television awards, picking up nominations that highlighted its performances and writing, and drawing praise within industry circles for allowing women in midlife to headline a genre show.

Pretty Hard Cases has stood out for centering two older female leads in a cop comedy-drama, helping shift expectations about who gets to be funny, action-oriented, and flawed on-screen. Its blend of buddy-cop tropes with honest portrayals of dating, parenting, and career fatigue sparked conversations about representation and workplace culture in genre TV.

Critics responded well to the leads' chemistry and the tonal mix of action, humor, and interpersonal drama, though some reviews noted uneven plotting. Viewers tend to appreciate the show's warmth and sharp dialogue, and its themes circle around friendship, ambition, and the compromises people make as careers and personal lives collide. The series holds a modest user rating, reflecting a steady fanbase rather than mass mainstream hype.