MVP (TV series)

MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives is a 2008 Canadian drama television series that debuted on January 11, 2008 on CBC Television. The series concerns the personal lives of professional hockey players and their wives or girlfriends. According to series co-creator Mary Young Leckie, the show is inspired by, although not a direct adaptation of, the British series Footballers' Wives.
CBC cancelled the program on March 7, 2008, with poor ratings and high production costs cited as reasons. American cable network Soapnet subsequently acquired the show and aired it on June 19, 2008, as did British channel Living TV which aired it on May 4, 2009.

Premise

The show centres on the lives and loves of the Canadian Mustangs, a fictional professional hockey team. The death of veteran captain Adam McBride brings many changes in store for the team and others connected: Gabe McCall, the coach's son, becomes the team captain; a naïve rookie sensation named Trevor Lemonde is controversially added to the team; and Evelyn, McBride's widow, must adjust to a new lifestyle in the wake of her husband's death.

Cast

Lucas Bryant as Gabe McCall
Dillon Casey as Trevor Lemonde
Matthew Bennett as Malcolm LeBlanc
Peter Miller as Damon Trebuche
Kristin Booth as Connie
Anastasia Phillips as Tabbi
Deborah Odell as Evelyn McBride
Natalie Krill as Molly
Olivia Waldriff as Grace Morris
Amanda Brugel as Megan Chandler
Alec McClure as Owen Chandler
Charlotte Sullivan as Mandy
Steven Yaffee as Donald
Deanna Dezmari as Katrina

Production

The Screen Door production began filming in 2006 in the Toronto, London and Hamilton, Ontario areas. The show generated wide interest before its premiere, particularly from the National Hockey League itself as executives were concerned that the series' purportedly racy content would create a negative image for the league. The budget for the first ten episodes was approximately $14 million.

Release

United States

MVP premiered on June 19, 2008 on Soapnet. In addition, it had a special promotional airing on June 20, 2008 on ABC after the Daytime Emmy Awards, where it was the lowest-rated Big Four network program of the week. The promotional subtitle in the United States was changed to "He Shoots, She Scores".

United Kingdom

Digital broadcaster Living TV secured the rights to MVP in the UK, but only showed four episodes after airing the first episode on May 4, 2009. The series has been retitled Trophy Wives for the British market. After Living Loves rebranded to Sky Living Loves in January 2011, episodes were re-aired every Thursday and Saturday.

Critical reception

Writing for Variety, critic Brian Lowry said MVP "is a passable nighttime soap — using hockey as a slick backdrop to its bed-hopping shenanigans. The first hour alone features every imaginable serial cliche, from a sudden death to the sex-tape-making stud and the spoiled rich girl who says, 'You work for me. Now take your pants off!'" Chris Jancelewicz of AOL.com wrote, "It's the women of the show, though, that are the real MVPs", citing the performances of Booth and Odell.