Chateau Laurier (web series)

Chateau Laurier is a Canadian dramatic web series, which premiered in 2018.[1] A period drama set in 1912, the series stars Kate Ross as Hattie Bracebridge, a young woman who is accompanied by her aunt (Fiona Reid) to the Château Laurier in Ottawa in preparation for an unwanted arranged marriage to Vivian Mutchmor, but has a romantic interlude with a hotel busboy (Luke Humphrey) before discovering that her betrothed husband is not the "old fart" Mr. Mutchmor (Bruce Gray) she thought, but his son.[2] The series was Gray's final acting role before his death.[1]

The series was created by James Stewart as proof of concept for a television pilot.[1] Although set in the Chateau Laurier, the series was actually filmed at the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto as Stewart's limited budget did not allow for travel expenses.[1] The series was distributed on Facebook, and quickly became one of the most widely viewed web series in Canadian history, amassing over one million views in its first two weeks on the platform[3] and reaching three million views after two months.[1] Critic John Doyle of The Globe and Mail attributed its success in part to the timing of its debut, as it premiered at a time when the popular Canadian period drama series Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries were on hiatus for the 2018 NHL playoffs.[4]

At the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, the series received a nomination for Best Web Series, Fiction.[5]