Wild Card (TV series)

"Wild Card", aka "Zoe Busiek: Wild Card", is a Canadian Global Network television series starring Joely Fisher. It was broadcast in the USA on Lifetime and can now be seen (in repeats) on the Lifetime Real Women network. Broadcasting began in 2003. The series was officially canceled in February 2005 with 6 un-aired episodes.

This hour-long mystery/drama/comedy series, which is set in Chicago, Illinois (filmed in Toronto), was created and executive produced by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick. The theme song for the first season is performed by Amy Sky, while the theme song for the second season, "I Believe In Me," is performed by Cherie.

Cast

*Joely Fisher - Zoe Busiek
*Chris Potter - Dan Lennox
*Rae Dawn Chong - Sophia Mason (Season 1)
*Bronson Picket - Marcos Morales (Season 1)
*Loretta Devine - M. (Matilda) Pearl McGuire (Season 2)
*Jamie Johnston - Clifford "Cliff" Woodall
*Vikki Krinsky - Taylor Woodall
*Aislinn Paul - Hannah Woodal

Regular guests

*Corey Sevier - Julian (10 episodes)
*Yani Gellman - Ryder (8 episodes)
*Joe Pingue - Leo Lombardi (13 episodes)

Main Crew

Lynn Marie Latham, Bernard Lechowick, Linda Gase, and Thania St. John.

St. John is an American TV writer and producer on "Life Goes On", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", ', "21 Jump Street", "Eureka", "Huff", "Wild Card", ', "VR.5", and "Roswell".

ynopsis

Zoe Busiek (played by Fisher) is a former Las Vegas blackjack dealer whose life takes an unexpected turn when her sister dies in a car accident and she has to take care of her sister's three children, teenaged Taylor (played by Vikki Krinsky), preteen Cliff (played by Jamie Johnston), and preteen Hannah (played by Aislinn Paul). When the insurance company denies the family a financial settlement Zoe takes matters into her own hands, which leads her to a new career as an insurance fraud investigator with handsome former criminal Dan Lennox (played by Chris Potter) and serious but sweet Sophia Mason (played by Rae Dawn Chong) becoming her partners.

Each episode is centered on a particular case as well as Zoe's family life.

Sophia later becomes the boss. She leaves the show in the second season, along with Marcos (played by Bronson Picket), and is replaced by M. Pearl McGuire (played by Loretta Devine), who becomes Zoe's and Dan's sassy new boss.

Episodes

Pilot

Zoe gives up her job as a blackjack dealer so she can raise her nieces and nephew, after their mother died in a car accident. To support the kids, Zoe starts looking for a new job. When Sophia Mason and Dan Lennox, special fraud investigators, tell her the family is denied a financial settlement because they think her sister committed suicide, Zoe decides to do her own investigation to prove her sister did not commit suicide. Taylor sneaks off to a party without telling Zoe, so she goes up to the party and drags Taylor out. Meanwhile, Taylor passes out from a date rape drug. Luckily, Zoe came and picked her up before she passed out at the party. Zoe finds out the accident was not her sister's fault, but the fault of the other driver. When she returns to the fraud unit, she gets a job as a fraud investigator.

The Learning Curve

A woman's house is set on fire for trying to help out the community, so Zoe and Dan go and interview a 12 year old boy named Jimmy who knew the woman that was killed. Sophia has trouble with her boyfriend. Hannah tries to protest for a crossing guard at her school that lives in her car.

Con Artistry

Zoe and Dan investigate the theft of a two million dollar painting. During their investigation Zoe finds out her partner, Dan, used to be engaged and used to be a thief. Meanwhile Dan's ex-fiance comes to town. Marcos asks Zoe out on a date, but she turns him down the first time. Sophia and her boyfriend try to find a house, but have difference tastes in a place to live. Dan discovers he has feelings for Zoe and goes to tell her, but when he does he sees Zoe and Marcos kissing on the porch.

Hell Week

A young woman falls into the lion's den at the local zoo while pledging for a sorority, so Zoe investigates and asks the sorority what happened. Cliff overhears Zoe talking about how hard it is being a parent and takes it the wrong way, so he starts looking for his dad and someone from the past unexpectedly shows up.

Dearly Beloved

Professionally, Zoe and her co-workers try to find out who sabotaged a wedding at an exclusive country club by making the lawn sprinklers turn on at an inappropriate time. Personally, Zoe has to deal with the sudden re-appearance of her nieces' and nephew's deadbeat dad after a 7-year absence.

Dead Again

Though fearful of a forthcoming performance evaluation by her boss, Zoe must unravel the life of a man just found dead of a heart attack, who was supposed to have died three years earlier in a boating accident.

The Cheese Stands Alone

When the client database of an online dating service is wiped out, Zoe goes undercover to determine whether or not it was an accident. Marcos asks Zoe to spend the weekend at a remote cabin with him, but she initially refuses because she thinks that this would set a bad example for Taylor. Then, when Zoe decides to tell Marcos that she has changed her mind, she finds that he has already made plans to go with someone else.

No Bull

Zoe and Dan are forced to share a motel room when they look into the death of a farmer's prize bull.

Mimi's Assets

When a fog machine at a strip club explodes and causes the death of a dancer, Zoe goes undercover as a bartender to determine if the explosion and resulting fire were just accidents. But is she good enough to fool Mimi, the savvy club owner? Meanwhile, back at the office, Sophia becomes frustrated when she is overlooked for a promotion. And at home, Taylor must choose between love and loyalty when Julian, the neighbor boy, starts flirting with her even though he is dating Taylor's best friend Carla.

External links

*imdb title|id=0371495|title=Wild Card
* [http://www.canada.com/entertainment/tvshows/WildCard/index.html Canada.com Website]
* [http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/wildcard/ Official Wild Card Web site]