The Crow: Stairway to Heaven is a Canadian superhero television series created by Bryce Zabel. It originally aired from September 25, 1998, to May 22, 1999, consisting of only 22 episodes. The series was based on the Caliber Press' The Crow comic book series. It starred Mark Dacascos as the protagonist, Eric Draven.

Synopsis

Exactly one year after being brutally murdered, rock musician Eric Draven returns to Earth, searching for a way to right what was wronged and to reunite with his missing soulmate Shelly Webster. Guided by a mystical Spirit Crow, he is neither living nor dead, possessing strange new powers to aid him in his search for revenge which, ultimately, must become a quest for redemption.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guests cast

Episodes

Production

Filming locations

Production took place in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, which in the series was named Port Columbia. Several scenes were filmed inside the top floors of the Sun Tower, and at the BC Museum of Mining in Britannia Beach.

Music

As with each of the movie adaptations and the original comic book, underground music played a key role in the show. Bands such as Econoline Crush and Mudgirl made guest appearances on the show, while the source music included tracks by Rob Zombie, The Crystal Method, Delerium, Bif Naked, The Painkillers, Oleander, and Xero). Two tracks from Peter Himmelman's 1998 album Love Thinketh No Evil, "Fly So High" and "Seven Circles", were re-recorded for use by Eric Draven's band, Hangman's Joke, with the latter song becoming a major plot point during the early episodes of the series.

Accidents

A special effects explosion went wrong during filming on August 15, 1998, when stuntman Marc Akerstream was struck on the head and killed by flying debris.

Cancellation

Despite positive reviews the series was cancelled after one season in June 1999, when Polygram was sold to Universal Studios, which decided not to continue Stairway to Heaven. The producers planned to make a television movie to wrap up the major loose ends from the cliffhanger at the end of the final episode, but it never materialized. Later Bryce Zabel said than he planned to make a 6-hour miniseries to wrap up the show. According to him, Eric was going to be picked up five years after the event of the season one finale.

Broadcast

In 1999 and 2000, the series was aired extensively on The Sci-Fi Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom. In March 2010, CBS Action in the UK aired the series.

DVD releases

On March 17, 2005, all 22 episodes were released in a 5-disc DVD boxed set in central Europe through Dutch distributor A-Film. The set features the original broadcast trailer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and interview snippets with cast members Mark Dacascos, Marc Gomes, Sabine Karsenti, Katie Stuart and John Pyper-Ferguson, fight co-ordinator James Lew, crow handler Dave Sousa, director of photography Attila Szaly, and executive producers Bryce Zabel and Brad Markowitz. 2005 also saw a bare-bones episode-only release of the series in Australia on six discs across two volumes via Warner Bros.; this release was preceded by an even more basic single disc through Magna Pacific which featured the pilot and two "bonus" episodes. On July 24, 2007, Arts Alliance America released The Crow: Stairway to Heaven - The Complete Series in a 5-disc DVD set in Region 1 (US only). This set features an extensive array of special features including commentaries, a photo gallery and a gag reel. On February 15, 2011, Alliance Home Entertainment released The Complete Series on DVD in Canada only.

Awards and nominations