How 'Burden of Truth's Story Will Continue — Even If It's Not Renewed By The CW

The Canadian Broadcasting Channel's legal drama, Burden of Truth, concludes its first season this week on its new home of the CW. The series, fronted by Kristen Kruek of Smallville fame, was met with relative critical acclaim after premiering stateside, making a strong case that Burden of Truth could return for Season 2. And while the CW has yet to grant an official renewal, fans of the show can cautiously rejoice: According to its official website, CBC has already confirmed a second season, and it's shaping up to be even more dramatic than the first.

"The debut season of Burden of Truth delivered a gripping investigative drama that hooked Canadian viewers,” said Sally Catto, a general manager of programming for the network. "Season 2 will further the series’ focus on life-altering legal cases, with the stakes higher than ever. We are delighted to begin production on another season with an impressive cast led by the remarkable Kristin Kreuk."

Despite the CBC's re-upping of the show, TVSeriesFinale.com reports that the CW has not yet made any moves to do the same. But, given positive reviews and fans' excitement, it wouldn't be surprising if the CW followed suit.

In Burden of Truth, Kruek plays Joanna, a lawyer who returns to her hometown to solve a mysterious case — sort of like Sharp Objects except, you know, without the murder. Anyway, everyone seems pretty excited to see more. The series has an 85 percent positive rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 86 percent positive one among its general audience — neither of which are anything to sneeze at.

Daniel Fienberg wrote for The Hollywood Reporter that Burden Of Truth stood out, particularly when it aired on the CW, because it was a little more solid than some of the other content the network has recently put out. "Burden of Truth doesn't really feel like anything else The CW has aired in recent years, but unlike the abiding mystery behind why The Outpost ever saw the light of day at all, this is respectfully done genre fare that probably could fill a need for some viewers," he said.

The Los Angeles Times' Robert Lloyd, meanwhile, praised its storytelling chops, saying that "Burden of Truth cleverly plays with expectations, our willingness to run ahead of it a little, toward the usual suspects, before jerking the narrative hard to the side and sending things off in another direction for a while."

Plus, judging by social media, plenty of viewers are hooked.

Kreuk also acts as executive producer for the series, and in an interview with Collider, she said she's becoming more and more comfortable taking charge — so additional seasons of Burden of Truth will probably include even more of her input. "On Smallville, there came a point where I finally got the courage to give my opinion on something, and it was so hard," she told the outlet. "I remember being on the phone with the producers and stating my opinion, and then quietly crying. I was so terrified to voice anything. And from that point on, it’s been a slow process of becoming more and more confident, speaking up, and having people listen to me."

Her character likely instills some of that confidence judging by how she describes her. "I love [Joanna] because she’s a person who is great at her job and she doesn’t care what people think about her. She’s not going around adjusting her behavior, in order to have people like her, or think that what she is doing is okay," she continued to Collider. "She’s so fearless, in that regard. That’s not what she was raised to value. Success is her gauge of what is good, and not how much people like you. It’s about respect, and I love that."

Kreuk seems ready to carry Burden of Truth for many more episodes to come. That's already a reality for our friends up north, and now we'll just have to wait to see if it's brought back to the CW, too.