Hudson & Rex is a Canadian police procedural television series based on the Austrian–Italian drama Kommissar Rex. Played by John Reardon, Detective Charlie Hudson is a policeman in the Major Crimes Division of the St. John's Police Department in Newfoundland. Played by Diesel vom Burgimwald and several of his relatives, Hudson's K-9 partner Rex is a German Shepherd dog who is a "highly trained, law enforcement animal" and is not a pet.
The Canadian television series premiered on Citytv on March 25, 2019. Filming began in October 2018 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Season two premiered on September 24, 2019. In June 2020 it was announced on Breakfast Television that season three would begin production in July 2020, ensuring to work within provincial public health guidelines in respect to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Season three premiered on January 5, 2021. Season four premiered on October 21, 2021. Season 5 was released in October 2022. The popular series made another successful run for season six. Hudson & Rex was renewed for a seventh season on June 12, 2024, which began airing on January 14, 2025.
Diesel vom Burgimwald was the original canine star who played Rex in Canada in seasons 1–6, and episodes 1 and 2 of season 7 until his unexpected death in August 2024. His nephews, Dillon and Dante, and a cousin, Dreamer, took over the leading role of Rex starting in season 7, episode 3. German Shepherds Izzy and Iko, also nephews of Diesel, had already been acting as stunt doubles for Rex's action scenes, and will continue to do so in season 8. Reardon did not appear in most of season 7 while he recovered from tonsil cancer. He was replaced by a new detective, Mark Hudson (Luke Roberts), for season 8. Reardon would return in season 9.
Contents
Premise
Charlie Hudson holds the rank of Detective in the Major Crimes Division of the St. John's Police Department. As a child, Charlie read many mystery novels and had always wanted to be a police detective. Rex is a German Shepherd, originally in the K9 unit, whose first human partner had been killed while the two were pursuing a kidnapper. Instead of being retired as per the department's standard operating procedure for K9 officers whose human partners have died, Rex underwent an official assessment to determine if he could remain on duty without posing a danger to the public. Rex easily passed the assessment and, after a successful trial period with Charlie, was permanently transferred from the K9 unit to the Major Crimes Division. Since Charlie had never owned a dog, he had to receive some instruction in Rex's handling.
Rex has excellent senses of hearing and smell, allowing him to track suspects and materials (blood, drugs, poisons, etc.) by scent or sound. He can also comfort people in distress and chase down suspects in order to subdue them. These abilities are instrumental in helping Charlie advance the division's investigations, and the two receive further support from Superintendent Joseph Donovan, Forensics Chief Sarah Truong, and IT specialist Jesse Mills in gathering and interpreting evidence. Truong and Mills both become detectives in later seasons.
The first season begins after Charlie has returned to his hometown of St. John's, following a divorce from his unfaithful wife. The first case is a kidnapping. Most episodes feature different murders, each with unique twists. The background story of the teaming of Charlie and Rex is presented in the season three premiere.
Early in the seventh season, Charlie leaves St. John's in order to search for his brother, who has gone missing in Mexico. Donovan, Sarah, and Jesse look after Rex and work with him until the end of the season, when Mark Hudson – a detective with the Halifax police, and not related to Charlie – is transferred to the SJPD and partnered with Rex.
Cast and characters
Main
John Reardon as Detective Charlie Hudson (seasons 1–7, 9), Rex's partner
Mayko Nguyen as Chief of Forensics (later Detective) Sarah Truong
Kevin Hanchard as Superintendent Joseph "Joe" Donovan
Justin Kelly as IT Specialist (later Detective) Jesse Mills
Diesel vom Burgimwald (seasons 1–7) and Dillon, Dante, and Dreamer (seasons 7–8) as Rex, the German Shepherd Dog K-9 officer, Hudson's partner and law enforcement animal in the Major Crimes Division of the St John's Police Department (SJPD)
Is-He / Izzy, and Iko (seasons 1–7), action scene stunt doubles of Rex
Luke Roberts as Detective Mark Hudson (season 8; guest season 7)
Supporting
Raven Dauda as Sergeant Jan Renley, Rex's police trainer (seasons 1, 3, 5, 7)
Amanda Arcuri as Camilla Donovan (seasons 1–2, 5)
Richard Chevollou as P.I. David Mason (seasons 1–3, 5)
Alan Doyle as Dalton (seasons 2–5)
Andrew Bushell as Michael (seasons 4–5)
Bridget Wareham as Dr. Karma Poole (season 5)
Lanette Ware as Superintendent Vanessa Lewis (season 5)
Episodes
Seasons one and two combined have a total of 32 episodes according to distributor Beta. Season one filmed a total of 16 episodes but the last three episodes of season one became the first three episodes of season two. Season two also filmed 16 episodes.
Season 8 (2025–2026)
1.^Episode was preempted due to baseball, but was released October 20, 2025 on the subscription-based Citytv+ service and broadcast on November 3, 2025.
2.^Episode was preempted again due to World Series baseball, but was again released October 27, 2025 on the subscription-based Citytv+ service and broadcast on November 10, 2025.
Reception
Ratings
The first six episodes of season one reached more than 2.5 million viewers in Canada.
In the 2019–2020 time period, Hudson & Rex was Citytv's highest-rated original scripted series.
Reviews
Reviewer Rob Buckley, writing for The Medium Is Not Enough after the first episode in March 2019, criticized the writing and direction and described the show as "for the most part unwatchable, tedious".
In April 2026, Good Housekeeping described it as a "terrific detective drama".
Broadcast
Hudson & Rex premiered March 25, 2019, on Canada's Citytv with season 1 planned for 16 episodes. However, only the first 13 episodes were used for season one. The remaining three episodes were broadcast as part of season two. Seven seasons have been produced and broadcast as of 2025.
International
Besides in Canada, Hudson & Rex has aired in the following countries (listed alphabetically): Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China (Hong Kong), Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom, (UK), United States (USA and Puerto Rico USA), and Uruguay. It had been shown in over 100 countries and territories by 2020.
Beta Film has the international English distribution rights for Hudson & Rex. Broadcaster RAI will begin showing episodes in Italy on Rai 3.
In Germany with TNT Serie and Latin America with the Belleville Group.
In Armenia, Armenian Public TV has aired the show since September 30, 2022.
It has also been distributed in: France with France Televisions via Mediawan Rights, Lithuania with LRT, in Latvia with LTV, Uruguay with Channel 12, and Greece with ANT1.
In Romania, the series started airing on the channel Diva on September 3, 2019.
In the Netherlands, the show airs on FOX.
NBC Universal secured rights for Eastern Europe and Africa.
As of July 2020, the show is being broadcast in the Czech Republic on Televize Prima.
Production
Casting
Diesel vom Burgimwald (Rex) is a 15th generation descendant of Santo, the first German Shepherd to star in Kommissar Rex (Inspector Rex), the Austrian-Italian television series in the 1990s on which Hudson & Rex is based. German Shepherd dogs Is-He (Izzy) and Iko, are nephews of Diesel, and are his stand-ins for some of the stunts. Diesel vom Burgimwald had mobility training before being cast as Rex. This was Diesel's first show according to his owner-handler Sherri Davis, and training continued on non-shooting days in preparation for future scripts. While on set, Diesel and his co-star-dogs get full star treatment with their own trailers, chef, and chauffeur. Diesel and his character Rex became an honorary firefighter with the St. John's Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) during the filming of "Fast Eddie's," which became part of the episode "Flare of the Dog".
While news of his death was released in February 2025, Diesel vom Burgimwald (Rex) died from cancer in August 2024, during the filming of Season 7. His nephews, Dillon and Dante and his distant cousin Dreamer, who were already acting as "stand-ins" for Diesel, succeeded him in the role. Izzy and Iko continue to perform stunts on the show. Three of Diesel's real life puppies played Buster, Duff, and Kona in "Claws Out" season six, episode six. There are other episodes with several dogs in the story, but his nephews are stunt doubles and stand-ins in action scenes and at photo shoots. In January 2026, the Toronto Star reported that Diesel and three other dogs were poisoned in October 2022.
Diesel vom Burgimwald was a Canadian Kennel Club grand champion, and a direct descendant of the Trienzbachtal bloodlines of “German Shepherd Dogs” and related to the dog VA5 Elch vom Trienzbachtal who was the great-grandfather of the original “Rex” (Santo) in the European TV series Inspector Rex on which Hudson & Rex is based.
The Canadian production of Hudson & Rex was produced after getting production rights after the end of the European TV series that was broadcast in Europe for nearly thirty years. Several actors and dog actors played the main characters in Austria and Italy. The success of Hudson & Rex in English-speaking countries led to a new production in Europe. Kommissar Rex (Inspector Rex) is expected to return to television in Europe in 2026.
Filming
Hudson and Rex films at various locations across the City of St. John's, most prominently on the Memorial University of Newfoundland campus. The Bruneau Centre (formerly the Inco Centre) doubles as the headquarters for the fictional St. John's Police Department, while the rest of the campus has been used to portray the equally fictional Heritage University of Newfoundland and Labrador.