A change of producer, a plot involving a complex operation and two new main characters. This is the information we were able to extract from STAT staff during our visit to the filming locations.
Radio-Canada and Fabienne Larouche opened the doors of the medical drama set to the media on Tuesday. This was a first, since last fall, no tour had been organized, the team preferring to start the adventure without distraction.
First observation by investing the waiting room of the fictitious emergency: it’s big. The sets occupy an area of 15,000 square feet (more than District 31), spread over two studios at MELS, in Saint-Hubert.
Second observation: it’s new. Although the team inaugurated the premises in July 2022 and we see a few stretchers lying around in the middle of the corridors (for the sake of realism), the luster remains. During the guided tour conducted by Fabienne Larouche and Tommy Guenette, production manager, a journalist even exclaimed: “It almost makes you feel sick! »
The sets are by André Chamberland, a faithful collaborator of Fabienne Larouche (30 lives, Unit 9, Trauma). The art director is also behind another important element of STAT: the name of the hospital. The fictitious establishment was named Saint-Vincent in honor of Vincent, his son who died of leukemia.
Cafeteria, reception, analysis room, rest room (with the essential stationary bike still monopolized by Emmanuelle St-Cyr/Suzanne Clément), operating room, conference room, changing rooms, toilets… We explored every square meter from the set, even the elevator that Fabienne Larouche was adamant about.
It was filled in with plaster, but not repainted. “I wanted to be remembered,” slipped Marie-Andrée Labbé.
The author was stingy with details about the new episodes of STAT, which will be broadcast on ICI Télé from Monday, September 11. Last April, just before the closing credits appeared, 1,600,000 viewers were amazed to learn that Jacob Faubert (Lou-Pascal Tremblay) was in the apartment of psychiatrist François Éthier (Daniel Parent) – and spouse of Emmanuelle St -Cyr – just before his fatal fall.
Marie-Andrée Labbé seems to want to make us languish for a long time before exposing the truth. She and Fabienne Larouche know, however, what really happened between the two men, just like Suzanne Clément.
“I know things, but not everything,” said the actress, who took advantage of the summer to play in two foreign productions: the American series The Sticky, shot in Quebec, but produced by Jamie Lee Curtis for Prime Video d ‘Amazon, and Loups-garous, a French film she shot in Prague with Jean Reno and Franck Dubosc for Netflix.
As for the hard core of the hospital, composed among others of Isabelle Granger (Geneviève Schmidt), Philippe Dupéré (Patrick Labbé), Sophia St-Jean (Ludivine Reding) and Éric Perron (Stéphane Rousseau), it remains intact. ” But for how long ? “, Slipped Fabienne Larouche.
Despite its dramatic tone, STAT will retain its touch of humor in 2023-2024. “It gives air,” explained Marie-Andrée Labbé. It makes you breathe. And all the doctors have told us: the more serious it is, the more they have to play it down. »
Among the operations that will be performed, Marie-Andrée Labbé mentioned an escharotomy, a complex intervention reserved for serious burns (third degree), specifies Google. The intervention will be led by Emmanuelle St-Cyr. Suzanne Clément also spent her last Saturday evening watching videos to learn the manipulations. “It’s never dull. I didn’t think I had this appetite to learn about all things medical,” the actress said.
Medical specialists continue to advise Marie-Andrée Labbé and Judith Lussier, his spouse and collaborator, in the writing of STAT.
Another piece of information collected: a well-known comedian character will be admitted to the emergency room. His presence will cause “a stir”.
Things are also happening behind the scenes at STAT. Aetios is now the sole production house behind STAT. Last year, Fabienne Larouche and Michel Trudeau produced the daily with A Media, the company of Guillaume Lespérance (Everyone talks about it, Discussions with my parents). After one season, when the time came to renegotiate the agreement, the producers decided to go their separate ways, summed up Fabienne Larouche. “Guillaume [Lespérance] went to make his plans; we do our own,” the producer said.
Guillaume Lespérance did not call us back to give his comments.
In addition, Marie-Andrée Labbé becomes associate producer. “With the input she had last year, this title was hers,” said Fabienne Larouche.
Julie Perreault, who directed a week of episodes of STAT last season, will be back behind the camera this year. The actress should join the trio of directors, made up of Danièle Méthot, Chantal Des Ruisseaux and Jean-Marc Piché, on a more regular basis. After a post-District 31 year spent away from TV sets, Vincent-Guillaume Otis wants to “do some observation” in order to produce episodes.
