The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano (seasons 1–2), Gordon Pinsent, Beau Starr, Catherine Bruhier, Camilla Scott, Ramona Milano, and later Callum Keith Rennie (seasons 2–4).
The pilot episode of Due South focuses on Fraser Sr.'s murder and his son's attempt to solve the case.
Robert Fraser was betrayed by, and his murder orchestrated by Gerrard (Ken Pogue), his friend of some 30 years, who was highly ranked within the RCMP and involved with illegal activity, in-order to cover-up the truth about flaws in a dam.
In his eulogy, it was said that he 'could track a ghost across sheer ice', and that a young officer would have to move fast and drive hard 'just to catch his shadow'.
Fraser Sr. appears in later episodes, starting with The Gift of the Wheelman, as a ghost providing advice to his son, Benton.
He allows best friend, Sergeant Buck Frobisher, to see him, but is surprised when Constable Maggie Mackenzie – who he did not yet know was his daughter – is able to first hear him, and soon see him as well.
On two occasions he has allowed non-family/friends to see him: once to one of the men who was responsible for his death, and to a former friend was being attacked after he offered to turn in evidence against his former partners-in-crime.
But Muldoon escaped from prison and was pursued by Fraser Jr. and "Ray Vecchio" (name then being used by #Detective Stanley Kowalski).
Frobisher is approximately 6 feet (180 cm) tall with grey hair and is in his late 50s or early 60s, and in season 3, in "Burning Down the House", Benton Fraser describes him as bearing an uncanny resemblance to "a certain famous Canadian comedian".
After being confronted on this by Benton Fraser, the son of his late best friend, Frobisher manages to bring in Geiger for a second time.
The series ends with Fraser and Kowalski embarking on a quest to find the Hand of Sir John Franklin.
Throughout the season, Fraser is often called upon to retrieve her clothing from the dry cleaners, to drive her to various formal functions, and to perform other menial tasks better suited to an administrative assistant.
Regardless, her mastery of vintage skills of the Force are undiminished for her preferences, such when she effortlessly communicates with Fraser using hand semaphore when they are in a hostage situation.
The two share a passionate kiss on top of a moving train filled with explosives before engaging a group of domestic terrorists.
They part ways at the end of the series, with Thatcher taking a post in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
She has always rejected these offers; she once bluntly rebuffed RCMP counsel Henri Cloutier, who called her his protégée ("We are the Eggmen").
[13] Detective First Grade Raymond "Ray" Vecchio is a fictional character in the television series Due South.
He is a detective with the Chicago Police Department, on the force for approximately 14 years by the end of the series, serving with the 27th Precinct.
He lives at 2926 North Octavia Avenue, a Victorian-style house left to him by his father, in the Chicago suburb of Norwood Park.
[16][14] Sibling rivalry aside, Ray is very protective of Francesca and attempts to discourage her from pursuing a romance with the relatively unemotional Fraser.
[17] In episode 3.09, "Dead Guy Running", Francesca speaks of an incident in which Ray violently threatened an abusive man she was dating; when the man was found dead in the police station, Ray, undercover at the time, was suspected (but later cleared) of killing him.
[16] Ray is divorced from ex-wife Angie (played by Marciano's real-life wife Katayoun Amini), and has been involved with a few women since, including a suspected arms smuggler who turned out to be an undercover ATF agent.
Both care deeply about their communities, both had troubled relationships with their deceased fathers, and both can be highly tenacious investigators (once Ray can be motivated to become involved with a case) with a strong sense of justice.
He also has a black book full of various officials he has blackmail information on, though most of it proves to be outdated and useless by the time he ever finds a reason to use it (often to help Fraser with a legal matter).
He is acrophobic, and highly dismayed whenever Fraser jumps out of a window or from some other great height in pursuit of a suspect.
It is unclear when he was bumped up to detective; his first supervisor, Lieutenant William Kelly, thought enough of him to attend to his promotion.
His present supervisor, Lieutenant Harding Welsh, is somewhat less enthusiastic, but nevertheless fair; he has shown great reluctance to take disciplinary action against Ray, and defended him before higher-ranking officers.
[16] In "The Promise" (#2.05), Ray mentions that he spent six years in the vice squad prior to his present stint in the violent crimes division.
Despite several references to the slow progress of Ray's career, he was promoted to detective first grade shortly before "Juliet Is Bleeding" (#2.07).
[16] Ray has also been suspended from duty on occasion, though one such suspension was no fault of his own, and not ahead of his colleagues and supervisor going to bat for him.