Motive is a Canadian police procedural television series that aired for four seasons on CTV from February 3, 2013, to August 30, 2016. The series premiere had 1.23 million viewers, making it the number one Canadian series premiere of the 2012–13 season.^[1]

Motive is a police procedural drama set in Vancouver, British Columbia, following the investigations of working class single mother Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman).^[2] Each episode reveals the killer and the victim at the beginning; and the rest of the episode details the ongoing investigation, the killer's efforts to cover up the crime, and, via flashbacks, the events leading to the crime.^[3] This format is similar to that of the TV series Columbo.^[4]

On May 31, 2012, CTV ordered 13 episodes from Foundation Features and Lark Productions, to be filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, from September 17, 2012, to February 26, 2013.^[5][6] The series premiere aired following CTV's broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII.^[1]

On May 21, 2014, CTV ordered a third season of Motive, which premiered on March 8, 2015.^[7]

On October 5, 2015, CTV announced that Motive had begun production on the fourth and final season, with star Kristin Lehman directing one of the 13 episodes.^[8] Following the events of the third season, Detective Flynn finds herself without a car in the fourth. On April 5, 2016, CTV announced it has partnered with Chevrolet for the final season. Flynn decides on a 2015 Camaro.^[9]

Starting in 2013, the series aired for two seasons on ABC in the United States.^[10][11][12] Following poor second season ratings, ABC did not include Motive on its 2015 summer schedule.^[13][14] In 2016, USA Network picked up Motive for its spring schedule. The third season premiered on April 1, 2016, and concluded on June 26, 2016. The fourth season began airing the following week on July 3, 2016, and concluded on September 25, 2016.^[15]