Mississauga-raised actor Simu Liu's new spy series reaches Canadian television tonight, when The Copenhagen Test premieres on Showcase at 9 p.m. ET.
The thriller, which debuted on the U.S. streaming service Peacock on Dec. 27, stars Liu as Alexander Hale, a first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst who realizes his brain has been hacked, giving whoever is behind it access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his own agency and the unknown hackers, Hale has to keep up a constant act while he tries to find out who is responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.
Corus Entertainment, which owns Showcase, announced the Canadian premiere in December as part of the channel's midseason lineup and said all of the series would also stream on STACKTV.
From the edge-of-your-seat thrills of The Copenhagen Test with Canada's own Simu Liu to the triumphant return of Outlander, viewers can look forward to a season filled with unforgettable characters and powerful storytelling on linear and to stream on STACKTV.
— Jennifer Abrams, senior vice-president, content and marketing, Corus Entertainment
Shot close to home
The series was filmed in Toronto between October 2024 and March 2025. Liu is also an executive producer, alongside filmmaker James Wan. The cast includes Melissa Barrera, Sinclair Daniel, Brian d'Arcy James, Mark O'Brien and Kathleen Chalfant.
From Erin Mills to Marvel
Liu was born in Harbin, China, and was four when he came to Canada, where his family settled in Mississauga's Erin Mills area, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. He later studied business administration at Western University's Ivey Business School.
His breakout role was Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom Kim's Convenience, which ran from 2016 to 2021. He went on to lead Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021 and appeared in 2023's Barbie. In 2022, Time magazine named him one of its 100 most influential people.
Liu is also set to return as Shang-Chi in Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday, a casting confirmed in March 2025.
How to watch
The Copenhagen Test premieres Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase. Corus says all series in the channel's midseason lineup are available to stream on STACKTV.
