Virgin River Season 5: Why Calvin Looks So Familiar
Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) isn't exactly known for making the best choices as she tries to live in "Virgin River," but she may have just made her biggest mistake ever. During Season 5, it's revealed that the father of her yet-to-be-born twins is Calvin (David Cubitt) — a marijuana kingpin running an illegal cannabis farm who has run afoul of the law and had been presumed dead back in Season 4 after running afoul of Jack (Martin Henderson) and Brady (Ben Hollingsworth). It seems that before Calvin disappeared, he and Charmaine were spending some private time together. Now, he's not only back from the dead but wants to be involved in his kids' lives, which isn't something that reformed bad girl Charmaine needs. Or at least that's what she says...
Cubitt has played Calvin since Season 1 of "Virgin River." Before he claimed that role, he'd made quite a name for himself as a well-known face in American and Canadian television series and films. You might remember him as a brave plane crash survivor, an ex-con, a long-suffering friend, or a trustworthy doctor. This is why he looks so familiar.
Alive (1993)
While David Cubitt had essayed small parts in "21 Jump Street" and its spin-off "Booker" beforehand, "Alive" served as his major breakthrough role to mainstream American audiences. Based on the real-life story of the Andes plane disaster of 1972, the film follows the survivors of a Uruguayan rugby team who find themselves stranded on the side of the mountain with no way to call for help.
Sixteen of the plane's 45 passengers survive to reach safety more than two months later, thanks to the bravery of Nando Parrado (Ethan Hawke) and Roberto Canessa (Josh Hamilton), who hike over the mountains and attain help. Along the way, to preserve their lives, the group is forced to cannibalize their already deceased friends and family members. Cubitt portrays Fito Strauch, one of the few survivors of the disaster. Initially agnostic, Fito eventually joins the other survivors in praying the rosary after the threat of another fatal avalanche looms.
"Alive" was a runaway hit, and it also launched Cubitt's career in Canada; after it debuted, he would appear as a regular in the series "E.N.G." and the syndicated-in-America "Lonesome Dove: The Series" before showing up in "The X-Files" as Captain Barclay in Season 2's "Død Kalm." He would trade arguments with a former "NYPD Blue" star in his next big role.
Michael Hayes (1997)
That's David Cubitt in "Michael Hayes," a one-season wonder launching pad for a post-"NYPD Blue" David Caruso. The series follows a former police officer who becomes the acting U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York State. Hayes' position as a former police officer leaves him battling with enemies on the right and wrong sides of the law, leaving him in a true no-man's-land position. Cubitt played Michael's brother, Danny. The two often find themselves butting heads while Danny tries to figure out how to survive after a long jail stint. In the meantime, Michael looks after Danny's wife, Caitlin (Mary B. Ward), and his son, Danny Junior (Jimmy Galeota), which causes Danny no small amount of annoyance and angst. As the series progresses, the brothers seem to make amends — but then tragedy strikes, and Danny is shot while working as an informant for Michael on a case.
CBS ended up canceling the drama after a single season, but that proved a boon for Cubitt's career. He became a mainstay on the Canadian drama "Traders," where he would appear for 51 episodes and eventually win a Gemini Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 1997. He also appeared in three episodes of the mid-'90s reboot of "The Outer Limits" and in the film "Ali" as Robert Lipsyte before taking on his next part.
The 10.5 Miniseries Duology (2004 and 2006)
David Cubitt is naturally no stranger to the disaster genre, and he makes a big impression in the two-part NBC miniseries "10.5" and "10.5: Apocalypse." The series tracks the lives of several West Coast natives who must deal with epic natural disasters after a major earthquake hits the area. In "10.5 Apocalypse," the after-effects of that earthquake cause a volcano to erupt and threatens several nuclear power plants. In the miniseries, Cubitt plays Dr. Jordan Fisher, a climate scientist who performs several daring rescues across the run of both miniseries.
Unfortunately, Fisher does not survive the first half of the second miniseries; he dies when the Mulholland Dam overflows under the pressure of boiling water and destroys the helicopter from which he'd been taking temperature readings.
Aside from "Alive," Cubitt also pops up in "Snowmageddon," another disaster-filled TV movie where the actor faces down a mega blizzard. And once he came in from the cold, he would score his best role yet.
Medium (2005-2011)
American audiences likely otherwise know David Cubitt best from his part in the long-running drama "Medium." On the series, he plays Lee Scanlon, a hard-nosed detective who absolutely refuses to brook housewife Allison DuBois' (Patricia Arquette) nonsense — until it turns out the prophetic dreams she keeps having prove a big help in solving his cold cases. Every time Allison falls asleep, the dead communicate with her — showing her how they died and sometimes previewing other crimes that Allison must jump in to prevent. She works her way backward or forward from these visions to serve justice for the vulnerable, sometimes dragging Lee along and sometimes getting his full help.
Lee and Allison become partners on the force after Episode 3, and things get dangerous as time goes on, but their friendship remains strong throughout the show. It even survives Lee's attempted assassination — and Allison's evolving marriage and personal affairs. Cubitt stuck with "Medium" from its first season through its last, making it his longest American gig thus far. His next few roles would definitely help broaden his acting experience.
Siren (2018-2020)
After appearing as Mark Shaw on "Arrow," popping up in two episodes of "Ray Donovan," showing out as John in 10 episodes of "Van Helsing," and playing Sam Bates in four episodes of "Bates Motel," David Cubitt landed his next long-term role in the form of the Freeform drama "Siren." In the science fiction series for teens, he plays Ted Pownall, a native of the cozy seaside Washington town of Bristol Cove. It's long been rumored that mermaids haunt their oceans and the locale has long been referred to as a haven for the mythological beings — something most adults brush off as a silly superstition. But when Ryn (Eline Powell) arrives in town looking for her missing sister, everything turns upside down. Ted investigates the mysterious goings-on — events that soon involve his son Ben (Alex Roe), who develops a connection to Ryn.
The twisted and constantly bizarre events down in Bristol Cove don't last for very long; the series was canceled after three seasons aired. While it appears there may never be a Season 4 of "Siren," there's always hope the show might come back someday. In the meantime, Cubitt has gone on to appear in series such as "The Good Doctor" and the Apple+ series "Home Before Dark" on top of keeping abreast of his commitment to "Virgin River," continuing to add to his reputation as a reliable and talented character actor.