Well, sure, they know him in the way you’d know your dentist — he’s a guy who gets the job done yet probably hasn’t seen Kylie Jenner’s latest Instagram post that, OMG you guys, is like totes adorbs.
But if you mention the fact that the 46-year-old actor was once Teen Beat cover bait for his role on Beverly Hills, 90210? Someone emulated in hair, clothing and eyebrow lift? Crickets. Continue reading.Â
Airing Sunday on Family Channel, the comedy series première sees her character — a high-profile child psychologist and author and mother of five — recounting one of her husband’s tall tales at a conference. When the talk is posted online, it draws a flurry of accusations that the father (played by Jason Priestley) is lying and that the family isn’t as perfect as it seems. Continue reading.
From Tim Kelly of the Vaughan Citizen:
Vaughan’s Luke Bilyk sets sights on Raising Expectations
You may well know Vaughan’s Luke Bilyk as Drew Torres from Degrassi: The Next Generation where he starred for five years, but now the 21-year-old is hitting the small screen in a brand new show.
Debuting Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on Family Channel, Raising Expectations tells the story of a pair of “multi-exceptional parents†raising four “multi-exceptional children†and one not-so-exceptional child. Laughs and some life lessons ensue. Continue reading.
From Wendy Goldman Getzler of Kidscreen.com:
In Raising Expectations, DHX broadens reach
“We wanted to–within the regular Family Channel block–also think about [reaching] more people who frankly may not turn on Family Channel, who may not know about the channel or watch the channel. So we were thinking about a single-camera comedy that is age-appropriate for the core audience.” Continue reading.
From Jeremy Dixon of Kidscreen.com
Family quirks: A Q&A with Raising Expectations’ creator
“I wanted to tell a story that was very loosely based on a portion of my family, which is a family of nine. In other pilots that I’ve written, I like to dabble and draw from my family because we’re such a diverse bunch of characters. With Raising Expectations, I wasn’t thinking that I wanted to make a kids show. I wanted to make a show for a family, or a show that my family would want to watch.” Continue reading.
I’ve seen Jason Priestley guest-star on Spun Out, so I knew he could do comedy. But would he be able to headline a comic project on Family Channel? Indeed he can. As a matter of fact, he’s one of many reasons to tune in to Raising Expectations.
Debuting Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Family Channel, Priestley’s Wayne Wayney plays a somewhat out-of-touch dad alongside wife Paige (Molly Ringwald) and their four “multi-exceptional” children. The fifth kid? Well, not so much. Emmett (Simon Cadel) lacks the academic and physical prowess of his siblings, but has the street smarts to keep everyone grounded. And though the emphasis in the press releases surrounding Raising Expectations plays up Emmett a lot, he doesn’t really come off that much different from his brothers and sister. What does, however, is Priestley’s Wayne. After seeing him play a teen for so long on Beverly Hills 90210, it’s definitely a shock to see him playing a father. Thanks to the writing, he’s a blast.
Created by the same folks behind Todd and the Book of Pure Evil—Episode 2 features Emmett wearing a Crowley High t-shirt—Raising Expectations is a showcase for Priestley’s comic chops (he’s directing some episodes too). Whether he’s wallowing on a couch, feeling badly for lying to his family and drowning his guilt in bags of chips and tubs of ice cream, mistaking Internet trolls for gnomes or doing battle with a sap-filled tree, Wayne is the focus. Taking nothing away from Ringwald or the young cast—who are great too—but the series would be hard to watch with anyone else acting opposite them.
Another mark in Raising Expectations‘ favour? No laugh track. There’s simply no reason to have it when the writing is sharp and the performances are well done.
Raising Expectations airs Sundays at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Family Channel.
They’re smart, they’re funny and this Mother’s Day the Wayneys are coming to Family Channel in the premiere of the highly anticipated new series Raising Expectations. Debuting Sunday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, the live-action family comedy, created by Tom Saunders (Arrested Development) stars Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz, Beverly Hills: 90210) and Molly Ringwald (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Breakfast Club) as seemingly flawless parents Wayne and Paige Wayney. The series follows the misadventures of their less-than-perfect son, Emmett as he celebrates his relatively mediocre status within his overachieving family. Highlighting Sundays on Family as the go-to television destination for family entertainment, the new series is followed by a new episode of the family comedy Dr. Ken.
Ahh, the Wayneys… what an amazing family: good looking, smart, talented, athletic and popular. Child psychologist and bestselling author Paige Wayney (Ringwald) and her architect husband Wayne (Priestley) have worked hard at raising their five children to be “multi-exceptionalâ€, and they succeeded…four times! However, their youngest son, Emmett, is a work in progress. But what he lacks academically, athletically and artistically, he is determined to make up with… nothing. Or as he calls it: “street smarts.†Bottom line, every day without a visit from rescue workers in hazmat suits is a win for the Wayneys!
In the premiere episode, titled â€Wayne’s White Lie,†Paige shares a tale about Wayne’s heroism during an online lecture, but the online community calls “baloney.†The Wayney kids rally to defend their dad against the internet trolls, but as the evidence against Wayne starts to mount, the kids begin to suspect that their parents’ legendary romance may have been built on lies.
Starring alongside Priestley and Ringwood as the Wayney kids are Luke Bilyk (Degrassi, Lost Girl) as Adam; Katie Douglas (Defiance, Max & Shred) as Conner; Matthew Tissi (Call Me Fitz, Transporter) as Bentley; Jake Sim (The Amazing Gayl Pile, Arthur) as Derek; and introduces newcomer Simon Cadel as Emmett.
The series features notable special guest stars Erin Karpluk (Being Erica), Will Sasso (MADtv), Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall), Patrick McKenna (Remedy), Ricardo Hoyos (Degrassi), Cristine Prosperi (Degrassi) and Devyn Nekoda (Backstage). In addition to his starring role, Jason Priestley serves as director on multiple episodes, as well as Jim Allodi (Call Me Fitz), Warren Sonoda (Backstage), Melanie Orr (How to Be Indie) and Stefan Brogren (Degrassi).
Commissioned by Family Channel, Raising Expectations is produced by Aircraft Pictures (Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil, What’s Up, Warthogs!) with producers Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, in association with Dolphin Entertainment (Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Zoey 101, and the upcoming feature film Max Steel, based on the Mattel action-figure franchise) with executive producer Bill O’Dowd. Tom Saunders (Arrested Development, The Larry Sanders Show) is series creator and executive producer. The show is co-executive produced by Steve Skrovan (Everybody Loves Raymond, Hot in Cleveland) and Garry Campbell (MADtv, Kids in the Hall). Tia Ayers, Barbara Haynes, Skander Halim, Max Reid, Josh Gal and Emer Connon round out the writing room.
