From a media release:
Temple Street Productions and CBC Television Announce the Start of Production on their newest collaboration: Being Erica
Hot on the heels of the highly successful hit reality series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Temple Street Productions and CBC Television team up once again on their much anticipated drama series, Being Erica. Principal photography on the inaugural season has begun and production will continue in Toronto until mid-December, 2008. The one-hour, 13-episode series will begin airing on CBC in January 2009.
Being Erica was created by Jana Sinyor (Dark Oracle) and is executive produced by David Fortier (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Billable Hours), Ivan Schneeberg (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Billable Hours), Aaron Martin (Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Best Years) and Jana Sinyor.
Being Erica delves into the quirky life of Erica Strange an over-educated, underachieving single gal who struggles to understand why her life is heading nowhere. After a series of bizarre and hilarious mishaps, Erica finds herself in the hospital where she meets a mysterious therapist named Dr. Tom, who seems to know a lot about her, and promises he can turn her life around.
Erica reveals to him the reason her life is at a standstill: she’s made a series of bad choices. Decisions that if she had the chance to do over, she’d reverse in a second. After Erica writes a list, detailing her life’s regrets, Dr. Tom leads her through a series of therapy sessions, each exploring one of the items on her list. In each episode Dr. Tom launches Erica back in time to a specific regret from her past, giving her the opportunity to re-live and even alter her past choices.
For Erica, it’s a wild and crazy ride, but also the opportunity of a lifetime. She has the ability to re-visit her past in the hopes of changing her present.
Being Erica features Erin Karpluk (The L Word, Love and Other Dilemmas, The Guard) as the endearing, funny and adorably candid Erica Strange, Michael Riley (This Is Wonderland, Murdoch Mysteries, CSI) as the mysterious and eccentric Dr. Tom, and Tyron Leitso (Wonderfalls) as Erica’s charming best friend, Ethan.
The show has an outstanding ensemble cast, including Kathleen Laskey (Blue Murder, The Eleventh Hour), John Boylan (Fever Pitch, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Blue Murder), Reagan Pasternak (CSI, Blue Murder), Morgan Kelly (Falcon Beach, Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Joanna Douglas (The Border), who portrays characters that are both entertaining and real.
“We are thrilled to be underway on Being Erica. We have high hopes for the show because its basic premise is something everyone can relate to,†said David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, Executive Producers and co-Presidents, Temple Street Productions. “We all have regrets, we all have made mistakes – but we don’t have to be defined by them. The show is about recognizing the power you have over the course of your own life.â€
Fabulous show… I really didn’t want to enjoy it, but DAMN IT.. CBC has surprised me yet.again.
LOVED the first episode. Fabulous potential, Erin Karpluk is terrific and beautifully cast. See if you can flog it to one of our dumb networks in Australia who appear to be currently besotted with reality shows and anything with a serial killer in it. Good luck with it CBC.
Liked the First Show which repeated on Sunday. Does not look like it will continue repeating on Sunday, the second episode is not listed in the TV Guide. Monday time slot is not good, as there are too many other shows on I follow being 24, Corner Gas, Samantha Who.
If this show does not repeat at another time, I am voting it off.
It is fantastic. I love it. I agree the time/ day slot is not great, but i PVR it and then I can watch it my leisure and keep watching, Even told a shrink about it… thought he would like it!!!
It looks like you can catch the back espisodes on CBC.ca:
http://www.cbc.ca/beingerica/videos.html
I was watching the teaser video blog back in December and am emjoying the show now that it is running. I hope CBC has a hit as the three shows so far have been well written, funny, and enjoyable.
I have watched all the episodes thus far and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. It is wonderful to see a show that has elements of good, clean comedy and yet has powerful spiritual undertones. It is about time that shows of this nature are being aired on prime time. There is hope for future shows like this.
I usually do not watch any shows on CBC…but I love Being Erica. Original and fun! Very entertaining show and thought provoking. I would love a “do over” on some of my past experiences.
I am Erica!
My life is so similar to the life your writers have given to “Being Erica”. I’m a 32 year old, flaky, educated and under paid, cute but single, emotional, people-pleaser with a family that love to remind me of all of my faults.
With every show, I find myself remembering situations in my past that I wish I could have done much differently. Thank you for bringing humor to my crazy life, and for making me feel more normalized in such a crazy world!
Love the show.
What is happening with Michael Reily’s character? He seems to have vanished into one of the doors.