As Satisfaction was one of the two Canadian shows participating in the 2013 CTV Upfront Press Conference, I had the opportunity to speak to castmembers Luke Macfarlane, Leah Renee, and Ryan Belleville, plus showrunner/creator Tim McAuliffe:
How will Satisfaction differ from CTV’s previous series, Hiccups and Dan for Mayor?
Tim McAuliffe: Well, it’s funny. I wrote for Dan for Mayor for a brief period of time, and briefly for Corner Gas as well. We actually have Gabrielle Miller on our show. I think [Satisfaction] is different in that it’s skewing a little younger … This is a story about people living in the city, in their twenties.
How worried are you about ratings? Dan for Mayor and Hiccups both debuted to an audience of around two million viewers; the audiences dwindled to around half a million by the end of their second seasons.
McAuliffe: Worry about the ratings? Yeah, I’m super worried.
Leah Renee: I always worry about the ratings!
Ryan Belleville: Well, the sign of a good showrunner is, of course, he’s always worried about the ratings. He’s also worried about the paint fillers being used on his sets; he’s worried about new scripts. [McAuliffe] has non-stop worries going on. I mean, there’s really nothing you can do. It’s a really funny show, and I think people will like it. It’s nice to have an urban comedy about young people in Canada. It’s a really refreshing thing, I found. We just have to hope people will agree with us.
Renee:Â We all just got to see some cuts of the show. … We all saw two episodes just the other day and they were really funny, you guys. They were really funny. I was laughing out loud, and I was like, “I was a part of this, and I’m laughing!” I think we’re all a little worried, but at the same time, I’m not, really. I feel like [Satisfaction‘s] going to be good.
