From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:
This slick Canadian comedy is only slightly funny
Package Deal (CITY-TV, 8:30 p.m.) is a sitcom that arrives after considerable delay. The series got some promotional backing from Rogers, owner of the CITY channel, and was announced for an early May start, but then was postponed to June. What happened in June was only a sneak-peek look at the pilot. Now, at last, the series starts tonight. Continue reading.
From Mark Leiren-Young of the Vancouver Sun:
Pamela Anderson brings out the teenaged daydream in Vancouver actor
For a comic actor, scoring the lead in a sitcom is a dream come true, but when Vancouver’s Randal Edwards landed a role in Package Deal (which debuts Monday, Sept. 30, at 8:30 p.m. on City) the reality became even wilder when the series signed a guest star who had featured in a childhood fantasy or two — Pamela Anderson. Continue reading.
From Scott Stinson of the National Post:
City’s ‘Package Deal’ will finally premiere – and not a moment too soon
It was something of a coup when Rogers announced it had secured the services of Andrew Orenstein to develop a sitcom for its City stations. Orenstein, a transplanted Canadian in Hollywood, has producer and writer credits from such successful shows as 3rd Rock from the Sun and Malcolm in the Middle. It was something less of a coup when the show he ultimately produced, Package Deal, was removed from City schedules in the spring before it had premiered. Continue reading.
From Glen Schaefer of The Province:
Eugene Levy, Pamela Anderson part of the mix in new TV sitcom Package Deal
There’s usually quiet on set when the cameras are rolling on a movie or TV show, but the crew of Package Deal were free to belly laugh all they wanted as the gags rolled out on the new comedy series. Parts of the show were filmed before a live audience in the show’s south Burnaby studios, and while it was just cast and crew onset the day we visited, the grips, camera guys, props crew and make-up artists didn’t have to hold back their titters. Continue reading.
From Bill Brioux of the Canadian Press:
‘Package Deal’ among Canuck sitcoms taped in front of live audience
“This is a show about me and my stepbrother,†says Orenstein, who grew up in Toronto but moved to Los Angeles when he took a chance on a career writing for television. He went on to become a writer and producer on several hit U.S. sitcoms, including “3rd Rock from the Sun,†“Malcolm in the Middle†and “Everybody Hates Chris.†More recently, he was behind the CBC sitcom “18 to Life.†Continue reading.
From Cassandra Szklarski of the Canadian Press:
City sitcom ‘Package Deal’ puts U.S. spin on Canuck laughs with live audience
“The show is done kind of following the American blueprint and it’s long overdue in my opinion,” says co-star Harland Williams, who injects his trademark lunacy into a role as a demented meat salesman. Continue reading.
