Everything about Run the Burbs, eh?

Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, Strays

CBC renews new original comedies Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch and Strays

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From a media release:

Continuing its commitment to nurturing world-class Canadian comedic talent, CBC today announced the renewal of new original series RUN THE BURBS, SON OF A CRITCH and STRAYS for their second seasons on CBC and CBC Gem. The series join CBC’s 2022-23 comedy slate alongside acclaimed comedy SORT OF from Sienna Films/Sphere Media, also recently announced by CBC and HBO Max as returning for its sophomore season. Additional CBC renewals across all genres and content areas to be announced in the spring.

Created by comedian, writer and actor Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience) and his best friend and collaborator, filmmaker Scott Townend (The Secret Marathon), RUN THE BURBS follows the Phams, a young, bold Vietnamese-South Asian-Canadian family taking a different approach to living life to the fullest, while changing the way we think about contemporary family values and life in the burbs. The series is produced by Pier 21 Films, with Endeavor Content holding international distribution rights. RUN THE BURBS premiered on January 5, 2022, and airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m (9 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.

Based on Mark Critch’s award-winning, best-selling memoir, SON OF A CRITCH is the hilarious and very real story of 11-year-old Mark coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the 80s. Created by Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Tim McAuliffe (The Office, Last Man on Earth and MacGruber) and produced by Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek), the series is an inter-provincial co-production between Barnsley’s Project 10 Productions Inc. and Newfoundland-based Take the Shot Productions in association with CBC and Lionsgate Television. SON OF A CRITCH premiered on January 4, 2022, ranking as the #1 scripted program on CBC in the 25-54, 18-49 and 18-34 audience demographics,* and garnering CBC’s highest rating for a comedy premiere since Kim’s Convenience debuted in October 2016.** The series airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.

STRAYS follows Shannon Ross (Nicole Power) as the new executive director of the Hamilton East Animal Shelter, where she is boss to an eclectic staff. Developed for television by Kevin White (Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek), Anita Kapila (Kim’s Convenience, Son of a Critch) and Clara Altimas (Kim’s Convenience), STRAYS is produced by Thunderbird Entertainment and premiered on CBC and CBC Gem in September 2021.

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Kim's Convenience, Run the Burbs

Links: Run the Burbs, Season 1

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From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: Andrew Phung takes on suburbia in new CBC sitcom, Run the Burbs
There will be some Easter eggs in the new CBC sitcom Run the Burbs involving Calgary, little tributes sprinkled throughout the first season that astute viewers from the city’s northeast will recognize. Continue reading.

From Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail:

Link: In Kim’s Convenience star Andrew Phung’s new CBC sitcom Run the Burbs, family matters
“I don’t wake up every morning thinking I’m Vietnamese,” says Andrew Phung, co-creator and co-star of the new sitcom Run the Burbs. “I’m Vietnamese-Canadian, and this a show about a contemporary Canadian family.” Continue reading.

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: Canada, ‘we’re your new family’: Andrew Phung’s ‘Run the Burbs’ picks up the baton from ‘Kim’s Convenience’
Andrew Phung is standing in the middle of the perfect metaphor for what he’s bringing to Canadian television. Continue reading.

From Marriska Fernandes of The Canadian Press:

Link: Andrew Phung on seeking authenticity for Asian family comedy ‘Run the Burbs’
Andrew Phung says he brought plenty of lessons from his hit “Kim’s Convenience” over to his new show “Run the Burbs,” which shifts the focus from a family of Korean immigrants to first-generation kids. Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Run the Burbs gives us a family big on love
The Pham fam has a whole lot of love to give and they want to share it with the world around them. Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Hey, T-Dot: Andrew Phung’s Run the Burbs speaks today’s slang
If you live in the ‘burbs you’ll recognize the family at the heart of Run the Burbs, the second new sitcom to launch this week from CBC. Continue reading.

From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:

Link: Interview: Run the Burbs’ Andrew Phung and Rakhee Morzaria
Run the Burbs is an exciting new series from one of our faves at Brief Take, Andrew Phung (who was previously seen as Kimchee in Kim’s Convenience and can be seen upcoming in Roast Battle Canada), and is created by Phung along with his creative partner Scott Townend. Continue reading.

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Featured, Kim's Convenience, Run the Burbs

Andrew Phung returns to CBC with his own creation, Run the Burbs

Like other fans, I was gutted when Kim’s Convenience came to an end. I missed the laughs, the family dynamic, and the diversity I was seeing on my television screen. Thankfully, that hole has been filled by Andrew Phung—Kim’s Convenience‘s Kimchee—in Run the Burbs.

Co-created by Phung and his best bud and collaborator, filmmaker Scott Townend, Run the Burbs—debuting Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on CBC—follows the Phams, a young Vietnamese-South Asian-Canadian family living on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs.

“Relatable” was the first word that came to mind as I watched the debut episode of Run the Burbs. In those opening moments, I witnessed something I’ve done myself: trying to deliver a trunkful of groceries from the car into my house in one trip. To see the Phams—father Andrew (Phung), mother Camille (Rakhee Morzaria), daughter Khia (Zoriah Wong) and son Leo (Roman Pesino)—draped like pack mules struggling in the heat, made me laugh out loud at them, and myself.

“For this family, in particular, they make these mundane moments big,” Townend says. “And there are the families around them as well. People are going to say, ‘I have a neighbour like that.’ I’ve got neighbours like this, Andrew’s got neighbours like that. It was important to find the comedy in those everyday moments.”

In the works since the summer of 2019, Phung says Run the Burbs came organically and easily, thanks in large part to their longtime friendship and the way they constantly supported each other. By December of that year, Phung was confident what they had created would end up on a network.

“We had something here that was so fun and full of life and energetic,” Phung says. “What’s wild to me is that, through the process, a lot of it has remained the same.”

At the centre of Run the Burbs is Andrew Pham, a whirling dervish of a man who is full of positivity, good-natured humour and truly believes in the good in everyone. Even when there are down moments, like in Episode 1, when a planned block party seems to be going off the rails, it doesn’t last long. And with high-powered and diverse comedic talent in Phung’s co-stars and supporting roles played by Aurora Browne, Ali Hassan, Julie Nolke, Jonathan Langdon, Chris Locke, Samantha Wan, Simone Miller and the late Candy Palmater, the laughs are loud and last long.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the cast that we do,” Townend says. “It is a powerhouse of comedy and every episode, every actor brought something new to the part. They took what was on the page, directors included, elevated it and made it better.”

Run the Burbs airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Baroness von Sketch Show, Industry News, Kim's Convenience, Run the Burbs, Second Jen

Casting announced for CBC’s new original comedy Run the Burbs

From a media release:

With production underway in and around Toronto and Hamilton, CBC and Pier 21 Films are confirming casting for new, original comedy series RUN THE BURBS, from award-winning comedian, writer, and actor Andrew Phung and his best friend and collaborator filmmaker Scott Townend (The Secret Marathon).

Premiering on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2022, Phung executive produces, writes, and stars in the series as a stay-at-home dad – Andrew Pham – living and loving with his entrepreneurial, executive wife and two kids. The Phams are a young, bold Vietnamese-South Asian-Canadian family taking a different approach to living life to the fullest, while changing the way we think about contemporary family values and life in the burbs.

Joining Phung on screen forming the balance of the Pham family are actor and comedian Rakhee Morzaria (Note to Self, Private Eyes) playing Andrew’s wife Camille Pham; and rising young stars Zoriah Wong (Nancy Drew) and Roman Pesino (Odd Squad) as their children Khia and Leo Pham. The Pham fam are joined in the burbs by a cast of friends, family, and neighbours played by an illustrious roster of Canadian talent including Ali Hassan (CBC’s Laugh Out Loud) as Camille’s father Ramesh, YouTube sensation Julie Nolke (Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self) as Camille’s best friend Sam, Jonathan Langdon (Utopia Falls) as next door neighbour Hudson, Simone Miller (Detention Adventure) as Hudson’s daughter Mannix, Samantha Wan (Second Jen) as local bubble tea café owner Cathy, Candy Palmater (The Candy Show) as neighbour Candy, comedian Chris Locke (Workin’ Moms, Mr. D) as neighbour Sebastian, and Baroness von Sketch Show’s Aurora Browne as neighbourhood permit assassin Barb.

“We set out to make a show that goes big. To showcase a family that truly supports one another while going all out every week. It’s a bit of a throwback to classic family sitcoms in the burbs, but with a family that you’ve never seen reflected on television before,” comments Townend.

“We are so hyped and proud of this incredible group of performers that have joined us on this journey. We are introducing Canada to some amazingly talented new faces they may not have met before – including the amazing Rakhee Morzaria – alongside comedy rockstars like Ali Hassan, Aurora Brown, and Candy Palmater – they are all going to blow audiences away and take on the burbs like no one has before. We’re honoured to have this opportunity and it’s been our absolute pleasure working with CBC, Pier 21 Films, and Endeavor Content as we bring Run the Burbs to life,” adds Phung.

Pier 21 Films Executive Producer Laszlo Barna adds, “We are so fortunate to be working with such a talented cast led by our star and co-creator Andrew Phung. We can’t wait for the world to join us in the burbs and meet the Phams and their unforgettable friends and neighbours.”

“We are so excited to watch Andrew’s deeply personal story about family come to life through this remarkable cast and creative team,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, CBC. “RUN THE BURBS authentically reflects how Canadians are building new communities in suburbs across the country, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences this winter.”

A CBC original series, RUN THE BURBS is produced by Pier 21 Films. As announced earlier this year, Endeavor Content has picked up the international sales rights. Executive Producers are Laszlo Barna, Nicole Butler and Bill Lundy (for Pier 21 Films), Andrew Phung, Scott Townend, and Aleysa Young. Shebli Zarghami serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner. Jessica Daniel is producer. Co-Executive Producers are Matt Kippen and Wendy Litner. Nelu Handa is Consulting Producer. Season One directors include Aleysa Young, Peter Wellington, Joyce Wong, Melanie Orr, and Justin Wu.

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Kim's Convenience, Run the Burbs

Link: ‘Kim’s Convenience’ actor Andrew Phung on crafting his own series, ‘Run the Burbs’

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: ‘Kim’s Convenience’ actor Andrew Phung on crafting his own series, ‘Run the Burbs’
“Kim’s Convenience” has just ended but cast member Andrew Phung is already “knee-deep in ideas and stories” for his next project, “Run the Burbs.” Continue reading.

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