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Awards, Featured

2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists announced

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From a media release:

The WGC Screenwriting Awards are now in their 28th year of celebrating the very best Canadian screenwriters—the all-important talent behind the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, and shorts.

In contention for the 2024 awards are scripts from Children Ruin Everything (Kurt Smeaton, Jessica Meya, Kathleen Phillips, Anita Kapila), Pinecone and Pony (Tally Yong Knoll, Lienne Sawatsky, Corey Liu), Murdoch Mysteries (Simon McNabb), Bones of Crows (Marie Clements), Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory (Desmond Sargeant, Sonya Ballantyne), Little Bird (Zoe Hopkins), Suze (Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark), and many others.

Please see the complete list of categories and finalists below.

The 2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a ceremony on Monday, May 13 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The ceremony will be hosted by Jessica Holmes.

In addition to the eight categories featured, one WGC member will be awarded the prestigious Showrunner Award, a special prize previously won by Susin Neilsen (Family Law, Robson Arms), Anthony Q. Farrell (Shelved, Run the Burbs), Morwyn Brebner (Coroner, Saving Hope) and others. Other special prizes will be awarded, including the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, and the Sondra Kelly Award which is generously supported by AFBS.

CHILDREN’S
Interstellar Ella, “Big Little Problems” | Written by Emer Connon

Interstellar Ella, “A Star is Born” | Written by Anne-Marie Perrotta Jane, “Ursus maritimus” | Written by J.J. Johnson

Pinecone and Pony, “Once in a Violetmoon” | Written by Tally Yong Knoll

Pinecone and Pony, “Hero Soup” | Written by Lienne Sawatsky

Pinecone and Pony, “Pinecone and Horse” | Written by Corey Liu

COMEDY SERIES
The Lake, “Death on Denial” | Written by Julian Doucet & Lori-Ann Russell

Children Ruin Everything, “Arguments” | Written by Kurt Smeaton

Children Ruin Everything, “Therapy” | Written by Kurt Smeaton & Jessica Meya

Children Ruin Everything, “Clothes” | Written by Kathleen Phillips

Children Ruin Everything, “Babysitters” | Written by Anita Kapila

Shelved, “Jane Eyre FICTION BRO” | Written by Anthony Q. Farrell

Workin’ Moms, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” | Written by Enuka Okuma

DRAMA SERIES
Family Law, “Under the Influence” | Written by Sarah Dodd

Transplant, “Crete” | Written by Joseph Kay & Rachel Langer

Pretty Hard Cases, “Always a Bridesmaid” | Written by Tassie Cameron & Sherry White

Moonshine, “Get My Baby Back” | Written by Sheri Elwood & Alexander Nunez

Murdoch Mysteries, “The Porcelain Maiden” | Written by Simon McNabb

Little Bird, “Bineshi Kwe” | Written by Zoe Hopkins

FEATURE FILM
Butterfly Tale | Story by Heidi Foss and Michael Solomon/Screenplay by Heidi Foss and Lienne Sawatsky

Irena’s Vow | Written by Dan Gordon

Suze | Written by Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark

The Burning Season | Written by Jonas Chernick and Diana Frances

MOW & MINISERIES
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story | Written by Gregory Small & Richard Blaney

The Amityville Curse | Written by Dennis Heaton

Bones of Crows, “To Be Here” | Written by Marie Clements

PRESCHOOL
Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Groom-Ba” | Written by Desmond Sargeant

Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Orange Shirt Day” | Written by Sonya Ballantyne

Mittens and Pants, “Bunny Family Wedding” | Written by Katherine Sandford

Dino Ranch, “Luna Sees The Light” | Written by Naomi Jardine

Superbuns, “The Sweet Sound of Christmas” | Written by Suzanne Bolch & John May

SHORTS (includes web series, drama and comedy series episodes under 15 minutes)
I Will Bury You, “Depression” | Written by Ravi Steve Khajuria

Armadillo Avalanche, “Clem” | Written by Celeste Koon

Armadillo Avalanche, “Raven” | Written by Alix Markman

TWEENS & TEENS
Popularity Papers, “Pain in the Bat Mitzvah” | Written by Jeff Detsky

Popularity Papers, “Ghost Mortem” | Written by Evan Thaler Hickey

The Hardy Boys, “The Crash” | Written by Ramona Barckert

The Hardy Boys, “At the Old House” | Written by Chris Pozzebon

ABOUT THE WGC
The Writers Guild of Canada represents 2,500 professional English-language screenwriters across Canada, the creators of Canadian entertainment enjoyed on all screens. wgc.ca

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Children Ruin Everything

Season 3 of CTV original comedy Children Ruin Everything premieres Sept. 27

From a media release:

Two working parents raising three children under the age of 10 – what could possibly go wrong? CTV announced today that Canadian Screen Award-nominated comedy CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING returns for its third season, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning Sept. 27. A comedic love letter to childrearing, CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING stars Meaghan Rath (BEING HUMAN) and Aaron Abrams (BLINDSPOT), and is created and executive produced by Emmy® Award-winner Kurt Smeaton (SCHITT’S CREEK). Season 3 consists of 10 half-hour episodes, and was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont.

Season 3 finds the Berneys struggling to find balance between raising their 10-year-old, six-year-old, and one-and-a-half year old children. Each episode explores how the demands, needs and whims of the little weirdos they love so dearly shape and change their lives. Whether it’s privacy, relaxing weekends, or an intimate moment, children ruin everything in funny, unexpected, and even heartwarming ways. While Astrid (Rath) and James (Abrams) continue to tackle everyday parenting problems, they also deal with more complicated issues like a tween who wants more independence, a six-year-old who wants to wear crop tops, and a toddler who refuses to potty train. On top of all that, a discovery about one of their kids has Astrid and James wondering if they’ve been doing this parenting thing all wrong.

Returning for Season 3 alongside Rath and Abrams are Logan Nicholson (BLUES CLUES AND YOU) and Mikayla SwamiNathan as Felix and Viv, James and Astrid’s 10-year-old son, and six-year-old daughter; Canadian Screen Award-winner Ennis Esmer (BLINDSPOT, SCHITT’S CREEK) as James’ best friend and colleague Ennis; Nazneen Contractor (RANSOM, HEROES REBORN) as Astrid’s close-to-perfect sister Dawn; Dmitry Chepovetsky (KILLJOYS, DEPARTURE) as Bo, Dawn’s eccentric husband; Darius Rota as Dawn and Bo’s 12-year-old son Corey; Veena Sood (CORNER GAS ANIMATED, THE INDIAN DETECTIVE) as Astrid and Dawn’s over-sharing mother Nisha; and Lisa Codrington (LETTERKENNY, THE LAKE) as James’ ambitious boss Marla. Anna Hopkins (THE EXPANSE, SHADOWHUNTERS) reprises her role as “Disaster Mom,” with Bruce McCulloch (THE KIDS IN THE HALL) and Emma Hunter (MOONSHINE) guest starring.

On the Season 3 premiere of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, titled “Therapy” (Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca and the CTV app), while waiting on the results of an evaluation for Viv, Astrid and James feel the pressure of figuring out how to best help their possibly neurodivergent child. But when Viv’s new doctor, guest star Emma Hunter, rubs Astrid the wrong way, Astrid tries coming up with her own strategies for Viv. Meanwhile, at Gero’s Grocery, the enlistment of Fintekoäly – a tech company hired to automate checkouts at Gero’s – makes Marla uneasy.

Season 2 of the CTV Original series was the most-watched Canadian comedy this broadcast season. The first two seasons of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING are currently available for streaming on CTV.ca and the CTV app with no subscription or sign-in required, as well as Crave. In the U.S., Season 3 of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING will premiere on The CW.

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is from award-winning comedy entertainment studio New Metric Media and is created and executive produced by Smeaton and executive produced by Chuck Tatham (MODERN FAMILY, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), multiple Canadian Screen Award-winner Mark Montefiore (LETTERKENNY, SHORESY, BRIA MACK GETS A LIFE, WHAT WOULD SAL DO?), and Meaghan Rath, with Alyson Richards (The Retreat) serving as Producer.

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Children Ruin Everything

CTV announces third season of original comedy Children Ruin Everything

From a media release:

CTV announced today that Canadian Screen Award-nominated comedy CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is set to return for a third season. Production on 10, half-hour episodes of the CTV Original series from New Metric Media is underway in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont. Meaghan Rath and Aaron Abrams return, alongside Logan Nicholson, Mikayla SwamiNathan, Ennis Esmer, Nazneen Contractor, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Veena Sood, Lisa Codrington, and Darius Rota. CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is created by Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Kurt Smeaton (SCHITT’S CREEK, KIM’s CONVENIENCE).

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING follows parents Astrid (Rath) and James (Abrams), as they raise their three young children and struggle to hold on to their pre-kid life, while discovering all of the little ways that raising kids has reshaped their world. Season 2 of the CTV Original series is the Top Canadian Comedy broadcast year-to-date among key demos A25-54 and A18-49.

The first two seasons of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING are currently available for streaming on CTV.ca and the CTV app, as well as Crave, and are available on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Season two of the series was split into two seasons in the U.S., with season three launching on The Roku Channel on Friday, May 12.

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING is from award-winning comedy entertainment studio New Metric Media and is created and executive produced by Smeaton and executive produced by one of television’s premier comedy writers Chuck Tatham (MODERN FAMILY, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), multiple Canadian Screen Award-winner Mark Montefiore (LETTERKENNY, SHORESY, BRIA MACK GETS A LIFE, WHAT WOULD SAL DO?), and Meaghan Rath, with Alyson Richards (The Retreat) serving as Producer.

Bell Media Distribution is the international rights holder for CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, and New Metric Media is the series’ exclusive International Sales Agent. The series is produced by New Metric Media in association with CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and Bell Fund.

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Children Ruin Everything

Links: Children Ruin Everything, Season 2

From Jeevan Bear of The TV Watercooler:

Link: Do children really ruin everything? Meaghan Rath and Aaron Abrams on working with kids and escaping sitcom tropes
“The point of the show is that you can keep who you were before. You can still be that person, which is what our characters try to navigate.” Continue reading.

From Melissa G. of The Televixen:

Link: Meaghan Rath and Aaron Abrams discuss Children Ruin Everything Season 2
“It’s ultimately about parenting. They’re trying to go back to their jobs and maintain routines. That’s where all the fun and conflict of the show is, with them trying to live their lives and maintain the things they loved about their life, but doing that with three kids.” Continue reading.

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Children Ruin Everything, Featured

Children Ruin Everything’s Aaron Abrams: “Their love is very present and they love their kids”

Life with young children can be chaotic. There are school lunches to make, school to get to, after-school clubs to attend, play dates to coordinate, teeth to be brushed and bedtime stories to be read. It can be exhausting, frustrating, and maybe a little infuriating at times, but it’s ultimately rewarding.

That’s the main theme of Children Ruin Everything.

Now in its second season on CTV, the Monday night comedy stars Meaghan Rath and Aaron Abrams as Astrid and James, who are juggling work, going back to work, in-laws and friends when you have kids in your life. In the second season, siblings Felix (Logan Nicholson) and Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) are joined by an infant brother, meaning they’re now sharing a room. That, of course, results in conversations about sharing and privacy.

“This season, we really get into more chaos, obviously, because there is another baby,” Abrams says. Because of COVID-19, the first season of Children Ruin Everything was rushed and stressful. The sophomore go-round was much more relaxing, allowing for what he calls a “blooper energy,” between him and co-star Rath. That is evident on-screen too; there is an ease in their performances that is natural and easy to like and their physical comedy is unmatched.

The aforementioned privacy angle is addressed in Monday’s new episode, “Privacy,” where Astrid and her sister, Dawn (Nazneen Contractor), are convinced their mother, Nisha (Veena Sood), is keeping something from them. Meanwhile, a request to launch a new product at work leads James to agree to meet with Ennis’ (Ennis Esmer) sketchy cousin to consider his new gummy product, and soon they’re roping in more of James’ family to help with the pitch. Kim Coates drops by for the instalment, adding to an impressive list of guest stars that have included Anna Hopkins, MasterChef Canada winner Mary Berg and Aaron Ashmore.

There are many, many family sitcoms battling for primetime eyeballs, but nothing, Abrams says, like Children Ruin Everything.

“The show is about parenting, and the parents are emotionally intelligent communicative people,” he says. “To me, that was not only a new way of doing things—where they weren’t at odds and the dude isn’t some big palooka trying to watch the game and she’s a shrew—this is a couple who is a team. Their love is very present and they love their kids. And that, to me, made it funnier.

“They are smart people who are constantly being turned into idiots.”

Children Ruin Everything airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.

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