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Martin Scorsese to direct SCTV special for Netflix

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From a media release:

Netflix today announced that Academy Award-winning director, producer and screenwriter Martin Scorsese will direct an untitled Netflix original comedy special exploring the enduring legacy of Emmy-winning sketch comedy show SCTV.

Scorsese will reunite comedy legends and former SCTV co-stars Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Dave Thomas in front of a live audience for An Afternoon with SCTV, moderated by Jimmy Kimmel. To be held at Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre on Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m., the filming will be part of the Netflix special, produced by longtime SCTV Producer Andrew Alexander of Second City, Emma Tillinger Koskoff of Sikelia Productions and Lindsay Cox of Insight Productions.

Canadian classic SCTV aired for six seasons between 1976 and 1984, quickly becoming one of pop culture’s touchstone comedies. The series’ stars include some of the most beloved and celebrated names in laughter, including the late John Candy and Harold Ramis.

Photo credit: Cara Howe for Netflix

 

 

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Schitt's Creek

CBC renews Schitt’s Creek for Season 5

From a media release:

CBC has renewed the critically acclaimed hit comedy series SCHITT’S CREEK, created by and starring Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy, for a fifth season (14 x 30). Returning winter 2019, season 5 sees an increased order from 13 to 14 episodes.

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC, the SCHITT’S CREEK season 4 finale airs April 10 in Canada.

Currently in its fourth season, SCHITT’S CREEK is one of the top 10 Canadian entertainment programs, drawing a total reach of more than 1.4 million weekly and an average audience of 742,000 (2+ AMA) on CBC so far this season, with 41% of viewers in the 25-54 demographic.*

Related: Read our interview with Noah Reid regarding David and Patrick’s relationship

Since its debut in 2015, the series has been recognized with more than 50 award nominations and 18 wins to date, including Canadian Screen Award wins for Best Comedy Series (2016), Best Writing in a Comedy for Daniel Levy (2016), Best Comedy Performance for both Eugene Levy (2016) and Catherine O’Hara (2016, 2017) and Best Supporting Actress, Comedy for Emily Hampshire (2016, 2017).

SCHITT’S CREEK is a half-hour, single-camera comedy starring Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire and Jennifer Robertson. The series follows a wealthy family who suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt’s Creek, a small town they once bought as a joke.

Commissioned by CBC, SCHITT’S CREEK is produced by Not A Real Company Productions Inc. and created by Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy. The executive producers are Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Andrew Barnsley, Fred Levy, David West Read and Ben Feigin. SCHITT’S CREEK is produced in association with CBC and PopTV and distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

 

 

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Schitt’s Creek: Noah Reid’s Patrick is “simply the best”

Using a song to amp up a scene is tricky business. The wrong one can lead to a disconnect and snap the viewer right out of it. But when it’s done right, it can inspire, create emotion and become something iconic.

Schitt’s Creek did the latter last Tuesday when Patrick (Noah Reid) performed “Simply the Best” to David (Daniel Levy) during an open mic night at Rose Apothecary. The stripped-down, acoustic version of the Tina Turner classic was easily the most talked about scene of Season 4 and elevated Patrick and David’s relationship to something truly special, a fact Reid is still amazed and gratified by a week later.

“It’s wild,” Noah says during a chat on the phone. “I’ve been sort of following it peripherally through family who’ve said, ‘Oh my god, it’s in the iTunes Top 10.’ When we made the song, I was super nervous about it because I knew it had the potential to be a really big moment for both the characters and the audience.” Reid, who released his debut album Songs From A Broken Chair in 2016—and snagged a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Song for his work in the feature film People Hold On—was skittish about taking Tina Turner’s 1991 smash hit and turning it into a memorable moment for Patrick and David.

“Dan said that the lyrics never get their due because it’s such a pop anthem, so you think of the instrumentation and the chorus,” Reid recalls. He struggled with nailing down the tempo of his arrangement before finding inspiration in the guitar pattern of a tune by Afie Jurvanen (a.k.a. Bahamas) that lifted the song.

Related: CBC renews Schitt’s Creek for Season 5

The tune is the capper to what has been the wonderful growth of a relationship. Rather than the mean-spirited mockery that has become a trope of primetime comedies, Levy and his team have created something special. Yes, Patrick teases David and points at his partner’s neuroses (to the delight of Stevie and viewers), but it’s done gently and out of love.

Reid is mum regarding questions about whether Patrick will perform another song for David in the coming weeks, or what’s in store for the couple as Season 4 winds down, but was quick to answer if there was a song that connected a scene the way “Simply the Best” has with Schitt’s Creek viewers.

“The benchmark for me is probably Glen Hansard in Once,” he says. “The way that the songs were woven in and were such an integral part of the story. He’s such an incredible musician and singer and Markéta Irglová, who plays the pianist in that film, they had a really amazing connection too.”

Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

You can purchase “Simply the Best” via iTunes or stream on Spotify. All proceeds from the downloads go directly to LGBT Youth Line in Canada and The Trevor Project in the U.S.

Image courtesy of CBC.

 

 

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Featured, Schitt's Creek

Preview: The schitt hits the fan in Season 4 of CBC’s Schitt’s Creek

It really doesn’t feel like a new year has arrived until CBC’s Tuesday night comedy block of Schitt’s Creek and Workin’ Moms has begun. So, here we are, with Season 4 of the Rose’s madcap adventures in that little town they’ve reluctantly called home.

When we last left them, Moira (Catherine O’Hara) had established herself not only on town council but as a member of the Jazzgals, David (Daniel Levy) had opened a business and begun a relationship with Patrick (Noah Reid), Alexis (Annie Murphy) graduated from high school and Johnny (Eugene Levy) had teamed with Stevie (Emily Hampshire) to run the motel. The Rose’s, who once so badly wanted out of Schitt’s Creek, have finally settled into life there. That’s good because it means a constant expansion of the world for themselves and viewers … and laughs.

When Episode 1—written by Daniel and directed by The Kids in the Hall‘s Bruce McCulloch—kicks off Tuesday at 9 p.m., it’s the day after the Season 3 finale. The motel parking lot is packed for the first time, a nod to the success Johnny and Stevie have made it. It’s a personal triumph for Johnny, who has (hilariously) struggled to find something he’s good at. Yes, I’m happy to see the motel packed, but I do miss the days he spent at a dirty desk in Bob’s garage. Of course, this being Schitt’s Creek, it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows. So when Stevie reveals there’s a dead guy in Room 4—also the name of the episode—things quickly head south, especially when Roland (Chris Elliott) swings by. I love it when Elliott and Eugene Levy are in a scene together; their facial expressions and eye-rolling give me the giggles every time.

Alexis, meanwhile, is indignant that David has gotten romanticly involved with Patrick so quickly, seeing as he was against she and Ted rushing into things.

“Patrick is a sweet little button-face,” Alexis advises her brother. “So don’t mess this up.” And David doesn’t plan to, except he’s worried Patrick might have regrets. As for Patrick … well, he’s not ready to rush into anything. For me, the strength of Schitt’s Creek isn’t just about the funny moments and the miscommunication, but the heart. Patrick and David may be going through a super-awkward time but you’re emotionally invested in them as a couple. The same can be said for Ted and Alexis. My heart aches every time those two are in the same room because of things left unsaid when they broke up.

It promises to be another great season of Schitt’s Creek, especially with one humdinger of a story twist revealed in next week’s second instalment. Hang onto your hats fans, because the Schitt’s going to hit the fan.

Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

 

 

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Featured, Schitt's Creek

Daniel Levy on the “most exciting season” of CBC’s Schitt’s Creek

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For two seasons, the Rose family has been desperately trying to leave Schitt’s Creek. But Johnny’s (Eugene Levy) plan to sell the town (hilariously) fell through, Moira’s (Catherine O’Hara) attempts to distance herself from the locals has failed and Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Daniel Levy) have slowly been accepted into the community.

Now, in Season 3—returning for 13 episodes beginning Tuesday, Jan. 10, to CBC—the Roses have more or less embraced Schitt’s Creek and all that comes with it, including Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott), Jocelyn Schitt (Jennifer Robertson), Mutt (Tim Rozon), Twyla (Sarah Levy) and Ted (Dustin Milligan). We spoke to co-creator, co-executive producer and writer Daniel Levy about what fans can expect in Season 3.

I’ve seen the first episode of Season 3 and the Roses are going through some transition in their lives.
Daniel Levy: Yes, they are. This whole season centres on the premise of transition and just digging a little deeper into the town.

I did wonder where you can go in a third season. I guess the answer is, throw him into a three-way relationship between Stevie (Emily Hampshire) and a guy named Jake (Steve Lund).
{Laughs.] One of the mandates from season to season is, ‘What haven’t we done before?’ And that was definitely a fun little arc to play with.

Is Jake around for a full season or a recurring character?
He plays a pivotal role in the first two episodes. Steve was in the final episode of Season 2 and it’s an interesting casting choice because he does play a sexually fluid character and something Steve brought into the room felt right. We thought he did such a good job at the end of Season 2 that it could be fun to bring him back. And, again, we’re playing off the complexity of David and Stevie’s relationship that David identifies and pansexual and how much fun you can have with the idea of a ‘throuple.’ [Laughs.]

As funny as those scenes are between Stevie and David, there is that undercurrent of serious feelings they have for each other. It’s an added, emotional layer.
Going back to your earlier comment about where you go in a third season, for us, it was taking the focus away from the circumstance and shining the light on the characters in a slightly more dimensional way than we have in the past. For two seasons, it was really important in terms of the narrative, to really substantiate the scenario, the premise of the family adapting to this town. For Season 3, we’re really peeling back the layers of the four protagonists and also with Stevie and Roland and Jocelyn.

To me, this is the most exciting season that we’ve done, and hopefully, rewarding to the fans of the show because we’ll see these people in new and dynamic situations they’ve never seen them in before.

I’ve almost forgotten they’re trying to get out of the town. That’s not part of the narrative anymore, really. Moira is part of the town council and rather than trying to get out of it, has made the best of it.
She’s going to make it about her, basically. Now that they’re not getting out, how are they going to make the best of their time there?

When you say this is the best season ever, have you been working towards this season via the last two?
When I go into each season, it’s not with an end goal in mind when I go into the room. There are emotional beats and emotional places where we want to find our characters at the end of every season. But, to be honest, on a lot of shows the premise wears thin. Being able to dig deeper is a relief, to say the least. But that’s also because of the strength of our actors. They have substantiated these characters in ways that far surpassed all of our expectations and, in a way, have allowed us to tell stories that are uniquely tailored to their skills.

Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Cast image courtesy of CBC.

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