Tag Archives: Jennica Harper

Production underway on Season 3 of CBC original hit comedy Run the Burbs

From a media release:

CBC and Pier 21 Films today announced that production is underway around Toronto, Hamilton and Barrie, ON on the third season of the popular original comedy series RUN THE BURBS (13×30). Created by Andrew Phung and Scott Townend, RUN THE BURBS stars an exciting ensemble of Canadian comedic talent lead by Andrew Phung as Andrew Pham, Rakhee Morzaria as Camille Pham – both of whom were recognized for their work on the show with Best Lead Performer, Comedy nominations at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards – and Zoriah Wong, and Roman Pesino as Khia and Leo Pham, respectively. Series regulars include Ali Hassan (CBC’s Laugh Out Loud), Julie Nolke (Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self), Jonathan Langdon (Robyn Hood), Chris Locke (Workin’ Moms, Mr. D), Samantha Wan (Second Jen), and Gavin Crawford (Because News). The third season will premiere on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2024.

A playful comedy about life in the suburbs, oddball neighbours, and a loving family who always has each other’s backs, RUN THE BURBS season three will see the family expand their horizons and head on all-new adventures, bringing the signature Pham energy to everything they do. Often recognized for its nuanced and thoughtful representation of a bold Indian and Vietnamese family, the third season continues to highlight culturally specific stories, including what has become an annual series hallmark, a Vietnamese Lunar New Year – Tết – episode. Also for the third season in a row, the iconic rapper, DJ, and producer, Kardinal Offishall, returns to the ‘burbs to resume the guest-starring role that earned him a 2023 CSA nomination alongside the nods for Phung and Morzaria.

As previously announced, television veterans Jennica Harper and Nelu Handa have taken over showrunning duties this season. The duo previously collaborated on the series JANN, on which Harper served as showrunner. For Handa, season three is her third with the RUN THE BURBS writer’s room.

A CBC original series, RUN THE BURBS is produced by Pier 21 Films. Executive Producers are Laszlo Barna, Nicole Butler, Karen Tsang, and Vanessa Steinmetz (for Pier 21 Films), Andrew Phung, and Scott Townend. Jennica Harper and Nelu Handa serve as Executive Producers and Showrunners. Jay Vaidya is Co-Executive Producer and Sara Peters is Co-Producer. Jessica Daniel is Producer. Season Three directors include Aleysa Young, Pat Mills, Joyce Wong, Sherren Lee, and Zoe Hopkins.

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Co-showrunners Jennica Harper and Nelu Handa to “Run” Run the Burbs

From a media release:

Longtime collaborators Jennica Harper (JANN, above right) and Nelu Handa (SORT OF, above left) will co-showrun Season 3 of the popular, hit CBC original comedy, RUN THE BURBS. Created by writer and actor Andrew Phung (KIM’S CONVENIENCE) and 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 and distributed by Fifth Season. Season 3 of RUN THE BURBS is slated to broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2024, the first two seasons are available to stream now on CBC Gem.

Jennica Harper steps in after showrunning three seasons and a holiday special of the Jann Arden CTV comedy JANN. Nelu Handa has written and produced on the previous two seasons of RUN THE BURBS. Harper and Handa have a history of collaborating and worked together on all three seasons of JANN. They take over RUN THE BURBS from Season 2 showrunner Anthony Farrell. 

Harper and Handa bring a slew of accolades and comedy experience to the RUN THE BURBS team. In 2021, Nelu Handa won a Canadian Screen Award for “Best Writing” on the BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW. Her script for SORT OF was nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award for “Best Comedy”. She earned a Peabody Award for her contribution to the ground-breaking first season for SORT OF. Jennica Harper has won two Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards including “Best Comedy” script for JANN and “Best Tweens and Teens” script for kids’ comedy SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.

Creator and star Andrew Phung shares, “I’m so pumped to be working with Jennica and Nelu on Season 3. I’m a big fan of Jennica’s work, and she brings such joy and relatability to the writer’s room. She leads with such a calming presence. I’ve worked with Nelu for the past two seasons of RUN THE BURBS, and have loved every minute of it. She’s so thoughtful and hilarious, and her experiences have greatly added to the development of the show and its characters. I’m truly honoured and so excited that they are co-leading the show together.”

Jennica Harper shares Phung’s enthusiasm stating, “I’m thrilled to be joining the RUN THE BURBS team, showrunning alongside Nelu. We’ve got a built-in trust, and share a lot of comedic instincts. Andrew and Scott, the creators, have been so welcoming to ‘the new kid.’ I’m honoured they’re trusting Nelu and I with their baby.

Season 2 was incredible. It told culturally specific yet super relatable stories, the characters deepened, and yet the whole season really amped up the funny. The goal for Season 3 is to have fun paying off a bunch of storylines started last season. Andrew and Camille are both working their dream jobs — but what does that mean for their work/life balance?”

Nelu Handa continues, “I’m excited to be taking this next step in my career on a show that I’ve come to love for two seasons. I’ve learned a lot from our past showrunners Anthony and Shebli Zarghami, they both exemplified strong leadership and created a really great work culture, traditions I’m aiming to continue in this role. Jennica’s an incredible person and has been a mentor for many years, so getting the chance to work alongside her is like a dream come true. 

I’m proud of the stories we get to tell. Exploring the experiences of a modern Canadian couple with rich cultural backgrounds is both very rewarding personally and relatable to so many viewers who are excited to see themselves reflected on Canadian television.”

In addition to CTV JANN’s three seasons and a holiday special, Jennica Harper has written and produced a wide range of TV genres, from dark crime dramas to kids’ multi-cam comedies. She was a Writer and Co-Executive Producer on the light mystery series THE SPENCER SISTERS (CTV), the medical adventure drama SKYMED (Paramount+/CBC), horror-comedy cult favourite THE ORDER (Netflix), and critically acclaimed thriller CARDINAL (Hulu/CTV), among others. 

Nelu Handa has written for multiple seasons of award winning comedy series including: JANN, SORT OF, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, ODD SQUAD, THE BEAVERTON, TALLBOYZ, and A Little Late with Lilly Singh. She’s written for RUN THE BURBS since the first season and served as writer/Co-EP on season two.

A CBC original series, RUN THE BURBS is Executive Produced by Laszlo Barna, Nicole Butler, Karen Tsang and Vanessa Steinmetz (for Pier 21 Films), Andrew Phung, and Scott Townend. Jennica Harper and Nelu Handa serve as Executive Producers, writers and showrunners. Co-executive producer is Jay Vaidya. Jessica Daniel is the Series Producer. Season 3 writers include Andrew Phung, Scott Townend, Jennica Harper, Nelu Handa, Jay Vaidya, Sara Peters, Angelica Mendizabal, and Mandeq Hassan.

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Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber shine in CTV’s The Spencer Sisters

The British mystery genre is where I live. When I’m not watching and covering Canadian TV, I’m streaming light crime dramas from across the pond on AcornTV and BritBox. From Whitstable Pearl to Vera, Harry Wild to Murder in Suburbia, I love them all.

Consider The Spencer Sisters, debuting Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, as Canada’s foray into the genre.

Like the above, The Spencer Sisters features crimes being committed in a fictional small town—Alder Bluffs, Ont.—two female leads at the helm to solve them, a generous dose of humour and, when they happen, bloodless murders. It’s an irresistible formula for success that is even more pronounced thanks to its leads, Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber. The pair crackle with chemistry from the get-go, playing acclaimed mystery novelist Victoria Spencer (Thompson), mom to hot-headed former police officer Darby Spencer (Farber).

“It starts with character,” Thompson says when asked what attracted her to the shot-in-Winnpeg series. “I really liked the character and I love comedy and the comedic elements to this. This is a really good time for this show.”

Created by Alan McCullough (Private Eyes. Rookie Blue) and co-showrun and executive-produced by McCullough and Jenn Engels (Sort Of, Transplant), Friday’s debut “The Scholar’s Snafu,” finds Darby returning to Alder Bluffs after she quits her big-city police force in frustration. For Darby, who looked up to her late cop father, this was all she wanted to do. Dejected, and with nowhere to stay, Darby returns home where it only takes one backhanded comment from Victoria to let viewers know this mother-daughter relationship isn’t rosy. Unlike their characters, who are pretty bristly in the debut, Thompson and Farber connected immediately.

“She was attached to the show before I was,” Farber says. “We did a chemistry read on Zoom and then we met in Winnipeg, had dinner and clicked immediately. We have a similar sense of humour and we’ve both worked for a long time, we have a lot in common.”

The friction between mother and daughter continues throughout the first season. Darby is struggling with her failure as a cop, moving back home and being forced to acknowledge why she has avoided seeing her mother for so long. And Victoria, who has never agreed with Darby’s career choice, wants to be part of her daughter’s life and finds a way to do it through their partnering to solve crimes committed in the community.

“They do learn to get along more, but no, [that friction] never goes away,” Farber says with a laugh. “It’s realistic in that sense. You can think you’ve moved through or on from an issue, but you haven’t.”

The Spencer Sisters airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.

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The Pacific Screenwriting Program celebrates five years & Jennica Harper announced as Scripted Series Lab Showrunner in Residence

From a media release:

The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) announced today that award-winning writer and showrunner Jennica Harper (JANN, SkyMed, The Order) has been selected as the Showrunner in Residence for the 2023 Scripted Series Lab. The BC-based PSP is also celebrating an important milestone, as the program heads into its fifth successful year fostering and creating opportunities for the next generation of screenwriters in Canada. 

Since 2018, the PSP with the support of its partners Netflix, The Canadian Media Producers Association, the Writer’s Guild of Canada and Creative BC, has attracted top writing talent from the province and, through its varied programs, has created opportunities for emerging writers to contribute to the country’s thriving film and television industry. Vancouver, often referred to as ‘Hollywood North’, is known for its service production and although the industry is booming, the vast majority of what is produced here is written elsewhere. Thanks in part to the PSP, there is now a place for BC’s world class storytellers to grow and thrive in an industry that is so important to the province. 

“Over the past five years, the PSP has built a vibrant screenwriting community in BC and across the country,” says Stéphane Cardin, Public Policy Director for Netflix in Canada. “It’s been rewarding to see the success of so many past participants and we’re looking forward to seeing how far this next group of screenwriters will go in their careers.”

The Scripted Series Lab, PSP’s flagship program offering, guides six up-and-coming BC-based screenwriters in a writer’s room as they develop an original series. Steered by Harper, this year’s cohort includes Tanvi Bhatia, Kaylyn Johnson, Toby Marks, Kay Shioma Metchie, Kurt Mungal and Andrey Summers. Participants will receive valuable mentoring on their original pilot, workshops and information sessions with additional industry experts to help them evolve their skills and build careers in this dynamic and ever-changing entertainment industry. Many past participants are working in rooms for series on Netflix, CBC, Apple TV+, Amazon and more. 

“We are honoured to have Jennica Harper as this year’s showrunner for the Scripted Series Lab,” says PSP Chair Brian Hamilton. “Jennica is a hugely respected leader in BC’s screenwriting community and mentorship is something that comes naturally to her. We can hardly wait to see what she develops with this year’s exciting cohort of new voices!”

Harper is showrunner and co-creator of the award-winning comedy series JANN (CTV/Hulu) starring Jann Arden, which has run for three seasons and recently launched a holiday special. Jennica has written in a wide range of genres, from dark crime dramas to kid’s multicam comedies, and credits the Canadian industry for not asking her to “pick a lane.” She was a writer and co-executive producer on the upcoming light procedural The Spencer Sisters (eOne/CTV), medical adventure drama SkyMed (Paramount+/CBC), horror-comedy cult favourite The Order (Netflix), and critically acclaimed thriller Cardinal (Hulu/CTV), among others. Jennica has won two WGC Awards for best script, one for kid’s comedy Some Assembly Required, the other for the pilot script of JANN

“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with these brilliant writers,” says Harper. “There’s nothing more exciting than a room full of creative minds with varied points of view and interests coming together to break stories. I can’t wait to get started.”

The Pacific Screenwriting Program is a collaboration between Netflix, CMPA, the Writer’s Guild of Canada and Creative BC.

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Jann: Charlie Kerr on meeting Jann Arden, playing Dark Cupid, and Nate and Jann’s relationship

When Jann Arden met Charlie Kerr at a dinner party in Vancouver last year, she immediately wanted him to play Nate, the younger boyfriend of her fictional self, on the third season of CTV’s Jann. However, the pair almost didn’t cross paths that night.

Arden was staying at a cottage owned by Kerr’s father on Bowen Island, B.C., and Kerr—who fronts alt-rock band Hotel Mira and has appeared on TV shows such as iZombie, The Magicians and Supernatural—says he was worried the iconic singer-songwriter would think he was just “another actor-musician … with ulterior motives to collaborate with her” if he turned up at a dinner they had both been invited to. So he initially declined to go. In the end, a friend convinced him to attend the gathering, but he “purposely wore ratty clothing” so it wouldn’t look like he was trying to impress anybody.

Little did Kerr know, Arden was already impressed with him. 

“I sat down and [Jann] already knew who I was and started talking about music,” Kerr says. “I had a song that was doing well on the radio at the time and we were kind of relating to each other on that. And then the subject of her TV show came up, and she started talking about this character Nate, and I think she even said [he was] ‘kind of somebody a bit like you,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I’m an actor; I’d love to audition.’”

Soon after their encounter, Arden began championing Kerr to play Nate. In response, the Vancouver native started an intense workout regimen to change his appearance because, as he explains, the character is “a star in an action TV show, and I have the body of a 13-year old girl.” 

Following a lengthy audition and network approval process, Kerr finally landed the part. “Between going to that dinner and filming, I think it was like seven months,” he says.

Last week, Nate made his debut on the show. Matched with Jann through a celebrity dating app, the TV star—who plays a fantasy action hero called Dark Cupid—at first, appears to have little in common with her. For one thing, he’s a younger man—to the horror of Nora (Deborah Grover), who protests both his age and gender. For another, he’s grounded and isn’t into relationship drama, which makes him wary of Jann’s over-the-top antics when they run into Cynthia (Sharon Taylor) on their first date. But despite this rough start, the episode ends with Nate making pancakes in Jann’s kitchen after spending the night, indicating there might be hope for this odd couple after all.

We spoke to Kerr, who is currently recording new music with Hotel Mira, about what viewers can expect from Nate in coming episodes. 

You have a lot going on creatively. You’re the lead singer-songwriter for Hotel Mira, a band that’s having a lot of success, you’re a screenwriter, and now you’ve also got an important new role on Jann. Can you tell me a bit about how you got into acting and how you juggle it with your other creative endeavours?
Charlie Kerr: I’ve always kind of just loved all of it, and kind of spent my whole life in my dad’s basement writing songs or writing sketches or performing however I could. There was a really long time where I wasn’t any good at any of it, but I was still very passionate. I don’t see too much difference in all of it, it’s all just storytelling, and I’ve been lucky that they really haven’t gotten in the way of each other very many times. I’ve been acting professionally for most of my life, and at the first concert I ever played, I was 10 years old. So my main job and focus have always been wanting to be creative and express and perform. I think it’s just how I feel the most comfortable. It’s kind of like that cliché of belonging on a stage and not feeling like I belong in too many other places.

When I read that Jann would be dating an action star that she meets on a celebrity dating app, I thought the character would be somewhat silly or over-the-top. But Nate is serious and no-nonsense. How did you approach playing him?
CK: I know quite a lot of people kind of like him, who have been on and off sets and want to be treated like they’re normal and kind of want a break from all the glitz and glamour and stuff. That was the main thing that I was thinking about, that Nate is so well known for this part that is nothing like him, and he just wants people to love him for him and show that he’s not just one thing, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. I think that’s a pretty human quality. One of my other favourite things about Nate is he means really well, and sometimes he’s being insulting and doesn’t know it. Being a movie star, being pampered on set, whatever it is, leads to kind of a lack of awareness. Those are the main things about Nate that I wanted to portray: He means well, he’s very loving, but he has a very strange life that’s led to a bit of lack of awareness.

When we spoke to co-creators Jennica Harper and Leah Gauthier, they mentioned that they had to age you because Nate is supposed to be 38 and you’re several years younger than that. What did that involve?
CK: I think my body transforming was a big part of it. I also grew out a beard, and my hair’s super long. I look pretty different than I usually look. And trying to have that maturity wherever I could as well in the performance. One thing I’ve noticed about people growing up and getting to a certain age, is they don’t sweat the small stuff as much. If you’re playing someone younger, everything’s the end of the world. You’re incredibly dramatic at every single moment of conflict, and I think a way to kind of play maturity is to understand that some things aren’t that important and roll with the punches a bit, so I tried to do that as well. 

It’s common to see relationships between older men and younger women in movies and on TV shows, but it’s still rare to see the reverse. Did it excite you to be a part of an onscreen pairing that bucks that trend?
CK: It’s one of my absolute favourite things about it because it’s an age gap that no one would blink an eye at if the genders were reversed. If Larry David had a girlfriend on his show that was a similar age gap, it wouldn’t even be a plot point, and to be a part of something going the other direction and making people think and pointing out the hypocrisy of that was really appealing. It’s really exciting to me to be a part of anything that makes people think or challenges something.

When Nate goes on his first date with Jann, he sees some red flags that initially make him think he doesn’t want to see her again, but then he stays the night. What made him change his mind?
CK: [Jann’s] honesty, authenticity. He mentions how sick of anything vapid he is at this point. So when Jann gets real with him about what she’s going through, I think that’s what really hooks him, and I can relate to that. I think we’ve all fallen in love with or become more interested in somebody once they’re vulnerable with us. 

What was it like to work with Jann Arden?
CK: I think the entire thing was just a dream come true. I never thought I’d get to be a part of an ensemble comedy, especially one this strong. Jann championed me from the beginning. I owe her a lot. But the entire cast and crew is just remarkably fun to work with. I couldn’t believe my job was going to work to make people laugh. That’s so absurdly cool. And she’s so talented and she’s such an awesome leader, and she has kind of hand-picked and curated who she works with in a way where you always feel safe, you always feel taken care of, and honestly, I just loved being a fly on the wall on that set because everyone was so goddamn funny.

Speaking of funny, Nate stars in a fantasy TV series called Dark Cupid, and there were several campy scenes from the show included in last week’s episode. Were those as fun to film as they were to watch?
CK: That was an absolute joy, and it was something I was pretty nervous about because I had the whole body language and voice kind of picked out, and I didn’t know if other people would find it as funny as I did. And the first thing we did was a big table read on Zoom and my first lines are as Dark Cupid, so I started doing the voice and the breathing and stuff and everybody was cracking up, and it was the first time I was able to breathe and be like, ‘OK, I’m probably not gonna get fired.’ So doing that and people digging it, it was such a joy. It was kind of like getting to be in a Marvel thing or a superhero thing. 

From talking to Jennica and Leah, I know that Nate plays a major role in the rest of the season. What can you preview about his journey in upcoming episodes?
CK: He really integrates with the rest of the cast, and I think we get to see just more and more of how human he is and how he enjoys the simple things. I got to work with Patrick [Gilmore] for an entire episode and that dynamic’s really, really fun. I think just as time goes on, you get to see how much of a goofball he is, you get to see the best parts of Jann that appeal to him, why they’re an unlikely match. 

Do you have a favourite episode coming up?
CK: This week’s episode, 305, is a lot of fun. It has a lot of rad, funny moments. And the finale is really cool. Getting to be a part of something with Tegan and Sara was—I never got to meet them—but being involved with them whatsoever was incredibly exciting because The Con was one of my favourite records growing up, so that was a bit of a starstruck moment for me, and an honour. 

Jann airs Mondays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca and CTV app.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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