Tag Archives: Mr. D

Mr. D

Link: Q&A with Gerry Dee on the finale season of Mr. D

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Q&A with Gerry Dee on the finale season of Mr. D
“We ended season seven in a way that we handcuffed ourselves a bit. That could have been the last episode, right? When we decided to come back for one more, our conversation with CBC we had to get creative. How does Gerry get back? There’s the easy way where it’s a bad dream and it wasn’t true but we wanted to think of something that was a little more clever so we think that we have done that with this.” Continue reading.

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Featured, Mr. D

Preview: Mr. D clocks in for his final year

I remember the first few seasons of Mr. D well. Debuting in 2012 just as the U.S version of The Office was winding down, the CBC sitcom revelled in the uncomfortable and cringe-worthy. Every scene centring on mediocre teacher-coach Gerry Duncan (Gerry Dee) was an exercise in wincing. What would he say to embarrass himself? What would he do to make my stomach turn into nervous knots?

But over the last seven seasons, the award-winning show has evolved. Yes, Gerry is still putting his foot in his mouth, but the characters around him have grown to take on the comedy lifting and inject a ton of heart into the show as well. I credit that maturation to co-creators Dee and Mike Volpe, the show’s writers and cast for allowing the show to grow and breathe and become what it is today: a funny, heartfelt family comedy.

Now it’s coming to an end. Season 8 kicks off Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBC with two back-to-back episodes. The first, “Big in Japan,” picks up right where the Season 7 finale left off: Gerry boarding a flight to Japan after an investigative report labelled him the “Nation’s Worst Teacher.” Hoping for a fresh start, Gerry decides (with Bill’s help) that being an ESL teacher in Japan would be best.

But hold on. Turns out firing Gerry would admit the exposé was all true. Instead, Robert (Jonathan Torrens) is instructed to hire Gerry back and claim the report was, you guessed it, fake news. While Robert is trying to do that, things at Xavier Academy are in a bit of a disarray. Lisa (Lauren Hammersley) is doing some investigating of her own and it appears new phys ed. teacher/librarian Emma Terdie (Kathleen Phillips) is making outrageous claims of her own. Mr. D has boasted a brilliant use of music as part of its storytelling; it’s used to great effect in Wednesday’s first episode as Gerry teaches two children English while Alphaville’s “Big in Japan” plays. And, by the end of the episode, a curveball is thrown that appears to affect the tone and direction this final season will take.

Tune in and enjoy Mr. D‘s final ride. I certainly will.

Mr. D airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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Cavendish

Production begins on new CBC comedy series Cavendish

From a media release:

CBC and Temple Street, a division of Boat Rocker Studios, announces the start of production on Season 1 of the original comedy series, Cavendish (8×30). The half-hour series shoots on location in Nova Scotia (Halifax, Dartmouth, and Windsor) and in and around Cavendish, PEI until the end of September. Cavendish is created by leading Canadian comedians Andrew Bush (Funny or Die) and Mark Little (Mr. D) along with Garry Campbell (Less Than Kind) and will premiere in winter 2019 on CBC and stream on the CBC TV App and at cbc.ca/watch.

Bickering brothers Andy (Bush) and Mark (Little) haven’t been to their hometown of Cavendish since their parents split up 30 years ago. When they return to take care of their ailing father, they find that Cavendish is…not like other towns. Each week, Mark and Andy get embroiled in some new misadventure involving local superstitions, and through it all, Mark remains the golden boy, buoyed by the adoration of family and strangers alike, while Andy remains the striver, desperate for the love and respect he knows he’ll never receive.

Rounding out the cast of characters is their father, Rollie (Kevin Eldon, Hot Fuzz), a grumbling malcontent who runs a museum of curiosities; Rollie’s partner Ruth (Kathryn Greenwood, Whose Line Is It Anyway), an absolute beacon of positivity; Bryn (Kelli Ogmundson, Supernatural), Ruth’s morose niece; Molly (Zoe Doyle, Workin’ Moms), the town’s resident game hunter; and the various townsfolk who weave in and out of their lives, unfazed by the weird goings-on.

Canadian Comedy Award-winner Andrew Bush is a leading writer, actor and director whose credits include head writer for the International Emmy award-winning show Street Cents, writer/director for the Comedy Network show Picnicface, Will Ferrell’s Funny Or Die, and the feature film Roller Town. He directed the Lionsgate comedy Dirty 30 and was also a director on season two of The Beaverton for The Comedy Network.

One of the founders of the sketch comedy group Picnicface, Mark Little stars in the CBC comedy Mr. D. He has won a combined 15 Canadian Comedy Awards, including Best Feature for Roller Town. He also topped Canada’s two most prestigious stand-up comedy competitions, the Yuk Yuk’s Canadian Laugh Off and the JFL Homegrown Competition. He made his American television debut on Conan in 2015 and his voice can be heard in the new Netflix cartoon Cupcake and Dino: General Services.

A CBC original series produced by Temple Street, Cavendish stars Andrew Bush and Mark Little. Executive Producers are David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg (Orphan Black), Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black), and Bush and Little. Co-Executive Producer is Kurt Smeaton (Kim’s Convenience); Supervising Producer is Lesley Grant (X Company), Co-Producer is Scott Montgomery (The Beaverton); Halifax-based Marc Almon is Producer (Weirdos), and the series is produced by Ginny Jones-Duzak (Pure). Jeremy LaLonde (How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town), Aleysa Young (Workin’ Moms), Mars Horodyski (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Andrew Bush each direct two episodes. The director of photography is Cabot McNenly (Little Dog), and Matt Likely (Seed) is production designer.

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Mr. D

Link: See him after class: Comedian Gerry Dee looks at life after Mr. D

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: See him after class: Comedian Gerry Dee looks at life after Mr. D
“I think there’s a difference between being an idiot on purpose and not trying to be. I think that’s why he gets away with it and why it works. He speaks his mind, he doesn’t hide anything. Most people don’t do that. He has no filter. But it doesn’t come from a bad place. He’s just a bit of a buffoon and that’s why people accept it.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Look Mom! Productions launches production on new adult animated comedy, Gary & His Demons

From a media release:

Look Mom! Productions, Blue Ant Media’s Toronto-based, animation studio has launched production on Gary & His Demons (16×11’), an animated comedy that centres around 45-year-old Gary. He’s tired. His hairline is receding, he wears horn-rimmed glasses and he’s just chased his final demon before his long-overdue retirement. But Gary soon discovers that his boss has again failed to find his replacement and Gary will be forced to keep fighting demons for eternity. But nothing can change Gary’s fate. He’s the chosen one, whether he likes it or not.

Based on a short form pilot from the Bite on Mondo Incubator, Gary & His Demons is produced in partnership with LA-based, MONDO. The series is set to premiere on MONDO’s’s channel on VRV in Spring 2018. As part of this announcement, Blue Ant International will add Gary & His Demons to its premium scripted offering to buyers worldwide in late 2018.

The series is created by Mark Little, known for his work on Picnicface, Space Riders and Mr. D., and has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Little also serves as Head Writer, Co-Director and the voice of Gary. Gary & His Demons is Executive Produced by Josh Bowen (Executive Producer and Creative Director, Look Mom! Productions) and Wendy Willis and Pia Chikiamco (MONDO’s Six Point Harness studio). The series is Co-directed by Lou Solis, known for his work on Ugly Americans, Moonbeam City and the Secret Path.

Look Mom! Productions announced its launch in late 2017, along with two new animated, action-comedy series for the kids 6-11 category Toy Hunters (26×11’) and Cloudface (26×11’).

 

 

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