Tag Archives: Pat Thornton

CTV Comedy Channel heads back to Grouse Lake First Nation for Season 2 of CTV original series Acting Good, beginning October 16

From a media release:

Celebrated original series and #1 overall CTV Comedy program among adults 25-54, ACTING GOOD is moving back in for a second season, Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning October 16. Filmed on location in Winnipeg and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, ACTING GOOD picks up right where it left off with 10 half-hour episodes filled with absurd comedy, life lessons, and a still not-so-skilled volleyball team.

Season 2 sees Paul (Paul Rabliauskas) return home after yet another failed attempt at moving to the big city only to find that his girlfriend, Rose (Cheyenna Sapp), and his mother, Agnes (Tina Keeper, NORTH OF 60), have shut him out. Meanwhile, Jo (Roseanne Supernault, THE DRIVE) enters the race for Chief of Grouse Lake but is stymied by Cousin Leon (Michael Greyeyes, RUTHERFORD FALLS) along the way.

In the season premiere, titled “One Flew Out of the Kookum’s Nest” (Monday, Oct. 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET on CTV Comedy, CTV.ca, and the CTV app), the stage is set as Paul returns to Grouse Lake only to find his home, and mother, committed to someone else. Left to solve life’s challenges alone, Paul retreats to the only place he can force his way in to – the elders’ lodge – where growing up seems to be his only option. Meanwhile, Dean is reluctantly employed at the North Store, and Jo’s campaign for Chief is off to a rocky start.

ACTING GOOD is co-created by Rabliauskas, Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Eric Toth, and Pat Thornton. The series stars Paul Rabliauskas as Paul; Tina Keeper (NORTH OF 60) as Agnes; Roseanne Supernault (THE DRIVE) as Jo; Michael Greyeyes (RUTHERFORD FALLS) as Cousin Leon; Billy Merasty (ELIJAH) as Roger Laughingstick; Gabriel Daniels (THE ICE ROAD) as Dean; Avery Sutherland (STELLAR) as Chickadee; Aqqalu Meekis (I STILL LOVE YOU) as Stephen Harper; Cheyenna Sapp as Rose; Erik Athavale (BED REST) as Greg; Rosanna Deerchild as Chief Deedee; Michael Lawrenchuk (INDIAN HORSE) as Gramps; Zachary Fontaine (LITTLE BIRD) as L’il Tony; Jesse Nobess (ALTER BOYS) as Logan; and Jonathan Beardy as Blue.

ACTING GOOD is produced by CTV Comedy Channel, in association with Kistikan Pictures Inc., with the participation of Canada Media Fund, Bell Fund, APTN, The Indigenous Screen Office, and Manitoba Film & Music. Producers are Tina Keeper (Kistikan Pictures) and Jennifer Beasley (Kistikan Pictures) with Phyllis Laing (Kistikan Pictures) as Executive Producer and Jeff Peeler as Supervising Producer, Paul Rabliauskas, Jennifer Beasley and Amber-Sekowan Daniels as Executive Producers and Tim Fontaine and Eric Toth as Executive Producers, writers and Co-Showrunners.

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Preview: Paul Rabliauskas shines in CTV Comedy Channel’s raucous Acting Good

In 2016, Letterkenny made a huge splash when it debuted on the then-Crave TV. Jared Keeso told the expletive-filled story of a small town full of odd folks getting up to all kinds of shenanigans. Letterkenny is still going strong 10 seasons of six episodes later.

I expect the same for Acting Good.

Kicking off on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy Channel, Acting Good, co-created and starring Anishinaabe standup comedian Paul Rabliauskas, is a raucous showcase for his comedic talents.

Loosely based on his life at Poplar River First Nation in Manitoba and the family and friends that inhabited that community, Rabliauskas plays Paul, a man who moves back to his eccentric family in the fly-in community of Grouse Lake First Nation after life in Winnipeg goes awry. Tail between his legs, Paul is at the mocking mercy of sister Jo (Roseanne Supernault), cousin Dean (Gabriel Daniels), mother Agnes (Tina Keeper, who is also a producer) and ex-girlfriend Rose (Cheyenna Sapp).

The debut instalment—directed by award-winning actor, director and choreographer Michael Greyeyes—pokes fun at land acknowledgments, bullying, “Indian time” and a breakdown of a certain mouth sound that had me giggling.

Sharply written by Rabliauskas and co-showrunners Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Eric Toth and Pat Thornton, Acting Good has a lot of heart wrapped up in its first 22 minutes and is well worth tuning in to.

Acting Good airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy Channel.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.

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All-new original series Acting Good moves in with CTV Comedy Channel, October 17

From a media release:

There’s no place like CTV Comedy this fall when the brand-new original series ACTING GOOD premieres Monday, Oct. 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The 10-episode, half-hour irreverent comedy is loosely based on the life of Anishinaabe stand-up comedian Paul Rabliauskas. Shot on location in Manitoba in Spring 2022, Rabliauskas stars as Paul who, after a botched attempt to move to Winnipeg, retreats back to his eccentric family in the fly-in community of Grouse Lake First Nation. ACTING GOOD is co-created by Rabliauskas, Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Eric Toth, and Pat Thornton, and produced by Kistikan Pictures Inc., and Buffalo Gal Pictures.

In the series premiere, “Just Fok’n Missing Her” (Monday, Oct. 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT), the news of the day in isolated, remote Grouse Lake is the anti-bullying workshop, where the lure of free sandwiches guarantees a decent turnout. However, the event is overshadowed by Paul’s unexpected return, as the community raises eyebrows over his social media posts about living large in the big city. The series premiere is directed by award-winning actor, director, and choreographer, Michael Greyeyes.

Viewers can stream new episodes of ACTING GOOD on CTV.ca and the CTV app, which is also features behind-the-scenes videos, cast highlights, and more information about ACTING GOOD.

ACTING GOOD joins the CTV Comedy family on the channel’s 25th anniversary as the brand continues to reign as #1 Canadian Entertainment Specialty Channel with key demo A25-54 for the fourth year in a row. Since launching on October 17, 1997 as “The Comedy Network,” the brand has committed to showcasing supporting homegrown talent, from up-and-coming comics to veteran stand-ups.

ACTING GOOD is produced by CTV Comedy Channel, in association with Kistikan Pictures Inc., with the participation of Canada Media Fund, Bell Fund, APTN, and Manitoba Film & Music. Producers are Tina Keeper (Kistikan Pictures) and Jennifer Beasley (Buffalo Gal Pictures) with Phyllis Laing (Buffalo Gal Pictures) as Executive Producer and Paula J. Smith as Supervising Producer. Paul Rabliauskas is Executive Producer and writer, with Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Pat Thornton, and Eric Toth as writers and co-showrunners.

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Award-winning actor Michael Greyeyes joins directing team for CTV Comedy Channel’s original series, Acting Good

From a media release:

CTV Comedy Channel announced today that award-winning actor, director, and choreographer Michael Greyeyes is tapped to direct five episodes of the brand-new original series, ACTING GOOD. Loosely based on the life of Anishinaabe stand-up comedian and series co-creator, Paul Rabliauskas, production on the half-hour scripted comedy is currently underway in Winnipeg and surrounding areas, and is set to premiere later this year.

Joining Greyeyes as directors for the debut season of ACTING GOOD are writer, director, and video artist Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe), as well as series co-showrunners Amber-Sekowan Daniels (Anishininew) and Eric Toth.

ACTING GOOD stars Rabliauskas as Paul, a witty but sensitive comic who returns home to the fictional Grouse Lake First Nation after a botched attempt to move to the big city. Also joining the cast is actor, comedian, and series co-showrunner Pat Thornton, who stars as Brady, the “only white guy on the rez.” The homegrown lineup of cast and crew also features Billy Merasty (Elijah) as voice of the rez and radio DJ, Roger Laughingstick, Roseanne Supernault (THE DRIVE) as reformed bad girl and band councillor, Jo. Gabriel Daniels (The Ice Road) joins the cast as big-hearted Dean, along with series producer Tina Keeper (NORTH OF 60) as the family matriarch Agnes. And in their debut acting roles, Avery Claudia Sutherland stars as Jo’s rebellious daughter Chickadee, comedian Cheyenna Sapp as Paul’s, on-again-off-again girlfriend, Rose, Jason Mason as overzealous band constable Lips, and writer, poet, and radio host Rosanna Deerchild as First Nation Grouse Lake chief, Deedee.

About Michael Greyeyes:
Michael Greyeyes is a multi-hyphenate talent – an actor, director, choreographer, and scholar whose diverse career from stage to screen spans over 25 years.

Greyeyes recently starred in the thriller Wild Indian, directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, which premiered in competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. He garnered a Film Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award nomination for his leading performance. On television, Greyeyes returns for Season 2 of RUTHERFORD FALLS. He also received a Film Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award for his role in the series, marking a historical moment as he becomes the first Native Actor with two nominations in the same year for the awards.

His film work includes the role of Traylor in Blood Quantum and Sitting Bull in Woman Walks Ahead, co-starring Jessica Chastain. He has appeared in numerous other feature films such as The New World, directed by Terence Malick, Skipped Parts, Sunshine State, directed by John Sayles, Passchendaele, directed by Paul Gross, and Dance Me Outside, a cult-classic directed by Bruce McDonald.

As a director, he has created numerous theatre works including Bearing, a searing dance opera that premiered at the 2017 Luminato Festival in Toronto, A Soldier’s Tale, from thine eyes, and wrote Nôhkom. Greyeyes was nominated for a Dora Award for his direction on Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártnit, a full-length evening of Indigenous opera featuring two librettos in Cree and Sami.

He is Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. He graduated from Kent State University with a Master’s Degree in the Fine Arts at the School of Theatre and Dance and is also a graduate of The National Ballet School where he went on to join The National Ballet of Canada company. In 2010, Greyeyes founded a Canadian non-profit theatre organization, Signal Theatre, a company that explores intercultural and transdisciplinary live performance. He serves as the Artistic Director for the theatre.

About Darlene Naponse:
Darlene Naponse is an Anishinaabe writer, director, and video artist from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, ON. Her films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, TIFF, and imagineNATIVE Film Festival. Her film Falls Around Her opened imagineNATIVE Film Festival in 2018, and took home the Audience Choice Award. Naponse’s fourth feature film, Stellar, in which she wrote, directed, and produced, just wrapped production.

ACTING GOOD is set in the fictional remote fly-in Grouse Lake First Nation, a world that lives by its own set of rules. The series location is inspired by Rabliauskas’ own isolated community of Poplar River First Nation.

ACTING GOOD is produced by CTV Comedy Channel, in association with Kistikan Pictures Inc., with the participation of Canada Media Fund and Bell Fund. Producers are Tina Keeper (Kistikan Pictures) and Jennifer Beasley (Buffalo Gal Pictures) with Phyllis Laing (Buffalo Gal Pictures) as Executive Producer and Paula J. Smith as Supervising Producer. Paul Rabliauskas is Executive Producer and writer, with Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Pat Thornton, and Eric Toth as writers and co-showrunners.

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CTV Comedy Channel orders original comedy series, Acting Good

From a media release:

As announced today from Content Canada’s Digital Summit, CTV Comedy Channel has ordered the all-new original scripted comedy, ACTING GOOD, loosely based on the life of stand up comedian Paul Rabliauskas (THE STAND UP SHOW WITH JON DORE). Produced by Kistikan Pictures Inc., the series was co-created by Rabliauskas, who is also set to star in the series, Amber-Sekowan Daniels (DIGGSTOWN), Eric Toth (STILL STANDING), and Pat Thornton (FILTH CITY). The hilarious 10-part, half-hour comedy follows self-conscious and gullible Paul (Rabliauskas), who falls flat on his face in the big city and tries to slip back into life on his fly-in rez as if nothing happened. But his eccentric family is having none of it. ACTING GOOD is set to shoot on location in Manitoba early next year, with production and additional casting details to be announced in the coming months.

ACTING GOOD is set in the fictional fly-in reserve of Grouse Lake First Nation in Northern Manitoba, a community that lives by its own set of rules. The series is inspired by Paul Rabliauskas’ own isolated reserve of Poplar River First Nation, and the family and friends that inhabit the community. Pat Thornton, Amber-Sekowan Daniels, and Eric Toth are co-writers for the series along with Rabliauskas.

This all-new comedy series joins Bell Media’s robust 2021/22 development and production slate that includes drama series SULLIVAN’S CROSSING and LITTLE BIRD, as well as scripted comedy series DU ME A FAVOR and LETTERKENNY spinoff series, SHORSEY.

ACTING GOOD is produced by CTV Comedy, in association with Kistikan Pictures Inc. Producers are Tina Keeper (Kistikan Pictures) and Jennifer Beasley (Buffalo Gal Pictures) with Phyllis Laing (Buffalo Gal Pictures) as Executive Producer. Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Pat Thornton, and Eric Toth serve as co-showrunners.

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