Tag Archives: Russell Peters

CTV Comedy Channel, Just For Laughs and Counterfeit Pictures partner for all-new original series, Roast Battle Canada

From a media release:

CTV Comedy Channel and Just For Laughs are stepping into the ring together to bring Canadians the all-new original series, ROAST BATTLE CANADA. Based on the format from ViacomCBS International Studios Distribution, the eight, half-hour episode series builds on the success of Bell Media’s French-language version, ROAST BATTLE: LE GRAND DUEL, which is consistently a top-ranking series for Z. The English-language adaption, ROAST BATTLE CANADA, is produced in partnership with Just For Laughs and Counterfeit Pictures and will film later this year.

ROAST BATTLE CANADA sees two pairs of Canadian comics faceoff in each episode, hurling ruthless jokes at each other in hopes of coming out unscathed and crowned the victor by a distinguished panel of judges. Presiding over each episode are megastar comedian Russell Peters; writer, producer, actor, and all-around funny person, Sabrina Jalees (CAROL’S SECOND ACT); and Season 1 ROAST BATTLE semi-finalist, LETTERKENNY’s own K. Trevor Wilson. Actor and comedian Ennis Esmer, slated to appear in the upcoming CTV original series, CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, serves as host.

Based on ROAST BATTLE, the U.S. television series created by comedians Jeff Ross and Brian Moses, the original format has also been adapted in Germany, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, and the UK. Each original airing of Bell Media’s successful French-language adaptation, ROAST BATTLE: LE GRAND DUEL has been the most-watched series of the broadcast season for Z.

ROAST BATTLE CANADA is produced by CTV Comedy, in association with Just For Laughs Television and Counterfeit Pictures. Bruce Hills is Executive Producer and also President, Just For Laughs. Anton Leo serves as Executive Producer, along with Dan Bennett and Shane Corkery of Counterfeit Pictures. Comedian Russell Peters also executive produces. The series was directed by Shelagh O’Brien.

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Pier 21 Films partners with Canadian YouTube personality Jus Reign on new comedy series for CBC

From a media release:

Acclaimed independent production company Pier 21 Films announced today it has partnered with one of Canada’s most popular comedic talents and YouTube personality, Jasmeet Singh Raina (aka Jus Reign) on a new half-hour series Late Bloomer (w/t), currently in development at the CBC.

Inspired by his own real-life experiences, Late Bloomer focuses on Raina’s journey navigating his newly found internet fame, dating, spirituality, culture, and his dysfunctional (yet loving) family. As a first generation Indo-Canadian, his identity is constantly questioned as he struggles to find the balance between Eastern customs centered around community and the Western ideal of individualism.

With more than 167 Million YouTube views, 970,000+ subscribers and 1M+ fans on Facebook, Jus Reign is a viral sensation known for his irreverent humor incorporating his ethnic background and upbringing into his comedic work. Referred to as “a social media superstar” by Huffington Post, he’s hosted the iHeartRadio MMVAs red carpet show and was also featured in Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Mean Tweets’ for YouTube Creators. In 2019, Raina suddenly stopped posting content to his social platforms which has sparked fan conspiracies and a massive international audience craving his return to their screens.

Renowned stand-up comedian, actor, producer Russell Peters is also attached to executive produce the project. Peabody Award, International Emmy, Gemini Award and Canadian Screen Award winner, Peters was the first stand-up special for Netflix and has been broadcast on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, CBC, CTV, BBC and Amazon Prime.

Co-produced by Pier 21 Films and Reign Productions, Late Bloomer is written, executive produced, created by and starring Jasmeet Singh Raina and executive produced by Pier 21 Films, Baljinder Dhawan, Russell Peters and Clayton Peters.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Links: The Indian Detective

From ONTVtoday:

Link: Canadian stand-up Peters takes it to Mumbai in Netflix’s ‘The Indian Detective’
“He meets a very attractive lady who is a public defender and asks him to help her with a case that she’s working on. And I solve the case and upset the local corrupt cops. And the hilarity and drama ensue.” Continue reading.

From Anirudh Bhattacharyya of Hindustan Times:

Link: In new TV series, Russell Peters stars as Toronto cop in Mumbai
Indo-Canadian comic Russell Peters is among the world’s most popular stand-up acts but now, as he makes his debut as the lead in a scripted television series, he appears to have made the transition to the small screen as smoothly as that between the setup and punchline of one of his gags. Continue reading.

From Steven Broadbent of Tellybinge:

Link: Russell Peters interview (The Indian Detective, Netflix)
“It’s light and it will take your mind off all the rubbish that is going on in the world today. There is a truly multi-cultural cast from around the world. It has got beautiful locations and a great looking cast.” Continue reading.

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Links: The Indian Detective

From Hannah Sung of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Russell Peters talks political correctness and new TV show The Indian Detective
“It’s kind of a fantasy situation. I’m just a regular constable in Toronto and I go to India and I get treated special. And I live up to the potential that I always knew I had. Do you ever just think to yourself, ‘If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have been so smart,’ you know?” Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:

Link: Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new TV series ‘The Indian Detective’
Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: “What would the average Joe do in this situation?”

Loved by audiences around the world as a successful stand-up comedy headliner, “The Indian Detective” — which premieres Thursday on CTV — casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai. Continue reading.

From Mark Daniel of the Toronto Sun:

Link: Russell Peters talks ‘The Indian Detective’ and why he’ll never host the Junos again
For his first leading role in a scripted TV series, Canadian funnyman Russell Peters knew he didn’t want to do a 30-minute sitcom.

The stand-up star, who came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-earning comedians last year, wanted to prove he can do more than just tickle your funnybone. Continue reading.

 

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Humour and heart at the centre of Russell Peters’ The Indian Detective

There’s a definite Beverly Hills Cop vibe to The Indian Detective and that’s a good thing.

Debuting Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, Russell Peters stars as Doug D’Mello, a Toronto cop who stumbles upon a murder case while visiting his father, Stanley (Anupam Kher) in Mumbai. Like Eddie Murphy’s Detroit-raised Axel Foley does in Beverly Hills, Doug finds himself woefully out of place in India, despite his heritage. But his wit and charm—not to mention some pretty decent detective work—woos legal-aid lawyer Priya (Mishqah Parthiephal) as the pair investigate dirty dealings in India that reach back to Toronto and involve twin gangsters Gopal and Amal (Hazma Haq) and real estate developer David Marlowe (William Shatner).

Written by Frank Spotnitz and Smita Bhide and executive-produced by Spotnitz, Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Mark Burton, Clayton Peters, Paul Canterna and Russell Peters, the four-episode The Indian Detective isn’t just a vehicle for the Canadian stand-up comedian to mug through. He’s emoting folks, making Doug an interesting and multifaceted character who uses his quips to great effect.

We spoke to Peters about the development, tone and future of The Indian Detective.

I’ve watched the first two episodes and I really enjoyed them.
Russell Peters: Thanks. Episode 3 is really good. I’ve watched all four and Episode 3 is my favourite.

You said, in another interview, that you were leery of the process of being cast in something where you weren’t playing yourself. Why the concern?
It wasn’t that I was leery about playing somebody else. I understand that that’s acting. But, if they want me to tone down myself … you don’t hire Vince Vaughan to be somebody else. You hire Vince Vaughan because of his personality … hence the same thing with me. I’m not putting myself in the same category as Vince, but it’s that kind of thing. I’m me, and people want to see me be me. But, I can be me and be somebody else at the same time.

Doug is an instantly likable character. There are a lot of laughs, but there is also a lot of heart and drama to this show. 
The way I had it planned is that it would have more dramatic moments and then the network wanted it to be funnier. I’ll be honest, I’m glad they went with their instincts over mine because it did work out better.

Were some of the funny lines ad-libbed?
I would say 90 to 95 per cent of those lines were ad-libbed. You can tell because they flow a lot easier out of my mouth than some of the other words.

Can you talk a little bit about the scripts written by Frank and Smita?
Frank and Smita came to my house a few years ago, and we were trying to determine what the direction of the show was going to be. Then they came to us about a year later with the scripts. I had actually forgotten about it by then. I always kept forgetting about it because I was doing other things and said, ‘OK, well, let me know when we’re going to shoot it.’ And then, last year, my brother said, ‘Remember that show? They’re getting ready to shot.’ I said, ‘With who?’ And he said, ‘You, you idiot.’

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It proves, once again, how long television development can take.
It’s like a teenaged boy’s voice; it takes a long time to develop.

The first episode really immerses the viewer in Mumbai and India overall. You really get a taste of the music, the food, the colours and the vibe. Was that important?
It was very important to me and that was one of the things I kept saying was ‘We can’t fake Mumbai.’ It’s impossible to fake. And, even the times that we did fake it on set, our set designer was amazing because we interspliced the fake Mumbai with the real Mumbai and you can’t tell which is which.

What was it like filming in Mumbai and Cape Town?
Cape Town was the long one, that was two months. Mumbai was only a week and Toronto was two weeks. But Cape Town was amazing. So much fun. We worked six days a week, 14 hours a day, but I still loved it.

Let’s discuss the characters a bit. By Episode 2, it would appear Priya and Doug have a connection. Is there romance by the end of Episode 4?
The second you see Priya on screen, you immediately want to be with her too. It’s the TV world. Where else can a guy that looks like me end up with a girl like that than in the world of TV? Because in real life I don’t think she wanted to stare at me once.

And William Shatner?
Shatner, first of all, is 82 years old. He doesn’t look it at all. He looks like a 62-year-old that says, ‘You want to go and pound some scotch?’ He was so nice, so professional, so cool. We’re filming and he’s doing his lines and I forgot we were shooting a TV show. I’m like, ‘Damn, that guy looks just like William Shatner.’ [Laughs.] He says his line and he’s just staring at me and I’m like, ‘Oh, can I get my line again, please?’ I’m sure he thought I was a complete f–king moron. I got a little star-struck.

The Indian Detective is four episodes. Could there be more?
When you do see Episode 4, we leave it a little open.

The Indian Detective airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

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