TORONTO – Showcase announced Wednesday it has commissioned three new half-hour comedy pilots: The Foundation, Pure Evil and Retail. The specialty TV channel said these pilots would “deliver more laughter-inducing programming to Showcase’s loyal audiences.”
“We’re excited to be building on the success of our original series such as Trailer Park Boys, Billable Hours and Rent-A-Goalie, by exploring new, distinctive voices for the network. The creative teams behind these pilots have idiosyncratic and off-kilter approaches to comedy that our loyal viewers have come to expect from Showcase,” said Showcase VP of Content Tara Ellis.
The Foundation is a darkly comedic look at the inner workings of a dysfunctional but well-funded charity with a corrupt executive director. It is produced in Montreal by Jennifer Wilson and Michael Dowse (FUBAR, It’s All Gone Pete Tong). The executive producer is Daniel Iron of Foundry Films (Away From Her, Manufactured Landscapes).
Pure Evil, another dark comedy, stars a suburban father, looking for a peaceful life – a simple objective that is complicated by the fact he’s the son of Satan. It is written, produced and directed by Mark Sawers (Alienated, Kids in the Hall), and was filmed in British Columbia. The executive producer is Jayme Pfahl of Crescent Entertainment (Terminal City, Moving Malcolm).
Retail centers around a group working in a Winnipeg mall. The lead character is an aspiring drag queen, who works at the makeup counter with his best friend and roommate. Created by Noam Gonick (Kink, Hey Happy!), the pilot is directed by Shawn Alex Thompson (Billable Hours, Puppets Who Kill). The executive producer is Jamie Brown of Frantic Films (‘Til Debt Do Us Part, Lucid).
