Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) announced Tuesday it is turning its Low Vision Moments podcast hosted by Jennie Bovard into a comedy television series, Pretty Blind, set to premiere July 8 at 9 p.m. ET on AMI-tv and AMI+ across Canada.
“Led by Canadian comedy legend Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Letterkenny) and writer-showrunner Mark Forward (Fargo, Letterkenny), Pretty Blind captures the comedy of Bovard’s Low Vision Moments and turns it into Canada’s first-ever comedy about blindness led by and about its lead actor,” reads an AMI press release.
The new AMI original series is being produced in partnership with Torrens’ Nova Scotia-based production company Torrential Pictures, Charlottetown-based Club Red Productions and Halifax-based Flow Video Inc.
“I started the Low Vision Moments podcast with the intention to connect with others and make people laugh,” said Bovard, lead actor and associate producer of Pretty Blind, in a statement. “When AMI brought the idea of a TV show and introduced me to Canadian icon Jonathan Torrens, I was thrilled that we might be able to reach more people and make comedy gold out of the frustrations I’ve experienced as a person with albinism and low vision. Pretty Blind has been a way to change the narrative around disability, empower myself and others in the community, and have fun along the way.”
Pretty Blind introduces viewers to Jennie Bonang (played by Bovard), as “an unlikely and sarcastic hero who is at a crossroads in her life,” says a description in AMI’s press release. “Jennie, who has albinism and partial sight, has just broken up with her boyfriend, meets constant conflict with her boss at the library, and inherits a new well-meaning but overbearing roommate. We follow Jennie as she navigates life in an inaccessible and uneducated world, as she uses her intelligence and sharp wit to educate others about disability and put them in their respective places.”
“Jennie has albinism, a complicated love life and no time for your well-meaning but sometimes misinformed nonsense — and we love that about her! Pretty Blind is fearless, funny and unapologetically real,” said Cara Nye, director of content development and production at AMI, in the press release. “AMI couldn’t be more excited to bring it to your screens.”
In addition to Bovard, the ensemble cast includes Jacob Hemphill (Roll With It) as Yves, Jessica Barry (From) as Veronica, Dan Barra-Berger (All Access Comedy) as Steve, and MJ “Joanne” Miller (Diggstown) as Sandy, alongside a cameo appearance from Torrens who also directs a few episodes throughout the season.
The Pretty Blind writers’ room includes showrunner Forward, producer and director Torrens, story editors Bovard and Barra-Berger, writing room coordinator Brad Rivers, and writing room assistant Maddie Leigh Murray. Rivers is also an associate producer of the series alongside Bovard.
Photo of Jennie Bovard in Pretty Blind courtesy of Accessible Media Inc.
