A new season of The New Wave of Standup, filmed earlier this year at the Guilt & Co venue in Vancouver’s Gastown as part of the Just For Laughs Vancouver Festival, will premiere on CBC Gem on Friday, Aug. 29.
Comprising 14 10-minute episodes, the sixth season of The New Wave of Standup shines a spotlight on 14 emerging comedy performers, including Tim Blair (CBC’s TallBoyz), Raajiee Chelliah, Adrienne Fish (CTV’s Roast Battle Canada), Nathan Hare, Wassim El-Mounzer (CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud), Randee Neumeyer (CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud), K.C. Novak, Callum O’Neil, Bree Parsons (CBC Radio’s The Debaters), Hassan Phills (Crave’s The Office Movers), Olivia Stadler (CTV’s Roast Battle Canada), Henry Sir, Alain Williams, and Isabel Zaw-Tun (CBC Radio’s The Debaters).
“Fans of The New Wave of Standup appreciate great comedy, and this is what we aim to deliver each year,” said Heather Wallace, partner and festival director of Just For Laughs Vancouver and executive producer of The New Wave of Standup, in a press release last week. “Since its inception, we’ve remained steadfast in our efforts to curate the best lineup possible, and if our sixth season is any indication, the incredible calibre of Canadian comedy talent shows no signs of slowing down.”
“The New Wave of Standup is a true celebration of Canadian comedy, made possible by the incredible partnership between CBC, Vancouver, Quebec, and every province across the country,” said Sylvain Parent-Bédard, president and CEO of Just For Laughs and executive producer of The New Wave of Standup. “This collaboration allows us to shine a spotlight on the diversity, creativity, and talent that make Canada’s comedy scene so special, and to share it with audiences nationwide.”
Shortly after the beleaguered Just For Laughs festival filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2024, Parent-Bédard’s company ComediHa! acquired the festival’s assets and brand. The merged entities rebranded as the Just For Entertainment Group, of which the Just For Laughs festival is a subsidiary.
The New Wave of Standup is produced by NorthWest Comedy in association with Just For Laughs and CBC. In addition to Wallace and Parent-Bédard, other executive producers of the sixth season of The New Wave of Standup include: Nick Brazao, head of talent and programming for Just For Laughs; Marie-Claude Filteau, executive producer of audiovisual for Just For Laughs; and Spencer Griffin, executive producer and head of development and creative strategy for Just For Laughs. Trish Neufeld is director of the series’ sixth season.
Following its release on CBC Gem on Aug. 29, The New Wave of Standup Season 6 will broadcast in four 30-minute episodes on CBC TV beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. NT). The first episode will feature Wassim El-Mounzer, K.C. Novak, Callum O’Neil and Isabel Zaw-Tun. The second episode (Sept. 23) will feature Randee Neumeyer, Alain Williams and Bree Parsons. Episode three (Oct. 7) will feature Tim Blair, Adrienne Fish, Nathan Hare and Raajiee Chelliah. Episode four (Oct. 14) will feature Hassan Phills, Olivia Stadler and Henry Sir.
Photo of Hassan Phills from Season 6 of The New Wave of Standup courtesy of Social Grace Communications. Photo credit: Gergo Farkas.
