TORONTO and AUCKLAND – It’s Canada versus New Zealand in The Nations!, a new co-production featuring homegrown comedians Seán Cullen and Jarred Christmas competing for bragging rights to claim his country as the best.
The entire ten-part, five-minute digital series will begin streaming February 29 on CBC’s digital comedy portal Punchline and March 1 on TVNZ OnDemand. The webisodes feature hosts Seán and Jarred in a series of good-natured competitions highlighting challenges – from taste tests to a comedy matchup, from white water rafting to glamping – and themes – from music to politics, and romance to wildlife. The direction of the episodes is influenced by user engagement, with some episodes taking place in locations that were suggested by users through thenations.tv. This interactive component invites the public to answer trivia questions, follow Seán and Jarred across both countries with a map tracker, and to vote for their country.
The Nations! is co-produced by digital and comedy production companies iThentic (Canada) and thedownlowconcept (New Zealand), in association with broadcasters CBC and TVNZ. The multi-platform comedy/reality series is financed by the Canada-New Zealand Digital Media Fund.
“The Nations! delivers on our promise to bring high-quality irreverent comedy to Canadians across all platforms,” said Zach Feldberg, CBC’s executive in charge of production, digital originals, in the news release. “We are excited about launching this unique digital-first format with Seán and Jarred, whose obvious chemistry and sharp-witted repartee is bound to kickstart a friendly national rivalry for the ages. We look forward to seeing the reaction from viewers in Canada, New Zealand, and around the world."
