The Smart Woman Survival Guide

The Smart Woman Survival Guide is a Canadian situation comedy, currently in its third season. The Smart Woman Survival Guide airs on the W Network.

The Smart Woman Survival Guide
Created by	Al Magee
Starring	Tricia Braun Laura McLean Siobhan Murphy Joanne Alderson Riley Gilchrist Ryan V. Hays Adam Seybold Jean-Paul Saurine
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	39
Production
Executive producer	Al Magee
Running time	22 minutes 15 seconds (without commercials)
Original release
Network	W Network
Release	4 September, 2006 – Present

Premise

Lifting the ‘Ironed Curtain’ on a Martha Stewart Living-type show, the series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional lifestyle program called Smart Woman. Like Sex and the City, The Smart Woman Survival Guide follows a group of women who bond over their work, lives and loves. The Smart Woman Survival Guide stars Tricia Braun as Lana Pearson, the demanding host of Smart Woman, and her trusty staff, Liz, played by Siobhan Murphy, Nat, played by Laura McLean and Brooke, played by Joanne Alderson. Alongside the entertaining, sometimes ridiculous but always relatable situations in which the leading ladies find themselves, the audience is presented with tips, how-tos and information that today’s “smart woman” would find valuable. When the women go into the real world to research segments for the show, they interact with real world experts who make guest appearances on the Smart Woman show. These include real-life Olympians, Nobel Peace Prize nominees, celebrity chefs and New York Times bestselling authors.

Cast

Tricia Braun – Lana Pearson
Siobhan Murphy – Liz Duncan
Laura McLean – Natalie Knowles
Joanne Alderson – Brooke Patterson
Riley Gilchrist – Alistair
Ryan V. Hays – Phil
Adam Seybold – Reggie

Noteable Guest-Starring Cast
Saurine - Steve Duncan
Megan Hutchins - Geneva
Boomer Phillips – Pete Sharp

Guest Experts

Alexandra Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis, The Overachievers, Pledged, and Secrets of the Tomb.
Conrad Leinemann, Beach Volleyball Olympian, finished 9th at the Sydney Olympic Games, and is a Pan Am Games Gold Medalist, with a 100+ km/h serve.
Mark Heese, Beach Volleyball Olympian. Mark brought home Canada’s first medal in beach volleyball in the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
Marc Dunn, Beach Volleyball Olympian, finished 17th at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Craig Kielburger, Founder and Chair of Free the Children, and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Barbara Coloroso, internationally recognized parenting expert and author of four best selling parental advice books: Kids are worth it; Parenting Through Crisis, Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief, and Inner Discipline; The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander; Just Because it’s not Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right.
Rick Gallop, Author of The G. I. Diet.
Rob Stewart, Director of award-winning environmental feature film documentary, Sharkwater.

Episodes

Main article: SWSG Episodes Season One
Main article: SWSG Episodes Season Two
Main article: SWSG Episodes Season Three

Series Trivia

The Smart Woman Survival Guide was renewed for 26 further episodes before season 1 had finished shooting.
Executive Producer Al Magee was the creative consultant for Showcase Network, contributing to numerous shows, including Slings & Arrows, Kink, Naked Josh, Show Me Yours, Kenny vs. Spenny, and Trailer Park Boys.
Series composer, Kevan Staples was a member of the Canadian new wave rock band, Rough Trade. He has won 4 Junos and a Genie Award.
The photo of Liz and Steve on Liz’s desk is a real photo of Siobhan Murphy (Liz) and Jean-Paul Saurine (Steve) taken years ago, when the two were classmates at theatre school.
The show was originally conceived as a two-act show that grew to four acts with a teaser and tag.

Press and Media coverage

National Post 09/16/06
Globe Television 09/06
Toronto Metro 08/11/06
Etc News 08/24/06
Insider Entertainment 09/06

Production

Executive Producer: Al Magee
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time: 22 minutes without commercials

Broadcast

Original Channel: W Network
Original Run: Sept. 4, 2006 – present

External Links

Official website
IMDb profile