Overlord and the Underwoods
| Overlord and the Underwoods | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Anthony Q. Farrell Ryan Wiesbrock |
| Starring | Darryl Hinds Patrice Goodman Ari Resnick Kamaia Fairburn Troy Feldman Jann Arden Jayne Eastwood |
| Composer | Simon Poole |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Production companies | MarbleMedia Cloudco Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC Gem |
| Release | October 29, 2021 – present |
Overlord and the Underwoods is a Canadian television family sitcom co-created by Anthony Q. Farrell and Ryan Wiesbrock, and is a co-production between MarbleMedia and Cloudco Entertainment.
The series first premiered in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2021 on Nickelodeon, while it premiered in Canada on October 29, 2021 on CBC Gem.[1] In the US the first 10 episodes were made available on November 8, 2021 on the BYUtv app.
Premise
The series focuses on a North American family called the Underwoods, whose life goes upside down when the second most wanted criminal in the world, their distant cousin Overlord - who is an alien, seeks refuge in their home after being forced into intergalactic witness protection after he snitches his boss and is made to live with the Underwoods.[2]
Cast
- Darryl Hinds as Jim Underwood
- Patrice Goodman as Flower Underwood
- Ari Resnick as Weaver Underwood
- Kamaia Fairburn as Willow Underwood
- Troy Feldman as Overlord
- Jann Arden as the voice of R0-FL, Overlord's robot sidekick
- Jayne Eastwood as the Underwoods' neighbour
Development and broadcast
The series was announced on March 16, 2021, and was pre-sold by Nickelodeon International, BYU TV in the United States, CBC in Canada and ITV in the United Kingdom on the same day.[3]
Production on the series began in June 2021 in Oakville, Ontario.[4]
BYUtv began airing the series on their app and at byutv.org on November 8, 2021.
Production concerns
The series was a topic of some controversy in the Canadian television industry after its production was announced in April 2021, when a newspaper article on the premiere of series creator Anthony Q. Farrell's contemporaneous The Parker Andersons included the statement that BYU TV series "couldn’t feature characters who are clearly identified as queer", due to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' views on LGBTQ sexuality, along with those of Brigham Young University, which owns the network itself.[5]
Within days, the network responded with a statement that "As a young network committed to bringing together religious and non-religious audiences, BYUtv is learning and exploring ways to partner with diverse content creators, writers and talent to implement meaningful co-viewing experiences for our target audience (children 8-15 and their parents). While BYUtv has not referenced LGBTQ+ topics and characters in the five original scripted series it has aired to date, we desire to address subjects – including LGBTQ+ – that are important to our growing and diverse audience. There are no policies that would exclude the network from including characters who identify as LGBTQ+, and BYUtv is exploring ways to do so," and Marblemedia confirmed that Overlord and the Underwoods will include LGBTQ characters.[6]
References
- ^ "'Overlord and the Underwoods' showrunner hopes it will 'make way for more diversity'". The Coast Reporter, October 28, 2021.
- ^ Greg David, "Overlord and the Underwoods enters the atmosphere with live action series order from CBC". TV, eh?, March 16, 2021.
- ^ Greg David, "Overlord and the Underwoods enters the atmosphere with live action series order from CBC". TV, eh?, March 16, 2021.
- ^ Nathan Sager, "CBC-Nickelodeon series is filming in Oakville". InSauga, June 26, 2021.
- ^ Johanna Schneller, "BYUtv deal exposes truth about queer representation". The Globe and Mail, April 15, 2021.
- ^ Radheyan Simonpillai, "BYUtv has a come to Jesus moment on LGBTQ characters". Now, April 9, 2021.