New Brunswick is being showcased in a new television series streaming across the country.
Brit Out of Water, which was filmed last summer, recently debuted on Bell Fibe TV1.
British comedian James Mullinger, who now lives in New Brunswick, co-created and co-wrote the show alongside director and Miramichi Mayor Adam Lordon.
Mullinger described it as a dream project for the two of them, who both star in the six-part series.
“We’ve always wanted to create a sitcom. For it to then happen and for it to be filmed in and about a province that we both love is amazing,” Mullinger said in a recent interview.
The series follows Mullinger as he is forced to quit comedy and relocate his family to his wife’s hometown in rural New Brunswick due to a Brexit scandal.
If the premise sounds familiar, you are not wrong. Mullinger himself moved to Saint John from the UK in 2014 — though his move was by choice and had nothing to do with a Brexit scandal.
The sitcom was filmed in Miramichi over eight days last August with a cast and crew of mostly New Brunswickers. It is believed to be the first English-speaking sitcom to be filmed and entirely set in New Brunswick.
Mullinger said they felt a responsibility to New Brunswickers to showcase the province as part of the series.
“We want someone in Vancouver to watch this, find it funny, get the jokes, but also to say ‘Oh my goodness, this looks like an absolutely beautiful place to live, work, play and visit,'” he said.
“It’s a love letter to Miramichi and New Brunswick,” Lordon added.
Lordon, who grew up in Miramichi, has worked in television and film for 15 years, including nearly a decade in Toronto.
Wearing so many hats behind the scenes and in front of the camera made for a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience, he said.
“Doing it all at once, the first couple of days of that production was definitely a bit overwhelming, but as a team, we really got into the groove,” said Lordon.
Mullinger said the initial reception to the series has been very positive, which he said is a “colossal relief” to him.
As a stand-up comedian, he is used to knowing right away whether people love or hate the content.
“Unlike in stand-up, where I wait two seconds for the laugh, suddenly now we had to wait nine months to hear the laughs. But we are hearing them, and that is a relief and an honour.”
As for what comes next, Lordon said he is hopeful there will be conversations about a potential season two.
“Look for maybe additional funders so that we could scale it up a bit would be, I think, a dream or a goal,” he said. “Certainly now we have this as a wonderful piece of work that also becomes a calling card.”
The series was funded by Bell along with the New Brunswick government.
You can learn more about the series and how to watch it by clicking here.
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