Overlord and the Underwoods

Last updated

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
ComposerSimon Poole
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producers
  • Mark J.W. Bishop
  • Matt Hornburg
  • Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy
  • Ryan Wiesbrock
  • Sean Gorman
  • Ian Lambur
  • Diane Rankin (SVP Rights)
  • For CBC Television
  • Michael A. Dunn and Andra Johnson Duke
Producers
Running time30 Minutes
Production companiesMarbleMedia
Cloudco Entertainment
Canfro Productions
Original release
Network CBC Gem
ReleaseOctober 29, 2021 (2021-10-29) 
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.

Contents

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 is flipped 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 on his boss and is made to live with the Underwoods. [2]

Cast

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Overstaying Your Welcome" April Mullen Anthony Q. FarrellTBA
22"Overthrowing the Underscores"April Mullen Kate Hewlett TBA
33"Undersized"Casey Walker Ryan Belleville TBA
44"Slime and Understanding"April MullenAmanda JoyTBA
55"Into the Underbush"Casey WalkerAnthony Q. FarrellTBA
66"Game Over!"Casey WalkerRyan BellevilleTBA
77"Three Easy Overpayments"Casey WalkerJay VaidyaTBA
88"Not Under My Roof!" Joyce Wong Richard YoungTBA
99"Thirteen Going on Overlord"Steve WrightKate HewlettTBA
1010"Undercover LARP"Joyce WongJay VaidyaTBA
1111"Overshooters"Casey WalkerRyan BellevilleTBA
1212"Overdue Update"Steve WrightAmanda JoyTBA
1313"Overexposed"Melanie OrrAmanda JoyTBA
1414"Family Over Frabjleplarm"Joyce WongAngelica MendizabalTBA
1515"Overpiece Theatre"Steve WrightAnthony Q. FarrellTBA
1616"Overlock Holmes and the Undercooked Pie"Lisa Rose SnowAnthony Q. FarrellTBA
1717"Do-Over and Over and Over"Joyce WongKate HewlettTBA
1818"Under the Sea Land"Melanie OrrRyan BellevilleTBA
1919"One Year Over-versary"Melanie OrrJay VaidyaTBA
2020"Over the Moon"Melanie OrrAnthony Q. FarrellTBA

Development and broadcast

The series was announced on March 16, 2021, and was pre-sold by Nickelodeon International, BYUtv 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. On October 3, 2022 BYUtv began airing season 1 on television. That same day they made the second batch of 10 episodes available on their app and website.

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]

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References