TORONTO ā Newly minted āRun the Burbsā showrunner Anthony Q. Farrell firmly believes that authenticity is a central part of diverse storytelling ā from the script to diverging perspectives on set that express what is real versus āwhat doesnāt feel true.āĀ
āYou see it all the time, I mean just growing up watching shows with Black characters would feel wrong and off,ā says Farrell, who was also showrunneron the CBC sci-fi comedy āOverlord and theUnderwoods.āĀ
āThen you find out all the writers are white guys from Harvard, and youāre like, 'Well, thatās the problem.'ā
The architecture of inclusive and relatable television is rooted in the writers' room, says Farrell. Itās what informed the first season of āRun the Burbsā and continues in the second, which airs Wednesday nights on CBC and streams on CBC Gem.
āCanadian TV needs shows like this, and itās possible to do it in a way thatās marketable, funny and that is interesting,ā says Farrell. āIt should engage not just one, but all audience members ā we have a family in 'Run the Burbs' thatās unlike any other family on Canadian TV, and with that comes a responsibility.ā
The comedy centres on the Phams, a young Vietnamese-South Asian Canadian family, led by a stay-at-home dad played by Andrew Phung, and his entrepreneurial wife Camille, played by Rakhee Morzaria, who upend ideas about contemporary family values and life in the suburbs.Ā
The 45-year-old Farrell, who wrote for the multiple Emmy-winning American comedy āThe Officeā and earned the 2022 Showrunner Award from the Writers Guild of Canada, was brought on by producer Pier 21 Films, replacing Shebli Zarghami.
Once on the ground, Farrell came to understand the potential of a series that emphasizes diversity without boxing in BIPOC characters into specific moulds ā just a multicultural family existing as any other family would.Ā
'āIām all about authenticity and if someone canāt look me in the eye and say that theyāve lived with these characters like this team has, then weāre going to be writing something we donāt know," said Farrell.
To that effect, Season 2 storylines revolve around Camilleās faded connection to her Indian heritage as she navigates her career, while Andrew has political aspirations as he seeks to make his very suburban community a better place to live in.Ā
Phung, who is also a co-creator on the show, said that while he hasn't been in the writers' room on as many productions as Farrell, he knew what kind of environment he wanted to build.Ā
āWhile Anthony has been in all the rooms, I have the privilege of being in this one room, where we donāt argue about these ideas, it was discussions about traditions and arcs,ā says Phung, referring to his time on "Run the Burbs."Ā
āIām coming off of 'Kimās Convenience,' where I took all of the fallout from that and learned to internalize it here.āĀ
Phung is referring to certain experiences on CBC comedy āKimās Convenience,ā which abruptly ended in 2021. Later that year, star Simu Liu publicly complained about a lack of representation among its writers.
Phung adds that cast members brought their own cultural and personal experiences to āRun the Burbs," and says everyone was allowed to have a voice.Ā
āI love that in our room that weāre always having these cultural discussions, these honest discussions, and these queer discussions about whether or not weāre doing it right,ā says Phung. āWhen we have these discussions, you walk away not angry ā you walk away feeling enlightened and inspired.āĀ
But Phung acknowledges that the core salability of their ideas was aided greatly by the inclusion of Farrell as the steerer of their ship.Ā
He recalls several instances of Farrell encouraging him to stick to his original ideas ā such as focusing a story on the Lunar New Year versus a more traditional Christmas episode ā when his previous instinct would be to alter them in ways that would please the network over his original intents.Ā
āHeād ask if I like an idea and if so, why would I change it? Instead, we would just need to make it clear to the network and express how passionate we were about it,ā says Phung. āHeād explain it to the network and thatās why I totally love this guy. He streamlined the whole process.āĀ
Overall, Phung believes that Season 2 is about a family that lives next door to its audiences. He views it as āthat equalizer,ā to which a wide variety of viewers can all relate.Ā
Throughout the process, the sentiment of friendship extended to the actors as well.Ā
Candy Palmater, an Indigenous comedian, actor and broadcast personality who played a neighbour of the Phams on the show, died on Dec. 25, 2021.Ā
āAnthony wrote a very lovely episode as a tribute to Candy and her legacy in our neighbourhood and the world,ā says Phung when speaking of the yet-to-air storyline.Ā
āItās a show that swings like that ā weāre a show thatās a comedy, but weāre willing to go places that recognize our neighbours and all of our friends we met along the way.ā
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2023.
Noel Ransome, The Canadian Press
