Canuck A-lister Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz, Beverly Hills: 90210, Haven) and celebrated actress Molly Ringwald (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Breakfast Club and the upcoming Universal Pictures film Jem & The Holograms) bring the funny to Family Channel, starring as seemingly-flawless parents to five children in the new original series The Wonderful Wayneys. From Aircraft Pictures and Dolphin Entertainment, The Wonderful Wayneys follows Paige and Wayne Wayney as they forge the path to familial greatness. The live-action comedy, created and executive produced by the witty and cheeky Tom Saunders (Arrested Development, The Larry Sanders Show), begins filming in Toronto on July 27 and will deliver 26 half-hour episodes to DHX Television for Spring 2016.
“Exploring family dynamics is a new challenge that we’re looking forward to embarking on with The Wonderful Wayneys and the ability to tell the Wayneys’ story in a comedic fashion brings a new element to our programming roster,” said Michael Goldsmith, Vice President, Original Production, DHX Television. “We have a longstanding relationship with Aircraft and Dolphin, and are eager to see how they utilize the brilliant talent that Jason, Molly and the rest of the cast bring to the show. Being able to offer a comedy that appeals to the entire family is an exciting opportunity and we’re confident that this show will have something for everyone.”
The wonderful Wayneys are an amazing family: good looking, MENSA smart, talented, athletic and popular to boot. Paige (Ringwald) and Wayne Wayney (Priestley) have worked hard at raising “multi-exceptional” offspring and are proud of their children: Adam, Conner, Bentley and Derek. Everyone in town envies them or wants to be them, and you can even find Paige’s book about raising her extraordinary family on the bestseller list. But alas, their fifth child, Emmett, is not marching in lock step on the path to familial greatness. What he lacks academically, athletically and artistically, he makes up for with relentless enthusiasm and curiosity. Emmett knows that one day he’ll find his way, but in the meantime he’s determined to celebrate his C-average status in spectacular creative fashion – no matter how often his best laid plans threaten to destroy the family’s living space, reputation or sense of safety.
“The extraordinary talent assembled for this show both on and off screen is a real testament to the quality of the work created by Tom Saunders,” says Producer Anthony Leo of Aircraft Pictures. “We’re honoured to be a part of bringing it to life.”
“Dolphin Entertainment, Aircraft Pictures and Family Channel have been in business together for over a decade,” adds Executive Producer Bill O’Dowd, CEO of Dolphin Entertainment. “It’s refreshing in this business to be able to work with such close friends.”
Filling the roles of Priestley and Ringwald’s multi-exceptional children in the series are: Luke Bilyk (Degrassi, Lost Girl) as Adam; Katie Douglas (Defiance, Max & Shred) as Conner; Matthew Tissi (Call Me Fitz, Transporter) as Bentley; Jake Sim (The Amazing Gayl Pile, Arthur) as Derek; and newcomer Simon Cadel as Emmett.
The Wonderful Wayneys is produced by Aircraft Pictures (Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil, What’s Up, Warthogs!) with producers Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, and Dolphin Entertainment (Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Zoey 101, and the upcoming feature film Max Steel, based on the Mattel action-figure franchise) with Executive Producer Bill O’Dowd. Tom Saunders (Arrested Development, The Larry Sanders Show) is Series Creator and Executive Producer. The show is co-executive produced by Steve Skrovan (Everybody Loves Raymond, Hot in Cleveland) and Garry Campbell (MADtv, Kids in the Hall). Tia Ayers, Barbara Haynes, Skander Halim, Max Reid, Josh Gal and Emer Connon round out the writing room.
