Producers Niv Fichman and Sari Friedland announced that the half-hour, 12-part series Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays began filming in Ottawa on June 11th and will be in production through to the end of August. The series premieres on CBC Television Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 9pm.
Created by Bob Martin and based on the neuroses of Matt Watts, Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays is produced by Niv Fichman and Sari Friedland (Gemini Award winners for Slings & Arrows, 2006 and 2007) and executive produced by Bob Martin and Don McKellar (Tony Award winners for Best Book of a Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, 2006). The series, which stars Bob Martin and Matt Watts (The Newsroom, Twitch City), is directed by Don McKellar, Alison MacLean and Patricia Rozema and written by Bob Martin, Matt Watts, Susan Coyne, Mark McKinney and Katie Ford. Also starring in the series are Jennifer Irwin, Pablo Silviera, Martha Burns and Tommie-Amber Pirie.
“Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays is a droll look at an unlikely couple trying to cope with anxieties which plague all of us,” says Bob Martin. “David is a successful, well-respected therapist, but beneath his elegant controlled exterior is a man in full blown mid-life crisis, constantly on the verge of a panic attack. Michael, David’s patient of 15 years, seems a messy jumble of neuroses and fear. In fact, Michael is much more grounded than his therapist. Their co-dependence makes for a touching, tense relationship. One way or another, we’ve all been there.”
“Ours is a unique team,” comments Don McKellar. “We have a deep level of trust, friendship and respect for each other that allows us to be open and fearless in creating. Bob and I met at Lawrence Park Collegiate in grade 9.
He’s one of my oldest and best friends. I tore him away from Second City for Twitch City – the first time he wrote for television. Lisa Lambert, the lyricist on The Drowsy Chaperone, introduced me to Matt. Niv, Sari and I worked with Bob (Martin), Susan (Coyne), Mark (McKinney) and Martha (Burns) on Slings & Arrows. In fact, many of the people working on the series are old friends.”
Michael and David have been seeing each other twice a week for 15 years. They’re making progress.
David (Martin) is a psychiatrist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Translation: David and Michael (Watts) venture out of the office to engage in real-life exercises designed to conquer specific fears. Yes, David’s a workaholic and, arguably, his controlling nature and secret drinking contributed to the break-up of his marriage. But, he’s working on these things.
Michael is David’s most challenging patient. He is wracked by a litany of anxieties centred round the most mundane things – cats, buses, strangers, bridges, girls. He’s 30. No one knows Michael better than David.
Michael believes David is his key to happiness.
David believes Michael is his key to a lucrative book deal.
We’ll see.
RHOMBUS MEDIA
Rhombus Media is a leading producer of theatrical feature films, TV drama, documentaries and performing arts programmes. Since its inception in 1979, Rhombus has released over 200 productions that have been acclaimed by audiences around the world. Rhombus films have received literally hundreds of awards, including numerous Genies, Geminis, Emmys, Golden Pragues and an Oscar. Some of the company’s more notable projects include The Red Violin, Last Night, The Saddest Music in the World, Clean, Snowcake, Silk, and more recently Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness and Paul Gross’ Passchendaele. Rhombus’ latest film Hobo with a Shotgun, starring Rutger Hauer, had its world premiere at Sundance in January 2011.
For television, Rhombus produced Slings & Arrows, an 18-part, multi-award winning mini-series broadcast on the Sundance Channel in the US and various stations around the world. The New York Times said, “It’s a hoot, and it’s kind of a miracle.” Well known for a rich variety of performance projects, the company produced the Grammy nominated Canadian Brass and Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired By Bach, a notable international success on both television and DVD, and the recipient of several international awards including a Prime Time Emmy and the Golden Rose of Montreux.
