To the delight of kick-ass gamers, closet gamers, hopeless gamers and irreverent comedy lovers across Canada – Pure Pwnage (pronounced ownage) is making its world broadcast television premiere Friday, March 12 at 10pm ET/PT exclusively on Showcase (airing weekly in that timeslot). The series will also have a significant presence on showcase.ca.
The eight episode original series tells the story of 26-year-old Jeremy (Jarett Cale) a.k.a “teh_pwnerer”*, the most obsessive and possibly the greatest video gamer in the world whose life is documented by his brother Kyle (Geoff Lapaire), an aspiring film director. A child of the Internet, Jeremy’s devotion to the online world leaves him with an unfortunate lack of social skills – no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t relate to the “real world.” After he is given an ultimatum from his mother to get a job or get out of the basement, Jeremy must leave the gaming world and join society again – only to find out nobody cares how many n00bs* he’s pwned!* Hilarity ensues as the series sees Jeremy start his own rock band, attempt to socialize with his co-workers at a grocery store, and run into an unexpected challenge at “Pwnageddon” – the biggest video game tournament of the year.
“When we announced that the online series was coming to television, the response we received from the fervent fans of Pure Pwnage was overwhelming. Now we’re just so excited to let all the Showcase viewers across the country know that March 12 is the night they’ll be introduced to Pure Pwnage,” said Tara Ellis, Vice President, Showcase and Drama Content, Canwest Broadcasting. “You don’t have to be a gamer to connect with these immensely appealing, absolutely hilarious characters – you just have to love great comedy!”
Additional cast members include Joel Gardiner as FPS* Doug – Jeremy’s best friend, Melanie Scrofano as girl-gamer October, whose romantic advances toward Jeremy go constantly overlooked, and Eli Goree as Tyrel, an experienced gamer who, unlike Jeremy, manages to transfer his online “coolness” to the real world. Guest stars over the season include Kenny Hotz, Steve Kudlow and Billy Mitchell.
A global phenomenon, Pure Pwnage is based on the hit web series on www.purepwnage.com which receives over 200,000 unique visitors a month. This site has an incredible fan base who have been following the antics of Jeremy for over four years.
The television series is written by Jarett Cale, Geoff Lapaire and Mark Steinberg with showrunner Derek Harvey (Testees and The Tom Green Show). Executive producers on the series are Catherine Tait of Duopoly and Ron Mann from Sphinx Productions, with Davin Lengyel as co-producer.
showcase.ca
Fans of Pure Pwnage can extend their viewing experience online at showcase.ca (purepwnage.com/tv), where a series of 10 exclusive original webisodes that provide a creative and interactive link between the Pure Pwnage online property and the upcoming new television series are currently rolling out. From acting classes to photo shoots, the webisodes feature what it’s like for Jeremy and the cast to be thrown into the world of television.
In addition to full episode streaming the day after broadcast (beginning March 13), mobile applications including Pure Pwnage branded ringtones, themes and animated screensavers and online games will roll out as of March 15. Bringing retro online gaming to showcase.ca and the Pure Pwnage community for the first time in a big way, the first game out of the gate is “Epic Balls!” – Jeremy’s take on the classic brick breaker game. Fans will smash their way through n00bschool levels based on gaming genres, fighting for top score. Fast, fun and challenging; “Epic Balls!” is sure to separate the über leet* from the mega n00bs*. “Jeremy’s email bag” – a weekly, 15 webisode series highlighting Jeremy’s comedic replies to real viewer emails – will also begin rolling out March 15.
*Translations:
· N00b = a derogatory term used for low-skilled players or a non-gamer.
· 1337 = also known as “leet” – derived from “elite.” A reference to a specific style of typing words, namely by swapping certain letters with numbers such as the letter “a” for a “4.” Can also be used in reference to a player or clan in which case it means they’re highly skilled.
· Teh_pwnerer = the unbeatable videogame player (a.k.a Jeremy).
· To pwn = to beat (pronounced “own”).
· FPS = first person shooter.
Showcase is a Canwest Broadcasting channel.
