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TV Media Weekly | July 12 - 18, 2014 the Engels' lawyer neighbor who, according to TVLine, "val- ues the forbidden beauty of Ceil Engel." Martin, who began her come- dy and acting career more than 40 years ago, takes great delight in her fellow castmates, many of whom she's known for years and years, and that's part of what makes filming "Working the Engels" so much fun for her. "Look, at a certain point, you just want to be with your friends," she said in the "Star" interview. "You just want to hang out with the people who make you happy. They're all my friends and we all love working with each other, so why not?" After all, working with the people you love is a big part of what "Working the Engels" is all about, so it sounds like Mar- tin is in the right place. Comedic minds from both sides of the border have teamed up to form a light, fun series, perfect for the summer lineup. Catch the newest episode of "Working the Engels" airing Thursday, July 17, on NBC. though her family is more of a hindrance than a help, it be- comes clear through their mirac- ulous successes that she couldn't manage without them. The series was created by sis- ters Katie and Jane Ford, who also head things up as executive producers. Katie's writing cred- its include the Sandra Bullock action-comedy "Miss Congeni- ality" (2000), "Prayers for Bob- by" and a stint on ABC's Emmy award-winning series "Desper- ate Housewives." Though she was born in New York City, Katie spent much of her childhood liv- ing in Toronto, so she's right at home in a series that spans both sides of the border. With it being so hard for Ca- nadian screenwriters and direc- tors to gain the experience needed to make it big in the States, Ford is a big proponent of collaborating with those al- ready established in the indus- try. "That would be my goal ... to bring together people who are [in Canada], who have less ex- perience, with people who have experience here, and get a chance to have their voice be- come a part of something," she told "Playback" back in 2012. As for the cast, Martin isn't the only comedy heavyweight getting screen time. Viewers will surely recognize the slew of guest stars, many of them origi- nally hailing from the True North Strong and Free. The list includes Victor Garber ("Titanic," 1997), "Whose Line is it Anyway?" fun- nyman Colin Mochrie and "The Kids in the Hall's" Scott Thomp- son. Behind the camera, Van- couver-born '90s dreamboat Ja- son Priestley parked himself in the director's chair for four epi- sodes. So there you go – it's Brandon Walsh-approved. The guest spots also allow Martin to reunite with fellow "Second City" vets Martin Short and Eugene Levy. Short will ap- pear as the head of a huge pas- try corporation who's entangled in a lawsuit over the ownership of a recipe, while Levy portrays By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media I sn't it nice when you find common ground with your neighbors? The U.S. and Canada really should hang out more. Sure, we have our differences, but the rest of the world thinks we're essentially the same country, so how big can those differences be? One thing's for sure: as prov- en by the vast number of Ameri- can comedies that have achieved massive success with Canadian audiences, we find a lot of the same things entertain- ing. With a growing number of co-productions finding success in both markets, the collabora- tive trend is starting to spread. "Working the Engels" is a Ca- nadian-American sitcom that premiered in March in Canada and has made its way south as part of NBC's summer run. The offbeat comedy debuted in the U.S. last week, with a new epi- sode airing Thursday, July 17, on the peacock network. While other co-productions have been born and flourished – "Rookie Blue," "Flashpoint" and "Saving Hope," to name a few – this is the first half-hour network sitcom spawned from a Canada-U.S. collaboration. The names attached to the series – main cast members, guest stars and people behind the scenes – reflect a healthy smattering of both nations, from big names such as Andrea Martin ("SCTV") and Jason Priestley ("Beverly Hills, 90210") to up-and-comers such as Benjamin Arthur ("Less Than Kind"). The show stars comedy leg- end Martin as the loving, albeit somewhat out of her tree, head of the Engel family, Ceil, and the actress is already a big fan. "I love this show," she told the "Toronto Star" last month, likening it to the iconic '50s sit- com, "I Love Lucy" in terms of broad physical comedy. "But," she clarifies, "it also runs the gamut between real emotion and fun." Thanks to her late husband's failing law firm, Ceil is suddenly up to her ears in debt, and she and her three grown children must keep the business afloat to keep from drowning in the $200,000 owed. Unfortunately, her youngest, Jenna (Kacey Rohl, "The Killing"), is the only one of the bunch who's actually qualified to practice law. Undaunted, the melodramatic matriarch steps up as the firm's paralegal, and her other two highly imperfect children are en- listed to do their part. Former pill-popper Sandy (Azura Skye, "Bandits," 2001) is installed as the firm's receptionist, despite never having worked a day in her life, while small-time crook Jimmy (Arthur) serves as investi- gator. Jenna reins in the intractable but well-meaning bunch as the level-headed straight-man, grit- ting her teeth as she maneuvers herself around her family's foi- bles. While it sometimes feels as Andrea Martin as seen in "Working the Engels" Joining forces NBC rolls out a hilarious Canadian-American collaboration 2 | Cover story CHANNEL GUIDE Comcast Walton Cable- Vision Sammo ns of Indiana Tipton Cable TV Oak Hill Cable Swayzee AT&T U-Verse

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