Air Farce founders Don Ferguson and the late, great Roger Abbott were always on the lookout for new Canadian comedy talent. Ferguson, looking ahead to the next annual Farce New Year’s Eve special, continues that mentoring tradition by executive producing season two of Comedy Bar.
New episodes of the comedy club web series are up today at Bite.ca with a sneak preview for all your traditional TV types airing tonight at 9 p.m. on the digital channel Bite TV.
Comedy Bar follows the mini adventures of club owner Gary (Gary Rideout, Jr.) and his stand up comedy pals (Tal Zimerman, Pat Thornton and Natalie Brown from the short-lived CBC series Sophie). The new season of 24 five-and-a-half minute webisodes features guest appearances by comedy veterans Gavin Crawford, Robin Duke, Peter Keleghan, Colin Mochrie, Scott Thompson and Amanda Walsh as well as Bret Hart. The deal will be spun into six half hour TV episodes in the fall.
“I’ve known Gary Rideout Jr and Pat Thornton for years and admired the work they did with the Sketchersons,” says Ferguson, who gives season two a boost with his years of executive producing experience. Two of his Farce production colleagues, Lucy Stewart and Kevin Wallis, act as hands-on, day-to-day producers.
Ferguson adds that “everyone working on Comedy Bar, such as co-stars Brendan Halloran and Norm Sousa, have their chops down as writers and performers. They’re a talented bunch.”
I discovered the real Comedy Bar, located just west of Toronto’s downtown core, last winter when my son the Ryerson student performed there with his colleagues as part of the school improv troupe RIOT. The web series Comedy Bar is a riot too–check it out here.
