Some Assembly Required with new YTV series

The comedy, from Thunderbird Films, is another one of these live studio audience shows suddenly the rage in Canada. The same producers pulled this four-camera trick with Mr. Young as well as the prime time comedy Package Deal, both also shot in B.C.

The premise behind Some Assembly Required is basically every kids fantasy: this 14-year-old named Jarvis (Kolton Stewart) sues a toy company over a defective chemistry set. How defective? It blew up his house! No matter. Jarvis becomes the new boss of the company and hires a bunch of his teenage friends to help test the toy line. 

I spoke with Kolton on the set in November in Burnaby, B.C. The lad was in the middle of a growing spurt, shooting up half a foot over the past year, which is good for him but must be driving the wardrobe folks on Some Assembly Required nuts. Stewart earned his acting chops playing Simba in the North American tour of The Lion King. His biggest challenge on Some Assembly Required? Sitting in hair and makeup for hours while the stylists get that mop of hair just right.

His dad played in the NHL–same with another young member of the cast, Dylan Playfair. Other members of the teen toy testers include Charlie Storwick, who plays computer hacker Piper Gray. A singer, she won YTV`s The Next Star in Season Three.

Met this other lad, Harrison Houde, who was in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Sydney Scotia, a young actress playing the company`s personal assistant. Everybody seemed just so damn happy to have this TV gig.

And why not? They get to romp around this colourful sound stage crammed with toys, games and other fun stuff. There`s an actual, working (more or less) roller coaster winding its way between two or three of the large set pieces. All of this plays before a large bleacher area which holds over 200 audience members. Show nights are party nights say various members of the cast.

Twenty-six episodes are being produced for this first season. More on Stewart and others here in future posts.