The Canadian Press - "This made-in-Toronto comedy stars Luke Macfarlane...."

[Source]

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tiffany Brown/AP
Images for Discovery Communications

School may be out, but TV’s still on with a bevy of summer offerings

Bill Brioux, The Canadian Press June 27, 2013 2:20 pm

School’s out, but is TV in? With television now a 52-weeks a year business, plenty of new offerings are available this summer. Some are the usual mindless distractions — witness Nik Wallenda’s tightrope stunt across the Grand Canyon last weekend — plus all those dumb guilty pleasures like “Big Brother” and “America’s Got Talent.”

Yet summer has also been the time of year when two of TV’s most intense dramas — “Breaking Bad” and “Dexter” — return, this year for the last time.

So something for everyone, just like the rest of the year. A look at what might lure you back indoors — or keep you close to your tablet:

NEW CANADIAN ORIGINALS

“The Amazing Race Canada” (CTV, July 15). Olympic hero Jon Montgomery will get to gulp beer from coast to coast as he hosts this all-Canadian version of the popular reality series. “Body Break” fitness couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are among the competitors. The entire series stays within our borders, eliminating hundreds of hours of delays going through customs. Talk about a road block!

“Satisfaction” (CTV, Mondays). This made-in-Toronto comedy stars Luke Macfarlane (“Brothers & Sisters”), Leah Renee (“The Playboy Club”) and Ryan Belleville (“Almost Heroes”) as a couple and their buddy all crammed into the same downtown apartment. Hilarity ensues. Several guest stars are scheduled, including Jerry O’Connell, Jessica Pare (“Mad Men”) and Andy Kindler.

NEW SCRIPTED IMPORTS

“Ray Donovan” (The Movie Network/Movie Central, premieres Sunday). Liev Schreiber stars as Donovan, L.A.’s best professional fixer, the kind of guy who could get even Rob Ford or Paula Deen out of a jam. There are several big names among the cast, including Jon Voight as Donovan’s bad news dad and Elliott Gould as his mentor and partner. There is something ‘seen it before,’ however, to this slick antihero who helps others but can’t straighten out his own messed up family.

“The Bridge” (FX Canada, July 10). Two detectives, one American, one Mexican (Diane Kruger, Demian Bichir), team up to hunt down a cross-border serial killer. Based on a Danish/Swedish drama

“Camp” (NBC, premieres July 10). Rachel Griffiths (“Brothers & Sisters”) stars as a camp counsellor in this bit of summer fluff shot in Australia.

Starting Aug. 4, Showcase has the Brit hit “Broadchurch,” an 8-part murder mystery starring David Tennant (“Doctor Who”).

ALREADY STARTED

“Under The Dome” (CBS/Global, Mondays). Millions caught the series premiere last Monday and may now be trapped under this dome, which inexplicably landed with a thud over a small U.S. town. Canadian Rachelle Lefevre plays a newspaper editor and Dean Norris from “Breaking Bad” is suspicious sheriff “Big Jim” Rennie. From master of suspense Stephen King.

“Saving Hope” (CTV, Tuesdays). A show with perhaps the dumbest premise ever — a love triangle set in a hospital where one guy is in a coma — became last summer’s biggest scripted hit in Canada. Buddy has now woken up and he sees dead people. Guest stars Erin Karpluk, Peter Keleghan, Gregory Smith and Jason Priestley join regulars Michael Shanks, Erica Durance and Daniel Gillies.

Also already underway: Marc Cherry’s “Devious Maids” (Sundays on Lifetime) and the drug cop drama “Graceland” (Thursdays on Bravo).

RETURNING DRAMAS

“Dexter” (The Movie Network, premiering Sunday). The eighth and final season finds our hero (superbly played by Michael C. Hall) still trying to juggle life as a dad, brother and serial killer. A murder at the end of last season had tilted this stayed-too-long series towards what should be a bloody interesting conclusion.

“The Newsroom” (HBO Canada, returns July 14). If you like great characters and actors who all speak like Aaron Sorkin, this show’s for you. All that smartypants dialogue wears me down after a while.

“Breaking Bad” (AMC, returns Aug. 11). There can be no happy ending for Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as this edge-of-your-seat thriller heads to the big Meth bust in the sky. The same night “Bad” returns, AMC launches its new drama, “Low Winter Sun.” The corrupt cop caper is based on a British miniseries, with the setting shifted to Detroit.

Also back are “The Listener” (CTV), “Continuum” (Showcase), “Rookie Blue” (Global), “Rizzoli & Isles” (Bravo), “Suits” (Bravo), “True Blood” (HBO Canada), “Perception” (Bravo) and “Magic City” (Super Channel).

RETURNING COMEDIES

The countdown to the final episode of Winnipeg-produced “Less Than Kind” is on at HBO Canada (Sundays). “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” comes to FX Canada with a catch up airing of Season 8 beginning July 4. “Wilfred” is also back Thursdays on FX Canada. CTV has the new season of “Hot in Cleveland” Sundays.

NEW AND RETURNING REALITY SHOWS

“Supermarket Superstar,” kind of a “Dragons’ Den” for the food industry, launches July 22 on Lifetime. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson pushes nine beefy contestants past their limits in “The Hero” (Thursdays on Slice). “Summer Camp” (July 19, Slice) is basically “Big Brother” at the beach.

Otherwise “Big Brother” is back for a 15th season (airing constantly on Global/CBS). Also back: “America’s Got Talent” (City), “The Bachelorette” (ABC/OMNI), “MasterChef” (CTV/Fox), “So You Think You Can Dance” (CTV/Fox) and “An Idiot Abroad” (Discovery).

Improv fans can rejoice July 16 when “Whose Line is it Anyway?” finally returns with all new episodes on The CW. Best news of all: Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady are all back.

___

Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

Satisfaction S1E1

Satisfaction

I hope it'll get better....

London native Luke MacFarlane content landing role in new TV comedy series

[Source]

London native Luke MacFarlane content landing role in new TV comedy series

By Joe Belanger, The London Free Press
Monday, June 24, 2013 9:23:49 EDT AM

Luke Macfarlane left London 15 years ago to pursue an acting career. (WENN)

It’s been 15 years since Luke Macfarlane left London to pursue an acting career.

But former friends and fans can grab a front row seat to see him in their own homes Monday.

The 33-year-old actor will inhabit the small screen as one of three stars in the new television comedy series, Satisfaction, premiering Monday at 8 p.m. on CTV.

Macfarlane’s already earned his TV stripes playing Scotty Wandell, gay husband of Kevin Walker, in the hit drama series, Brothers and Sisters, that aired on ABC for five seasons ending in 2011.

The new show is described as “a relationship comedy about three 20-somethings struggling with the next step and trying to figure out how to get satisfaction.”

Macfarlane plays the role of Jason Howell, whom he describes as a “nerd working on a PhD in plant genetics” who lives with his girlfriend, Maggie Bronson (Leah Renee), a bartender at a local sports bar, and best buddy, Mark Movenpick (Ryan Belleville), a computer programmer who prefers to be unemployed.

In the series opener, Jason questions his own life path and decides he wants to perform live music. Maggie books him into the open mic spot at the bar before realizing she’d made a mistake. Meanwhile, Mark is in a dry spell and can’t seem to meet women, so Maggie suggests he needs a new “wingman” and suggests a coffee shop owner, Simon.

Macfarlane is a graduate of Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. He graduated from London Central and then went on to the Juilliard School for the arts in New York where he starred in productions of Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, The School of Night, Blue Window, The Grapes of Wrath, and As You Like It before graduating in 2003.

In 2010, Macfarlane landed a major role in the Tony Award-winning revival of The Normal Heart, in a cast that included Ellen Barkin and Jim Parsons, who famously plays Sheldon Cooper on the hit CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. The Satisfaction premiere follows it on CTV Monday.

Besides his acting career, Macfarlane says his main passion is renovating his Los Angeles heritage home, designed by renowned architect Albert C. Martin, who built Los Angeles City Hall and many other significant buildings in southern California.

The actor, who is openly gay, says he’d love to have a family one day. He said the entertainment industry has made progress in its attitude toward gays and lesbians “but it’s something that still needs to be addressed in our business. A little more acceptance is necessary.”

London music fans may recall Macfarlane as the lead singer in the band, Slipnaught, that included guitarist Graeme Cornies, guitarist Nate Kreiswirth, bassist Dustin Harris, drummer Nick Richard and auxiliary percussionist Jim Lewis. The band broke up in 1999 as the members each pursued their post-secondary education and training.

Kreiswirth and Cornies now live in Toronto writing music for television and movies but keep in touch with their former bandmate.

Macfarlane’s been in Toronto for about four months shooting the new show, returning often to London to visit his mom and old friends.

“I just got a message from my mom (Penny, a retired nurse) asking me to fix a light fixture,” Macfarlane said with a chuckle.

“It’s been great being back. And I love Toronto and getting back to see my mom. She always encourages me and has really being excited about me being nearby.”

joe.belanger@sunmedia.ca

--- --- ---

MORE ABOUT SATISFACTION

Guest stars scheduled to appear throughout the season, include Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her), Jerry O’Connell (The Defenders), Tommy Chong (That 70s Show), Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas), stand-up comedian Andy Kindler (Just for Laughs), and former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Wendel Clark.

Satisfaction is written by creator Tim McAuliffe (The Office), Mark Critch (Just for Laughs), Jason Belleville (Little Mosque on the Prairie), Tim Polley (Dan for Mayor), Jenn Engels (Less Than Kind) and Ryan Belleville.

Interview: Luke Macfarlane on comedy, sex and getting Satisfaction

[Source]

Jun
24
2013

Interview: Luke Macfarlane on comedy, sex and getting Satisfaction

Posted by Diane Wild

By Adam Langton for TV, eh?

Tonight, CTV's latest sitcom offering Satisfaction will be debuting at 8pm. The show stars Luke Macfarlane and Leah Renee as a loving couple, with comedian Ryan Belleville playing their best friend and roommate. As detailed in the breakdown, Satisfaction is about struggling with the next step. Whether it's committing to a career, a relationship, or living arrangements, it's not easy being a twenty-something when you're torn between your immature past and your potential future. Luke Macfarlane took a few minutes out of his busy press day to chat with me about the show.

First off, I read that you're from London, Ontario. I actually went to grad school there and I was curious: do you ever make it back for any London Knights games?

No, unfortunately not! I've learned a bit about hockey but was never a big hockey fan. My father worked at the University, however. He was actually the director of Student Health Services for almost twenty years.

Oh wow, good for him! Perhaps he and I crossed paths, who knows?

Well that depends, did you have any psychological counselling?

I think we'll save that for off the record. (laughs)

(Laughs) okay!

 So with your acting background through Over There and Brothers and Sisters and your recent appearance on Person of Interest, you're well known for your drama chops. I was wondering if switching to comedy came as a relief, or is it a challenge?

Oh it's definitely a challenge. It was something that I really, really wanted to do. I actually had a conversation with my agent after I finished Brothers and Sisters. I said you know, when I look at the actors that I really admire, they've all done their time in comedy. And I really, really, really wanted to do it, so I started reading comedy scripts. I got a lot of responses with people saying “I don't know if we think Luke is funny.” Then, it was a relief when I read this script. Not only did I think it was super, super funny, Tim (McAuliffe)'s script, but they also said “we think you're funny too!” So it's definitely something that is scary and a challenge and I'm learning so much. But if you're going to stay in the business for a long time you have to be willing to do everything.

Sounds like a perfect match. So how is the tone, on set? Is it a lighter and goofier tone than you're used to, even when you're not actually rolling? Or is it business as usual?

It's funny. We do laugh a lot, for sure?there's always laughs on set, no matter what. I will say of this show, the pace at which we film is so fast. We just get through so much material. I have never worked this hard in my life, ever; the hours that I've been keeping… when I was doing other shows in the past, I would come in and do a couple of days a week. This is every single day at the crack of dawn. So that's hard, but laughter is the way that we get through the day.

Tell us a little bit about Jason Howell.

Jason Howell is a PhD candidate in plant genetics … so something that's really exciting to a lot of people, I'm sure (laughs). Tim actually intentionally wanted Tim to have a job that sounded really boring. He kind of is the nerd of the group. I've got this beautiful, beautiful, intelligent, quick-witted girlfriend and I think that we wanted him to be smart on the page and maybe not as smart when it came to more practical matters.

Are you an academic type, like Jason?

I do think I am a bit of a nerd, although it's such a cliche for people to say that now. I think I am a nerd. When I was making my decision of what I wanted to do in life I had a very real interest in going into the sciences. And I applied to the Applied Sciences program at [the University of Toronto] and I also auditioned for Juilliard, and I instead went down the path of acting as I somehow got into Juilliard.

Well I was reading how during the development of Satisfaction there was a heavy emphasis on keeping Jason's relationship with Maggie very much about love ? they didn't want their relationship to be about fighting and bickering. Is that very clear in the script or did you guys have to sort of bring that love to life while shooting?

Leah (who plays Maggie) and I get along so well, so that was really easy. And, although love is not the same as sex, when the show actually starts you find Jason and Maggie goin' at it in a few inappropriate places in the house.

So it's part of the struggle of living with a roommate and how you try to have a private life in the company of somebody else. So that's definitely something present. We want to show that these guys are all really bonded in the problems that they face. It's really easy, Leah and I get along really, really well. And they certainly write us as a very affectionate couple.

Well I think I should post this interview as fast as possible ? tell people about the opening sex scene and make sure that all eyes are on CTV tonight!

I really hope so! I'm really, really optimistic and I have to say, honestly, I've been lucky to be a part of a lot of things but I feel so strongly about the quality of this. I'm really proud that it happens to be Canadian. I've always wanted to come back and work here. I am really, really proud of the show and I hope that everyone else likes it as much as I do.

A Candid Conversation with SATISFACTION Star Luke Macfarlane

[Source]

A Candid Conversation with SATISFACTION Star Luke Macfarlane

By theTVaddict on June 24th, 2013

Good News: BROTHERS & SISTERS star Luke Macfarlane is coming back to television tonight! Bad News: Only those fortunate enough to live north of the 49th parallel [Translation: Canada] will be able to see him. Starring in a new single-camera comedy called SATISFACTION, Macfarlane plays Jason Howell, a twenty-something, who alongside girlfriend Maggie (Leah Renee) and roommate Mark (Ryan Belleville) struggle with the usual things twenty-somethings struggle with. Which is precisely why we were afforded the opportunity to catch up with Marcfarlane on the set of his Toronto shot show early last week to talk about his newest comedic departure and reflect on life during/after BROTHERS & SISTERS. See for yourself, after the jump.

Before we get to your new project SATISFACTION, this TV Addict can't resist delving into the project that turned you into a household name! Did you ever imagine a one-off guest spot on BROTHERS & SISTERS would turn into five years?
Luke Macfarlane: No, it was the kind of great story that you hope for. The creator of the show had known me from another series, so I had met them very early on in the process and originally auditioned for the part of Justin. But since ABC was really in love with another actor [Dave Annable] for that role, they did me a total solid and invited me to come on for this little part that ended up being Scotty. So I came on, did it and it just turned into more and more and more. It was a dream, it really was and I was so very grateful for not just the role, but to the fans. Because I think they had a lot to do with it, responding to my character that led to the Producers bringing me back.

When you're in the midst of shooting a series like BROTHERS & SISTERS, is there time for you and co-star Matthew Rhys to grasp the importance of such a relationship on primetime television?
I don't know if you can ever really feel it, but the writer's took it very seriously and Matthew Rhys and I took the acting of it very seriously. It's always really moving to be stopped on the street. Even two weeks ago at the gym, a guy came up to me, one who you might not think would be a fan of the show and said, “I used to watch that show with my roommates in college and because of that show I was able to come out to them.” I remember thinking… Oh wow… that was not where I was expecting interaction to go!

Well it must happen a lot, because between QUEER AS FOLK and WILL & GRACE, I think BROTHERS & SISTERS did an awful lot in terms of changing people's perceptions about the LGBTQ community.
That's so nice of you say. Nowadays there are so many gay voices on network television now and I like to think Kevin and Scotty's relationship was one of the most authentic and real.

Of course, Hollywood loves to pigeonhole actors. Was proving you could do something different one of the things that attracted you to this latest project?
It's so easy to do one thing, do it well and keep doing it until that one thing dries up. But if you want to stay in this business for an extended period of time you have to do everything. And that was a big part of me wanting to do this project. To see if I could do comedy, which seems to be very popular these days. Also, to play a straight character as well.

Has it been a challenge post-BROTHERS & SISTERS to get casting directors, writers and producers to see you as a straight leading man?
They know they can't say that, but I always felt that. I always felt that it was something I had to fight against and overcome. That said, it's also funny because while BROTHERS & SISTERS was a successful show, it wasn't WILL & GRACE, so I have been able to get by. It was also not a hugely popular show in Hollywood, where people only watch four shows [Editor's Note: Most likely BREAKING BAD, MAD MEN, GAME OF THRONES and HOMELAND!]. I think it will be harder for actors on more popular shows, like those kids from GLEE for instance.

Yourself alongside co-stars Ryan Belleville and Leah Renee are the three faces of this show. Is there pressure that comes with your face on the poster?
It's really terrifying and totally scary but also exactly what I was saying about trying different things. You hope that you can do them successfully and that people will accept you for it. But I don't know, I really have no idea. I know I'm working harder than I've ever worked on any other show. That being said, I feel relieved, from what I've seen, I think the show is funny, so we'll see.

Having presumably started out your career as a struggling actor with roommates, is it safe to assume that you could relate to a show that saw you live with two other people in a cramped apartment?
Totally. Like my character I'm a bit of a nerd! In fact, I love driving and when I was driving across the country to start filming here I spent some time talking to the show's creator Tim McAuliffe where I was telling him that I got a National Park Passport to visit all these National Parks along the way. And Tim was like, “Okay, we're working that into the scripts because that is so corny!.”

BROTHERS & SISTERS had a seemingly endless stream of, well, brothers and sisters, while SATISFACTION features three cast members. What was it like working with Ryan and Leah?
I hated them immediately! [Laughs]. I got along with everyone. It really couldn't have been a better combination. Ryan is stand-up comedian and is really comfortable being the ham, where as Leah and myself play more of the grounded characters. But I feel blessed, because in the past it's not always been the case where you show up on set.

The show has attracted some very high profile guest stars, including MAD MEN's Jessica Pare. What's that been like?
She was lovely and knew Tim [Creator Tim McAuliffe] from back in the day. Jerry O'Connell who was also on our show and was a really hard worker and hilarious. I'm grateful to [Network] CTV because someone has to pay for this and they obviously see value in the show to spend that kind of money on guest stars.

The show's title, SATISFACTION, is somewhat ambiguous. What does it mean to you?
I like that about the show. It feels more like a throwback to those classic comedies where the premise was pretty loose. Think THREE'S COMPANY. Nowadays so many shows have these complex premises like HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER or THE CLASS!

I love that you threw out such a random reference to THE CLASS. A comedy cancelled far before its time!
Well, I loved it and one of my best friends was on that show, but you know pitches, like 100 QUESTIONS, which was a show that didn't last very long is another example of a very specific pitch. And what I love about this show is that it's about these people and what happens to them. SATISFACTION is a title that touches on lots of different themes: Relationships, life, money, food, sex. I think it's broad, but I like that we don't feel trapped down to any concept that often gets in the way of shows.

You seem to be a real fan of television which is nice because it's always disappointing when one interviews actors who don't actually watch!
I love television. As an actor I think it's the medium you want to be in. In a movie some guy may write a beautiful script where you have to somehow find your way into it. With TV shows, the actor gets to really take charge of the character and who he becomes and what his life develops into it. It sort of unfolds in a much more organic way. TV, when it's a good job, see actors working with a family and evolving together.

SATISFACTION is a Canadian shot series. Is there a difference between working in TV North versus South of the border?
The fast answer is no because the technique is the same, but I do have a story from my time spent on Canadian sets which may illuminate a point. I had to come into a costume fitting and I forgot a suit I was supposed to bring and when I came in, the look on the costume department's face was that I completely let them down, like it was a huge f*ck up! Where as in the United States, they would have sent me nine messages, sent someone to pick it up, with the assumption being that the actors are kind of useless. In Canada, they give you more responsibility as an actor and treat you more like a capable human being. There's far less coddling. I might get knocked for saying that but actors in the United States become divas for a reason!

And finally, I can't wrap this interview up without one reference to your brief stint on SMASH! Did you know before signing on the the role that the show wouldn't see a third season?
It would have been nice. but I think I knew the show wasn't coming back. There was always a possibility but it was a nice thing. I've known the Producers for a long time, and the episode director Michael Morris was one of the directors on BROTHERS & SISTERS, so it was really nice to touch base with all those people. I had so much fun working with those people and just to be part, in a tiny way, of what was such a fantastically huge failure was really fun. I loved it.

SATISFACTION airs Mondays at 8PM on CTV in Canada.

SatisfactionCTV - YouTube clips

SatisfactionCTV uploaded videos.

Check them out!

Clip: SatisfactionCTV

Belleville looking for sitcom Satisfaction

[Source]

Monday, June 24, 2013

Belleville looking for sitcom Satisfaction

Last week when I visited the set of Satisfaction, I thought Ryan Belleville had some interesting things to say about the state of TV comedy in Canada. Satisfaction premieres Monday night at 8 p.m. on CTV.

The Calgary native plays a dude who shares a big city apartment with a frisky couple (played by fellow Canadians Luke Macfarlane and Leah Renee) on the sitcom, which is somewhat based on creator Tim McAuliffe's own experiences as a struggling comedy writer. McAuliffe has worked writing rooms on both sides of the border, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Office and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

"I feel like we're catching up," said Belleville, a Just For Laughs veteran who starred in the short-lived Almost Heroes two seasons ago on Showcase and, several years before that, on the Fox comedy Life on a Stick.

Belleville felt there was a comedy vacuum in Canada for several years. Networks just weren't green lighting any. The investment had all tilted over to TV dramas, especially U.S./Canada co-pros.

Things are changing, however, says Belleville. "Ifeel like there's a renaissance, like when Flashpoint came out and Rookie Blue,all the networks realized, oh, we should just make dramas - we shouldn't try toget too clever and just make good genre and dramas and I feel like right now,that thing is happening for comedy."

Certainly there is something going on. Down the street from the set of Satisfaction in Toronto is where another CTV comedy, Spun Out with Dave Foley, is in production. Rogers' Package Deal had a sneak preview last week and that Vancouver-based sitcom premieres in the fall. Halifax-based Seed is coming back, as is CBC's Mr. D.

Comedies are generally slower to build, so fingers crossed audiences will  catch up with the comedy surge, too.

For more on Satisfaction, read this feature I filed last week for The Toronto Star

THE TELEVIXEN

[Source]

The Cast & Creator of Satisfaction at the 2013 CTV Upfront

By thetelevixen Published: June 24, 2013

CTV’s new comedy series Satisfaction kicks off tonight at 8pm and I’m excited to check it out. Yes, they’ve had some successful comedies in the past, but none have really clicked for me. Satisfaction has both a cast and a premise that I can relate to as someone who was once in her 20s, living in Toronto, and torn between being a responsible adult and trying to hold on to fun, frivolous youth.

At the 2013 CTV Upfront earlier this month, we met the creator of the series, Tim McAuliffe, and the cast, Luke Macfarlane, Leah Renee and Ryan Belleville. Here’s a little clip of them that includes Macfarlane talking about his shift from dramas like Smash and Brothers & Sisters to a homegrown comedy, and a rundown on some of the amazing guest stars that will be appearing, including Jessica Paré and Gordon Pinsent!

'Satisfaction': CTV Comedy Channels 'New Girl' And 'Friends'

[Source]

'Satisfaction': CTV Comedy Channels 'New Girl' And 'Friends'

HuffPost Canada TV | By Bryan Cairns
Posted: 06/21/2013 2:45 pm EDT | Updated: 06/21/2013 3:13 pm EDT

Everyday life can be a hoot and a holler. That philosophy is certainly evident in CTV's new series, "Satisfaction."

Created by Tim McAuliffe ("The Office," "Up All Night," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"), the 30-minute comedy follows Jason ("Brothers & Sisters" Luke MacFarlane), his long-term girlfriend Maggie ("The Playboy Club"s Leah Renee), and their bromantic roommate, Mark ("The L.A. Complex"s Ryan Belleville) as they struggle to make ends meet, keep their relationships thriving and their sanity in check while somehow living "harmoniously" under one roof. Naturally, hilarity ensues.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Toronto, a quick tour of the "Satisfaction" studio reveals an apartment, a coffee shop, a store and a pub/bar. There's definitely a "Friends" vibe to the surroundings -- with a dash of "Beverly Hills, 90210" -- considering Jason "Brandon Walsh" Priestley is directing this episode.

Today's first scene finds a snazzily dressed Mark rifling through birthday cards for money to take a girl out on a date. Each empty one is whimsically discarded in the air until he finally hits the jackpot: three dollars. A few takes later, the sequence changes. Jason, wearing a form-fitting green T-shirt and blue denim jeans, frantically speeds by Mark, who is sleeping on the couch.

"There's a mouse in the cupboard," announces Jason.

"I feel like ordering pizza anyway," replies a dazed and groggy Mark.

During a break from their tongue-in-cheek banter, MacFarlane and Belleville sat down with us to discuss comedic chops, relatability, and suppressing their laughter.

HuffPost TV: How does it feel to be back on your home turf, doing a Canadian series?
Luke MacFarlane: Very little of it feels any different than any other show I've done. A set is a set and material is material. We all work on the same thing. It's nice to be near my family again. They are happy about that. I've really enjoyed coming back and the only reason I found this project is I really wanted to do a comedy. My manager was like, "This is the funniest thing I've read." I read it and felt the exact same way.

None of your recent projects has been comedic. What appealed to you about the genre?
LM: The biggest thing I want for my career is to have longevity and the best way to do that is to do everything and not be afraid. The more you limit yourself and what you're comfortable doing, the less opportunities you are going to have. Your ability to stay in the business a long time cuts down. A lot of the actors I really admire have all done comedy and it can be harder. I don't know why exactly. I think there's this whole other aspect of rhythm and the timing of a joke you need to practice.

What excited you about the premise, Ryan?
Ryan Belleville: The thing that drew me to the show was definitely the writing. Being in the U.S. reading tons and tons of comedy scripts every year, it just totally stood out. There's a lot of horrible stuff out there. "Satisfaction" was awesome and it was Canadian. I knew Tim before from the comedy scene. It [the script] was really funny and it takes place in Toronto, and it was shooting in Toronto. I find that appealing as a guy who has a kid in Toronto vs. Los Angeles. The number one thing, though, was it is really funny.

I like doing comedy because everyone needs to laugh. You always have a great time on set. I've worked on dramas before and it can get a little heavy. There's drama here where people are tired and it's really hard. But, generally speaking, we're always laughing and having a good time. Also, you feel good about making people laugh. When people come up and say, "Hey, I saw your show. It was really funny," or "You really made me laugh," it means a lot.

Are you a funny guy?
LM: I don't know. That is to be determined. It's definitely scary. I saw some of my old buddies and they were like, "Of course you're doing a comedy. You always made us laugh." I play more of the traditional straight man in the show, but he has his funny moments.

Can you introduce us to your characters and their circumstances?
LM: Jason Howell is a PhD candidate in plant genetic engineering. I'm smart, but I think it's also very boring. That's part of the charm. I remember Tim saying he wanted to come up with what sounded like the most boring job. I disagree with him because I'm a bit of a nerd, so I think it's interesting. Jason lives with his girlfriend Maggie of about four years, and his best buddy Mark Movenpick from undergraduate school. In school, they were each other's wingman. Mark was always getting into a little more mischief, but they played off each other well. I don't think Mark was able to let go of those college years. He wasn't able to let go of his roommate, so they have this strange relationship where they all live together. Of course, there's that funny thing where we aren't really making any money, so we have to make it work by all living together.

RB: Mark is sort of a third wheel who hijacks everything all the time. They are three friends who get along. It's not like they are always angry at Mark. They are really good friends, but it's at that point in life where they aren't as compatible. Jason and Maggie are trying to focus on being a couple and doing couple things, but they still enjoy having the fun single life and feeling that they're young and can party. I'm the guy who's too deep in that world and can't relate to the relationship life. I'm the single yin to their committed yang.

McAuliffe infused his life experiences into "Satisfaction." Do you identify with your alter-egos?
LM: It's totally universal. There's that time in your life when you get out of college and are figuring out the mysteries of becoming an adult. For me, when I first moved to Los Angeles, I lived with my buddy and his girlfriend, so I can totally relate to that. You're terrified and excited about where life is going to lead you. It's a really interesting time in your life where there's a lot of anxiety about where you're going to go, because you really have no idea whether that's marriage or relationship or work. All that stuff created a great playing field to work in.

RB: I lived in Toronto in a horrible apartment, super-broke. I literally only had Minute Rice to eat and I ate that for a week. I would steal my neighbour's condiments just to put a little bit of soya sauce on my food. I was getting so light and skinny and underweight that girls that I was flirting with would start showing up to bring food to my house. They felt sorry for me, which is totally sweet, but not good to impress a lady. I relate to Mark in that sense of being broke and single, but he is the nth degree of that.

The various sets are reminiscent of "Friends." Are the comedic elements in that wheelhouse or is it more of a dry sense of humour or slapstick or wacky?
LM: The humour is so personal and Tim's sense of humour is really unique. I would be very reluctant to describe or relate it to anything. It's less sentimental than shows of a different era. The humour tends to be a little goofier and we play with time a lot. It's very non-linear storytelling. We flash back in time a lot and sometimes very quickly. I don't know if they'd agree with this, but there's this whole generation that grew up watching "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," where you can really do anything and are not locked into linear storytelling.

There's touching aspects to Maggie and Jason, but at the core of it, a lot of the humour comes from silly goofy times. We definitely push the envelope too. We obviously can't swear, but you can bleep it out. It's a way of getting around that sort of censorship where everyone knows exactly what is happening. We show pornographic pictures, but we just digitize them. There's stuff like that which is self-conscious in a good, funny way.

RB: It is kind of "Friends" in that the characters are grounded, and it's all about relationships between people you're close to. Tonally, I think it's a lot like a "New Girl." It's a little quirky and fast-paced, but we're not all crazy antics all the time. Probably the most antics-filled episode is the first one where we have a blackout. "Satisfaction" is quite serious at times and Tim really wanted to make people like the characters.

What happens in the premiere about the blackout?
LM: In the first episode, you get thrown into the world madly. We debated what the first episode was going to be. We ultimately went with what takes place during the blackout, which I think a lot of Torontonians can relate to. It's like the world kinda shuts down. How does everyone deal with that? Maggie and Jason are going through a very typical relationship quandary where they are trying to debate who's right. Because they have no Internet to figure out the answer, they go back and forth a little bit. Of course, Mark gets up to some rotten antics.

How do you manage keeping a straight face during filming?
LM: Oh my God. Patrick Thornton makes me crack up all the time. I feel I have so much to learn, so I'm in awe of these comedians. They really do make me laugh.

RB: We crack each other up all the time on set. Especially when you're on hour 13 of the day, something just happens. Me and Pat will be joking around and we can't stop laughing. Then you feel guilty because everyone wants to go home, which only makes you laugh harder.

"Satisfaction" premieres on Monday, June 24 at 8 p.m. on CTV.

See some shows from CTV's Fall 2013 fall lineup below.

Luke Macfarlane ready for comedy in Satisfaction

[Source]

Luke Macfarlane ready for comedy in Satisfaction

London, Ontario native stars in CTV series debuting June 24 with Leah Renee and Ryan Belleville

BELL MEDIA PHOTO

Ryan Belleville as Mark Movenpick, Leah Renee as Maggie Bronson and Luke Macfarlane as

Jason Howell in CTV's Satisfaction, which debuts June 24 at 8 p.m.

---

By:Bill Brioux Special to the Star, Published on Fri Jun 21 2013

Luke Macfarlane decided that there was just too much drama in his life. So he switched over to comedy.

The London, Ont., native starred for five seasons on Brothers and Sisters, where he played husband to Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys from The Americans), one of the “brothers” on the series.

Before that, he was a modern-day soldier in the front-line drama Over There.

“That was my first television show,” says Macfarlane, a Juilliard grad with off-Broadway credits before landing the FX soldier series. Legendary executive producer Steven Bochco was the showrunner. What could go wrong? Macfarlane could already see himself “on the cover of every magazine.”

Then the series was cancelled after one season. “It really put into perspective how difficult the entire process is and how rare it is to really connect.”

Fortunately, he rebounded straight into Brothers and Sisters and a five-year U.S. network run.

He's hoping for similar luck on his new series, Satisfaction (debuting June 24 at 8 p.m.).The CTV sitcom, created and executive produced by Tim McAuliffe (The Office, This Hour has 22 Minutes), stars Macfarlane opposite Toronto native Leah Renee (The Playboy Club).

They play Jason and Maggie, a frisky young couple who share their downtown apartment with Jason's BBF Mark, played by Ryan Belleville (Almost Heroes). Pat Thornton, Thomas Mitchell, Nikki Payne and 22 Minutes funnyman Mark Critch, as shell-shocked neighbour Gary Breakfast, make up the comedy ensemble.

Between takes on the Toronto set, Macfarlane said he is hoping to emulate the career paths of actors like Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling: “guys who were able to straddle everything,” he says.

Cooper, he points out, went from TV drama (Jack & Bobby) to action shows (Alias) to Broadway before becoming a film star in The Hangover and Silver Linings Playbook.

Macfarlane has been on a similar path. Satisfaction is the 33-year-old's first job back in Canada in ages. “Since I graduated school really,” he says.

The move back to Canada and into comedy couldn't come at a better time, figures Belleville.

The Just for Laughs comedy fest veteran has felt that, for several years, there's been a sitcom “vacuum in Canada.” Like a lot of Canadian performers, he tried his luck in the States, enjoying a short run on the 2005 Fox comedy Life on a Stick, where he worked with fellow Canuck Rachelle Lefevre (Under the Dome).

The Calgary native returned in 2011 to co-write and star in the Showcase comedy Almost Heroes. That failed to stick, but he's optimistic about Satisfaction.

“I feel like there's a renaissance, like when Flashpoint came out and Rookie Blue, and all the networks realized, ‘Oh, we should make dramas' . . . and I feel like, right now, that thing is happening for comedy.”

There does seem to be, if not an explosion, a surge in Canadian comedy production. Besides CBC's Mr. D, City is producing two sitcoms: Seed (like Mr. D, shot in Halifax) and the fall four-camera sitcom Package Deal, starring Harland Williams. Besides Satisfaction, CTV has the shot-in-Toronto sitcom Spun Out, which stars Dave Foley as the head of a PR firm. The comedy will join their schedule sometime next season.

Macfarlane says he's impressed that CTV is “trying to create a comic voice that also feels really contemporary and urban. We've seen comedies out of Canada featuring “rural dwellers,” he says, not naming Corner Gas. He likes that both Satisfaction and Spun Out are set in the city.

Renee says she's ready for her comedy close-up, too, and enjoying this cast. “Luke and Ryan are like my brothers. We've been joking around and hanging out all day.”

The series is based on McAuliffe's real-life experience sharing a city apartment with a couple while he tried to make it as a comedy writer.

Jessica Pare, who guests later in the season, used to crash on the couch of that apartment, long before her Mad Men success. Other guest stars include Andy Kindler, Gordon Pinsent and Jerry O'Connell. Jason Priestley and Mike Clattenburg (Trailer Park Boys) are among the directors.

Belleville's character is pretty much based on McAuliffe. His advice to the actor: “You need someone incredibly funny to play me, so don't even try.”

As for Macfarlane and Renee, Critch says not only do they have the comedy chops, they're perfectly cast as romantic leads.

Quips Critch: “They're attractive enough for American television.”

Unsettled urbanites meander toward adulthood in CTV's 'Satisfaction'

[Source]

Cast members of the television show "Satisfaction," Ryan Belleville
(left to right) Leah Renee and Luke Macfarlane are shown in a handout photo.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Bell Media

Unsettled urbanites meander toward adulthood in CTV's 'Satisfaction'

Cassandra Szklarski / The Canadian Press
June 20, 2013









TORONTO - Comic veteran Ryan Belleville admits there's not much to the premise of his new sitcom, "Satisfaction," and that's the way he likes it.

The CTV series basically centres on the lives of a young couple and their off-kilter best friend, who share a cramped Toronto apartment while navigating the ups-and-downs of their love lives and the encroaching responsibilities of adulthood.

"One of the things I love about the show is it's quite low-concept, like 'Friends' was," Belleville says in a recent interview from the meticulously outfitted set.

"It's just a group of fun people living together and interacting."

Belleville plays the slacker singleton Mark, a sweet but aimless ne'er-do-well who bumbles his way through an extended adolescence with childlike charm.

His best pals and roommates are the brainy Jason, played by Luke Macfarlane ("Brothers & Sisters"), and Jason's girlfriend Maggie, played by Leah Renee ("The Playboy Club"), who face their own hurdles in maintaining a mature relationship while still living like students.

Macfarlane says the show is essentially about that awkward transition to becoming a grown-up.

"There's that stage in your life when you're not yet an adult and you're still a kid and you're figuring out how to make it all work," notes the L.A.-based Macfarlane, originally from London, Ont.

Those growing pains are easy for Belleville to recall, the standup-turned-actor sheepishly admits. Years ago, he lived in a tiny apartment carved out of a massive Toronto house — much like Mark does.

"I was so broke all I had was Minute Rice and that's it," says the 33-year-old, noting the similarities didn't end there.

"And then I lost so much weight that this girl I was kind of seeing was like, 'Are you sick?' And I'm like, 'No!' And then food just started arriving at my house. And I dated her for longer than I should have because I had no food. That feels like a very Mark story to me."

Keeping it real and relatable was important to show creator Tim McAuliffe, whose writing credits include "This Hour has 22 Minutes," "Up All Night" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

During a recent CTV media event to promote the upcoming lineup, he says he based "Satisfaction" on his own experiences sharing an apartment with two friends — also a couple — years ago in Montreal.

The Mark character is loosely based on McAuliffe, while Jason's real-life inspiration is also involved in the show — as a music composer.

McAuliffe's real-life famous friends swing by throughout the season to make guest star appearances, including "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" comic Mark Critch, acting veteran Gordon Pinsent and "Mad Men" actress Jessica Pare.

"Jessica Pare was someone who used to hang out at our apartment a lot," says McAuliffe.

"She would just sleep over a lot because she was good friends with the (woman who inspired Maggie). And so she spent a lot of time there and we just stayed friends over the years."

Pare turns up as a sexy new neighbour who attracts the attention of Mark and his friend Simon.

Meanwhile, "The Defenders" star Jerry O'Connell stops by to play a jock who went to college with Mark and Jason but used to torment them back in the day.

Macfarlane says the show is unique in presenting a distinctly urban look at Canadian life, as opposed to past sitcom smashes like "Corner Gas" and "Little Mosque on the Prairie."

It also plays around with time, something he says is a relatively modern approach to mining TV laughs.

"We'll jump forward, we'll jump backwards in time ... and the pace is very, very quick," he says.

"I really like that. I don't know if Tim would appreciate this, but I think there's a kind of generation of people that grew up watching 'The Simpsons' and the 'Family Guy' where you can kind of do anything with time and it doesn't necessarily need to be a linear storyline. So I like that we embrace that a lot in our show."

Belleville says the recent boom in straight-ahead Canadian dramas like "Flashpoint" and "Rookie Blue" have opened the door for simple sitcoms based on simple ideas.

"The best thing this has going for it is it's really, really funny and it's not trying to do anything beyond that," he says.

"We're not hiding the fact that it's an urban Canadian centre but we're not kind of trying to cram things down people's throats. We're not trying to be like, 'Hey look how Canadian we are. This is an episode with a Mountie.'

"We're just trying to do funny stuff that are relatable stories and I think that's a big win."

"Satisfaction" debuts Monday on CTV.

© Copyright 2013

tdot tv - Satisfaction interview

Interview