Fans of made-in-Canada comedy have been awaiting Global’s upcoming sitcom Working the Engels, and today the network has finally announced a premiere date: Wednesday, Mar. 12.
The comedy stars SCTV alum Andrea Martin as the mother of a wildly dysfunctional family who find themselves forced to pull together after the family patriarch — a shady lawyer — unexpectedly dies and leaves behind a mountain of debt. In order to get back on track, the siblings and their mom take over the family law practice — a situtation that’s complicated by the fact that only one of them is actually a lawyer.
“We couldn’t be more ecstatic to be back in original comedy with Working The Engels,”; said Barbara Williams, Shaw Media’s SVP, Content. “With a knock-out script and top-notch cast, it’s a show that brings the perfect amount of laughter and heart to our primetime lineup. The outrageously funny ensemble cast not only includes the brilliant Andrea Martin, but also three terrific stars on the rise in Kacey Rohl, Benjamin Arthur, and Azura Skye. Working The Engels is a superb mix of family hijinx and humour, and we can’t wait to see the Engels clan embraced by Canadian viewers.”;
Andrea Martin heads the ensemble cast, playing Ceil, “the self-absorbed and overly dramatic but fiercely protective momma bear who works as the firm’s paralegal.”; She’s joined by: Kacey Rohl (Hannibal) as Jenna, the youngest Engel sibling, “who becomes the unlikely family patriarch when she decides to run the family’s debt-ridden law firm”;; Benjamin Arthur (Less Than Kind) as Jimmy, “a bad boy and petty criminal with a heart of gold who would do anything for his family, including enlisting as the firm’s investigator”;; and Azura Skye (American Horror Story) as Sandy, “a recovering pill-popper on a self-help kick, who not having worked a day in her life is now the firm’s receptionist.”;
In addition, Working the Engels has enlisted a top-tier array of Canadian guest stars, including Martin’s former SCTV costars Martin Short and Eugene Levy, as well as Victor Garber (Alias), Scott Thompson (The Kids in the Hall), Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and Jennifer Irwin (Eastbound and Down), while former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jason Priestley has signed on behind the camera to direct four episodes in the show’s first season.
Months before the show even landed a premiere date, NBC entered a deal to co-produce the show with Global, and will air the show in the U.S. at a yet-to-be-specified date. This marks the first time an American network has teamed up with a Canadian broadcaster to produce a network comedy.
Working the Engels premieres Wednesday, Mar. 12 on Global TV.