Making the leap: Canada series 'Son of a Critch' finds a home on The CW

Editor’s note: The interview with producer Andrew Barnsley took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Andrew Barnsley has accomplished a lot within his career in film and TV.

Yet, years in, there are still moments where he’s taken off guard.

Barnsley is a producer behind the Canadian TV series, “Son of a Critch,” which made its debut in America on The CW on July 24.

A new episode airs at 7 p.m. Mondays on The CW.

“It feels pretty good,” he says of the series getting a slot on a U.S. network. “We produce a show like this on an island, and you never know the trajectory of the TV show. It’s received some really nice critical acclaim. I’ve been through this a couple of times. You produce a show in Canada, and you hope to find a home and audience outside of our country. Sometimes it doesn’t hit. Sometimes it turns into ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ That one was a wonderful surprise for me.”

“Son of a Critch” is based on the award-winning, bestselling memoir from Mark Critch.

It is the hilarious and very real story of a young Mark coming of age in the 1980s.

The series is a heartfelt window into the life of a child — who is much older inside than his 11 years — using comedy and self-deprecation to win friends and connect with the small collection of people in his limited world.

The comedy stars Mark Critch as his father, Mike, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as young Mark. Claire Rankin stars as Mark’s mother, Mary, alongside newcomers Sophia Powers and Mark Ezekiel Rivera, who play classmates of young Mark.

Colton Gobbo plays Mark’s older brother, Mike Jr., and Malcolm McDowell also stars as Patrick “Pop” Critch.

Having already aired in Canada, the premiere season ranked as the No. 1 scripted program on CBC in key audience demos.

Since its premiere in Canada, it has ranked as one of the top five most-watched Canadian comedies overall, and season 2 was the most-watched English-language Canadian comedy series and CBC’s most-watched program with 18-49 and 25-54 audiences.

The series was recently renewed for a third season and will be produced in association with The CW.

Barnsley was originally drawn to the production because it is based on Critch’s memoir.

“Those pieces were in place and from a personal point of view, I spent a lot of time in Newfoundland as an adolescent around the same time the series takes place,” he says. “My mom is from there, and I have a lot of family there. The series made a lot of sense to me. It’s like I know these characters in the series because I spent time there. It’s also nice to shine a light on the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Barnsley says the work behind the scenes to get the series to American television is a huge deal.

“We have people watching our series,” he says. “They are learning about a regional town through a comedic point of view. We are learning about these people, and we handle it with real care. We had the premiere in America a few nights ago and it was exhilarating. I watched it with some friends of mine while I was in Dallas.”

Barnsley says the series is something that a family can connect with.

“This series has a purpose and uses comedy to get to the heart,” he says. “It’s one of the few shows that generations of a family will come to watch. Even though this show is set in a very specific time and place, we know we’re touching on universal themes.”