Overlord and the Underwoods
An alien criminal hides with a Canadian family.
Overlord and the Underwoods is a Canadian family sitcom created by Anthony Q. Farrell and Ryan Wiesbrock. It was produced by MarbleMedia and Cloudco Entertainment. The show first premiered in Canada on CBC Gem on October 29, 2021, followed by its UK debut on Nickelodeon on November 1, 2021. In the US, the first ten episodes became available on the BYUtv app on November 8, 2021.
The series follows the Underwoods, a North American family whose lives are turned upside down when their distant cousin Overlord—an alien and the second most wanted criminal in the world—shows up at their home. He has entered intergalactic witness protection after informing on his boss, and is forced to live with the family.
The cast includes Darryl Hinds as Jim Underwood, Patrice Goodman as Flower Underwood, Ari Resnick as Weaver Underwood, Kamaia Fairburn as Willow Underwood, Troy Feldman as Overlord, and Jann Arden as the voice of R0-FL, Overlord’s robot sidekick. Jayne Eastwood plays the Underwoods’ neighbour, and Constant Bernard plays Reginald.
The series was announced on March 16, 2021, with pre-sales to Nickelodeon International, BYUtv in the US, and CBC in Canada. Production began in June 2021 in Oakville, Ontario. BYUtv started streaming the series on its app and website on November 8, 2021, and began airing season 1 on television on October 3, 2022, releasing a second batch of ten episodes the same day.
The show sparked controversy in the Canadian TV industry after its production was announced in April 2021. A newspaper article about creator Anthony Q. Farrell’s other series, *The Parker Andersons*, noted that BYUtv “couldn’t feature characters who are clearly identified as queer,” due to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ views on LGBTQ sexuality and Brigham Young University’s ownership of the network. BYUtv responded that it was “learning and exploring ways to partner with diverse content creators” and had “no policies that would exclude” LGBTQ+ characters, adding that it was exploring how to include them. Marblemedia confirmed that *Overlord and the Underwoods* would include LGBTQ characters.
- type
- Television series
- genre
- Family sitcom
- country_of_origin
- Canada
- premiere_date_UK
- November 1, 2021
- premiere_date_Canada
- October 29, 2021
- premiere_date_US
- November 8, 2021
- network
- CBC Gem (Canada), Nickelodeon (UK), BYUtv (US)
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Anthony Q. Farrell / Ryan Wiesbrock
- Composer
- Simon Poole
- Starring
- Darryl Hinds / Patrice Goodman / Ari Resnick / Kamaia Fairburn / Troy Feldman / Jann Arden / Jayne Eastwood
- Country
- Canada
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 20
- Executive Producer
- Mark J.W. Bishop · Matt Hornburg · Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy · Ryan Wiesbrock · Sean Gorman · Ian Lambur · Diane Rankin (SVP Rights) · For BYUtv · Michael A. Dunn and Andra Johnson Duke
- Producer
- Sally Catto / Trish Williams / Sandra Picheca / Greig Dymond
- Runtime
- 30 Minutes
- Company
- MarbleMedia / Cloudco Entertainment / Canfro Productions
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series focuses on the Underwoods, a North American family whose life is turned upside down when their distant cousin Overlord—an alien and the second most wanted criminal in the world—seeks refuge in their home after being forced into intergalactic witness protection. The cast includes Darryl Hinds as Jim Underwood, Patrice Goodman as Flower Underwood, Ari Resnick as Weaver Underwood, Kamaia Fairburn as Willow Underwood, Troy Feldman as Overlord, Jann Arden as the voice of R0-FL (Overlord's robot sidekick), Jayne Eastwood as the Underwoods' neighbour, and Constant Bernard as Reginald.
Reader's Guide
Overlord and the Underwoods was announced on March 16, 2021, and pre-sold to Nickelodeon International, BYUtv, CBC, and ITV on the same day. Production began in June 2021 in Oakville, Ontario. The series became a topic of controversy in the Canadian television industry after a newspaper article noted that BYUtv series 'couldn’t feature characters who are clearly identified as queer' due to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' views. BYUtv responded with a statement that there were no policies excluding LGBTQ+ characters and that the network was exploring ways to include them. Marblemedia confirmed that Overlord and the Underwoods would include LGBTQ characters. The series aired its first 10 episodes on the BYUtv app on November 8, 2021, with the second batch of 10 episodes made available on October 3, 2022, the same day BYUtv began airing season 1 on television.
Did You Know?
- The series is a co-production between MarbleMedia and Cloudco Entertainment.
- Production began in June 2021 in Oakville, Ontario.
- The series was pre-sold to Nickelodeon International, BYUtv, and CBC on March 16, 2021.
- Marblemedia confirmed that the series will include LGBTQ characters.
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