Overlord and the Underwoods

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.

Premise

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.

Development and broadcast

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.

Production concerns

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.