Scripts for season two of surprise hit Robson Arms are already being developed and the show’s producers hope it will go to camera in April.

According to CTV, the Vancouver-shot half-hour dramatic comedy exceeded all expectations in its first season. Put together by a team of emerging writers and directors, the quirky series from Halifax’s Creative Atlantic Communications and Vancouver’s Omni Film Productions, about the intermingling of residents at an old apartment building in Vancouver’s West End, averaged 450,000 on CTV despite its unenviable Friday 10 p.m. timeslot.

Six writers will be used for the show’s sophomore outing, and the scribes will be a mix of returning writers such as David Moses and a couple of fresh faces, according to Susin Nielsen, Robson’s cocreator and executive producer. She adds that the director slate will follow a similar model, although she could not yet offer any names.

Season one featured regulars including Mark McKinney, Margot Kidder, Megan Follows and Corner Gas’ Fred Ewanuick and Gabrielle Miller, but Nielsen is vague on who will be back.

‘There will be some characters returning, but being a building like Robson Arms, some people move out and new people will move in,’ says Nielsen, who adds, however, that John Cassini will be back as Yuri, the super.

Nielsen hopes CTV will offer its 13 x 30 season two a bigger budget, having spent about $400,000 per episode in its first year. Louise Clark, CTV’s director of western independent production, says a budget boost is almost a certainty.

‘One direction CTV is going in with all of our drama series is HD,’ says Clark (season one was shot in the Panasonic DVCPRO50 format). ‘I think we achieved a gorgeous look on digital video, and we’ll be doing the same thing with an HD base. That will be one cost increase for sure.’

Robson’s second season will be enjoyed by French Canadians, too, thanks to a recent sale by Toronto’s Picture Box Distribution. Kate Sanagan, PBD’s director of North American sales, says Robson was met with great enthusiasm by Quebec’s Series+, which will begin airing a dubbed version of season one in the province on Jan. 14 at 9:30 p.m., right after François en série, the specialty channel’s highest-rated original program. Series+ also airs dubbed versions of CBC’s Da Vinci’s Inquest and U.S. fare including CSI.

‘The buyer feels [Robson’s] quirkiness and sexiness will really appeal to the French-Canadian audience,’ says Sanagan. ‘It will repeat five times throughout the week. They have enough confidence that they are doing a huge push. It is going to have a lot of play.’

Clark says it is too early to say when Robson will return on CTV and what timeslot it will fill, but she is optimistic about the show’s ability to grow viewers no matter where it lands.

‘[Season one] exceeded our expectations in every respect,’ says Clark. ‘In terms of production value and storytelling, the bar was raised high and I was blown away. I think a lot of other people were, too. We’re looking forward to building the audience from here.’

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