Cashing In — a soapy dramatic comedy set to air in the new year on APTN and Global — might be a North American first, a show about Canada’s well-heeled aboriginal elite.

Set on a southern Manitoba reservation, the 6 x 30 series has just wrapped shooting in the Prairie province, produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures (The Stone Angel) in association with Animiki See Digital Productions. The $3.5-million series is directed by Norma Bailey (Stolen Miracle, The Capture of the Green River Killer) and penned by five novice aboriginal writers — following development through NSI Storytellers, a joint training program between the National Screen Institute and APTN which mentors upcoming writers, producers and directors.

Unlike most aboriginal TV, the show’s drama it isn’t rooted in despair, says Saskatoon-based writer Trevor Cameron (Wapos Bay).

‘We’re playing with the assumptions people have about aboriginal culture,’ he says. ‘We don’t all use bed sheets for draperies. We have our own upper class.’ Cashing In stars Eric Schweig (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Last of the Mohicans) as the new and charismatic owner of a casino.