U.S. net Universal Kids and DHX Media’s Family Channel have commissioned Six Eleven Media to produce the live-action scripted comedy Greenfields (20 x 30 minutes).

Created by Derek Harvie, the single-camera comedy is produced in association with Family Channel and will launch on both Universal Kids and Family Channel in fall 2018. Greenfields is the first original comedy commissioned by Universal Kids (formerly known as Sprout prior to its 2017 rebrand), which is a division of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.

The show follows 11-year-old Max Graham and his group of neighbourhood friends as they navigate the ups and downs of running a start-up out of their garage. Among their creations are a dog translation device and a drone-delivered coffee service.

Six Eleven Media’s previous credits include the animated kids series Addison (CBC Kids). The L.A.- and Halifax-based company is headed up by industry veteran Charles Bishop, who served as president of Halifax Film Company, as well as president of production and development for DHX.

Filming on Greenfields is scheduled to begin in Toronto this spring, with Harvie and Bishop serving as executive producers. DHX Media is handling international distribution.

Greenfields isn’t the only Canada-made project joining Universal Kids’ lineup this year. In August 2017, the U.S. net announced that it had inked a deal with Boat Rocker Rights to acquire The Next Step. At the time, Universal Kids acquired the U.S. linear rights to all five seasons (154 x 30 minutes) of the tween series, as well as boarding the sixth as a production partner. The Next Step is set to make its U.S. linear debut on Universal Kids in August.

Universal Kids is headed up by GM Deirdre Brennan, who previously served as VP of content at Corus Kids.

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