Netflix has ordered a limited series created by Canadian comedy star Mae Martin, and also signed a three-year deal with Just For Laughs Group’s francophone TV division, Juste pour rire TV.
Toronto-raised Martin (Mae Martin: SAP, Feel Good) is co-showrunner and executive producer on the eight-episode Tall Pines, on which they’ll also play a leading role, according to a news release issued Tuesday (April 4).
Ryan Scott (Servant, Treadstone) is co-showrunner and executive producer of the series, while Montreal’s Sphere Media is the production company.
The other executive producers include London- and L.A.-based Objective Fiction’s CCO and executive producer Ben Farrell (Feel Good, The Gold); Hannah Mackay (Peep Show, Year of the Rabbit), SVP, Objective Fiction America; Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, The Porter), president English scripted, executive producer, Sphere Media; and Bruno Dubé (Transplant, The Sticky), CEO at Sphere Media.
Tall Pines is described as “a thriller set in a bucolic but sinister town that explores the insidious underbelly of the ‘troubled teen industry’ and the eternal struggle between one generation and the next.” It will be filmed in Canada, but an exact location hasn’t been disclosed, nor has the episode length.
Netflix has also been home to Martin’s previous series Feel Good and comedy specials Mae Martin: SAP and Dope. In a statement, Martin said Tall Pines is a story they’ve “been dying to tell for years” and “an insane roller coaster” that’s so different from anything they’ve done before.
Farrell called it “a truly gripping, intergenerational mystery thriller,” while Danielle Woodrow, director, content – Canada, Netflix, said it’s “a wildly entertaining story that explores the complex and sometimes twisted relationship between teens and adults.”
Meanwhile, Juste pour rire TV’s deal with Netflix is for three French stand-up solo specials, the first of which will be filmed this year, according to a release.
The news follows last July’s announcement of Netflix teaming up with Just For Laughs Group on the release of the debut comedy special of Quebec comic Mathieu Dufour. The special was filmed at the at Bell Centre during the 40th anniversary edition of Just For Laughs/Juste pour rire Montreal comedy festival.
Tara Woodbury, director, content – Canada, Netflix, said “Quebec has incredible stand-up voices for the world to discover,” in a statement.
Photo: Mae Martin arrives at the launch of Netflix’s “Mae Martin: SAP” at TUDUM Theater on March 28, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)