CBC Gem original comedy series Zarqa is returning for a second season with star and creator Zarqa Nawaz heading behind the camera as director.

Production is underway on the 6 x 11-minute season in Regina and will wrap on May 16, according to a news release.

The new season is scheduled to premiere on CBC Gem later this year and will feature the titular character as she deals with a “holier-than-thou” social influencer.

The series is produced by Nawaz’s Regina-based FUNdamentalist Films.

Nawaz, who previously created CBC’s award-winning sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, is the series’ co-showrunner, executive producer, writer, and now a director on season two.

Sadiya Durrani is co-showrunner, executive producer and writer. Ell McEachern and Hannah Hermanson of Saskatchewan-based 3 Story Pictures, which also operates in Alberta and B.C., are producers on the series. Eva Thomas and Ambika Vas are writers, while Candy Fox and Liz Whitmere are also directing.

Zarqa received financial support from the Bell Fund, Canada Media Fund and Creative Saskatchewan. Streaming service USHUB has acquired season one, a spokesperson tells Playback Daily.

Joining Nawaz in the cast for season two are Aliza Vellani, Greg Ochitwa, Mark Claxton, Kayvon Khoshkam, Dakota Ray Hebert and Pamela Haig Bartley.

Returning cast members include Husnain Sher, Rizwan Manji, Nimet Kanji, Omar Alex Khan, Gerald Lenton-Young, Katie Murphy, Rob van Meenen, Anand Rajaram, Kris Alvarez, Darianne Galden, Sangeeta Gupta and Danny Balkwill.

Earlier this year, the government of Saskatchewan boosted its support for the province’s film and TV grant by 20%, increasing its annual budget from $10 million in the previous fiscal year to $12 million.

Photo by Peter Scoular/CBC Gem