TALLBOYZ - Fall 2019 – Accent Entertainment) features the four members of acclaimed Toronto-based sketch comedy troupe TallBoyz II Men - Tim Blair, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen, and Vance Banzo - as they alternate between playing heightened versions of themselves and sliding into absurd sketches about friendship, politics, bro culture and everyday life. Executive producers are Bruce McCulloch (The Kids in the Hall, Young Drunk Punk) and Susan Cavan (The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town, Young Drunk Punk).
Vance Banzo, Tim Blair, Bruce McCulloch, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen
Welcome to the absurdist world of TALLBOYZ, a group of young, diverse comedians whose fun, silly antics range from a competition over who is whose best friend to a casual trip to the afterlife. TheTALLBOYZ consist of Tim, Guled, Franco, and Vance, alternating between playing heightened versions of themselves and sliding into cartoonish sketches about friendship, politics, bro culture and everyday life. A mission to Mars gone wrong. A secret that could derail a boy band. An airplane bathroom attendant? Over the course of the show, the Boyz face everything from grammar-induced rap beefs to big life revelations, all with the same hilarious, upbeat demeanour.
CBC announced it has green-lit new half-hour sketch comedy series TALLBOYZ (8x30) from Accent Entertainment and executive producers Bruce McCulloch (The Kids in the Hall, Young Drunk Punk) and Susan Cavan (The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town, Young Drunk Punk). Starring the four members of acclaimed Toronto-based sketch comedy troupe TallBoyz II Men - Vance Banzo, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen, and Tim Blair – and creatively nurtured and developed by Bruce McCulloch, the series will start production in Toronto in April for broadcast on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service in fall 2019.
TallBoyz II Men is a group of diverse comedians who explore themes of friendship, race, nostalgia, toxic masculinity and more in their sketches. In 2018, the Boyz won Outstanding Comedy Short at Toronto Sketchfest, Best of the Fest at Montreal SketchFest and Best Comedy at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
"I am blown away by how funny, fierce and modern they are,” said Bruce McCulloch. “Very original, surprising and sweet."
“TALLBOYZ is an irreverent and thought-provoking sketch comedy series that will introduce four brilliant new comedic voices to audiences across the country,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Programming, CBC. “We are thrilled to be working with Accent, Bruce, Susan and the Boyz to bring this project to our award-winning comedy slate.”
McCulloch and his fellow The Kids in the Hall troupe members will receive the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Academy Icon Award at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards this Sunday, March 31, broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT/ 9:30 p.m. NT).
Produced by Accent Entertainment, TALLBOYZ is created by Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair, and Franco Nguyen with Adam Bovoletis and Luc Mandl. Bruce McCulloch is Executive Producer and Director, and Susan Cavan is Executive Producer. Paula Smith is Supervising Producer, Caitlin Brown is Co-Producer and Jen Goodhue is Consulting Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content, Michelle Daly is Senior Director, Comedy, Scripted Content; and Karen Tsang is Executive in Charge of Production.
TALLBOYZ - Tim Blair, Vance Banzo, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen.
Courtesy of CBC