“When I was a kid, The Wonder Years was on,” Son of a Critch creator, writer, and star Mark Critch shared at a TCA press conference to promote his hit Canadian series, which recently found a home in America on The CW. Mark was a youth in the ‘80s, but he remembers deeply connecting with the story of a boy growing up in the ‘60s, a tone that is echoed in his autobiographical sitcom. He also shared another pop culture tonal similarity he was reaching for. “The earliest film I remember really digging, totally, was maybe A Christmas Story. I loved that film. And for me, having an older dad, I had a lot of old people in my life, so when something is set in the ‘40s, I totally got that. Little Orphan Annie, Ovaltine, I know what that is, so I would run with it. And I just thought the narration, the time, and the heart that's in that movie, too. And the bickering. Today, people would say is like, ‘Oh my God, you can't say that, what an insult.’ Growing up in Newfoundland, which is a lot like growing up in an Irish Catholic home, insults are hugs in a way, and it's shorthand.”
(Chris Frawley/The CW)
Mark Critch made a name for himself in the Canadian comedy landscape on the sketch series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, prompting him to write a memoir about his upbringing in St. Johns, Newfoundland. “[Series co-creator Tim McAuliffe] said to me, you should make this show based on the book,” Mark recalled. “I thought, ‘Oh, I don't know if there's anything there.’ He pushed it. We have Andrew Barnsley, who was executive producer of Schitt's Creek. So we had this wonderful team that I thought really saw it as what it could be and what it could become. It might be a very unique show about this little island in Canada, Newfoundland, and this one family. But when it comes down to it, it's all about heart. Everybody's had those experiences, being bullied and things like that. So, it was really something that had more reach than maybe we initially thought.” And now, that reach has extended across the border on The CW. “We've got a great home, and we're very much supported. It's lovely to hear from folks who are seeing it there and relating to it and enjoying it as part of their Thursday night.”
It doesn’t hurt that the show comes with an internationally recognized screen legend, the only other member of the cast on the panel, Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Bombshell). “He's a wonderful writer,” McDowell commented on Mark Critch’s work. “When I read the scripts, I just knew that it was something really special. I'd been playing too many serial killers, God knows what else, scums of society. I'm really just a comedian at heart. And I love doing more family kind of shows. I read this and I just absolutely loved his writing, and I just knew I wanted to do it. So I called my manager, and I said, ‘Make this work. I don't care what you do, but I want to do it. If they're offering it, I'm doing it.’”
“When writing it, you never expect to get Malcolm McDowell,” added Mark Critch. Malcolm McDowell plays Patrick ‘Pop’ Critch, Mark’s grandfather, although the character is a bit of an amalgamation. “My dad's actual father died of TB in the 20s. I had an old family. He had gone off to become an iron worker in New York. A lot of Newfoundlanders went there to help build skyscrapers and things like that, and had to come back. But he's [also] based on an older guy [who lived with us] who was very witty, the kind of person who would turn you on to things like different music or UFOs. Put that in your mind, is that real or not? Would challenge you to think outside the box. And I can't think of a better person to challenge young people to think outside the box than Malcolm McDowell.”
Mark plays a caricature of his father, Mike, in the series, and also narrates the show. Playing himself in his youth is Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio). “Benjamin is one of the best young actors I've ever worked with,” Malcolm McDowell bragged. “His range is pretty amazing. And what I love about this show for him is that he gets to do all these fantasy things. His imagination takes him to Star Trek, or to A Christmas Carol, or whatever it is. It's really lovely to see him doing his standup bit, and the whole thing. It's a dream part for him, really does push him. And he rises to it all the time. A lot of the time we're just amazed at how damn good he is. And we all go, wow, there's our Benjamin. There he is.”
Son of a Critch is currently in the middle of its third season, with the fifth episode airing tonight at 9/8c on The CW. All past episodes are available to stream in TheCW app, and may also be on demand through your TV provider. Visit thecw.com/shows/son-of-a-critch to learn more.
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