Roku, in another opportunistic programming pickup, will bring comedy series “Children Ruin Everything” to U.S. audiences — streaming for free on the Roku Channel — in an exclusive pact with production company New Metric Media.
The new half-hour comedy is created by Kurt Smeaton (“Schitt’s Creek,” “Kim’s Convenience”) and will air on Bell Media’s CTV network in Canada next spring. Under the multiyear deal, Roku will release all eight episodes of “Children Ruin Everything” on the Roku Channel following the full broadcast in the Great White North. Bell Media Distribution is the international rights holder for “Children Ruin Everything” and New Metric Media is the series’ exclusive sales agent.
“Children Ruin Everything” follows the harried parents of two young children as they struggle to hold on to their pre-kid life. The show is produced and developed by New Metric Media (the company behind “Letterkenny”) in association with Bell Media for CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund.
The series stars Meaghan Rath (“Being Human, Hawaii 5-0”) and Aaron Abrams (“Blindspot,” “Hannibal”), with a cast that includes Ennis Esmer (“Blindspot,” “Schitt’s Creek”) and Nazneen Contractor (“Ransom,” Heroes Reborn”).
Smeaton said “Children Ruin Everything” was inspired by his own parenting experience, “where every plan my wife and I made was thwarted by our kids in surprising and funny ways… I’m thrilled to partner with Roku on this project and bring the show to the U.S.”
For Roku, it’s the first exclusive programming acquisition from outside the U.S. “Children Ruin Everything” will join the streaming platform’s burgeoning lineup of originals for the Roku Channel, which includes the 75-plus shows it acquired from defunct mobile streamer Quibi and “This Old House.”
Colin Davis, Roku’s head of scripted original programming (who was previously with Quibi), said the company inked the deal with New Metric Media and CTV for “Children Ruin Everything” before it went into production.
“We’re not just looking within U.S. borders to source content,” Davis said. He added that Roku was interested in “Children Ruin Everything” because of its broad relatability: “It’s about parenting. It’s heartfelt and endearing.”
“Children Ruin Everything” is executive produced by Smeaton, Rath, Chuck Tatham (“Modern Family,” “Arrested Development”) and Mark Montefiore (“Letterkenny,” “What Would Sal Do?”), with Beth Iley (“Killjoys”) serving as producer.
