Bogus Show Launch For Non-Existent Show

TORONTO,April 1 2003 --The reaction was "You've got to be kidding." And
we were. The Comedy Network revealed today an elaborate April Fool's Day prank
that hood-winked Canadians from coast to coast into believing the network had
commissioned, shot and planned to broadcast a show that didn't really exist.
    Scheduled to air tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, the program was supposed to
be an all-new version of what is considered to be the worst Canadian
television program of all time, The Trouble With Tracy. Instead, viewers who
tune in tonight to view the "pilot" episode will see a bogus show opening that
indicates that the "new" Tracy is just as troubling as the original.
Ultimately, the prank is revealed and the awfully bad The Trouble With Tracy
segues into a preview of the awfully good The Gavin Crawford Show, the
acclaimed original Comedy Network series that returns for its third season
April 8.

    (xx) Note: High-Resolution Artwork for The Trouble With Tracy is
    available online at
    http://www.ctvmedia.ca/comedy_artwork.asp?cid=3466

    "We wanted to invite people to actively participate in the comedic
process and poke fun at ourselves at the same time," said Ed Robinson,
President and General Manager of The Comedy Network. "In times like these,
it's important to remind ourselves that a little bit of fun goes a long way."
    Indeed, the little bit of fun actually involved shooting and editing
"selected scenes," featuring terrible dialogue bolstered by canned laughter,
from what was supposed to be The Comedy Network's first, homegrown sitcom.
Then, with fingers firmly crossed behind their backs, The Comedy Network
promoted The Trouble With Tracy as it would any new production, via on-air
promos, Web advertising and a full publicity campaign.
    The result was universal astonishment and general agreement by media,
viewers and the production community that The Comedy Network had finally lost
its marbles. But also a belief that the network was serious. Print, radio and
TV outlets picked up the story across the country. Talent called the network
to find out how to be involved with the new production. Viewers e-mailed with
notes of both disgust and delight.
    With only very few people knowing the actual truth, the prank took on a
life of its own. The show's "star," Laurie Elliott, appeared on national
television to promote the series. Newspapers interviewed the "original" Tracy,
Diane Nyland Proctor, about her experience on the original series.
    "We're grateful to the media for playing along," said Robinson. "It just
confirms there is a belief that no idea is too crazy for television."
    Now a cult classic - for whatever reason - the original Trouble With
Tracy focused on the foibles of a ditzy urban housewife (Nyland) whose flighty
nature and naive dreams constantly landed her in one hilarious quandary after
another with her exasperated husband (Steve Weston). The daily series ran for
130 episodes on CTV in 1971-72.
    "I don't think I've had a more enjoyable time," said Nyland Proctor of
the bogus show launch. "I was thrilled to be part of such a fun idea. What a
great trip down memory lane!"
    The 2003 version was billed as "a hilarious snapshot of domestic life at
the turn of the millennium in urban Canada." The fake show opening and
selected scenes were shot in Ottawa by Comedy Network alumnus Greg Lawrence
(Kevin Spencer, Butch Patterson: Private Dick, The Endless Grind) and featured
Elliott as Tracy and David Elver as her husband.
    "At first I questioned what would happen to my career," said Elliott.
"But then I thought, I don't have a career!"
    Described as "Sharp, urbane, allusive satire in the best tradition of
Kids in the Hall and SCTV" by The Globe and Mail, The Gavin Crawford Show
premieres Tuesday, April 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on The Comedy
Network.





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For further information: Scott Henderson, (416) 332-5305,
shenderson@ctv.ca