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Series to Debut Exclusively on The Roku Channel in the U.S.

Roku is bringing a new half-hour comedy from Bell Media’s CTV and the producers of “Letterkenny” to The Roku Channel in the U.S. in 2022. The eight-episodes series will join the Roku Originals programming slate in a new agreement with award-winning independent production company New Metric Media.

Created by  Golden Globe® and Emmy®Award-winner Kurt Smeaton (“Schitt’s Creek”, “Kim’s Convenience”), “Children Ruin Everything: is about living with the worst roommates of all: young children. Astrid and James struggle to find balance between being ‘Mom and Dad’ to two kids and being who they were before offspring. “Children Ruin Everything” explores the hilarious and varied ways kids can tear down your life and, if you’re lucky, replace it with something you have to admit is pretty okay, too.

The series stars Meaghan Rath (“Being Human, Hawaii 5-0”) and Aaron Abrams (“Blindspot,” “Hannibal”). Ennis Esmer (“Blindspot,” “Schitt’s Creek”) and Nazneen Contractor (“Ransom,” “Heroes Reborn”) are also among the cast.

Chuck Tatham (“Modern Family,” “Arrested Development”) and multiple Canadian Screen Award-winner Mark Montefiore (“Letterkenny,” “What Would Sal Do?”) are executive producers, with Beth Iley (“Killjoys”) serving as producer.

“Children Ruin Everything” is produced and developed by New Metric Media in association with Bell Media for CTV, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Bell Media Distribution is the international rights holder for “Children Ruin Everything” and New Metric Media is the series’ exclusive Sales Agent.

Quotes:

Creator and Executive Producer, Kurt Smeaton: “’Children Ruin Everything’ was inspired by my own parenting experience, where every plan my wife and I made was thwarted by our kids in surprising and funny ways. Of course, this experience isn’t unique to us – which is what makes the stories we tell in this series so relatable. I’m thrilled to partner with Roku on this project and bring the show to the US.”

Roku’s Head of Scripted, Colin Davis: “‘Children Ruin Everything’ is endearing, funny, and painfully relatable. The familiarities and the modern evolutions of parenting are on full display. The greatest joys in our lives sometimes come from little monsters. I’m excited for The Roku Channel audience to instantly connect with the humor and heart of this show.”

Roku’s Head of Scripted, Colin Davis: “Roku Originals have been an important part of our overall content portfolio for The Roku Channel this year and we are pleased with how they have performed. Our focus is on delivering a broad selection of compelling content from award-winning creators and talent to our audience for free. ‘Children Ruin Everything’ represents an exciting step in the growth of Roku Originals as we continue to build up our slate with a great variety of originals from all over the world.”

The Roku Channel has seen record growth this year, reaching U.S. households with an estimated 70 million people in Q1 2021. Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. It features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and 200+ free live linear television channels. The Roku Channel licenses and distributes content from more than 200 partners.

Roku is a registered trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this press release are the property of their respective holders. 

ABOUT NEW METRIC MEDIA

Based in Los Angeles and Toronto and led by President Mark Montefiore, New Metric Media is an award-winning independent production company that develops, finances, and produces premium scripted content for an international audience. Recipient of the Banff World Media Festival’s 2018 Innovative Producer Award and winner of 12 Canadian Screen Awards to date, the company’s current slate of programming includes hit Crave/Hulu original comedy LETTERKENNY, the Netflix/CityTV premium drama series BAD BLOOD, the half-hour comedy WHAT WOULD SAL DO?, and the upcoming all-new CTV comedy series CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING.  New Metric Media is also recognized as a leader in brand marketing for its success with LETTERKENNY off-screen extensions including beer and collectible merchandise via its recent licensing deals with Funko, Ripple Junction and High Roller Games; as well as a BAD BLOOD-branded escape room activation with a national immersive entertainment franchise;and LETTERKENNY LIVE!, a North American theatre tour with the stars of the series.

ABOUT CTV

CTV is Canada’s #1 television brand. CTV provides unparalleled entertainment programming across two broadcast television networks; a powerful suite of specialty channels including CTV Comedy Channel, CTV Drama Channel, CTV Life Channel, and CTV Sci-Fi Channel; and digital channels CTV Throwback and CTV Movies, streaming on demand from CTV.ca and the CTV app. CTV has been Canada’s most-watched television network for the past 20 years in a row and features a wide range of sports and information programming, including CTV News, Canada’s highest-rated national and local newscasts. CTV’s parent company is Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and out-of-home advertising.

U.S. Media Contact:

Roku, Inc.
Abby Reyes
areyes@roku.com