Netflix, CBC & APTN order first scripted original with Arctic comedy from Inuit writing duo

Stacey Aglok MacDonald & Alethea Arnaquq-Baril

Netflix has linked with the CBC and APTN in Canada for its first scripted original, a comedy from Inuit writer-producer Stacey Aglok MacDonald and filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

The as-yet untitled show will film in Nunavut and follows the life of a young Inuk mother who wants to build a new future for herself but finds it difficult in her small Arctic town where everyone knows her business.

Canadian firms Northwood Entertainment and Red Marrow Media are producing, with MacDonald and Arnaquq-Baril exec producing alongside Miranda de Pencier (Anne With an E), Susan Coyne (Mozart In the Jungle) and Garry Campbell (Less Than Kind).

The show comes a year since Netflix’s Canadian content chiefs, Tara Woodbury and Danielle Woodrow, unveiled the streamer’s first local unscripted project, a Mathieu Dufour comedy special.

MacDonald and Arnaquq-Baril said their series would be “full of stories that come straight from our hearts and our funny bones. We’ve drawn from our experiences as Inuit women living, laughing, crying and living together while Native.”

Sally Catto, GM for entertainment, factual & sports at CBC, added that the “vibrant comedy delivers an authentic perspective on personal journeys, friendship and community in the Arctic.”

Woodrow and Woodbury said: “As soon as we heard about this show, we knew we wanted to share it with our members around the world. Stacey and Alethea have created a very relatable and funny story that showcases the unique experience of living in Canada’s Arctic regions.”

“A very short time ago, it would have been impossible to imagine an Indigenous comedy shot in the Arctic, with massive national and international reach,” added Adam Garnet Jones, director of TV content and special events at APTN.

“It’s a dream come true for APTN to help bring this story to audiences across Turtle Island and around the world. We know audiences are going to fall in love with the show’s characters, and the production industry in Nunavut is going to receive a huge boost in a way it never has before.”