Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber Cast as Dynamic Mother and Daughter Duo in CTV Original Series, THE SPENCER SISTERS

– Created by award-winning executive producer Alan McCullough, the 10-episode, one-hour series is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) –
– Principal photography is slated to begin in Winnipeg in August –

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TORONTO, July 22, 2022 /CNW/ - CTV and Entertainment One (eOne), together with Buffalo Gal Pictures, today announced that award-winning television and film actress, director, and producer Lea Thompson (Back To The Future, CAROLINE IN THE CITY) and acclaimed Canadian actress Stacey Farber (VIRGIN RIVER, SCHITT'S CREEK) will headline the upcoming CTV Original procedural series, THE SPENCER SISTERS.

Created by Alan McCullough (PRIVATE EYES, ROOKIE BLUE) and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels (SORT OF), the lighthearted 10-episode, one-hour series centres on a hot-headed former police officer Darby Spencer (Farber) and her estranged, internationally renowned, mystery novelist mother, Victoria Spencer (Thompson). Despite opposite personalities, differing sensibilities, and a complicated history, they embark on the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming partners in a private detective agency. THE SPENCER SISTERS is set to begin production next month in Winnipeg, with broadcast slated for 2023. Additional details to be announced at a later date.

"We look forward to kicking off production next month in Winnipeg, and working alongside our partners at eOne to bring this creative and clever new series to CTV," said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. "We are excited for our viewers to see the undeniable chemistry between our strong female leads Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber as they provide a fresh take on the mother/daughter dynamic."

"With a stellar, female-led cast, quick-witted writing, and talented creative partners in CTV, we're excited to begin principal photography on this engaging new series, and look forward to bringing it to audiences next year," said Jocelyn Hamilton, President, Canada, eOne Television.

As one of the titular characters, Victoria Spencer (Thompson) is an intelligent, charismatic, and renowned best-selling author of mystery novels, who is suffering from crippling writer's block. When her estranged daughter Darby returns home, Victoria seizes the opportunity to reconnect with her. After the two work to solve a crime together, Victoria is inspired by the experience – and the possibility of a mended relationship with her daughter – to sit behind the keyboard once more.

Darby Spencer (Farber) is a smart, opinionated, and passionate woman who follows in her late father's footsteps and becomes a police officer – much to Victoria's stark disapproval. Carrying an innate intellect and the natural intuition of an experienced detective, Darby's career aspirations come to a halt when she impetuously quits her job as a police constable after an unjust reprimand. About to turn 30 and in a dead-end relationship with a cheating boyfriend, she returns home, where to her surprise, she finds she may have more in common with her mother than she thought.

Talent biographies for the leading actresses are as follows:

Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson is actress, singer, and director, continuously honing her craft for over 40 years. She is best known for starring in the iconic Back To The Future films. Thompson has also starred in All The Right Moves with Tom Cruise, George Lucas's Howard The Duck, John Hughes Some Kind Of Wonderful, and Red Dawn. Thompson won the People's Choice award for the title role in the NBC sitcom CAROLINE IN THE CITY. Her acting credits are many, including Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, THE JANE DOE MYSTERIES, 102 episodes of the Peabody award-winning series SWITCHED AT BIRTH, and many telefilms and Sundance indies. Some of her directing credits include THE GOLDBERGS, Chuck Lorre's CBS comedy MOM and YOUNG SHELDON, RESIDENT ALIEN, Greg Berlanti's, STARGIRL, and STAR TREK: PICARD. Lea is perhaps most proud of her feature directorial debut The Year Of Spectacular Men, which her daughter Madelyn Deutch wrote, scored, and starred in, along with Lea and her other talented daughter Zoey Deutch. She has been married to their father, director Howard Deutch for 33 years. She is represented by Gilbertson Entertainment, Innovative Artists and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman.

Stacey Farber
Stacey Farber is known for her compelling performances in numerous hit TV series— both dramatic and comedic. She recurs as grief-stricken Tara in the Netflix chart-topper VIRGIN RIVER and played villainous Leslie Larr in The CW's breakout SUPERMAN & LOIS. She can also be seen in the award-winning comedies SCHITT'S CREEK (CBC/Pop TV), GRACE AND FRANKIE (Netflix), and 18 TO LIFE (CBC) as well as UnREAL (Lifetime), THE BRAVE (NBC), DIGGSTOWN (BET+), CHICAGO JUSTICE (NBC), SAVING HOPE (CTV/Ion TV), and ROOKIE BLUE (GLOBAL/ABC). For seven years, Stacey portrayed the fan-favorite character Ellie Nash in DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (CTV). She is represented by The Characters Talent Agency, Manager Christina Gualazzi and A3 Artists Agency.

A CTV Original series, THE SPENCER SISTERS is produced by eOne together with Buffalo Gal Pictures with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Bell Fund, and is distributed internationally by eOne. The series is executive produced by McCullough and Jenn Engels, who are both co-showrunners. Jocelyn Hamilton serves as Executive Producer for eOne. Phyllis Laing and Jennifer Beasley are executive producers for Buffalo Gal Pictures. For Bell Media, Carolyn Wu is Development Executive; Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development, Original Programming; Mitch Geddes is Production Executive; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; Pat DiVittorio is Vice-President, CTV and Specialty Programming. Justin Stockman is Vice-President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. Karine Moses is Senior Vice-President, Content Development & News, Bell Media and Vice Chair, Québec, Bell.

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Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) is a talent-driven independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution, and sales of entertainment content. As part of global play and entertainment company Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), eOne's expertise spans across film and television production and sales; production, distribution and brand management of kids and family properties; digital content; and immersive and live entertainment. Through its extensive reach and scale, and a deep commitment to high-quality entertainment, eOne unlocks the power and value of creativity.

eOne brings to market both original and existing content, sourcing IP from Hasbro's portfolio of 1500+ brands, and through a diversified network of creative partners and eOne companies.

Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include #1 Canadian drama TRANSPLANT; record-breaking Canadian format THE AMAZING RACE CANADA; and comedy series CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING and JANN; as well as upcoming scripted series SULLIVAN'S CROSSING and THE SPENCER SISTERS, and unscripted dating series FARMING FOR LOVE. Among the original series on Bell Media specialty and streaming platforms are CTV Life Channel's culinary series MARY MAKES IT EASY with Mary Berg; CTV Comedy Channel's ROAST BATTLE CANADA and the upcoming ACTING GOOD. Crave Originals include hit series LETTERKENNY, CANADA'S DRAG RACE, and WAY OVER ME (SORTEZ-MOI DE MOI); docuseries DARK SIDE OF THE RING; and acclaimed documentaries FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK and A.RTIFICIAL I.MMORTALITY. Discovery is home to Bell Media's hit factual series and franchises HIGHWAY THRU HELL, HEAVY RESCUE: 401, and MUD MOUNTAIN HAULERS, and others. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. Learn more at www.BellMedia.ca.

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 21 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.

SOURCE CTV