Working The Engels Reunites SCTV Alumni Martin Short And Eugene Levy With Andrea Martin

Jason Priestley Directs And Scott Thompson Makes Guest Appearance

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TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2013 /CNW/ - Halfire-CORE Entertainment, Shaw Media, and NBC announced today that Emmy^® winners and SCTV alumni Martin Short and Eugene Levy are set to guest star with Andrea Martin in Working The Engels, a new half-hour original comedy series. Emmy Award^®-winner Scott Thompson (The Kids In The Hall) also guest stars while Golden Globe^® and Gemini Award-nominee Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz, Beverly Hills, 90210) directs four episodes. Short, Levy, Levy's daughter Sarah Levy (Larry Crowne), and Thompson join series regulars Andrea Martin, Kacey Rohl, Azura Skye, and Benjamin Arthur. Produced by Halfire-CORE Entertainment in partnership with Shaw Media and NBC, the 12-episode series is currently shooting in Toronto.

The series, created and written by Katie Ford (Miss Congeniality, Desperate Housewives) and Jane Ford (Listen Missy, Material World), centres on a family who must band together to keep their heads above water when their father and breadwinner passes away, leaving them a mountain of debt. The Engels must all go to work running Dad's storefront law firm, with one minor problem — daughter Jenna (Rohl) is the only one who is qualified to practice law.

Martin Short (SCTV, Saturday Night Live, Damages, Arrested Development), Eugene Levy (SCTV, American Pie, Best In Show), and Andrea Martin worked together in the legendary Toronto production of Godspell before later joining SCTV (taped in Global TV's studios) as performers and writers, winning multiple Tony and Emmy Awards, and cementing their legacies within the canon of television and film comedy.

Chuck Pastry, played by Martin Short, is the head of Big Pastry, a huge corporation that makes everybody's favourite baked goods. But Ceil knows him better as her former lover and the baker from their hippie commune in the '70s. Now Chuck Pastry is embroiled in a lawsuit with Jenna's client over ownership of the delectable Double Muffin Tops recipe.

Eugene Levy plays Arthur Horowitz, a family-oriented, well-connected and much-loved lawyer who is also a neighbour of the Engels. He values family, honesty, hard work - and the forbidden beauty of Ceil Engel - above all else. He is about to retire and hopes to pass on some of his lucrative clients to the very green but keen Jenna Engel.

Irene Horowitz, played by Sarah Levy, is the only child of prominent lawyer Arthur Horowitz. She may seem like a good Jewish girl, but underneath is a wild, bad girl in training - seeking experience, danger, and the arms of her hot neighbour, Jimmy Engel.

Scott Thompson plays Harry Le Maire, a clothing line owner and Jenna's posh new client. Harry turns out to be a total jerk, but Jenna must try to impress him in order to keep his much needed business.

Working the Engels is produced by Halfire-CORE Entertainment with Katie Ford, Jane Ford, Howard Busgang, Tom Nursall, and Noreen Halpern serving as Executive Producers.

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Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.3 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network's primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC's quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC's roster of popular scripted series includes the critically acclaimed "Parks and Recreation" and "Community," as well as new comedies "The Michael J. Fox Show," "Sean Saves the World" and "About a Boy." NBC's drama slate is highlighted by the buzzworthy new series "The Blacklist" and "Crisis," veteran series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Parenthood" and "Grimm," and the acclaimed recent additions "Chicago Fire" and "Revolution." Unscripted series for NBC include the vocal competition hit and 2013 Emmy winner "The Voice," "The Biggest Loser" and the perennial #1 most-watched summer series, "America's Got Talent." In late-night, NBC regularly delivers #1 broadcast results with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Call with Carson Daly" and "Saturday Night Live." NBC Daytime's "Days of our Lives" consistently ranks among daytime's top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. The five-time, Emmy Award-winning NBC.com streams full episodes and provides original content for NBC entertainment shows online and through apps for mobile and tablet devices. NBC recently launched NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning programming block designed specifically to address the developmental needs of preschool-aged children. Programmed by the kids' experts at Sprout, the nation's first 24-hour preschool television channel, this new three-hour block will feature educational series that promote active, healthy lifestyles for younger children.

About Halfire-CORE Entertainment
Halfire-CORE Entertainment is a joint venture between Noreen Halpern's Halfire Entertainment and CORE Media Group, headed by Marc Graboff, to co-finance new scripted programming for the Canadian, U.S., and international marketplaces.  By investing in content and partnerships, Halfire-CORE Entertainment is developing and producing exceptionally creative and commercial programming and employing non-traditional financing resulting in straight-to-series orders.  The company has a robust development slate including Billy The Kid - a 10-hour limited series for Fox and a three-for-one deal at NBC. Kevin Smith's Spoilers airs on Comedy, and Working The Engels, a half-hour single-camera comedy, is in production for Shaw Media and NBC.  Prior to Halfire, Halpern oversaw all scripted programming for eOne, where she launched series including Rookie Blue (ABC, Global) and Hell On Wheels (AMC) among many others.  Halfire-CORE Entertainment has offices in Toronto and Los Angeles.

SOURCE: Global Television

For media inquiries, please contact:

Allison Barber
Unit Publicist (for Engels 1 Productions)
416-801-6963
[email protected]

Gabrielle Free
Free Publicity (for Halfire-CORE Entertainment)
416-220-0201
[email protected]

Katia Houde
Publicist, Global Television
416-934-7053
[email protected]

Ashley Applebaum
Senior Publicist, Global Television
416-934-8481
[email protected]