YTV Adds Hilarious New Live Action Series to its Winter Slate

Some Assembly Required premieres on YTV  Monday, January 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT

TORONTO, Nov. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - What kid wouldn't love to be in charge of running a toy company? And what better way to get around the place than a full-scale indoor roller coaster? The sky is the limit for fun and imagination in YTV's Some Assembly Required, a new live action comedy series, which follows an eclectic and mismatched group of kids who operate Knickknack Toys. The series premieres on Monday, January 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT, following Sam & Cat at 6 p.m. ET/PT on YTV.

Fourteen-year-old Jarvis Raines played by YouTube sensation, Kolton Stewart (The Art of War, What's Up Warthogs!) is at the helm as President of Knickknack Toys. If Jarvis is going to succeed in running the toy company, he has to invent some of the most exciting, fun and creative toys in history and have a dynamic team to help him. His first hire is a girl from school Piper Gray, a computer-savvy "gamer dude" played by singer/songwriter Charlie Storwick (winner of YTV's The Next Star, Season 4). Then, he rounds out the team by enlisting: his best friend with dubious talents, Bowie, played by Harrison Houde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid); a charming personal assistant Geneva, played by Sydney Scotia (The Letter); Knox, an extreme sports daredevil played by Dylan Playfair (Mr. Hockey: the Gordie Howe Story), and Aster, fashion-forward "King of Swag" played by Travis Turner (Marley & Me: The Puppy Years). Surrounded by doubters, including the former owner Candace Wheeler (Ellie Harvie, The New Addams Family), Jarvis and his team try to prove to the world that not only can they run the company, they can make it better than ever, restoring honour to the name of the company's founder, P. Everett Knickknack.

In the premiere episode, a Christmas toy gone wrong blows up Jarvis' house. When Candace refuses to remedy the situation, a jury awards Jarvis the company, making him the new owner of Knickknack Toys. Jarvis and team invent their first toy, StrongSuit - a bodysuit for kids that makes them big and strong. They decide to test it out on a group of local schoolchildren, but when the kids refuse to give the StrongSuit back Jarvis must stop them before they destroy the company.

Shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, British Columbia, Some Assembly Required is a YTV original series produced by Thunderbird Films. The series is created by Dan Signer (A.N.T. Farm, Mr. Young) and Howard Nemetz (Mr. Young, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody). To be part of the studio audience viewers can email [email protected] to reserve their seats.

Coinciding with the series launch in January, YTV.com will feature an innovative Some Assembly Required video mash-up tool that allows fans to create their own thematic videos using select clips from actual episodes of the show. Prior to the premiere, fans can play an all-new web game featuring 20 levels of fun and challenging game-play. A free-to-play app version will also be launched in the New Year along with 20 more levels of game-play.

About YTV
Celebrating 25 years in television, YTV is a leading cross platform entertainment brand for kids and families. The channel offers quality entertainment with hilarious animated and live-action comedy series, popular Nickelodeon series, blockbuster movies, top-rated original Canadian programming, music, celebrities and the channel's after-school block, The Zone. Through its multiple platforms and exclusive digital and interactive content, YTV is the voice of Canadian youth culture. YTV is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), Cosmopolitan TV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Visit YTV at YTV.com

About Thunderbird Films
Thunderbird  is an expanded multiplatform media production, distribution and rights management company based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thunderbird is known for its collaboration with talented producers, maximizing the financial and creative benefits of Canadian co-production to assist in the financing, production and distribution of all genres of programming for the world market. The company is committed to delivering premium finished product that has broad appeal for broadcasters and their audiences worldwide. Today, Thunderbird has a catalogue comprised of more than 500 hours of Canadian and US television content and its programming airs on major networks around the globe.www.thunderbird.tv.

All YTV times are ET/PT.

SOURCE: Corus Entertainment Inc.

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For more information, please contact:

Kate Calder                                                                                                                                                                         
Corus Entertainment                                                                             
416.479.6319                                                                                          
[email protected]

Netta Rondinelli                                                                                            
Corus Entertainment                                                                             
416.479.6443                                                                                         
[email protected]