Jann is a Canadian comedy television series that premiered on CTV on March 20, 2019. It stars Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden as a fictionalized version of herself and is loosely based on events from her life.[1][2] The cast also includes Zoie Palmer, Patrick Gilmore, Deborah Grover, Elena Juatco, Alexa Rose Steele, and Jason Blicker.[3]

Jann
GenreComedy
Created by
Starring
ComposerRussell Broom
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes22 (+1 special)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerBrian Dennis
Production locationsCalgary, Alberta
EditorAren Hansen
Running time20–22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseMarch 20, 2019 (2019-03-20) –
November 15, 2021 (2021-11-15)

On June 9, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season,[4] which premiered on September 21, 2020.[5] On June 10, 2020, it was renewed for a third season,[6] which premiered on September 27, 2021.[7] A one-hour holiday special, titled Jann: Alone for the Holidays, premiered on December 9, 2022. In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Arden said that while series is not cancelled, it has not been greenlit for a fourth season but is optimistic that it will happen.[8]

Plot

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Jann is a former pop star struggling to cope with turmoil in her personal life, including the breakup of her relationship with Cynthia, her longtime girlfriend,[2] her mother's diagnosis of early-stage dementia,[9] and trying to rebuild her career in the hope of finally outshining her archrival Sarah McLachlan.[10]

Cast and characters

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Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
16March 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)April 24, 2019 (2019-04-24)
28September 21, 2020 (2020-09-21)November 9, 2020 (2020-11-09)
38September 27, 2021 (2021-09-27)November 15, 2021 (2021-11-15)
SpecialDecember 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)

Season 1 (2019)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateCanadian viewers
(millions)
11"The Big House"Ron MurphyStory by : Jann Arden and Jennica Harper
Teleplay by : Jennica Harper
March 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)1.01[11]
22"Go With the Flowga"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier and Jennica HarperMarch 27, 2019 (2019-03-27)N/A
33"Weeknd at Charley's"Ron MurphyMike McPhadenApril 3, 2019 (2019-04-03)N/A
44"Major Party Foul"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier and Nelu HandaApril 10, 2019 (2019-04-10)N/A
55"You've Been Soft Served"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier and Jennica HarperApril 17, 2019 (2019-04-17)1.14[12]
66"WWJD (What Will Jann Do?)"Ron MurphyStory by : Jennica Harper
Teleplay by : Jason Filiatrault and Jennica Harper
April 24, 2019 (2019-04-24)N/A

Season 2 (2020)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateCanadian viewers
71"What Did Jann Do?"[13]Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperSeptember 21, 2020 (2020-09-21)[13]736,000[14]
82"Last Straws"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperSeptember 28, 2020 (2020-09-28)N/A
93"Tomato, Tomato"Ron MurphyMike McPhadenOctober 5, 2020 (2020-10-05)N/A
104"The Go Girls Go"Ron MurphySophie Caird & Leah GauthierOctober 12, 2020 (2020-10-12)N/A
115"Drop the Single"Ron MurphyNelu HandaOctober 19, 2020 (2020-10-19)N/A
126"Covered in Balls"Ron MurphyJennica Harper & Mike McPhadenOctober 26, 2020 (2020-10-26)N/A
137"Road Trippin'"Ron MurphyLeah GauthierNovember 2, 2020 (2020-11-02)N/A
148"The Tunies"Ron MurphyJennica HarperNovember 9, 2020 (2020-11-09)N/A

Season 3 (2021)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateCanadian viewers
151"Help Wanted"[7]Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperSeptember 27, 2021 (2021-09-27)[7]N/A
162"Lost and Found"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperOctober 4, 2021 (2021-10-04)N/A
173"Marty Crashers"Ron MurphyMike McPhadenOctober 11, 2021 (2021-10-11)N/A
184"Pancaking"Ron MurphyNelu HandaOctober 18, 2021 (2021-10-18)N/A
195"Hall Pass or Fail"[15]Ron MurphySophie Caird & Mike McPhadenOctober 25, 2021 (2021-10-25)N/A
206"The Money Train"[16]Ron MurphyJennica Harper & JP LarocqueNovember 1, 2021 (2021-11-01)N/A
217"Whofundit"Ron MurphyLeah GauthierNovember 8, 2021 (2021-11-08)N/A
228"No Drama"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperNovember 15, 2021 (2021-11-15)N/A

Special

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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
"Jann: Alone for the Holidays"Ron MurphyLeah Gauthier & Jennica HarperDecember 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)

Production

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Production on six half-hour episodes for Season 1 began in Calgary[17] on September 11, 2018.[18] Production on Season 2, consisting of eight episodes, began on October 1, 2019,[19][20] and wrapped in early November 2019.[21] Production on Season 3, consisting of eight episodes, began on February 25, 2021.[22]

Sarah McLachlan appears as herself in a guest role in the second season.[19] Jann has clarified in interviews that she and Sarah get along well in real life, and their fictionalized rivalry in the television series draws as much from Sarah's own ideas as Jann's.[23]

Other guests in the second season include Keshia Chanté as Nia Taylor, an up-and-coming new singer signed by Todd after he drops Jann as a client; Elisha Cuthbert as Liz, a school board trustee; and Miguel Rivas as Nigel, a megafan of Jann's.

Guests in the third season include Michael Bublé as himself, Tegan and Sara, and Bif Naked.[22][7]

Guests in the holiday special included Bryan Adams and Michael Bublé as themselves.[8]

Release

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Jann premiered on March 20, 2019,[24][25] with its first season becoming the "most-watched" Canadian television series and comedy of the year.[26]

In October 2020, Hulu acquired American distribution rights to the series. They released the first two seasons in January 2021.[27] In January 2023, the series left Hulu and is now on The Roku Channel in the US, with them acquiring the first two seasons of the series and released the third one at its launch on the platform on January 17, 2023.

Accolades

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The series has been nominated for awards such as the Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Leo Awards and Writers Guild of Canada.

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2020 Canadian Screen Awards Best Comedy Series Jann Nominated [28][29]
Best Lead Actress Jann Arden Nominated
Best Guest Performance Rick Mercer Nominated
2021 Elisha Cuthbert Nominated [30][31][32]
Best Photography in a Comedy Series Brett Van Dyke for "The Tunies" Nominated
Best Writing, Comedy Series Jennica Harper for "The Tunies" Nominated
Leah Gauthier and Jennica Harper for "What Did Jann Do" Nominated
2022 Best Comedy Series Jann Nominated [33]
Best Lead Actress Jann Arden Nominated
Best Writing, Comedy Series Leah Gauthier and Jennica Harper for "No Drama" Nominated
Best Achievement in Casting, Fiction Lisa Parasyn and Rhonda Fisekci Nominated
Best Guest Performance, Comedy Michael Bublé for "No Drama" Won
2024 Variety or Entertainment Special Jann: Alone for the Holidays Nominated [34]
Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series Leah Gauthier and Jennica Harper for Jann: Alone for the Holidays Nominated
2021 Writers Guild of Canada Best TV Comedy Jann Arden and Jennica Harper Won [35][36]

References

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  1. ^ Wong, Tony (March 15, 2019). "Jann Arden's narcissistic alter ego shines in CTV's Jann". Toronto Star. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b Volmers, Eric (March 14, 2019). "Typecast? Calgary singer Jann Arden plays a strange version of herself in new CTV sitcom". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Brioux, Bill (October 7, 2018). "Set Visit: Jann Arden's upcoming CTV series "Jann"". Brioux.TV. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  4. ^ Harris, Bill (June 9, 2019). "Big Stories, Big Successes, Big Plans: Stars Shine Bright at 2019 #CTVUpfront" (Press release). The Lede and Bell Media. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Dowling, Amber (September 3, 2020). "'Jann' season two is coming this fall with a bunch of celebrity friends along for the ride". The Loop. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Bell Media's Returning English and French-Language Original Programming Series Synopses for 2021/22" (Press release). The Lede and Bell Media. June 10, 2021. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "With JANN Taking Charge of Her Own Life and Career in Season 3, What Could Go Wrong? Well ..." The Lede. Bell Media. September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Volmers, Eric (December 10, 2022). "Jann Arden faces the holidays alone in star-studded Christmas special based on sitcom". Calgary Herald. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Friend, David (March 20, 2019). "'I've never felt more empowered': Jann Arden on her TV show, relationships and the future". CTV News.
  10. ^ Wilson, A.R. (March 25, 2019). "Jann: co-creator Leah Gauthier and showrunner Jennica Harper on developing the series and Jann Arden's star power". TV, eh?.
  11. ^ "March 18, 2019 - March 24, 2019 (National)" (PDF). Numeris. April 1, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "April 15, 2019 - April 21, 2019 (National)" (PDF). Numeris. April 29, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  13. ^ a b David, Greg (September 3, 2020). "SEASON 2 OF CTV ORIGINAL COMEDY JANN PREMIERES MONDAY, SEPT. 21". TV, Eh?. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "September 21-September 27, 2020 (National)" (PDF). Numeris. October 5, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  15. ^ 305 "Hall Pass or Fail" - Gracenote
  16. ^ 306 "The Money Train" - Gracenote
  17. ^ Volmers, Eric (October 11, 2018). "Why Jann Arden insisted Calgary play major role in her new comedy series". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  18. ^ David, Greg (September 11, 2018). "CTV's new original comedy Jann begins production". TV, eh?. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  19. ^ a b Liszewski, Bridget (October 1, 2019). "Jann: Season 2 Production Underway". The TV Junkies. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Production Underway on Season 2 of CTV's Hit Comedy JANN". The Lede. Bell Media. October 1, 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  21. ^ Volmers, Eric (November 8, 2019). "Jann Arden and ensemble cast wrap Season 2 of Calgary-based CTV comedy". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Season 3 of CTV's Hit Original Comedy JANN Begins Production". The Lede. Bell Media. February 25, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  23. ^ A. R. Wilson, "Jann Arden’s clueless alter ego is back in town for Jann’s second season". TV, eh?, September 18, 2020.
  24. ^ Liszewski, Bridget (February 4, 2019). "CTV sets premiere date for new comedy series Jann". The TV Junkies. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  25. ^ "CTV's New Original Comedy JANN Gets Extensive Digital Premiere Ahead of March 20 Broadcast". The Lede. Bell Media. March 4, 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  26. ^ "CTV's JANN is the #1 New Canadian Series of the Year". The Lede. Bell Media. April 23, 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Hulu secures U.S. rights Jann Arden’s semi-autobiographical sitcom". Toronto Star, October 21, 2020.
  28. ^ "2020 Canadian Screen Awards: List of TV, movie nominees in the major categories | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  29. ^ Wilner, Norman (2020-02-18). "Canadian Screen Awards 2020: Prepare for a Schitt's show". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  30. ^ Canada, HELLO!. "2021 Canadian Screen Awards: 'Schitt's Creek' dominates with 21 nominations". ca.hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  31. ^ Wilner, Norman (2021-03-30). "Schitt's Creek dominates the Canadian Screen Awards nominations". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  32. ^ "2021 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees". Academy.ca. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  33. ^ "Bell Media Congratulates TV and Film Production Partners on 175 Nominations for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards" (Press release). The Lede and Bell Media. February 15, 2022. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  34. ^ "2024 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees". Academy.ca. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  35. ^ "WTTV: JANN now on YouTube | Writers Guild of Canada". www.writersguildofcanada.com. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  36. ^ "Jann's comedy series wins 2020 WGC Screenwriting Award". Jann Arden. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
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