N.S. comedy series makes history as first Black family sitcom in Atlantic Canada

New Nova Scotia comedy show “0 to 60 Driving Academy” is recognized as the first-ever Black family sitcom to come from Atlantic Canada.

A brand-new comedy series filmed entirely in Nova Scotia is set to premiere this month — and it’s already making history.

“0-60 Driving Academy” is being recognized as the first-ever Black family sitcom to come out of Atlantic Canada. It is inspired by the real-life experiences of Dartmouth’s Steve Lawrence – a driving instructor and musician who also co-created and stars in the show.

“We didn’t set out to make history,” said Lawrence in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. “We just wanted to make something fun.”

Alexandra MacLean, a Halifax stunt performer and actor, plays Lawrence’s daughter in the show in her first lead-role. She also co-created and co-wrote the series.

“We didn’t really think about it while we were making it,” MacLean said. “But once we wrapped, we realized this had never been done before. It’s a really big deal.”

The series follows a fictionalized version of Lawrence, who’s trying to convince his daughter to take over the family’s driving school so he can retire and play music. But things get complicated when neither his daughter nor his son wants the job.

Much of the storyline is pulled from Lawrence’s real-world driving school, JMS Driving Academy, and features outrageous moments based on actual lessons with new drivers.

“People have gotten in the car and done some strange things,” Lawrence said. “Someone from England once got in on the wrong side and looked at me like I was crazy.”

The creators say the project is as much about celebrating East Coast culture as it was about storytelling.

“We threw in all kinds of little Scotian things,” said MacLean. “People in the show say the number ‘seven’ a certain way. We’ve got donair egg rolls, stuff like that.”

The series – which is produced by Torrential Pictures’ Jonathan Torrens (Trailer Park Boys) and Club Red Productions’ Jenna MacMillan (Who’s Your Father?) – showcases local talent both in front of and behind the camera.

“We just wanted it to feel real and unapologetically Black Scotian,” said MacLean. “People will see themselves in this show.”

“0-60 Driving Academy” will be available on Bell Fibe TV1 starting May 22.