There are times when Mark Critch completely forgets he's filming a show about his own childhood on the set of "Son of a Critch."
"I was watching a scene and I actually thought, `Huh, that happened to me once,"' says the 49-year-old actor, who plays his father Mike in the series. "And then I thought, `What the hell am I doing? I wrote this and I know it happened to me once."'
Based on Critch's 2018 memoir, "Son of a Critch" follows a young Mark, played by 15-year-old Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, as he comes of age in St. John's, N.L., during the 1980s. In its first two seasons, the show ranked as the most-watched English-language Canadian comedy series in the country, Numeris figures show.
Season 3, which premieres Tuesday on CBC, finds now 14-year-old Mark entering junior high expecting to be at the top of the food chain at his school, only to be brought down to earth.
Critch says the new season mirrors his own experiences in Grade 9, the last grade of junior high.
"You go in expecting, `OK, we're the oldest kids, so clearly, we run the place,' and then immediately finding out that having the longest sentence in prison doesn't mean you're going to have an easier time in the yard," he says.
"So, immediately everything falls apart. He ends up getting picked on by a fourth grader. They can smell fear, those kids."
Mark encounters even more teen awkwardness in Season 3. His confidence takes a hit when he discovers he needs glasses, and he finds himself in emotional turmoil when he competes in an academic quiz against his crush.
Also returning this season are Malcolm McDowell as Mark's grandfather, Patrick (Pop) Critch, Claire Rankin as his mother, Mary, and Colton Gobbo as his older brother, Mike Jr.
McDowell, known for his iconic turn as Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 feature "A Clockwork Orange," says you can expect "a lot more of the same" from Pop this season.
"I'm too old to develop into something else," jokes the 80-year-old English actor.
McDowell says he wanted to join the show after being captivated by Critch's memoir.
"It's beautifully written," he says. "So that's what attracted me, first off. Instinctively, it just felt terrific. I didn't really question it or think about it too much more than that. I just loved it and that's it. And I remember calling my manager and saying, `Look, just make it work."'
"Son of a Critch" is also airing in the United States on the CW, where it premiered last summer and where Season 3 will begin on Jan. 25.
Critch says he tries not to think about whether the show could enjoy breakout success in the U.S., the way "Schitt's Creek" did after airing on Pop TV before getting picked up by Netflix.
"It would be great," he says. "I mean, it's growing down there and it's slow and steady. 1/8But 3/8 I always find you can't think about these things too much and if you do, you'll overthink it and mess it up, because right away, you 'll think, 'What could you change to make it a little bit more palatable for Americans?' You just have to put it out there and see what happens."
"Son of a Critch" airs Tuesday nights on CBC and will be available to stream on CBC Gem.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2024.
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