Made-in-Manitoba sitcom ‘Acting Good’ filming fifth season

CTV's Daniel Halmarson goes behind-the-scenes of the made-in-Manitoba sitcom, 'Acting Good,' which is wrapping up the filming on its fifth season.

Filming is wrapping up on season five of the CTV Comedy Channel series ‘Acting Good’ and co-creator/actor Paul Rabliauskas can’t wait for fans to tune in.

“I think this is, by far, our craziest, funniest season,” Rabliauskas told CTV News Winnipeg on set at Bird’s Hill Park.

The Indigenous sitcom is set in the fictional fly-in reserve of Grouse Lake, which was inspired by Rabliauskas’ home community of Poplar River First Nation in Northern Manitoba.

“This is a cartoon world and this place is crazy,” Rabliauskas said of Grouse Lake. “But Poplar River is very crazy too in the best way possible. Everything that’s sort of the human aspect and real on the show comes from Poplar River and it comes from real people.”

Those people and their stories have formed the foundation of the show, which was recognized by the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards with a nomination for ‘Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Series.’

“It’s about a guy who goes home with his tail between his legs, and he’s just always trying to win over his family but keeps making a mistake because he’s a manchild,” Rabliauskas explained.

The show focuses on family dynamics and other relationships in the community with a blend of sharp-witted humour and down-to-earth sincerity.

Executive producer Phyllis Laing says ‘Acting Good’ has carved out an identity in the sitcom world.

“We have the ability to have Indigenous storytelling that is comedy. That’s pretty unique,” Laing told CTV News. “We’ve had the enjoyment of watching this team of actors and crew evolve this story.”

Rabliauskas said the fifth season builds on those relationships and sheds light on what life is like in remote communities like Poplar River, where the actor still lives when he’s not filming.

“Ninety per cent of stories that come out of the north are negative – it’s forest fires and crime,” Rabliauskas said. “I hope that people watch the show and change their minds on how they feel, how the Rez is portrayed, because I tell everybody that it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”

The series is also breaking down barriers for Indigenous talent like actor Cheyenna Sapp, who plays Rabliauskas’ on-again, off-again girlfriend Rose.

“As a young Indigenous girl growing up on the Rez, I didn’t see a whole lot of myself and people like me represented on screen,” Sapp said. “If I can be that person for, you know, who I was when I was small, then that’s a great big deal.”

Season five of ‘Acting Good’ will premiere on CTV Comedy Channel later this year.

The first four seasons are streaming now on Crave.