The ‘Being Erica’ Spinoff Probably Won’t Take Place in Canada
There was a time in TV history that some people would call “the good ‘ole days.” These are the days before streaming. These were the days when you had to be home in time to catch your favorite shows and were the golden days of daytime soap operas.
One such show was Being Erica, which premiered on February 19, 2009, in Canada. It was loved by many for its Canadian charm and the good news is that there is going to be a new spinoff coming to your TV soon.
‘Being Erica’ is coming down south
According to Yahoo, HBO’s own Allison Williams is going to be the executive producer and star of a loose adaptation of Being Erica. Williams said,
“I was a huge fan of the original series and I jumped at the opportunity to get involved to help give it a new life … I am so fortunate to be working with such an incredible group, and I cannot wait to share our version with the world … The format encourages exploration of memory, hindsight, consciousness, and all aspects of human behavior, which creates such fertile ground. I constantly find myself thinking: ‘If I could go back, what would I do differently?’ I’m really eager to push that familiar thought experiment to its limits.”
Williams’ spinoff will be an American version and it will be filmed on American soil. When the new show was announced in December 2020, there was no network officially attached to it yet. Time will tell how this new adaptation will turn out.
It will be a psychedelic deep-sea dive
While the original Being Erica told the story of Erica, her therapist’s antics, and that she learns along the way, this new loose adaptation will be different. Deadline reports, “The remake tells the story of two women – strangers with seemingly nothing in common – seeking the help of an eccentric therapist who enables them to travel back in time to revisit their biggest regrets. Along the way, they’re shocked to discover their lives are inextricably intertwined.”
Williams has joined forces with Sex and the City writers Elisa Zuritsky and Julie Rottenberg, who will both play the showrunners as well as write the pilot. Naima Ramos-Chapman of Random Act of Flyness will also direct and executive produce. About the upcoming remake, Rottenberg said, “Elisa and I always laugh when we hear someone say, ‘I have no regrets’ because secretly, we love wallowing in ours … And we found fellow regret-enthusiasts in Allison and Naima, so they’re the ideal partners for this psychedelic deep-sea dive.”
‘Being Erica’ was a comfy show loved by many
Who wouldn’t love to change past mistakes if given the opportunity? That is the premise behind the Canadian show, Being Erica. According to IMDb, Being Erica is about Erica Strange and her experiences with her therapist, Dr. Tom. Erica provides a list of pivotal moments in her life that she believes contributed to her sad current state. Dr. Tom then transports Erica back in time to each of these moments so that she can make better decisions equipped with the knowledge and understanding of the current day. Dr. Tom attempts to drive home that it is how Erica learns from her mistakes and how she feels about her decisions is what really matters, and is far more important than the opinions of others.
Being Erica ran for four seasons from 2009 to 2011. It aired on CBC in Canada and SoapNet in the United States. It was filmed in Canada, specifically Toronto. Because of this, you can feel the “Canadianess” coming through and that just added to the charm of this show for many of its viewers. Paste Magazine points out, “The Canadianess of the show also comes through, whether it’s the talk of ‘university’ rather than college, or the way the characters say the word, ‘process.'”
