Wharf Rats showcases late P.E.I. actor's 'wow' moments, says co-creator

Before Bill McFadden died earlier this month, the creators of Wharf Rats made sure he got to see the finished product of the series in which he played a key part.

In fact, McFadden's face is one of the first viewers see in the first episode, which has finally been released online after years in the making.

"To be able to see him and have him in the show meant a lot," said Wharf Rats co-creator Jason Arsenault. "We made sure he got to see it. He got to watch it and enjoy it."

Wharf Rats began as a sketch entered in a national competition in 2014 called CBC Comedy Coup, where it finished in the top five out of more than 300. 

Since then, the production received funding totalling $400,000 through Telefilm, The Independent Production Fund, The Bell Fund and the P.E.I. Film Media Fund.

Seven-part series

In 2018, shooting for a seven-part series took place in North Rustico. Four episodes, each about 15 minutes long, have been released online at wharfrats.com. Two more episodes will be released Sunday night, and the finale on May 31.

"It feels like a huge weight off your shoulders because it takes a lot of time and work to get something like this out there, so to finally be able to show people what you've been doing and talking about for five years, six years now just feels incredible," Arsenault said.

The story centres around the colourful characters in the fictional fishing village of Split Lip Cove. 

Arsenault said they could have released the series earlier, but wanted it to coincide with the start of P.E.I.'s spring lobster season.

"We liked the idea of using the show that was built in a fishing village about fishing and sort of releasing it as a dedication to the people that were working in that field. So we're glad we waited."

We liked the idea of using the show that was built in a fishing village about fishing and sort of releasing it as a dedication to the people that were working in that field.— Jason Arsenault

Arsenault said they wanted to create some dramatic moments to mix with the comedy. He said McFadden shone in that role.

One scene that sticks out, Arsenault said, was when McFadden's character and Annie Briggs's character have a heart-to-heart about what to do with the future of their struggling fishing businesses.

"It's not a laugh-out-loud moment, it's a straight up dramatic moment. Seeing Bill's performance there is always just a 'wow' for me. He really was an incredible talent."

The series has been selected for a major web festival in South Korea. 

Arsenault said Wharf Rats was "close to our heart" and it probably won't be the last you'll see of them.

"It kind of showed us we could make more projects in this vein, in this world, not necessarily comedy but rooted in P.E.I. culture and locations and we could do that and continue to grow as filmmakers."

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