CBC Gem has your everyday weird: every single day
From singing about broken relationships, to a sexual imagination that just can't be turned off, to imaginary friends and a very-much-not-imaginary raccoon infestation, CBC Gem celebrates the weird of everyday life. Every day.
I SHIP IT
Life's weird. Why not sing about it? Like the scene in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer musical where a man sings in the street about his dry cleaning, the characters in I Ship It weave musical performances into their everyday comings and goings. And they plan to start a band, so, it's also a little like a development-stage Flight of the Conchords as well. Lead character Ella works for a shipping company. The adventure in I Ship It begins when Ella realizes, after a bunch of personal drama, that she wants to start a band. Making the band becomes a metaphor for Ella dealing with her stuff. And the songs tell the story. To quote a song from the show, this story will give you the #feels.
PURE (UK)
Unlike the drug-pushing Mennonites of CBC Gem's other show with the same name, this Pure is all about sex. More specifically, the wild sexual imagination of main character Marnie. Marnie has a LOT going on her head. In Marnie's own words, "It's like The Sixth Sense. But I don't see dead people, I see naked ones." Waiting for the bus? Naked people. Making a toast at her parents' anniversary party? Naked people. Or some detailed touching or grinding variation thereof. All. The. Time. Believe it or not, Marnie isn't such a fan of the constant sexual imagery. So she sets off her rural-ish home in the Scottish border towns for London, the big city, in search of answers to "the fucked-up mystery that is my life." Pure is a pure laugh-out-loud delight to watch.
Stream Pure on CBC Gem - and maybe you'll see naked people too
CRAWFORD
Crawford draws viewers into the very common and commonly-dreaded world of retired-ish suburban parents and their not-always-so-empty empty nests of drama and absurdity. Don is an adult, at least by his appearance and age. Don's father, played by Drew Carey Show alum John Carroll Lynch, is a former police chief who retired after being shot in the head. He talks through an assistive device and spends his days puttering around and making marijuana edibles. Don's mother, played by Jill Hennessy, is some kind of high-power cereal executive. Or something like that. Don needs to move back in with his parents. For some reason, a bunch of raccoons have also moved in with Don's parents. Don discovers he can talk to the raccoons. And those little furry bandits throw what appears to be some fun into the family's dysfunction. Trash panda livin' is weird. The world is the raccoons' proverbial garbage can, but they've chosen to move in with one particular family. Crawford, named for the street where the raccoon/human house sits, was created by Mike Clattenburg, known for a long track record of weird with the various Trailer Park Boys properties. Make sure you lock your trash cans and enjoy the weird of Crawford.
MOONE BOY
Imagine yourself as a kid. Easy. Now imagine that you're a kid with a thirty-something, hipster-ish imaginary friend following you around, providing narration and advice. Perhaps not so easy. But, never fear, CBC Gem has three seasons of Moone Boy, in all its imaginary friend glory, for you to stream. Young main character Martin Moone is growing up in small-town Ireland in the not-so-distant past. Martin has a lot of the problems that any kid might have. But everything Martin has to deal with seems to have some kind of bizarre or extremely unusual twist. Siblings and parents who are kind of weird and annoying? Check. School bullies who wreck your bike? Check. A school bully who steals your lunch money and bets on the horses? Also check. Oh, and Martin does drawings that sometimes seem to come to life. Moone Boy is kind of like The Inbetweeners or Derry Girls, but with the comical misadventures of a single young boy and his imaginary friend instead of a group of teenagers. Moone Boy creator and co-writer Chris O'Dowd stars as the very imaginary, yet ever-present, Sean Murphy, the aforementioned imaginary friend. Moone Boy is weird. And it's wonderful.
TRAVEL MAN: 48 HOURS IN…
Travel Man isn't scripted. But there is comedy. And drama. This is a bonus of sorts for CBC Gem watchers who might like a bit of unscripted, yet structured, reality with their serving of everyday weird. The basic premise of Travel Man: 48 hours in… is fairly simple. Host Richard Ayoade is a man. He travels to different places around the world and spends 48 hours there, doing and seeing things. And there is always a celebrity guest — from Paul Rudd to Lena Dunham — tagging along. See new attractions that will draw you back to cities you've already visited. Or daydream about destinations whose stamps haven't yet made it into your passport. CBC Gem has five seasons of Travel Man ready for streaming. Laugh along and be fascinated by the sights and smart, snarky, narration that often ponders such deep questions as "we're here, but should we have come?"
Stream Travel Man: 48 hours in… on CBC Gem
Happy streaming.