Tag Archives: punched up

Wednesdays – Crack Team of Sketch Comedians ‘Punch Up’ Lives of Ordinary Canadia

Toronto, Ontario – Could your average, predictable, everyday life truly be a lot funnier? What if a team of comedy professionals could step up to the plate and ‘punch up’ the lives of ordinary Canadians? Punched Up is a new hybrid comedy series that blurs the lines between what’s real and what’s funny.

Part improvised sitcom, part makeover spoof and part reality TV satire, this new 13-part, half-hour series features a team of seven comedy writers-turned-makeover-artists who ‘punch up’ lives with a healthy dose of comic relief. Punched Up premieres Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, beginning November 15, exclusively on The Comedy Network.

Punched Up stars five 2006 Canadian Comedy Award-winners and two nominees including Second City vets Lauren Ash, Matt Baram, John Catucci, Scott Montgomery, Naomi Snieckus and members of Toronto’s cult hit comedy troupe, The Sketchersons, Shannon Beckner and Pat Thornton. The laugh-packed series also features celebrity guest stars John Avery (Toronto Argos), Lisa Benton (Naked News), Mark Holmes (former Platinum Blonde rock star), Jeff Hutcheson (Canada AM), Michael Landsberg (Off The Record), Tanya Kim and Ben Mulroney (eTalk), professional wrestlers Rowdy Roddy Piper and WWE champ Edge, among others.

In each of the unscripted episodes, a revolving team of four comedy writers enters a regular Joe’s world, following them at home, work and play, to observe, probe, comment on and coach them through their daily lives. Their missions range from bolstering the confidence of a beleaguered intern to assisting a 20-year-old with his garage-based internet talk show, to helping a dreamer realize aspirations of becoming a professional wrestler.

In Episode 1 Naked News weather girl Lisa Benton is blonde and beautiful but her interview skills need a little polishing. The team, led by Pat Thornton and Matt Baram are only too eager to help and Canada AM Anchor Jeff Hutcheson pitches in with an interview workshop. In Episode 2, Toronto Argo Running Back John Avery is looking to lay the groundwork for a post-football career by developing a sitcom about his life but encounters difficulty breaking into the television industry. The team, led by Scott Montgomery, attempts to take Avery to another level with disastrous results.