Crave Delivers Homegrown Canadian Comedy with Seven New Original Stand-Up Specials

TORONTO (March 23, 2022) – Crave’s roster of original stand-up specials expands this spring with the premiere of seven new comedy specials! Crave’s largest order of stand-up comedy specials to date is kicking off Friday, April 15 with a one-hour special from the co-creator and star of CTV Comedy Channel’s upcoming comedy series ACTING GOOD, Paul Rabliauskas. Filmed in front of a live audience during the 2021 Just For Laughs Festival in Montréal, a new special premieres every month on Crave, including: CHRIS LOCKE:CAPTAIN BONES; CHRIS ROBINSON: PANNING FOR GOLD; DAVE MERHEJE: I LOVE YOU HABIBI; KYLE BROWNRIGG: INTRODUCING LYLE; SOPHIE BUDDLE: SMILE, BABY; and THE DEANNE SMITH EXPERIENCE. With the addition of the seven titles announced today, Crave has produced 17 original stand-up specials with Just For Laughs since 2017. Featured comics have included Mark Forward, Graham Chittenden, Debra DiGiovanni, Aisha Brown, Graham Kay, The El-Salomons, Tom Henry, and more.  All specials are available for streaming in the Crave Originals Collection. Crave’s ongoing partnership with Just For Laughs also includes the Just For Laughs Collection. With more than 60 titles, the collection features some of the best comics to have walked the JFL stage, and includes titles such as Michael Che @ JFL, BO BURNHAM & FRIENDS, HOWIE MANDEL’S 5^TH ANNUAL ALL-STAR COMEDY GALA, and more. Loglines for Crave’s newest stand-up specials are available below. Program assets including images are available for media download on The Lede. PAUL RABLIAUSKAS: UNCLE (Premiering April 15) Poplar River First Nation comedian Paul Rabliauskas brings his observational humour to Montréal where he talks everything from white people and land acknowledgements, to being single during the pandemic in this uproariously funny half-hour comedy special. CHRIS LOCKE: CAPTAIN BONES Chris Locke brings his personal brand of offbeat humour to the stages of Montréal for one night of laugh-out-loud comedy. From chip flavours and sausage rolls, to kids’ brains and vasectomies, nothing is off the table in this new half-hour stand-up special. CHRIS ROBINSON: PANNING FOR GOLD From puppies and four-year olds, to porn ads and fishnets, nothing, and no-one, is off-limits for Chris Robinson in this hilarious new, half-hour stand-up comedy special. DAVE MERHEJE: I LOVE YOU HABIBI Dave Merheje talks family, therapy, and his Dad’s porn watching habits, in this new one-hour comedy special. KYLE BROWNRIGG: INTRODUCING LYLE Kyle Brownrigg takes the stage in this hilarious half-hour stand-up special where he laments gender reveal parties, talks about his Irish boyfriend, and introduces the world to his drunk persona, Lyle. SOPHIE BUDDLE: SMILE, BABY Nothing is off limits for Sophie Buddle in this sidesplittingly funny half-hour comedy special. From sexual fantasies and vibrators, to edibles and nanny fever, Sophie Buddle skewers stereotypes in this stand-up special that can’t be missed. THE DEANNE SMITH EXPERIENCE With five exes in the audience, DeAnne Smith talks dating, break-ups, 4000 unread emails, and confronts their relationship history head-on in this hilarious new half-hour stand-up special. All seven new Crave Original stand-up specials are produced by Just For Laughs Television, in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Bruce Hills is Executive Producer and President, Just For Laughs. Anton Leo is Supervising Producer, with consulting producer Zoe Rabnett. The specials are directed by Mathieu Baer.  For Bell Media, Chris Kelley is Production Executive; Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development; Sarah Fowlie is Director, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming. Justin Stockman is Vice-President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. Karine Moses is Senior Vice-President, Content Development & News, Bell Media.