It’s Monster Mash Time For Canadians Jana Morrison and Samantha Aucoin in ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Two obvious lessons leap out when watching the debut episode of ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD, which airs Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 10 p.m. ET on CTV Sci-Fi Channel. First, everyone should endeavor to be happy with themselves, and never allow others to have the power to negatively impact self-worth. The second lesson should be obvious to horror aficionados, but here it is: perhaps it’s not a wonderful plan to go out into the woods, start a bonfire, and start dancing and chanting things, even if it’s supposedly just for fun. Bad stuff can happen, okay? “It just doesn’t seem like the best idea,” agreed chuckling Winnipeg native and current Victoria resident Jana Morrison, who plays Astrid. “But sometimes when you’re a teenager, you don’t have the best ideas, and you just go with them anyway.” Samantha Aucoin, who is from Beeton, Ont. (north of Toronto) and plays Lilly, added, “it’s definitely a warning. Don’t go out there with a full moon, and wish the worst things upon your enemies, stuff like that. I think maybe that whole special ritual was very much like, wrong place, wrong time, wrong everything.” But of course, that’s what sets up all the fun for viewers of ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD, a comedy-horror hybrid series that follows two outcast high school buddies who inadvertently open up a portal to another dimension. And even worse for Astrid and Lilly, since they’re the ones who opened up the portal, they’re the only ones who can close it, hopefully before all the freed monsters destroy humankind. The show’s setup wouldn’t work if the friendship between Astrid and Lilly didn’t seem genuine, and both Morrison and Aucoin say they bonded instantly as two young actresses working on their first big TV show. In fact, they’ve been essentially inseparable since they met in-person for the first time on-set in Newfoundland, following their online Zoom audition. Morrison had been working primarily in theatre, but when the pandemic basically shut down that industry and she lost all her jobs, she knew she had to pivot, and she started auditioning for more TV and movie roles. Aucoin, meanwhile, admitted that she is looking forward to Wednesday’s debut for many reasons, including a very personal one. “I have never seen my face on a TV screen before,” she said. “So it’ll be very interesting. I think I might close my eyes a little bit during the premiere. It’ll be weird, but I’m really, really excited.” While ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD focuses on two high school students, it works for viewers of almost all ages. Tonally, it’s in the same realm as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, meaning it’s a fun romp on the surface, but also with adult themes, scary scenes, and some important messages to share. “I really love the story of the two girls and their relationship, and I’m just ready for the world to see some positive female energy,” Morrison said. “I just think it’s extremely special for the two of us. We’re excited to represent for the big girls, and I’m excited to represent for my Filipino culture, fighting monsters.” Aucoin added, “I think the show will be a great eye-opener, hopefully, for people who are still in high school, and are going through certain things. Filming scenes where my character is so self-conscious over something, I’d be thinking, ‘wow, that’s something I used to worry about when I was in high school, it used to bother me.’ And now I realize, ‘wow, what an insignificant problem.’ But it wasn’t at the time. It was my whole world at the time. So the show really is about not needing to worry so much about what other people think.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv