It’s Time to Pump Up The ‘Bass’ For Season 2 of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, With Aaron Abrams’ Character Dreaming of Open Windows

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede   There’s a hilarious observation early in Season 2 of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING that sums up what James, played by Aaron Abrams, is going through. James has become fixated on the possibility of moving from the city to somewhere in the suburbs. He’s listing the potential benefits to his wary wife Astrid, played by Meaghan Rath: “more space … less mortgage … we could open up a window without hearing a bass line … ” That’s really funny, for both general and specific reasons. And all those reasons will be explored fully in Season 2 of CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, which debuts Monday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Of course, generally speaking, James is pining for the suburbs as a miracle cure-all, when maybe all he really needs is a good night’s sleep. But three little kids make that a rare luxury. So are the suburbs really the answer? “Well, that’s a very direct question,” Abrams said with a laugh. “It depends on the family, it depends on the specifics. But it’s certainly something that this family weighs throughout the whole season, much like whether or not to have a third child was the big question in the first season. Yes, escaping to the suburbs would mean a bigger house and more quiet, but they would also be farther away from their jobs, their friends, and their extended family.” But maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing? “For sure – certainly with some of these extended family members, James wouldn’t mind some space from them,” Abrams agreed. More specifically, the “bass line” quip really speaks to Abrams comedically on a personal level. “Yeah, that’s very Toronto,” he said admiringly. “That’s the thing I love about the show, is how Toronto-specific it is. These are neighbourhoods I grew up in, and you can sort of feel the city very much in the show. It’s not like a lot of shows in the past that were set in ‘any town USA’ or ‘any town Canada.’ Sometimes if you try to make something that’s so general, and that tries to appeal to everyone, it will kind of appeal to no one. These days, the more specific you make something, it relates better to more and more people. This is very much Toronto, and it really adds a character to the show that I’m happy is getting more of a spotlight this season.” Another way that CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING stands out, according to Abrams, is that EMMY^®-winning creator/executive producer Kurt Smeaton (SCHITT’S CREEK) and his team have made sure that James and Astrid aren’t a stereotypical sitcom couple, with a clueless husband and a mean wife sniping at each other. James and Astrid are (usually) in it together, leaving most of the comedic battle lines to be drawn elsewhere. “It’s a very love-forward show, which I really like, similar to TED LASSO or SCHITT’S CREEK, where it’s very warming – but because of that, we can sort of delve into different kinds of conflicts a little bit more,” Abrams explained. “It’s James and Astrid versus the kids, if anything. And hey, they love their kids. But also, James and Astrid are often at odds with their extended family and friends, or even society as a whole.” Cases in point: when James has to drag his kids to his fantasy baseball draft, much to the chagrin of the other adults taking part. Or when Astrid is simply trying to make herself available for something as simple as having a drink with her co-workers, but she just can’t seem to pull it off, due to her ever-changing kid responsibilities. “You understand James and Astrid’s points of view in those situations, but you also understand the points of view of their friends and their co-workers,” Abrams said. “What makes those dynamics funny is that it’s relatable on both sides. This isn’t a show just for people with children. It’s a show about the struggles of raising children, which is, I think, relatable to anybody, even if you don’t have them.”   billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv