EXCLUSIVE: Popularity is everything at middle school.
At least, that’s what Corus Entertainment’s live-action kids comedy Popularity Papers suggests in this exclusive first-look clip ahead of its launch in Canada on YTV on April 10 at 6pm ET/PT and on streamer StackTV.
The Canadian series is based on the book series by Amy Ignatow and comes from Corus-owned Aircraft Pictures and Wexworks Media and is produced in association with BBC Studios Kids & Family. It follows best friends Julie (Glee Dango) and Lydia (Mia Bella) as they set out to crack the code on how to become popular at middle school by conducting a series of social experiments.
In the clip, we see both girls waking and going through their morning routines, with the starry-eyed Lydia soon arguing with her sister as she requests her mom takes a picture of her as she begins middle school and the more pragmatic Julie begging her parents not to do the same. They then meet and hug outside the school, with Lydia determined they shake off their past and reinvent themselves as popular, as Julie suggests they don’t bother.
The series also stars Callum Shoniker, Seth Murchison, Lyla Elliott, Keegan Hedley, Chris River, Pierre Drivas and Dave Barclay.
For Corus, the series marks the first since it acquired The Breadwinner producer Aircraft, which Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen founded in 2005. Leo and Rosen executive produce alongside Matthew Wexler and Amelia Johnson and Henrietta Hurford-Jones from series distributor BBC Studios. Vivian Lin, who co-created the series with Amanda Brooke Perrin, is showrunner and exec producer.
“The Popularity Papers book franchise has captured the hearts of many around the world through relatable middle school woes and hilarious circumstances, and we’re excited to deliver the same sentimentality through the live action series here in Canada,” said Colin Bohm, EVP of Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment.
“As our first production with Aircraft Pictures since our partnership was announced last year, we know this highly anticipated series will be a hit with audiences worldwide as we continue to expand our global content offering.”
