Sherry McKay Leads Crave Comedy ‘Winnipeg Famous,’ Now Filming

Sherry McKay is starring in Winnipeg Famous, an eight-episode Crave comedy filming in Winnipeg through mid-November. McKay, Jennifer Podemski and Amber-Sekowan Daniels created the series, previously titled I Can’t Save You.

McKay plays Sherry Beaver, a fictionalized character inspired by her life: an Indigenous single mother in Winnipeg’s North End who has lost her apartment, has little money and cannot count on her family’s cooperation. Bureaucratic problems add to her difficulties. When she finds stand-up comedy, those experiences become material for her act. Family conflict and community politics are part of the dark comedy’s premise.

Podemski plays Sherry’s eccentric, sex-positive mother. Callan Potter plays another comedian; Meegwun Fairbrother and Cody Lightning also star, alongside local actors and comedians.

McKay is an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, speaker and social media creator from Treaty 1 Territory, born and raised in Winnipeg. Her comedy extends from TikTok videos to live shows: her National Screen Institute biography describes short-form work about Indigenous humour, awareness and stereotypes, and identifies TikTok as central to her media career.

She has also advised the National Screen Institute and TikTok Canada’s Accelerator for Indigenous Creators, helping other Indigenous creators develop their online work. Her own website says she has performed in more than 100 First Nations communities and completed two tours with the Deadly Aunties. The duo, with Stephanie Pangowish, performs stand-up and offers workshops, community sessions and event hosting. McKay’s earlier screen work includes Little Bird.

Podemski and Daniels are the showrunners. Daniels, an Anishininew screenwriter and a member of Garden Hill First Nation, was also raised in Winnipeg. She created and showran Don’t Even, the Crave/APTN coming-of-age comedy about two Indigenous friends in late-1990s Winnipeg, and co-created and co-showran the first season of Acting Good. Her own stand-up has appeared at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Oddblock and on CBC’s The Debaters.

Podemski, who is Anishinaabe and Ashkenazi, founded Redcloud Studios in 2005. The Indigenous-owned independent production company is based in Rama First Nation, Ontario, and works across drama, documentary, factual television and live broadcasts. Its projects include The Other Side, Empire of Dirt and Future History. Podemski received a Canadian Screen Award for directing Future History in 2020; her acting work also includes Dance Me Outside, Degrassi and Blackstone.

Redcloud is producing Winnipeg Famous with Frantic Films. Based in Winnipeg and Toronto, Frantic works in scripted and factual television, comedy, documentary and film. Its productions include Still Standing, Baroness Von Sketch Show, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Todd & the Book of Pure Evil. Frantic also worked on Don’t Even, alongside Pier 21 Films and Sekowan Media.

Crave is Bell Media’s Canadian bilingual television and streaming service. Its original programming includes Shoresy, Canada’s Drag Race and The Traitors Canada, alongside licensed Canadian and international programming. Winnipeg Famous is being produced in association with the service.

Tim Fontaine, Meg MacKay, Podemski and Daniels write the series. Zoe Hopkins, Lightning and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers direct. Filming began Oct. 13; Crave’s Oct. 29 announcement gives no premiere date.