Jane makes MipTV debut

Following a year of retooling that included funding roadblocks and casting changes, Fireworks International is launching Canada production house Shaftesbury Films' oddball half-hour comedy series The Jane Show at MipTV.

Jane makes MipTV debut Set to premiere on Canadian commercial broadcaster Global Television in the spring, The Jane Show (left, 13x30') is headlined by comic Teresa Pavlinek, who created the show along with Ralph Chapman. Pavlinek stars as the eponymous 30-something wannabe writer who foregoes her dream of becoming a novelist to join the 'normal' nine-to-five world – only to discover it's anything but.

The series sought financial assistance through the Canadian Television Fund in 2005, but was turned down. It has instead been produced with the help of domestic tax credits.

Global developed and aired a pilot in January 2005, and although the show still stars the integral talent of Pavlinek, who partly based the series on her stand-up comedy act, much of the current supporting cast was not in the pilot. New talent stepping up to the plate includes UK actor Darren Boyd (Smack the Pony, Green Wing 2), Patricia Zentilli (Touch & Go) in the best-friend role and Hardee Lineham (Top of the Food Chain) as one of her marginally dysfunctional co-workers.

In addition to production credits for Shaftesbury Films, Shaftesbury Sales holds North American distribution rights, while Fireworks, a division of the UK's Content Film International, has the rest of the world.