CTV announced Monday that the Dave Foley sitcom Spun Out is returning to the air, less than six months after the arrest of one of its cast members on voyeurism charges put the show’s future in doubt.
The January arrest of actor J.P. Manoux (pictured above, far left) seemed like a public relations nightmare worthy of Spun Out’s fictional PR agency, DLPR. The show’s second season premiere was just days away from airing in the coveted post-Super Bowl spot on CTV, where it would benefit from a huge lead-in audience.
At the time, CTV said it was shocked by Manoux’s arrest after two women renting a condo he owned in Toronto’s west end alleged they had found hidden cameras in the apartment.
The network immediately suspended Spun Out across all platforms, including TV and web, and the probability that the second season’s 13 episodes would make it to air seemed unlikely.
In a statement provided to Marketing, CTV parent Bell Media said the network put Spun Out’s season two premiere “on hold” to provide enough time to assess the ongoing legal proceedings with Manoux, a California native whose TV credits include How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs and Community.
“Since that time, while we continue to respect the process, no further information has come to our attention,” the statement said. “As a result and with careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with the broadcast of season two this summer in support of the entire cast and crew, and fans of the show.”
The statement noted that Manoux is part of a large ensemble cast, is not the focus of the series, and has not been found guilty of any crime. “The cast and crew worked tirelessly on Spun Out, and it deserves to be seen as the judicial process makes its way through the courts,” the statement concluded.
Bell Media also said there has been no advertiser reticence about appearing in season two.
The show’s season two premiere features a guest spot from Canadian stand-up Russell Peters, with other guest stars this season set to include Seán Cullen, Jennifer Tilly and stand-up comedian Darrin Rose.
Spun Out will air on CTV at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with encore presentations on CTV Two at 10 p.m. Friday and on The Comedy Network at 8 p.m. Monday. CTV also announced its availability on-demand on CTV.ca and the CTV GO platform, while season one will begin streaming on its CraveTV streaming VOD service Wednesday. CraveTV users will also be able to watch season two episodes one day ahead using its “first look” feature for Canadian series.
Spun Out averaged 645,000 viewers 2+ in its first season, and received four Canadian Screen Awards (CSA) nominations including best comedy series and best performance by an actor in a continuing lead comedic role. It also won a CSA for best performance by an actress in a featured supporting role or guest role in a comedic series category (Lauren Ash).
