{"id":133245,"date":"2017-11-22T03:32:05","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T08:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=133245"},"modified":"2017-11-22T03:32:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T08:32:05","slug":"russell-peters-on-his-less-jokey-new-tv-series-the-indian-detective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/11\/22\/russell-peters-on-his-less-jokey-new-tv-series-the-indian-detective\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new TV series ‘The Indian Detective’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"FILE:<\/a>
FILE: Russell Peters (Photo: The REAL Russell Peters\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: \u201cWhat would the average Joe do in this situation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Loved by audiences around the world as a successful stand-up comedy headliner, \u201cThe Indian Detective\u201d \u2014 which premieres Thursday on CTV \u2014 casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai.<\/p>\n

Think Eddie Murphy’s breakthrough 1984 comedy \u201cBeverly Hills Cop,\u201d he suggests, \u201cwithout a budget or Eddie Murphy.\u201d<\/p>\n

There’s actually plenty of budget and plenty of adventure in \u201cThe Indian Detective.\u201d The four-episode series was shot over two months, mainly in South Africa, but also in Mumbai and Toronto.<\/p>\n

The concept was almost six years in development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had so many people coming in and out of the project,\u201d says Peters, \u201cthat I literally had to ask: ‘Is that person still involved?\u201d’<\/p>\n

Things changed, however, when Frank Spotnitz arrived. The former \u201cX-Files\u201d and \u201cMan in the High Castle\u201d showrunner took charge four years ago. Spotnitz stayed at Russell’s Toronto home until they had an outline both could embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy’s got one of those crazy, creative minds,\u201d says Peters.<\/p>\n

Still, the highly regarded executive producer confessed he simply didn’t know how to write jokes for Peters.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust leave that to me and you be Frank Spotnitz,\u201d said the comedian.<\/p>\n

Born in Toronto, raised in nearby Brampton and of Indian descent, Peters has made an impressive living sending up his own multicultural upbringing. Selling out arenas around the world, he regularly stands near the top of the annual Forbes list of highest-grossing comedians.<\/p>\n

Despite his established comedy cred, Peters says he pushed for his series to be \u201cless jokey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted my character to be a smart-ass and a bit of a screw-up,\u201d he says, but felt it was also important that the character be \u201croot-able. Viewers should feel he’s not as inept as he seems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result, as Spotnitz describes it, is \u201ca drama with a lot of comedy. I think if you’re a Russell Peters fan, you will recognize the sensibility of the show; it really was tailored for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Told he’s a surprisingly good actor, Peters waves off the suggestion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll you’ve got to do is say these words,\u201d says Peters, who insists his biggest acting challenge was the long days and early starts. \u201cThe hardest part of acting is waking up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having appeared in several film and TV projects, including 2011’s sports-comedy \u201cBreakaway\u201d, Peters is now backed by a veteran cast, including Canadian icon William Shatner as a ruthless property developer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a trip, dude,\u201d says Peters of working with the Shat. \u201cWe start to do a scene and he says his line and I was so caught up with watching him I forgot mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters finds it hard to fathom that Shatner is 86 years old. \u201cHe looks like a hard-drinking 62.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top Bollywood actor Anupam Kher (\u201cSilver Linings Playbook\u201d) steals scenes as Peters’s eccentric father. Christina Cole (\u201cSuits\u201d), Mishqah Parthiephal (\u201cSnake Park\u201d) and Hamza Haq (\u201cQuantico\u201d) round out the cast of international players.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Peters threw his Toronto home open to cast, crew, family members, CTV officials and several reporters for a lively, Indian-themed launch party.<\/p>\n

There were few signs a comedian lives there, aside perhaps from the four large figurines of the rock band Kiss in a place of honour on a dining room hutch. A life-size Gene Simmons cardboard likeness stands in the basement next to a \u201cFamily Guy\u201d pinball machine. Both are steps away from a temperature-controlled, walk-in wine room featuring some official Kiss bubbly.<\/p>\n

There are also a few trophies on the shelves in the living room, along with a coveted comedy album signed by Steve Martin, and a key to the city from the ex-mayor of Brampton, where Peters’s proud mother, Maureen, still lives.<\/p>\n

There’s plenty of room left for a Canadian Screen Award or two \u2014 should \u201cThe Indian Detective\u201d track down enough average Joe viewers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: \u201cWhat would the average Joe do in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":96869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,106],"tags":[17374,34580],"class_list":["post-133245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","category-hollywood","tag-russell-peters","tag-the-indian-detective","mauthors-bill-brioux","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}