TORONTO – Trey Richards was driving in Toronto recently when a commercial moving truck pulled up alongside him.

“The driver honked his horn and gave me the peace sign,” says the comedian, who co-created and starred in Crave’s new half-hour comedy “The Office Movers” with his brother Jae.

“We just received real love. It’s like people are saying, “My God, we’re being heard. »

“They celebrate with us. It feels like it’s everyone’s show,” adds Jae Richards.

“The Office Movers,” which premiered earlier this month, follows Jae and Trey as brothers Everett and Eric, who reluctantly step into their father’s shoes by running a chaotic moving company of offices in Toronto. They work with a quirky and diverse team of misfits, including their Cuban half-brother Riccardo, played by Lucas Lopez. Everett’s goal is to build the business, sell it and leave the heavy lifting behind for good.

In an interview ahead of the season’s final two episodes, which aired Thursday, the brothers said they have material for several more seasons, while also expressing some uncertainty about the show’s future given the television landscape difficult.

The series is inspired by the Brampton, Ontario-born brothers’ early days working in their father’s moving company before attracting a following on their YouTube comedy channel Jae & Trey Vlogs.

Some of these real-life actors inspired the characters in the series.

“It’s such irregular, random, free-for-all work,” says Jae Richards.

“It led to some of the most unlikely friendships, but also some of the funniest moments.”

“The Office Movers” frequently features Toronto’s multicultural slang — often with subtitles for comedic effect — and the brothers, who have Jamaican and Colombian roots, say the film depicts a side of the city rarely seen in the screen.

“Who else says “Bismillah” on Crave? It’s so fun for me personally to just watch my people and my slang (on TV). That’s how all my friends in Toronto speak,” says Trey, referring to the Arabic phrase invoked by Muslims and also used in Toronto slang.

“Seeing all these cultures and a bunch of real, authentic identities on screen, it feels good.”

The brothers tease a chaotic finale in the final two episodes, perfectly setting the stage for a second season.

“The way episode six ends was intentionally designed to leave us with an open-ended (plot) that we can move forward into forever now,” Jae Richards said, adding that no decision on whether the series will be renewed ‘was taken again.

“There is so much more to explore.”

But the brothers acknowledge that the harsh realities of the streaming business mean nothing is guaranteed.

In May, Bell Media canceled Crave’s “Bria Mack Gets a Life” after just one season, announced weeks before the Black-led series won best TV comedy at the Canadian Screen Awards. The broadcaster said it pulled the plug because the show “couldn’t find an audience.”

The year before, CBC’s period drama series “The Porter” was not renewed for a second season after winning a record 12 Canadian Screen Awards.

In an op-ed for Refinery29 published earlier this month, “Bria Mack” creator Sasha Leigh Henry questioned why so many critically acclaimed Black-led shows, including comedies like “Rap Sh!t” and “South Side” from HBO Max, and ABC. “The Beautiful Years” are canceled.

“It’s hard not to wonder why our shows don’t have time to expand their audiences,” she wrote.

Jae Richards says he felt “Bria Mack” deserved “more runway” at Bell Media.

“I guess for them, business is business, which is unfortunate. But I definitely think they learned. They certainly heard the people. They felt frustrated,” he adds, referring to the outcry on social media that followed the cancellation of “Bria Mack.”

Media analyst Gregory Taylor says the recent wave of cancellations can be explained by the “bad economics” of streaming, where companies have access to immediate audience data.

“If people start watching a series but don’t finish it completely, streamers have access to that knowledge and in many cases shows are canceled before they usually are,” says the media and television professor. cinema at the University of Washington. Calgary.

“Crave and all streamers show very little tolerance for shows that don’t find an immediate audience…. This is a problem for the industry, which risks missing out on certain shows that would have had long-term relevance. »

Jae Richards says the future of “The Office Movers” is in “the hands of the universe” and he’s encouraged by the support fans have shown. The brothers have a built-in audience thanks to their YouTube subscribers.

But even if the series is not renewed, it already seems to be a success.

“To see this on television forever, it’s part of Canadian history. There’s nothing you can do about it now,” says Jae Richards.

“Of course we want more, but it’s a huge satisfaction for us.”

And if all else fails, office relocation is always an option.

“Our dad is still moving and he’s even tried to get us to come back to work, like literally last year,” says Trey Richards.

“He knows we would help him. That’s what’s funny,” adds Jae Richards.

“We would rather not do it, but at the end of the day, here we are.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 23, 2024.