New Halifax-filmed series banks on finding family in ‘King & Pawn’

Emerging filmmaker Taylor Olson assembles a talented local cast for his new digital short-form comedy series now streaming on-demand across Canada

CITYnews halifax \ Steve Gow

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One of Halifax’s hottest emerging stars is making his first foray into the world of short-form digital television.

Canadian Screen Award-nominated filmmaker Taylor Olson, who released his directorial debut feature Bone Cage to critical acclaim in 2020 has launched the new digital series, King & Pawn — a comedy he co-created with local actor and producer Tieren Hawkins.

“He initially brought the idea of a pawn shop sitcom to me and we started playing around with it,” says Olson, who was also recognized as the Nova Scotia Emerging Artist of the Year in 2020. “What we really wanted to find within the idea was it about being about found family (and) about finding home.”

A five-part short-form series available on demand via Fibe TV, King & Pawn stars Olson and Hawkins alongside Reid Price as the reluctant proprietor of a pawn shop.

Best known for standout performances in USA’s The Sinner as well as an award-winning appearance in the Crave original film, Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor, Price plays Rhett McManus — a “lovable loser” who inherits his estranged father’s store and must turn the business around while trying to cope with its eccentric staff, curious customers and a decades-old rival.

Finding himself at the head of this house of misfits, Rhett soon discovers a family he never expected in the screwball surroundings.

“That’s where the idea came from,” admits Olson, who draws on a long comedy tradition of outcasts finding a family in each other. From Kevin Smith’s Clerks film franchise to the Canadian series Letterkenney to fellow Halifax-based hit, Trailer Park Boys, the notion of “found family” has been a proven success in film and television.

“I think it is appealing because we all feel like we are those people,” says Olson about the magic formula. “These characters are relatable in a way and we like to laugh at ourselves, but also laugh at other people and how absurd and ridiculous they are like us.”

He notes specificity also plays a role in these types of comedies. Filmed and set around HRM, King & Pawn focuses on small, distinct locations and building strong, precise relationships amongst the characters.

“That’s what all those comedies do,” adds Olson. “I think when we are watching things in general, we are looking for connection (and) they take people who are disconnected from each other, and they give them opportunity to connect and find connection, and that’s what we are trying to do with this show too.”

Olson also notes while filming, they attempted to capture the same absurd energy as the characters on set. To accomplish that, Olson, Hawkins and co-producer Amy Trefry hired local actors and crew that they were comfortable and familiar with.

“Reid, who is the star, is a good friend of mine and when we were writing it, we thought of him immediately,” says Olson, adding other close cast members include award-winning artist Koumbie (I Hate You, Mr. D), Dartmouth actor Julia Williams and Shelley Thompson (best known for playing “Barb Lahey” on the Trailer Park Boys series). “When you are working with friends, they are like family.”

While the show was always pitched and intended to be a 15-minute short-form series, Olson says they would love to see the show become popular and grow into a bigger project.

“If the opportunity came that we could turn it into a six by 30-minute series, we would run with it and we are definitely leaving that door open,” notes Olson, who also acts as director of the five King & Pawn episodes. “But at the same time, if we get to keep making the show as a short-form series at this length — we’re happy with that too.”

In the meantime, Olson will now switch gears to finish his highly-anticipated sophomore feature film, Look At Me.

Now in post-production, the forthcoming film is an autobiographical comedy based on his own play, Heavy. The story follows a lonely, insecure actor who goes on an “unwitting  journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse.”

“We’ve got a rough cut of the movie and now we are just finessing it,” says Olson about his follow-up to Bone Cage, which won several awards including Best Feature at the FIN Atlantic Film Festival.

“I’m pretty excited about it. It’s unlike anything I’ve made in a really fun way and I think it’s  a project that, of all the projects I’ve made, I’m most excited about.”