Backpackers (web series)
Backpackers is a Canadian comedy web series, which aired in 2013 on CTV.ca and CW Seed.[3] The CW picked up the series for television broadcast, for which material from the web series was edited into four half-hour episodes, and six new episodes were produced.[2] Backpackers made its television premiere on July 14, 2014. The series stars Dillon Casey and Noah Reid as Brandon and Ryan, two friends on a backpacking trip across Europe after Ryan and his girlfriend Beth (Meghan Heffern) experience cold feet over their pending engagement.[3] Ryan's stolen journal is posted on the Internet and goes viral, sending Ryan, Brandon, and Brandon's brother Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti) on another journey, to recover the journal and fulfill Ryan's dream of becoming a published author.[2]
| Backpackers | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy[1] |
| Created by | Daniel Dales
Jarrett Sherman Jay Bennett[2] |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes |
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| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Camera setup | single-camera[1] |
| Running time |
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| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release |
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The web series was produced by Smokebomb Entertainment, the digital content division of Shaftesbury Films.[4] The television series is produced by Shaftesbury U.S. and Smokebomb in association with The CW.[2]
Casey garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.
On July 23, 2014, The CW removed Backpackers from its schedule after just two episodes, and released the remaining episode on CW Seed.[5]
Webisodes
Season 1
Eight webisodes were released on the CTV website, as well as CW Seed, in 2013.[6]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter 1: Pilot" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 2 | "Chapter 2: Trans-Europe Express" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 3 | "Chapter 3: A Milf-ey Coast" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 4 | "Chapter 4: Balls" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 5 | "Chapter 5: Di Qui All'Eternita aka From Here To Eternity" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 6 | "Chapter 6: Ich Bin Ein Backpacker" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 7 | "Chapter 7: Prague is For Lovers" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 8 | "Chapter 8: Sexy Boys Forever" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
Season 2
In 2015, The CW began releasing episodes for a second season on CW Seed.[7] The 6 episodes filmed for television were split into 24 webisodes.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter 9" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 2 | "Chapter 10" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 3 | "Chapter 11" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 4 | "Chapter 12" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 5 | "Chapter 13" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 6 | "Chapter 14" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 7 | "Chapter 15" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 8 | "Chapter 16" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 9 | "Chapter 17" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 10 | "Chapter 18" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 11 | "Chapter 19" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 12 | "Chapter 20" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 13 | "Chapter 21" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 14 | "Chapter 22" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 15 | "Chapter 23" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 16 | "Chapter 24" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 17 | "Chapter 25" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 18 | "Chapter 26" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 19 | "Chapter 27" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 20 | "Chapter 28" | Josh Levy | Ian Malone |
| 21 | "Chapter 29" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 22 | "Chapter 30" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 23 | "Chapter 31" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
| 24 | "Chapter 32" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid |
Television episodes
The television episodes each consist of two webisodes merged.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | U.S. air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "It's Like, 'ow You Say, The Crazy Love" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid | July 14, 2014 | 0.59[8] | |
| As best friends Ryan and Brandon race across Europe in search of Ryan's missing bride-to-be, they find themselves struggling with the eternal twenty-something question of what to do with their lives. | ||||||
| 2 | "A-MILF-ey Coast" | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid | July 21, 2014 | 0.35[9] | |
| Ryan is obsessed with finding his fiancée Beth, so he and Brandon reach out to Beth's family to locate her travel itinerary. They quickly find themselves at Beth's younger brother Randall's mercy when he demands payment in the form of topless photos before handing over any info. The guys head to a beach on the Amalfi Coast and spot Isabella Cucinota, the screen siren of Brandon's childhood dreams. Ryan wants to stay focused on getting a topless photo for Beth's brother, but Brandon can't say no when Isabella invites the guys back to her place. | ||||||
| 3 | "Ich bin ein Backpacker"[10] | Josh Levy | Adam M. Reid & Max B. Reid | Unaired | TBD | |
| The search for Beth continues, and Ryan and Brandon end up at a music festival in Berlin. They run into Mitchell who, still annoyed at being ditched, withholds Beth's whereabouts, and more importantly, who she is with. Meanwhile, Brandon finds himself choosing friendship over love when he decides to continue to help Ryan search for Beth instead of following his heart. | ||||||
References
- "Backpackers on CW". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- "CW Seed's "Backpackers" Becomes the Network's First Digital Series to Make Leap from Online to On-Air, With Brand New Episodes Set to Debut on the CW Television Network". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- "New Canadian web series target viewers watching on mobile devices". Toronto Star. 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- Vlessing, Etan (2012-11-28). "CW Digital Picks Up 'Backpackers' Web Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- Bibel, Sara (July 23, 2014). "The CW Pulls 'Seed' & 'Backpackers' From Its Schedule After Two Episodes". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- "Backpackers - Video - CTV". 2014-07-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- "Backpackers Video - Ch 1: Pilot | Stream Free".
- Kondolojy, Amanda (July 15, 2014). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Mistresses' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for '24: Live Another Day'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- Bibel, Sara (July 22, 2014). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Backpackers' Adjusted Down, No Adjustment to 'Under the Dome'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- "(#103) "Ich Bin Ein Backpacker"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
External links
- Backpackers at IMDb