COMMANDO ASSAULT ON FALCON BEACH
LEE-ANNE GOODMAN - Canadian Press
Steve Byers, the star of Falcon Beach, can't help but giggle over an upcoming episode during the show's second season that touches on a Hollywood trend: women going without underwear beneath their party dresses.
Byers plays the hunky Jason on the Global Television show, and is surprised to learn his love interest, Paige, has removed her undergarments at a party at the urging of a new character on Falcon Beach, a wild party girl named Courtney, played by Jeananne Goossen.
Sound familiar?
"It's like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton saw the show," Byers says with a laugh. "People are going to think we were copying them, but in fact, we were first. And at least now, we have an explanation for it for why they were doing it."
Jason begins the season desperately trying to ward off attempts by the Bradshaws to buy his family's marina in order to build a high-end resort. But he soon finds himself tempted into a world of gambling and risk-taking while another new character, Nathan Rai (Stephen Lobo), has his eye on the comely Paige, played by Jennifer Kydd.
Will Jason and Paige find happiness even though her rich father is attempting to destroy him and the slick and charming Rai is circling?
"I won't give too much away, but I think the audience that likes Paige and Jason together will be satiated by the outcome," Byers says.
The show has just been sold to 30 countries around the world, including France, Turkey and Vietnam. The show's first season also aired on Disney's ABC Family this summer -- a cable channel that reaches 88 million homes in the U.S.
"It's really exciting, and we couldn't be happier for the producers," says Byers. "We keep saying we want to see the dubbed version in Vietnamese -- that would be pretty funny."
Shannon Farr, one of the creators and producers of the show, says it appeals to a broad audience, whether they're Norwegian, Australian or Israeli. "We're telling stories that are universal, stories about human beings, about conflict and what it's like to have your heart broken, and people everywhere can relate to those stories," Farr says. "It feels the same to have your heart broken whether you're Turkish or you're Canadian."
The indigo skies, bright beaches and posh country-club scenes that are showcased on Falcon Beach often make the shores of Lake Winnipeg seem like Canada's very own Côte d'Azur -- another selling point, says Farr.
"The show looks fantastic," she says. "It's a blue-sky show, it's always sunny, it's filled with beautiful people -- it's a place a lot of people would like to be."
Similar in style to The O.C. in the United States, Falcon Beach shares another feature with the American drama: a consistently impressive soundtrack featuring largely independent bands. While the storylines might not be uniquely Canadian, the music often is -- bands like Art of Dying and singer Kinnie Starr have songs featured on the program this year, and Winnipeg's Holly McNarland sings Beautiful Blue, the Falcon Beach theme song.
The producers even put the call out to indie bands last year to submit songs for consideration. "We use a lot of Canadian indie bands, but that's not because we have a set mandate to use Canadian bands," Farr says. "It just so happens right now that some of the best music in the world is coming out of Canada, so it's luck. But if we are helping those bands get heard outside of Canada, we couldn't be happier."
