The Smart Woman Survival Guide

The Smart Woman Survival Guide
Created by	Al Magee
Starring	Tricia Braun Laura McLean Siobhan Murphy Joanne Alderson Riley Gilchrist Ryan V. Hays Adam Seybold Jean-Paul Saurine
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	39 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Al Magee
Running time	22 minutes
Release
Original network	W Network
Original release	September 4, 2006 (2006-09-04) – January 5, 2008 (2008-01-05)
External links
Website

The Smart Woman Survival Guide is a Canadian situation comedy, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, that aired from September 4, 2006, to January 5, 2008. It aired on the W Network and CosmoTV. It was renewed for 26 further episodes before season one had finished shooting. The show was originally conceived as a two-act show that grew to four acts with a teaser and tag.

Premise

The Smart Woman Survival Guide is a half-hour hybrid that is part lifestyle and part comedy. Lifting the ‘Ironed Curtain’ on a Martha Stewart Living-type show, the series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional lifestyle program called Smart Woman and follows a group of women who bond over their work, lives and loves.

The series stars Tricia Braun as Lana Pearson, the demanding host of Smart Woman, and her trusty staff, producer Liz (Siobhan Murphy), associate producer Brooke (Joanne Alderson), and researcher Natalie (Laura McLean). As the women attempt to navigate the challenges of their personal and professional lives, the audience is presented with tips, how-tos and information for today’s “smart woman”. When the Smart Women go into the real world to research segments for the show, they interact with real world experts who make guest appearances on the Smart Woman show. These include real-life Olympians, celebrity chefs and New York Times bestselling authors.

Cast

Tricia Braun – Lana Pearson, the host of Smart Woman
Siobhan Murphy – Liz Duncan, the producer
Laura McLean – Natalie Knowles, the researcher
Joanne Alderson – Brooke Patterson, the associate producer
Riley Gilchrist – Alistair, Lana's assistant
Ryan V. Hays – Phil, the IT guy
Adam Seybold – Reggie, the make-up artist

Notable guest-starring cast

Jean-Paul Saurine - Steve Duncan, Liz's husband
Megan Hutchins - Geneva, Lana's 19-year-old niece
Boomer Phillips – Pete Sharp, Lana's nemesis and host of a rival show
Brad Hampton - John Smith

Guest experts

Alexandra Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis, The Overachievers, Pledged, and Secrets of the Tomb.
Conrad Leinemann, Beach Volleyball Olympian, finished 9th at the Sydney Olympic Games, and is a Pan Am Games Gold Medalist, with a 100+ km/h serve.
Mark Heese, Beach Volleyball Olympian. Mark brought home Canada’s first medal in beach volleyball in the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
Marc Dunn, Beach Volleyball Olympian, finished 17th at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Craig Kielburger, Founder and Chair of Free the Children, and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Barbara Coloroso, internationally recognized parenting expert and author of four best selling parental advice books: Kids are worth it; Parenting Through Crisis, Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief, and Inner Discipline; The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander; Just Because it’s not Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right.
Rick Gallop, Author of The G. I. Diet.
Rob Stewart, Director of award-winning environmental feature film documentary, Sharkwater.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Smart Woman Survival Guide episodes

Production credits

The series was edited at Visual Fixations. Audio post production and 5.1 surround mixing for the 39 episodes was completed at Rhythm Division. The re-recording mixer was Jim Longo, with additional editing on season 3 by Andrea Cyr. Music for season 1, as well as the show theme were composed by Tom Third. For seasons 2 and 3 the music was composed at Rhythm Division by Kevan Staples.

Executive Producer Al Magee was the creative consultant for Showcase Network, contributing to numerous shows, including Slings & Arrows, Kink, Naked Josh, Show Me Yours, Kenny vs. Spenny, and Trailer Park Boys. Series composer Kevan Staples was a member of the Canadian new wave rock band, Rough Trade. He has won 4 Juno Awards and a Genie Award.

The photo of Liz and Steve on Liz’s desk is a real photo of Siobhan Murphy (Liz) and Jean-Paul Saurine (Steve) taken years ago, when the two were classmates at theatre school.

References

External links

Official website (defunct)
The Smart Woman Survival Guide at the Internet Movie Database

Press and media coverage

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