The Beachcombers Animated Series: We Talk To The Studio Behind The Upcoming Adaptation

But first, a bit of context on this colossal chunk of iconic CanCon for any ignorant foreigners. Back in the day, before our mobile devices turned every family into a coterie of strangers, there was no more hallowed a ritual in Canada then the gathering of the whole family around the home’s single gigantic wooden television for an evening of watching communally agreed-upon, prime time programming. It was an era where every show lived or died by its position in the line-up and sponsors ran wild with unfettered powers unthinkable to modern audiences. This golden age of form and function lasted from the 1970s all the way to the 1990s, and throughout it all, there was only one show to rule them all –The Beachcombers. That’s the moment in history that Slap Happy and crew want to recapture for a whole new generation of viewers. “The Beachcombers was Sunday night family viewing, and we want to bring that back,” said Mepham.

So what is The Beachcombers all about? The quirky west coast comedy was created by wife/husband team Susan and Marc Strange, and followed the adventures of log salvager Nick Adonidas and friends as they navigated daily life on Canada’s Sunshine Coast. Set and shot in beautiful Gibsons, BC The Beachcombers’ unique setting was an essential part of its appeal, both at home and abroad. “For an Australian who wants to really see a slice of the Canadian experience, it’s hard to top The Beachcombers… it’s almost magical, the environment is in that part of the world.”

The town is on the mainland, but is only accessible by boat – a fact that led the cast into numerous nautical escapades over the years. Many of its 387 episodes feature characters gathering together at Molly’s Reach – a charming seaside diner with a facade emblazoned with the motto “Welcome Back!”

Gibsons is a town very much playing itself – and in a Kaufman-esque twist, Molly’s Reach is not just the main meeting place in the original series – it is also at the centre of the origin story of the animated show – a tale that would be right at home in an episode of the show itself. So beloved was The Beachcombers that, once production wrapped on the final episode, it was decided to convert Molly’s Reach into a fully functional restaurant. The iconic spot has been in operation since then, much to the delight of locals and tourists.

One such delighted patron was television producer and Molly’s Reach regular Blair Peters, known for hit kid’s shows like Being Ian, Kid vs Kat, and Yvon of the Yukon. According to Mepham, it was only a matter of time before Peters was struck by the proverbial apple of inspiration. “This was all his idea! Blair was sitting in Molly’s Reach one day, looked up at the cast photo of the original beachcombers and thought to himself ‘Hey, I miss that show!’”

Feeling certain that a whole new generation would be responsive to The Beachcombers’ distinctive vibes, Peters took the next step – tracking down Nick Orchard, one of the original producers of the show, who quickly agreed to join the project. Obtaining the rights to the show turned out to be a less expedient endeavour – It took Orchard several months of hard work before his efforts bore fruit, but in the end the rights were secured.

But The Beachcombers was never satisfied with pure driftwood-driven silliness – it was also a show far ahead of its time. “That it had an Indigenous main character back then was unheard of,” explained Mepham. “Think about these guys pitching this show starring a Greek immigrant and a young Indigenous man.” Having any Indigenous central character in a sitcom was in itself unusual in the 1970s – but The Beachcombers Jesse Jim is a truly singular character. The show never shied away from dealing with issues important to British Columbia’s First Nations communities, and Pat John’s depiction of Jesse Jim is considered to be one of television’s first non-caricaturized representations of an Native person. John was a member of the Sunshine Coast’s Shishalh Nation and a residential school survivor who died in the summer of 2022. The show struck a careful balance between tackling Indigenous issues and showing Jesse as just another Gibsons resident trying to get by. Mepham is enthused about the chance to follow in the original series’ groundbreaking footsteps. “This show a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on these issues…we want to continue that legacy of telling Indigenous stories and tackling environmental issues.“ The pilot is co-written by Indigenous comedian Darrell Dennis. Dennis is no stranger to Canadian television – since the age of 17 he has had roles in shows like Northwood and The Rez, more recently, and was the first Indigenous funnyman to be asked to join a Second City Touring Company.

While they still have to find a home for the show, the team is very excited about the potential for bringing everybody’s favourite old show into a whole new medium. “The fun thing about doing it in animation is we can update and push the humour and push the adventure just a little bit more, while still keeping true to the original series. We know how precious this is to so many Canadians, so it’s very important to us for it to still feel like The Beachcombers.”