The Smart Woman Survival Guide

Infobox Television
show_name = The Smart Woman Survival Guide


format = Half-hour comedy
runtime = 22 minutes 15 seconds (without commercials)
creator = Al Magee
starring = Tricia Braun
Laura McLean
Siobhan Murphy
Joanne Alderson
Riley Gilchrist
Ryan V. Hays
Adam Seybold
Jean-Paul Saurine
country = flagicon|Canada Canada
executive_producer = Al Magee
network = W Network
first_aired = 2006-09-04
last_aired = Present
num_episodes = 39
website = http://www.smartwomantv.com
imdb_id = 0835242

"The Smart Woman Survival Guide" is a Canadian situation comedy, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, currently in its third season. It airs on the W Network. It was renewed for 26 further episodes before season 1 had finished shooting.

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". "The Smart Woman Survival Guide" 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, Liz, played by Siobhan Murphy, Nat, played by Laura McLean and Brooke, played by Joanne Alderson. 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, Nobel Peace Prize nominees, celebrity chefs and "New York Times" bestselling authors.

Cast

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2346736/ Tricia Braun] – Lana Pearson
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2377551/ Siobhan Murphy] – Liz Duncan
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2375620/ Laura McLean] – Natalie Knowles
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2348057/ Joanne Alderson] – Brooke Patterson
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2347238/ Riley Gilchrist] – Alistair
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1438497/ Ryan V. Hays] – Phil
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2164964/ Adam Seybold] – Reggie

Noteable Guest-Starring Cast

* [http://imdb.com/name/nm0767051/ Jean-Paul Saurine] - Steve Duncan
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2273466/ Megan Hutchins] - Geneva
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2448905/ Boomer Phillips] – Pete Sharp

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.
* [http://www.kidsareworthit.com/about.html 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".
* [http://www.gidiet.com/ Rick Gallop] , Author of [http://www.gidiet.com "The G. I. Diet"] .
* Rob Stewart, Director of award-winning environmental feature film documentary, Sharkwater.

Episodes

Series Trivia

Executive Producer [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0535821/ 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.

The show was originally conceived as a two-act show that grew to four acts with a teaser and tag.

Production Credits

The series was edited at Visual Fixations [http://visualfixations.com]

Audio post production and 5.1 surround mixing for the 39 episodes was completed at Rhythm Division [http://rdiv.com] . 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.

External links

* [http://smartwoman.tv/ Official website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0835242/ IMDb profile]

Press and Media coverage

* [http://www.mageetv.com/documents/Weekend%20Post%20-%20Wool%20Is%20Bringing%20Sexy%20Back.pdf National Post 09/16/06]
* [http://www.mageetv.com/documents/Globe%20Televsion%20-%20Monday%20Pick%20Of%20The%20Day.pdf Globe Television 09/06]
* [http://www.mageetv.com/documents/Metro%20-%20Smart%20Set.pdf Toronto Metro 08/11/06]
* [http://www.mageetv.com/documents/Riverdale%20Actress%20is%20One%20Smart%20Woman.pdf Etc News 08/24/06]
* [http://www.mageetv.com/documents/Inside%20Entertainment%20-%20W%20Network.pdf Insider Entertainment 09/06]