Delmer and Marta make it big: Local comedians land sitcom

A script all about the strange life and times of an Alberta odd couple has landed a pair of local comedians their own sitcom on APTN-TV.

The soon-to-be released pilot for Delmer and Marta, from Edmonton production company Mosaic Entertainment, is a spinoff from the award-winning sketch comedy series Caution: May Contain Nuts. 

Marta and her life-partner Delmer, a popular trailer park couple, are played respectively by co-executive producer Howie Miller of Edmonton and Sheldon Elter of Peace River. 

The show tracks the couples' antics as they relocate from their small reservation to the "big city" of Morningside (pop. 40,000) and shake things up in the sleepy town.

"It's a new take on The Jeffersons," said Miller with a laugh, during a Friday morning interview with CBC Edmonton AM radio show host Mark Connolly.

Marta lands a job as host of the local morning news show, Good Morning Morningside. And while not technically employed by the station, Delmer finds plenty to do "helping" Marta and the morning show team any way he can.

Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall) and Shaun Johnston (Heartland) join the cast as Marta's quirky boss Creston and Tom, the couple's unlucky-in-love next-door neighbour. 

In fact, the Delmer and Marta characters existed long before creation of the show, as characters in Miller and Elter's stand-up routines.

"When you're doing a show in Grand Prairie in a room full of oil riggers and they've had one too many, you have to do something to get their attention," said Miller.

Delmer and Marta airs Wednesday, Dec. 25 and Saturday, Dec. 28 on APTN and APTN HD respectively. Check local listings for times.