NBCUniversal and Syfy have recently premiered a new show called Astrid and Lilly Save the World, starring Jana Morrison as Astrid and Samantha Aucoin as Lilly. The show is basically Booksmart meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Astrid and Lilly are high school students and best friends who decide on a whim to go to the “popular kids” party. Unfortunately, they are met with unbelievably brutal verbal bullying and fat-shaming by the host of the party. The two leave in tears, but decide to do somewhat of a “cleansing ritual” where they shed themselves of the pain and reaffirmed their sense of self-confidence.
While doing that impromptu ceremony, the two friends accidentally open a portal to another dimension which leaks supernatural creatures into our world, giving the girls extraordinary abilities. They are approached by someone they refer to as “Hunky” who identifies himself as their “Giles” and tells them that he’s from the dimension they accidentally opened a portal to, and he shows off a single horn protruding from the center of his forehead, like a unicorn.
It seems “alternate dimension Giles” is named Brutus (Olivier Renaud) and he gives off more of a Charles in Charge vibe than “hunky,” but the characters are teen girls, so perhaps to them he’s “hunky.” Brutus explains to them that now that they’ve cracked open a rift in time and space, they need to clean up their mess and collect all the wacky monsters who have come through the portal in an effort to literally save the world, all while navigating their way through high school including crushes on boys, social situations, and rites of passage.
Each week we will be introduced to new and interesting monsters the girls must track down and vanquish before the hour is up.
Jana Morrison (Astrid) is a Filipino-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now based in Vancouver, she studied at The Canadian College of Performing Arts. Morrison was recognized for her work in the British Columbia arts community and was awarded the Pro-Art Early Career Artist Award in 2020. Recent credits include NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Hallmark’s Master of the Heart and Chesapeake Shores.
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Samantha Aucoin is a singer, songwriter and actress from Beeton, Toronto who began her acting career playing lead roles in local plays and is making her TV debut with Astrid & Lilly Save the World. Aucoin’s recording debut was on the album What is Christmas For. Currently writing original music for herself and others, she wrote and recorded the power anthem Hip Hop, Santa Bop.
Reel 360 was lucky enough to sit down with one of the stars, Samantha Aucoin, for an interview where we discussed how she got the role, her friendship with her costar Jana Morrison, which episode was her favorite to film and why, her plans for the future, and what it was like filming the scene where her character and Astrid (Morrison) were mercilessly bullied at that previously mentioned high school party.
We also touched on what it was like filming in Canada, her recent trip to Los Angeles, her inspirations as an actress, and of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show Astrid and Lilly Save the World has been compared to so many times. Watch below:
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The season has already begun, but there’s plenty of time to catch up before all 10 episodes air. Astrid & Lilly Save the World was written by Noelle Stehman and Betsy Van Stone, who executive produce along with Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron and Samantha Levine. The show is produced by Blue Ice Pictures.
Astrid and Lilly Save the World airs Wednesday nights at 10 on Syfy.
Joia DaVida reports on the entertainment industry in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
