Aware that it competes with foreign platforms, Télé-Québec wanted to offer a quality product while giving itself the means to achieve its ambitions.
With exceptional investments from the Quebec government, the public broadcaster is offering LIAMa 12-episode series aimed at both young people and adults.
The story is not new: an android who begins to have feelings, even though his creator had not designed him for that.
In this case, the android is called LIAM, as in “Worldwide Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.” Designed in the greatest secrecy by a couple of scientists in a large laboratory, it must be publicly revealed during a Science Fair.
While his “father”, Dr. Jacob Wood (Steve Laplante), insists that he remain unresponsive, his “mother”, Dr. Hélène Vincent (Bianca Gervais), loves him like her own son, at least hope to see him express feelings.
This dichotomy in the scientific couple will create intense friction when Hélène helps LIAM escape to live in the real world and avoid the reset to which Dr. Wood destines him.
Outside, LIAM learns to live like a human, to act, react and think like a human. A challenge that carries enormous risks for the teenager with a super-powerful brain, allowing him to speak all the languages of the world and store information at lightning speed.
His interest focuses first and foremost on Rafaële (Milya Corbeil Sauvageau), who awakens new impulses in him and helps him escape. Daughter of the owner (Pierre-François Legendre) of a tourist lodge which temporarily welcomes young people gifted in science, she allows LIAM to slip among them, a perfect hiding place for the actively sought-after android.
LIAM was designed in the greatest secrecy by a couple of scientists (Steve Laplante and Bianca Gervais). (Eve B.Lavoie)
Co-author with Benoit Pelletier and producer, Marie-Hélène Lebeau-Taschereau specifies that LIAM is not a plea against artificial intelligence but a reflection on those who control it and on what will remain of us, humans, when AI has reached its full potential.
Director Jean-Sébastien Lord announced for his part that he wanted to make nods to certain science fiction films, notably by Steven Spielberg.
Alfred Poirier, that the faithful of the series The weapons known for his role as Ivan, the son of Louis-Philippe Savard, brings a lot of credibility to the role of LIAM. Without ever falling into the caricature of the robot who speaks like a robot, he moves with a little less ease than a human, enough to make us understand that he is not one. But it’s very subtle.
After all, LIAM is worth several billion dollars and is considered “mankind’s most prodigious invention,” nothing less.
My inglorious past as a high school Science Fair exhibitor – my booth featured the beluga! – made me recognize the one in the series, which brings together real young exhibitors. The ping-pong ball throwing robot, which you will see, was indeed presented at a Science Fair.
KOTV has been producing for Télé-Québec for 10 years, first with Family advice Then The pact. The production company has also sold all 48 episodes of Pact to Canal+, which dubbed the series in French from France. Go watch the extracts on the French channel’s website, you’ll have a laugh.
KOTV obviously wants to sell LIAM internationally.
Whether the series is labeled as a children’s series doesn’t matter much. Firstly because it was financed as a fiction for adults and because it can compete with many of the so-called adult series that we are currently seeing on other channels.
LIAM will have to integrate into the group made up of Osny, Anne, Alexis, Rafaële and Rym (Bradley Rovinesky Finis, Magalie Langrais, Sam-Éloi Girard, Milya Corbeil Gauvreau and Salma Serraji). (Eve B.Lavoie)
The production notably called on a special effects firm, AA Studios, and its owner Marc Hall.
Since we are mainly targeting an audience who consumes their TV on digital platforms, the entire series will be posted on December 6 on the Télé-Québec website and application. Viewers who want to follow her on TV will be able to do so daily, from December 9 to 20 at 5:30 p.m.
The same strategy was adopted for The 422the previous series of its kind to have been broadcast in bursts during the holiday season.
Financial assistance from the Shaw Fund also allowed the production to organize a tour in three cities in Quebec, Sherbrooke, Gatineau and Quebec, where the first episodes will be presented to students from three schools. Montreal is treated to its red carpet and a screening at the IMAX Cinema at the Science Center.
A second season could see the light of day, but would be broadcast in two years. It is not excluded that we will present another burst series for the next holiday season.
Of course, Télé-Québec’s vice-president of content, Nadine Dufour, hopes for recurring funding from the Quebec government, in order to ensure quality youth programming, among other things, for several more years.
WELL FOLLOWED FINALS
It was finals week on our TV.
Of all the last episodes before the holidays, this is Dumas which performed the best with 948,000 viewers on ICI Télé, compared to 657,000 for The weapons on TVA, Monday at 8 p.m.
The same evening at 9 p.m., Alerts was seen by 681,000 TVA regulars. Earlier, the final of Discussions with my parents attracted 800,000 followers on ICI Télé.
Tuesday, the very touching farewells ofWith a beating heart retained 799,000 fans on ICI Télé.
To respond to this column, write to us at [email protected]. Some responses may be published in our Opinions section.
