From Podcast to Animation: The Evolution of The Red Green Show

Ever wonder what life would be like if your father was Steve Smith of The Red Green Show? We sat down with Max Smith, Canadian producer who directed several of his father's TV specials, including "I'm Not Old I'm Ripe," "How to Do Everything," "We're All in This Together," and "This Could Be It." and Dave Smith, who first visited the lodge as a ten-year-old participant in Red Green's "big brother" program featured on The Red Green Show and asked about podcast life with their father and the new animation series of The Red Green Show coming this Fall. 

Life on the set. A BBQ at CHCH TV Station where the show used to run.

What was it like for you individually growing up in an entertainment/comedic household?  

Dave - Overall it was great.  It was exciting for me that people knew who my parents (with Smith and Smith), and later my dad (with Red Green), were.  Growing up on different sets, meeting the performers and just seeing how it all worked from behind the scenes was very cool. Sometimes it was not the best, as kids can be cruel and this was definitely an easy target for someone to make fun of me for, “your Dad’s Red Green?!?”  I also learned from my dad that if you can make mom laugh, you can get away with just about anything.  I continue that strategy into the present day and it has earned me twenty years of a happy marriage. 

What drew you into making an animation series? Pun intended? 

Dave - I think doing the podcast, which is an audio-only medium, there was always something in the back of our minds saying maybe one day we could transition into this.  As my dad gets older he has less energy to actually physically be Red Green, so voice recordings and animation has really allowed him to be Red easier for longer.  Once we had enough material from the podcast, and Max had also been gaining more experience in the animation field, it felt like the right time to give it a try. Max - The first program I ever produced was in 2001 - it was a Red Green PBS Pledge special (begathon) and I worked with Jay Ziebarth to create some celebratory animations of Red and Harold. Twenty something years later, it’s fun to be doing longer form content and giving the Lodge a second life.

What do you think it is about the Red Green Show that keeps fans and new audiences engaged and interested? 

Dave - I think people respond to the show because a) the characters, while flawed, still genuinely like each other, b) most people who love it know someone (or are someone) who solves problems the exact same way that Red does, and c) at it’s very heart, the show is fun and it’s not trying to be anything other than that. Simple, funny, and positive are in short supply at the moment and Red Green delivers on all three.

Which character of the Red Green Show do you most identify with and why? 

Dave - When I was younger it was definitely Harold - but as I continue to get older, Red is starting to make a lot more sense.  In a decade or so, I will likely move on to Old Man Sedgwick!

Please share what audiences can expect from the animated series.

Dave - The animated series definitely is a blend of showing a) characters you already know from the show, like Winston Rothschild or Ranger Gord, in some new and innovative ways, but also b) finally seeing some of our “mythical” characters like Old Man Sedgwick for the first time, as well as c) brand new characters who bring fresh ideas and energy, all the while still being the same Possum Lodge fans know and love.  The TV show itself, over its fifteen seasons, never shied away from mixing new and old characters and the Podcast will continue that tradition. 

Max - Format-wise it’s much like the original show - it’s more sketch than sitcom. Not having to make things work (at least a little bit) in real life expands the possibilities of what Red can dream up - so in this world he has no real limits.

Please share your funniest Podcast moment with your Dad and what we can expect to hear as we continue to listen to the podcast.  

Dave- Definitely the funniest moments recording the Podcasts are when we do sound effects.  We record the Podcast in my Dad’s actual basement, where he has some of the old set pieces still set up. So if we need the sound of a duct tape roll opening (which we need a lot of), he will literally reach over and grab a fifteen year old roll of tape and bam, we have the sound effect we need. If the script calls for Red hitting a bike with a hammer, we'll bring a bike downstairs and drill it with a hammer til we like the sound.  Definitely a lot of laughs down there in the pseudo-Lodge.

Paid Members can view the first animated episode on September 1, 2024. Look for the series on streaming later this year. Until then, Keep Your Stick on the Ice!