Adapting is a new made-in-Vancouver family drama that screens on AMI this month.
We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
Article content
Father-and-daughter duo Garner and Rachael Ransom came up with the Vancouver-made dramatic series Adapting during their car rides in 2021.
Article content
Produced by Bread & Better Films Inc., and set in the fictional coastal town of Halfway Bay, B.C., the show follows twin sisters Lennon and Lola trying to find their way around growing up amid loss, disability and finding their identity in a small town.
Article content
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
“I would pick Rachael up where she was getting Botox treatments for her legs, and to take her mind off of the pain she experienced, we would brainstorm premises and ideas for show stories,” said Garner. “Rachael was studying screenwriting, the idea of a family dynamic storyline loosely mirroring aspects of our lives came up.”
Article content
Sun Spots
Article content
Rachael, who has cerebral palsy and scoliosis, works in film and TV and is also an accomplished singer/songwriter who released her debut, sixty seven ten, in 2024. Garner, a graphic designer for over 30 years, had no screenwriting experience.
Article content
“Dad would look at my assignments and was really interested in the process, so we kind of learned the craft together,” said Rachael. “I had worked on a show for Black Rhino hosted by singer Christa Couture and they introduced me to the AMI folks. When they mentioned looking for a scripted series focusing on disability, I brought up what we were developing and they wanted to see it.”
Article content
Much to Rachael and Garner’s surprise, Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), a Canadian creator of original content reflecting diversity and inclusion, wanted the show and requested a meeting with their team.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
“I had to tell them that our ‘team’ was me and dad,” said Rachael. “So they introduced us to Big Time Decent Productions in Burnaby. Four days later, we got the call and contract.”
Article content
Read More
-
These are the Vancouver ties to this year’s Emmy nominations
-
Rachel Ransom revisits the heyday of 1970s singer-songwriter craft on new album
-
Advertisement 1
Story continues below
Article content
Big Time Decent produced unscripted hit shows such as Vet Detective and Rust Valley Restorers. Bread & Better Films Inc. is the company’s scripted original content affiliate. Netflix, Hallmark Channel, Hulu and others are all clients. The Ransoms were in business.
Article content
“We didn’t really even have a completed pilot, so we got to writing quickly,” said Garner. “Since we have been developing and writing ideas for a while, it came together. We also have a genuine team now.”
Article content
AMI made clear that they want actors with disabilities playing disabled characters in their shows. A search led to Vancouver actor Threnody Tsai.
Article content
Tsai, who has cerebral palsy, has a recurring role as the demigod archer Sarah in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. She plays 16-year-old Lennon Anderson in Adapting.
Article content
Following a family tragedy, Lennon moves with her sister Lola (played by Junnicia Lagoutin from The Imperfects) and their widowed father Mel, played by Liv and Maddie’s Kurt Long, to Halfway Bay. Tsai says it’s exciting to have a lead role in a series.
