NUTV release its first openly queer comedy show FAIRY TALES
By Dianne Miranda, November 16 2024—
NUTV, the core of film production at the University of Calgary for 40 years as the campus-based television station, has released its first queer comedy show, FAIRY TALES. Created by Yaiza Lopez Garcia San Roman, Pamela Rogers and Ingrid Vargas, the series follows Becky as she does whatever it takes to win her dream girl, Becky’s crush.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, San Roman describes that the idea of the show evolved from concept to screen when she was initially journaling, thinking about universal queer experiences and the desire to portray more queer stories. She states the inspiration of the show’s creation started mostly autobiographical, then developed to become a fun show to represent experiences.
“One day, I remembered, ‘Oh my god’, it would be so funny to have an episode of a queer show where it’s this universal queer experience — you’re at the farmers market and suddenly our online girlfriend is threatening to [unalive] herself, ” she says. “I saw on TikTok that that had happened to so many people and [thought] that would be funny to represent because it’s so not funny that it would just be interesting. I [thought] that it would be cool to portray more queer stories of [things] that happen.”
Although there have been queer characters in NUTV shows, FAIRY TALES is their first openly queer show. San Roman hopes that anyone is able to connect with the show because it is simply objectively fun and funny. With NUTV’s typical audience of university students, she reiterates the power of representation and being able to see oneself on screen, especially if historically these representations were problematic.
“We are only just having more of [queer representation] lately. There hasn’t been that much gay media and finally we’re seeing an explosion of it. So, contributing to that is a good thing,” San Roman says.
San Roman has been a member of NUTV for five years. When asked what this milestone means to her personally and for the broader community on campus, she emphasizes the importance of putting queer stories on centre stage and contributing to the representation and presence of the queer community in a positive light.
“A lot of the things we talk about on campus, even in courses, [are] all sad, because our history is sad. I think having something with comedy is a good relief.”
NUTV released the pilot episode of the show on Sept. 13 and the second episode on Nov. 8. Two more episodes are going to be released by the end of the year. San Roman highlights that each episode is going to be very different. NUTV associate producer Yaiza Lopez Garcia San Roman compares FAIRY TALES’ narrative style to early 2000s Disney and Nickelodeon classics like That’s So Raven and iCarly. The show has an authentic and unique feel to it that can keep the audience entertained the entire show.
The main characters will remain the same throughout the show, but events of each episode will be distinct and separate. These four episodes of the first season are also evenly split in terms of directional vision between San Roman and Rogers, with each co-creator taking turns in the director’s chair allowing for unique and distinct humours.
“If you don’t like one episode, you might like another one because each one of them is going to be so different and I just hope that people can connect to one of them,” said San Roman.
FAIRY TALES, with its playful storytelling style, marks a significant moment for NUTV, bringing fresh, openly queer narratives to the forefront of student media at the University of Calgary. By centering 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences in a comedic, relatable and authentic way, the show not only entertains but offers a new space for viewers to see themselves represented. Episodes are available on NUTV’s YouTube page. To keep updated with everything and anything NUTV, follow their Instagram.