Director: Mark Critch
Newfoundland comedian Mark Critch turns his own upbringing into television with Son of a Critch, a warm coming-of-age comedy set in 1980s St. John's.
What is Son of a Critch about?
Ten-year-old Mark grows up in a boisterous, tightly knit household on the eastern edge of Canada, caught between his practical mother, his eccentric father, and a grandfather who refuses to follow anyone's rules but his own. Each episode follows young Mark as he navigates a working-class Newfoundland childhood full of family gatherings, awkward first friendships, small-town gossip, and the kind of local characters that only a place as close-knit as St. John's could produce. Adapted from Critch's own memoir, the series leans on affectionate, slightly exaggerated memory rather than strict chronology, letting an adult version of Mark narrate scenes that blend nostalgia with sharp, self-deprecating humor. Rather than one central plot, the show builds its momentum from a season-long patchwork of school troubles, holiday chaos, and the shifting dynamics of a household where three generations share one roof.
Cast & crew
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays young Mark, while Mark Critch himself appears as his father, giving the show an unusual double presence of the real writer inside his own dramatized past. Malcolm McDowell brings gruff charm to the grandfather, Claire Rankin anchors the household as Mark's mother, and Mark Ezekiel Rivera, Colton Gobbo, and Sophia Powers round out Mark's circle of friends and siblings with an easy, lived-in chemistry.
Context & significance
Son of a Critch arrives as part of a wave of memoir-driven sitcoms that trade broad gags for specific, regionally flavored nostalgia, and its Newfoundland setting gives it a texture rarely seen in North American comedy. The show carries a 7.2 rating on IMDb and has built a following for balancing genuine sentiment with sharp comic timing across its half-hour episodes.
Where & how to watch
Son of a Critch streams on K-Time with Persian subtitles, and the platform's Farsi-first interface makes it easy for Iranian diaspora viewers to browse and follow along. Watching requires only a free K-Time account login, and the full episode list is readable in full here even before signing in.