Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new series ‘The Indian Detective’
BRAMPTON, Ont. Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: “What would the average Joe do in this situation?”
Loved by audiences around the world as a successful standup comedy headliner, “The Indian Detective” — which premieres Thursday on CTV — casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai.
Think Eddie Murphy’s breakthrough 1984 comedy “Beverly Hills Cop,” he suggests, "without a budget or Eddie Murphy.”
There’s actually plenty of budget and plenty of adventure in “The Indian Detective.” The four-episode series was shot over two months, mainly in South Africa, but also in Mumbai and Toronto.
The concept was almost six years in development.
“We had so many people coming in and out of the project,” says Peters, “that I literally had to ask: ‘Is that person still involved?’”
Things changed, however, when Frank Spotnitz arrived. The former “X-Files” and “Man in the High Castle” showrunner took charge four years ago. Spotnitz stayed at Russell’s Toronto home until they had an outline both could embrace.
“The guy’s got one of those crazy, creative minds,” says Peters.
Still, the highly regarded executive producer confessed he simply didn’t know how to write jokes for Peters.
“Just leave that to me and you be Frank Spotnitz,” said the comedian.
Born in Toronto, raised in nearby Brampton and of Indian descent, Peters has made an impressive living sending up his own multicultural upbringing. Selling out arenas around the world, he regularly stands near the top of the annual Forbes list of highest-grossing comedians.
Despite his established comedy cred, Peters says he pushed for his series to be “less jokey.”
“I wanted my character to be a smart-ass and a bit of a screw-up,” he says, but felt it was also important that the character be “root-able. Viewers should feel he’s not as inept as he seems.”
Having appeared in several film and TV projects, including 2011’s sports-comedy “Breakaway,” Peters is now backed by a veteran cast, including Canadian icon William Shatner as a ruthless property developer.